Michael Cohen pleads guilty to eight charges, implicating Donald Trump
Trump lawyer implicates US president directly in campaign financing crimes

Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and long-time “fixer” has pleaded guilty to eight charges, including violating campaign financing laws at the direction of a “federal candidate”.
Michael Cohen admitted to a Manhattan court five counts of tax evasion, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of wilfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution at the request of a candidate or campaign.
The BBC says his admission that he “knowingly broke campaign finance laws that was by far the most politically explosive”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Cohen admitted to making hush-money payments to two women who have claimed to have had sexual relations with Trump, “‘in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office’, implicating the president in a federal crime”, the New York Times says.
“I participated in this conduct, which on my part took place in Manhattan, for the principal purpose of influencing the election,” Cohen told the court.
The charges against Cohen carry potential penalties of up to 65 years in prison. However, Cohen has reportedly made a plea deal with prosecutors that sets out a much more lenient custodial sentence of five years and three months.
Trump ignored reporters’ questions about Cohen’s guilty plea as he arrived at a planned rally in West Virginia, and the White House has so far refused to answer any questions on the matter.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purge
Cartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?
In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Sudoku medium: August 23, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfully
Speed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
Gavin Newsom's Trump-style trolling roils critics while thrilling fans
TALKING POINTS The California governor has turned his X account into a cutting parody of Trump's digital cadence, angering Fox News conservatives
-
Court says labor board's structure unconstitutional
Speed Read The ruling has broad implications for labor rights enforcement in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi
-
Judges: Threatened for ruling against Trump
Feature Threats against federal judges across the U.S. have surged since Donald Trump took office
-
The census: Why Trump wants a new one
Feature Donald Trump is pushing for a 'Trumpified census' that excludes undocumented immigrants
-
Trump warms to Kyiv security deal in summit
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Trump's support for guaranteeing his country's security 'a major step forward'
-
Trump extends power with D.C. police takeover
Feature Donald Trump deploys 500 law enforcement officers and 800 National Guard members to fight crime in Washington, D.C.
-
DC protests as Trump deployment ramps up
Speed Read Trump's 'crusade against crime' is targeting immigrants and the homeless