President Donald Trump accused his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen of lying in federal court and expressed sympathy for former campaign manager Paul Manafort after his Tuesday conviction.
I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” – make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018
Trump previously tweeted about Cohen on Wednesday morning, taking a swipe at his integrity. The president also immediately reacted to the Manafort verdict before a rally in West Virginia, saying he felt very badly for his former campaign manager.
Manafort was found guilty of eight counts relating to tax and bank fraud in federal court in Virginia Tuesday. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in the remaining 10 counts.
If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018
Cohen told the federal court that he acted for the purposes of influencing the election when he made payments to two women who were alleging an affair with Trump. Cohen, Trump, and the president’s legal team have previously maintained that the payments were made in a personal capacity to save face and had nothing to do with the 2016 presidential campaign.
The payments were made to former porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who both claimed to have affairs with Trump in the mid-2000s. Prosecutors targeting Cohen told the court that the aim of the payments to Daniels and McDougal were made to hide his affairs.