Updated
US President Donald Trump directed hush payments to
two women during the 2016 presidential campaign and knew the actions
were wrong, his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen said in a
television interview with US network ABC News that aired on Friday.
Key points:
- Mr Trump's former "fixer" gives his first interview since being sentenced to three years in prison
- Mr Trump knew payments to silence a former Playboy model and adult film star were wrong, Cohen says
- Federal law requires campaign contributions to be disclosed
"He directed me to make the payments. He directed me to become involved in these matters," Cohen, who was sentenced to prison this week over campaign finance and other charges, told the American Broadcasting Company.
"I will not be the villain of his story."
Mr Trump has said he never directed Cohen to break the law.
"I don't think there's anybody that believes that," Cohen said.
"First of all, nothing at the Trump organisation was ever done unless it was run through Mr Trump."Cohen, speaking in his first interview since he was sentenced on Wednesday, said Mr Trump at the time "was very concerned about how this would affect the election" if voters knew about the alleged affairs and told him to pay off the two women — former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels.
"I just reviewed the documents in order to protect him," Cohen said.
"I gave loyalty to someone who truthfully does not deserve loyalty."The payments aimed to help Mr Trump and his campaign, Cohen added.
Federal law requires contributions of "anything of value" to a campaign be disclosed, and an individual donation cannot exceed $2,700.
Asked if then-candidate Mr Trump knew the payments were wrong, Cohen told ABC's Good Morning America program: "Of course."
Cohen also denied Mr Trump's claims that he was lying to protect his wife and family.
"He knows the truth. I know the truth. Others know the truth," he said.
"And here is the truth: the people of the United States of America, the people of the world, don't believe what he's saying.
"The man doesn't tell the truth, and it's sad that I should take responsibility for his dirty deeds."
Cohen said he was "angry" at himself and he "didn't display good judgment". He denied he was driven by greed and ambition.
Mr Trump has defended himself on Twitter, arguing he "did nothing wrong".
I never directed Michael Cohen to break the law. He was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law. It is called “advice of counsel,” and a lawyer has great liability if a mistake is made. That is why they get paid. Despite that many campaign finance lawyers have strongly......
....stated that I did nothing wrong with respect to campaign finance laws, if they even apply, because this was not campaign finance. Cohen was guilty on many charges unrelated to me, but he plead to two campaign charges which were not criminal and of which he probably was not...
....guilty even on a civil basis. Those charges were just agreed to by him in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence, which he did-including the fact that his family was temporarily let off the hook. As a lawyer, Michael has great liability to me!
This week Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison
for the payments as well as unrelated crimes of tax evasion and
misleading banks, and two months for lying to Congress about a proposed
Trump Tower project in Russia.
ABC/Reuters
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