Ex-Trump lawyer Cohen pleads guilty in hush-money scheme

The unveiling of federal criminal charges against US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer came with drama as attorney Michael Cohen went farther than prosecutors were willing to go in pointing fingers. Not only did Cohen plead guilty to all eight charges, but he directly implicated the president in the payment of hush money to two women who claim they had affairs with him.

Cohen, Trump's longtime "fixer," claimed his ex-boss was to blame for hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to influence the 2016 election.

He told US District Judge William H. Pauley III that he arranged a $150,000 payment from a media company to the model "in coordination with, and at the direction of, a candidate for federal office." He said it was "for the principle purpose of influencing the election."