Trump insists Michael Cohen's crimes are not really crimes

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 22 August 2018

President Trump's longtime personal attorney pleaded guilty to an assortment of crimes Tuesday, but some of them were apparently only crimes of the "fake news" variety.

Trump on Wednesday insisted that Michael Cohen's guilty plea regarding campaign finance violations is unfair, because those actions are "not a crime." Ignoring the fact that breaking campaign finance laws is indeed a crime, Trump also breezed past Cohen's other counts of tax evasion.

The tweet was Trump's first substantial comment on his former fixer's legal peril; he remained silent on the issue in the hours after the news, and has mainly focused on the "witch hunt" facing his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort. Trump pointed to former President Barack Obama, whose campaign was fined $375,000 back in 2008 for failing to report all donors. Trump complained that Obama's case was "easily settled," while Cohen faces possible jail time. Trump dispensed his legal advice for both Cohen and Manafort on Twitter, perhaps because Trump thinks Cohen is a terrible lawyer who can't figure it out for himself.

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Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

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