Donald Trump directed Michael Cohen to arrange hush-money payments with two women because then-candidate Trump “was very concerned about how this would affect the election” if their allegations of affairs became public, the president’s former personal attorney said Betpas in an exclusive interview with ABC News.
and Cohen’s comments are his first since being sentenced earlier this week to three years in federal prison for financial crimes, lying to Congress and two campaign finance violations in connection with the deals with the women, Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, who claim past affairs with Trump.
“I knew what I was doing what wrong,” Cohen told ABC News’ Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos. “I stood up before the world [Wednesday] and I accepted the responsibility for my actions.”
ABC news Michael Cohen sits down for an interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America,” Friday, Dec. 14, 2018.
When asked if the president, therefore, knew it was wrong to make the payments, Cohen replied, “Of course,” adding that the purpose was to “help [Trump] and his campaign.”
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Cohen has said he is “angry at himself” for his role in the deals, but that he did it out of “blind loyalty” to Trump.
(MORE: Cohen said Trump made him follow a path of darkness rather than light’)
“I gave loyalty to someone who, truthfully, does not deserve loyalty,” he said.