CAMPAIGN FINANCE/LEGAL/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WOMEN: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [12-13-18] ended his silence on Michael Cohen’s prison sentencing, claiming he never directed his longtime attorney to break the law and that he bears no responsibility for Cohen’s campaign finance violations. In his first tweets since Cohen was sentenced to three years for a series of tax fraud and lying charges on Wednesday [12-12-18], Trump argued that Cohen pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws to get a lighter sentence. The president also questioned whether any legal violations even occurred…Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance law when he made hush-money payments ahead of the 2016 election to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and helped arrange a similar payoff to Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed they had affairs with Trump.”
–Caitlin Oprysko, Josh Gerstein and Darren Samuelsohn, “Trump ducks for legal cover after Cohen sentencing,” Politico, December 13, 2018 1:28 pm