Trump unfazed over payment saga

‘I’M NOT CONCERNED,’ SAYS US PRESIDENT Investigations into whether payments violated campaign finance laws.

President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was not concerned that he would get impeached and that payments made ahead of the 2016 election by his former personal attorney Michael Cohen to two women did not violate campaign finance laws.

“It’s hard to impeach somebody who hasn’t done anything wrong and who’s created the greatest economy in the history of our country,” Trump said.

“I’m not concerned, no. I think that the people would revolt if that happened,” he said.

Court filings last week drew renewed attention to six-figure payments made during the 2016 campaign by Cohen to two women so they would not discuss their alleged affairs with the candidate. Democrats in Congress said Trump could face impeachment and jail time if the transactions violated campaign finance laws.

Cohen was scheduled to be sentenced yesterday in New York for his role in the payments to the women.

Trump has denied affairs with porn star Stephanie Clifford, known as Stormy Daniels, and the other woman whom Cohen said was given hush money, former Playboy model Karen McDougal.

Prosecutors say the hush money payments violated campaign finance laws and were directed by Trump himself to cover up affairs he had in 2006 and 2007.

Earlier this year, Trump acknowledged repaying Cohen for $130 000 (about R1.8 million) paid to Daniels. He previously disputed knowing anything about the payments.

Prosecutors sought prison time for Cohen, Trump’s self-proclaimed “fixer,” for the payments, which they said were made in “coordination with and at the direction of” Trump, as well as on charges of evading taxes and lying to Congress. –