Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in New York to lying to Congress about plans to build a Trump Tower in Russia.
The plea marked a major new development in Justice Department special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Court documents filed as part of the plea deal detailed Trump's business dealings in Russia that he long minimized and that lasted longer during his campaign than previously acknowledged.
Trump on Thursday called Cohen "a weak person" and said even if his testimony were true, it was perfectly legal for him to negotiate a real-estate deal while campaigning.
“He's a weak person and not a very smart person," Trump said. "Even if he was right, it doesn't matter because I was allowed to do whatever I wanted during the campaign. I was running my business."
The guilty plea came amid a flurry of activity from Mueller, who personally signed Cohen's deal. On Monday, Mueller voided a plea deal with Paul Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, for lying repeatedly to investigators. Manafort has a hearing Friday to get a possible sentencing date for charges of conspiracy and obstruction of justice for representing a pro-Russia faction in Ukraine.
Get the Exclusive
05.03.2025