Cohen Says He Broke Campaign Finance Laws on Trump's Orders

In guilty plea, ex-personal lawyer implicates former boss
Eight-count plea came as Manafort found guilty of tax fraud

Jens David Ohlin, vice dean and professor of law at Cornell Law School, talks about the case against Michael Cohen.(Source: Bloomberg)

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By Shahien Nasiripour, Erik Larson, Bob Van Voris, Christian Berthelsen, and Patricia Hurtado

August 21, 2018 at 6:49 PM EDT

Updated on

August 21, 2018 at 8:39 PM EDT

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President Donald Trump’s former attorney admitted that he violated campaign-finance laws ahead of the 2016 election -- at the direction of Trump himself.

Michael D. Cohen made that explosive assertion during a hastily convened appearance in a federal courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to eight counts of tax fraud, false statements to a bank and campaign-finance violations. He faces more than five years in prison under federal guidelines.

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