Trump Knew It Was Wrong To Make Hush Money Payments During 2016 Campaign - Ex-Lawyer

US President Donald Trump knew it was wrong to arrange payments to two women during presidential campaign to prevent the allegations of affairs from going public, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen said on Friday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2018) US President Donald Trump knew it was wrong to arrange payments to two women during presidential campaign to prevent the allegations of affairs from going public, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen said on Friday.

When asked whether Trump was aware it was wrong to make the payments, Cohen told ABC news in an interview, "Of course."

On Thursday, Trump said he never directed Cohen to break the law, adding that the lawyer should have understood the legality of his actions. Trump also said that lawyers have told him he did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, even though Cohen pleaded guilty to two campaign finance violations.

Cohen said the president directed him to make the hush-money payments because at the time Trump "was very concerned about how this would affect the election."

A US Federal judge sentenced Cohen to 3 years in prison for campaign finance violations, tax evasion, making false statements to a bank in connection with a case brought by the Southern District Court of New York, and lying to Congress in connection with the Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of the 2016 election.

The sentence came as part of a plea deal Cohen reached with US attorneys and the Special Counsel's office.