Michael Cohen pleads guilty to eight charges, implicating Donald Trump

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”.

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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.