In what could prove to be the worst development for Donald Trump since he was sworn in as president, his longtime attorney and fixer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to several charges today, including campaign finance violations.
Now, the crooked administration’s disastrous situation has taken another turn for the worst. The New York Times reports that Cohen not only admitted to illegal campaign donations but also told the court that Trump himself was aware of the violations and personally directed Cohen to carry them out.
The payments in question were given to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to buy their silence over their extramarital affairs with Trump. Presumably, the Trump campaign members and the then-candidate himself thought voters would ditch him if his indiscretions were revealed. As we’ve since learned, Trump’s base — particularly the hypocritical Evangelical bloc — is all too happy to ignore the president’s immorality if it means their party can maintain power.
Furthermore, Cohen admitted that the payments were specifically made for “the purpose of influencing” the 2016 presidential election. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes put the story into proper context, drawing attention to the fact that Cohen is admitting to nothing less than obeying the current president’s orders to break the law. Hayes also rightfully pointed out that had Cohen not covered up the affairs, Trump could conceivably have lost the election.
Today, in federal court, the President's fixer said the president ***directed him to break campaign law*** to cover up an explosive allegation a few days before an election that the president won by 77,000 votes across three states.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 21, 2018
Remember how wildly damaging the Access Hollywood tape was to Trump. The Daniels stuff exploding 2 weeks before the election would have had a significant effect.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 21, 2018
But the president is alleged to have directed his fixed to break the law to keep it silent with the purpose of influencing the election.
And none of this even touches any of the Russia stuff!
77,000 votes across three states.
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 21, 2018
*fixer!
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 21, 2018
Now that Cohen has implicated Trump in his crimes, it’s only a matter of time before Trump responds. Given his past behavior, it’s likely that the Republican president will go on the offensive and try to discredit Cohen, which in turn could push Cohen to unveil even more dirt. Regardless of how the next phase plays out, this development is terrible for the Trump administration and bodes well for the blue wave.
