Michael Cohen's attorney said President Donald Trump directed Cohen to commit a crime, and questioned Tuesday why the president is not also facing criminal charges.
"[Tuesday, Michael] stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election," Lanny Davis said in a statement, per CNBC. "If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?"
Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign-finance violations and other charges, saying he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to porn actress Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to influence the election.
Under a plea bargain reached with federal prosecutors, Cohen, 51, could get about four to five years in prison at sentencing Dec. 12. Trump's former lawyer and "fixer" pleaded guilty to eight counts in all, including tax evasion and making a false statement to a financial institution.
Cohen did not specifically name the two women or even Trump in entering his plea, recounting instead that he worked with an "unnamed candidate." But the amounts and the dates all lined up with the payments made to Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.
Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani said there was no allegation "of any wrongdoing against the president in the government's charges against Mr. Cohen. It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen's actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time."
The U.S. Attorney's office in New York said, per Deadline.com, Cohen "caused and made payments described herein in order to influence the 2016 presidential election. In so doing, he coordinated with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments."
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