12/12/2018

CAMPAIGN FINANCE/MEDIA/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Abandoned by two of his most powerful protectors, President Donald Trump insisted Thursday [12-13-18] that he did not violate campaign finance laws and that the liability for hush-money payments to two women alleging affairs with him rests with his former fixer, Michael Cohen. Both Cohen and American Media Inc., the company that owns the National Enquirer tabloid, now say they made hush-money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy Playmate for the purpose of helping Trump’s 2016 White House bid, a campaign finance violation. Trump, in recent months, has gone from denying knowledge of any payments to saying they would have been private transactions that weren’t illegal. He offered yet another explanation Thursday…Federal prosecutors say the payments were made at Trump’s direction. The president, reiterating his claim that he is victim of an overzealous investigation, also argued that any payments were unrelated to his presidential campaign and thus not a violation of federal law.”

The Associated Press, “As Probe Closes in, Trump Distances Himself From Cohen,” The New York Times online, December 12, 2018