However, Ari Fleischer, the former press secretary for George W. Bush, said that Trump’s actions do not meet the qualifications for impeachment. They are not “high crimes and misdemeanors,” he said.
“Having an affair and lying about it with a porn star and a Playboy bunny is not impeachable; it’s Donald Trump,” Fleischer said.
Trump’s Response
Trump spoke to “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday in an interview that aired on Thursday.
During the conversation, he spoke about Manafort. He called him a “great man” who “refused to break” under pressure. Trump also said that he had “great respect” for Manafort. Regarding Manafort’s crimes, he said that “every consultant, every lobbyist in Washington probably does [the same things].”
As for Cohen, the president blamed his former lawyer for betraying his confidence. “It’s called flipping and it almost ought to be illegal,” he said.
The president said that Cohen’s crimes weren’t “even a campaign violation.” Cohen admitted paying adult film actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal to keep quiet about former affairs with Trump. Trump argued that he paid Cohen back out of his own money, so they didn’t use campaign funds. The legal problem, however, is that he didn’t report the payment.
