· Paul Manafort, who led the Trump campaign during the Republican National Convention in 2016, was found guilty of eight of the 10 charges brought against him.
· Mr. Manafort was found guilty of bank and tax frauds and one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts, by a jury in Virginia, in the suburbs of the U.S. capital.
· Michael Cohen, long-time lawyer and self-declared ‘fixer’ for Mr. Trump, pleaded guilty to tax and bank fraud and violation of campaign finance rules, allegedly at the behest of the President.
· The investigation was triggered by the Special Counsel’s findings.
· Mr. Cohen organised hush money for two porn stars, who allegedly had sexual relations with Mr. Trump.
· The 22-page plea deal admits this as a violation of campaign finance, as these expenses were not declared as such.
· Sitting Presidents are not indicted, but Mr. Trump could be charged once he leaves office, according to several legal scholars.
· The White House said Mr. Trump’s outside legal team would respond to Mr. Cohen’s guilty plea.
Source : The Hindu