President Trump’s former personal lawyer and longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty to eight charges, including campaign finance violations; he also added that a hush money payment made to former Playboy model and porn performer Stormy Daniels was at the then president-elect’s insistence.
According to the Associated Press, Cohen, 51, pleaded guilty to several charges as a part of a plea agreement reached with the FBI. According to a live CNN television report, there is no arrangement in Cohen’s plea agreement that has him providing information to special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election. The news station does note that there is nothing preventing Cohen from cooperating on his own but that was not a part of his formal agreement with the FBI.
While Cohen did not name the women he paid on behalf of the president or name the president explicitly, CNN notes that the amounts and the dates from Cohen’s account in court line up with payments made to Daniels and former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.
“The FBI raided Cohen’s hotel room, home and office in April and seized more than 4 million items” CNN reports. “The search sought bank records, communications with Trump’s campaign and information on a $130,000 payment to Daniels and a $150,000 one to McDougal. Both women claimed Trump had affairs with them, which he denies.”
Cohen could face anywhere from four to five years in prison.