Trump's alleged financial crimes actually do matter, GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch finally concedes

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said he doesn't care about President Trump's alleged crimes. Now, he's taking it back.

Earlier this week, ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for financial crimes, among them campaign finance violations in which he implicated the president while pleading guilty. CNN's Manu Raju stopped Hatch in a Senate hall to ask his thoughts on the sentencing, and Hatch responded by brushing off Trump's alleged crimes. "I don't care, all I can say is he doing a good job as president," Hatch said, adding that he didn't think Trump did anything wrong.

But in a follow-up statement Friday, Hatch called his remarks "irresponsible and a poor reflection" of his "dedication to the rule of law." While Hatch doesn't believe Cohen is a "reliable voice," he does have "confidence" in Special Counsel Robert Mueller and wants him to continue investigating Trump's ties to Russia, he said. As for his previous implication that "you can make anything a crime under the current laws," Hatch explained that America's "criminal code is simply too large" and he'd like to "simplify" it. Read his whole statement below. Kathryn Krawczyk

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

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.

Sign up