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

(Image credit: Screenshot/CNN.com)

published 14 December 2018

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

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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