Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's long-serving lawyer, has implicated the president in several campaign finance crimes.
Cohen appeared in court yesterday in order to plead guilty to eight counts of breaking the law — including campaign finance violations, tax fraud, and bank fraud.
Court documents revealed that Cohen directed hush money to go to a woman, with the express purpose of influencing the outcome of the election. Cohen further admitted that he did this at the discretion of a "candidate for federal office," who has not been named, but is widely presumed to be his client, Donald Trump.
Legal experts have concluded that Trump cannot be indicted on criminal charges for as long as he remains the president, but it is possible — though unlikely — for the United States Congress to initiate impeachment proceedings against him.
Trump conspicuously ignored the goings on of the courtroom yesterday, instead attending a rally in West Virginia, where he is popular. As Cohen pleaded guilty to his crimes, Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, was found guilty of his own crimes — also eight charges of bank fraud and tax fraud.
Manafort will be sentenced later this month. Cohen is set to be sentenced in December.
