Trump bashes Cohen, backs Manafort

President Donald Trump said he was sad but not shaken by the legal woes of two of his former associates, Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen. A jury Tuesday found Manafort, a former Trump campaign chairman, guilty of eight counts of financial fraud but could not reach a verdict on 10 other charges. The same day, Cohen, the president’s former personal lawyer, pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance rules and other crimes, some stemming from payments made to women who claimed to have had extramarital affairs with Trump.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that Cohen was making up stories in order to get a plea deal and added, “President Obama had a big campaign finance violation and it was easily settled!” According to the plea agreement, Cohen faces fines and 46 to 63 months in prison for his admitted crimes. Trump also reiterated his support for Manafort, who, the president tweeted, had “tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to ‘break.’”