US President Donald Trump attacked his former attorney Michael Cohen, who signed a plea bargain which could lead to him giving testimony in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.
"If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!" Trump tweeted Wednesday.
Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday to eight counts total, including five counts of tax evasion and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution, according to The Hill.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of making an excessive campaign contribution on October 27, 2016, which is the same date Cohen finalized a payment to adult-film star Stormy Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement over an alleged affair with Trump.
The $130,000 payment to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was completed just weeks before the 2016 election. Clifford is now suing Cohen and Trump for defamation and to void a non-disclosure agreement about the affair, according to The Hill.
While not specifically naming Trump, Cohen said in the plea deal that "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office" he kept information that would have been harmful to the candidate and the campaign from becoming public.
The judge set a sentencing date for Cohen for December 12.
While Cohen’s deal does not include an agreement to cooperate with prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, where he was charged, it also does not explicitly rule out the possibility of cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller in the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, The New York Times reported.
Trump insisted that the payments Cohen plead guilty for did not constitute a crime.
"Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime. President Obama had a big campaign finance violation and it was easily settled!" he tweeted.
The president also tweeted his support for his former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud yesterday.
"I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!" Trump wrote.