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President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to several charges on Tuesday, including a crime related to the 2016 election. He also claimed that “an unnamed candidate” knew about and involved himself in Cohen’s crime.

On the same day, Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty of tax fraud, bank fraud and failure to disclose a foreign bank account.

History of the Case

This comes 17 months into Trump’s presidency. It’s also 10 months after Stormy Daniels revealed her non-disclosure agreement concerning her affair with Trump.

The pornography actress claimed that Cohen paid her $130,000 to stay quiet about the affair. Knowledge of the affair would have hurt Trump’s chances of winning the election. The crime in question, however, was whether Trump and/or Cohen used campaign funds to pay Daniels and why Trump didn’t report the payment on his taxes.

Cohen’s plea is different from Manafort’s conviction in that it is the first conviction to specifically deal with the election.

Though Cohen referred to his supposed accomplice as “an unnamed candidate,” no one has voiced any doubt that the person in question is Trump. Cohen’s plea also admits payments not only to Daniels, but also to Playmate Karen McDougal.

Republican Response

Trump has never wavered in claiming that Cohen acted without his knowledge and that he used his own funds to pay the two women.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Paul Ryan acknowledged Cohen’s plea and accusations. But he also said that officials would need more information before taking any action against the president.

Republicans are generally staying quiet on the matter. With midterm elections coming up, they want the party to remain unified. Republican candidates do not want to alienate Trump supporters by speaking against him.

Jennifer Horn is the former chairwoman of the New Hampshire Republican Party. Though Republican, she frequently criticizes the president. She says that this continuing investigation will pose a major problem for him during the 2020 election.

Opposition

Zac Petkanas specializes in researching Trump for the Democratic Party. He said that Cohen’s plea and accusations of Trump’s actions signaled a major change.

Democrats are hoping that this turn of events will influence independent voters and some Republicans to vote against Trump’s party in the midterms. They plan to cast doubt on Republicans who refuse to denounce the president for his alleged actions.