LEGAL/MICHAEL COHEN/RUDY GIULIANI/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Federal charges against former Trump attorney Michael Cohen contain no allegation of wrongdoing against President Donald Trump and demonstrate a “pattern of lies and dishonesty” by Cohen over a long period, a counsel for the president said on Tuesday [8-21-18]. Cohen pleaded guilty earlier on Tuesday to campaign finance violations and other charges, saying he made payments to influence the 2016 election at the direction of an unnamed candidate. Porn star Stormy Daniels has said Cohen paid her $130,000 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter with Trump. ‘There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the president in the government’s charges against Mr. Cohen,’ Trump counsel Rudy Giuliani said in a statement. ‘It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen’s actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time.’”
–Reuters Staff, “Cohen charges have no allegations of wrongdoing against Trump: Giuliani,” Reuters, August 21, 2018 3:26 pm