NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, was sentenced to a total of three years in prison on Wednesday for his role in making illegal hush-money payments to women to help Trump’s 2016 election campaign and lying to Congress about a proposed Trump Tower project in Russia.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan sentenced Cohen to three years for the payments, which violated campaign finance law, and to two months for the false statements to Congress. The two terms will run concurrently.

Cohen pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charge in August and to making false statements in November. </s> US President Donald Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered a blistering attack on his former boss as he was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for multiple crimes.

"It was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds," Cohen said as he pleaded for leniency before US District Judge William H. Pauley III.

Cohen, 52, said he was taking responsibility for his crimes "including those implicating the President of the United States of America."

Cohen's lawyers had asked for no jail time after he pleaded guilty to tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions, and making false statements to Congress.

But Judge Pauley sentenced Cohen to three years in jail.

Among the charges against Cohen was making "hush money" payments to two women who had threatened to go public during the 2016 presidential election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump.

Trump this week sought to minimize the importance of the payments saying they were a "simple private transaction" and that they were "wrongly" being called campaign contributions. </s> Michael Cohen, a lawyer who made his career protecting President Donald Trump, was sentenced to 36 months in prison Wednesday for dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.A federal judge in New York sentenced Cohen for making illegal hush-money payments to two women to protect Trump during the campaign - a scandal that could damage Trump's presidency. Other crimes for which Cohen will be sentenced include tax evasion and lying to Congress about the president's past business dealings in Russia.Some of Cohen's crimes, his attorneys said, were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump, rather than any nefarious intent.He has pleaded guilty to misleading Congress about his work on a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow, hiding the fact that he continued to speak with Russians about the proposal well into the presidential campaign.Cohen also pleaded guilty in August to breaking campaign finance laws by helping orchestrate payments to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said they had sexual encounters with Trump while he was married.For weeks, Cohen's legal strategy appeared to revolve around persuading the court that he is a reformed man who abandoned longtime friendships and gave up his livelihood when he decided to cut ties with the president and speak with federal investigators. Cohen's lawyers have said in court filings that their client could have stayed on the president's side and angled himself for a presidential pardon.New York prosecutors have urged a judge to sentence Cohen to a substantial prison term, saying he'd failed to fully cooperate and overstated his helpfulness.They've asked for only a slight reduction to his sentence based on his work with the office of special counsel Robert Mueller and prosecutors looking into the campaign finance violations in New York.A probation-only sentence, they said, is unbefitting of "a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy.""While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs" with Trump, prosecutors wrote.Prosecutors said Cohen orchestrated payments to McDougal and Daniels at Trump's direction.Trump, who insists the affairs never happened, said Monday in a tweet that the payments to the women were "a simple private transaction," not a campaign contribution. And if it was campaign contribution, the president said, Cohen is the one who should be held responsible."Lawyer's liability if he made a mistake, not me," Trump wrote, adding, "Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!"A sentence of hard time would leave Cohen with little to show for his decision to plead guilty, though experts said Wednesday's hearing might not be the last word on his punishment.Cohen could have his sentence revisited if he strikes a deal with prosecutors in which he provides additional cooperation within a year of his sentence, said Michael J. Stern, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit and Los Angeles."Few things spark a defendant's renewed interest in cooperating faster than trading in a pair of custom Italian trousers for an off-the-rack orange jump suit," he said.Annemarie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said prosecutors appear to be angry at Cohen for limiting his cooperation."It could be a tactic to try to break him like they've tried to do with (Paul) Manafort," McAvoy said, referring to Trump's former campaign chairman. "It kind of shows they're putting the screws to him. If they're not mad at him, he didn't give them what they wanted."Cohen's transition from Trump's fixer-in-chief to felon has been head-spinning.He once told an interviewer he would "take a bullet" for Trump. But facing prosecution for evading $1.4 million in taxes, Cohen pleaded guilty in August, pledged to cooperate with Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election and changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat.Judge Pauley, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton, may allow Cohen to begin serving any prison term he receives at a later date. But legal experts said Cohen could also be taken into custody immediately."If I were advising him, I'd encourage him to bring his toothbrush to court," said Stern.Cohen's lawyers have asked for no prison time, saying he has suffered enough already."The greatest punishment Michael has endured in the criminal process has been the shame and anxiety he feels daily from having subjected his family to the fallout from his case," his attorneys wrote in a court filing last month. "The media glare and intrusions on all of them, including his children, the regular hate correspondence and written and oral threats, the fact that he will lose his law license, the termination of business relationships by banks and insurers and the loss of friendships, are but some of this fallout." </s> Michael Cohen, who as President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer once vowed he would “take a bullet” for his boss, was sentenced Wednesday to three years in prison for an array of crimes that included arranging the payment of hush money to two women that he says was done at the direction of Trump.

The sentence was in line with what federal prosecutors asked for. Sentencing guidelines called for around four to five years behind bars, and prosecutors asked in court papers that Cohen be given only a slight break. He is ordered to surrender March 6.

Cohen, standing alone at the defense table, shook his head slightly and closed his eyes briefly as the sentence was announced by the judge.

U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen deserved modest credit for his decision over the summer to admit guilt and cooperate in a federal investigation of efforts by Russians to influence the presidential election, but his assistance “does not wipe the slate clean.”

“Somewhere along the way Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass,” the judge said. “As a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better.”

Cohen told the judge just before he was sentenced that loyalty to Trump led him astray.

“It was my blind loyalty to this man that led me to take a path of darkness instead of light,” he said. “I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.”

Cohen’s lawyers had argued for leniency, saying he decided to cooperate with investigators rather than hold out for a possible pardon.

“He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country,” Cohen’s lawyer, Guy Petrillo, told the judge during the hearing.

Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August to evading $1.4 million in taxes related to his personal businesses. In the part of the case with greater political repercussions, he also admitted breaking campaign finance laws in arranging payments in the waning days of the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom said they had sexual encounters with Trump.

Cohen became the first — and so far, only — member of Trump’s circle during two years of investigations to go into open court and implicate the president in a crime, though whether a president can be prosecuted is a matter of legal dispute.

Last month, Cohen also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Trump’s business dealings in Russia. He admitted hiding the fact that he was negotiating a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow well into the presidential campaign. He said he lied out of devotion to Trump, who had insisted during the campaign that he had no business ties whatsoever to Russia.

The sentence was the culmination of a spectacular rise and fast fall of a lawyer who attached himself to the fortunes of his biggest client, helped him get elected president, then turned on him, cooperating with two interconnected investigations: one run by federal prosecutors in New York, the other by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian efforts to influence the race for the White House.

At the sentencing hearing, a prosecutor in Mueller’s office, Jeannie Rhee, said Cohen has “sought to tell us the truth and that is of the utmost value to us.”

“He has provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation,” she said without elaborating.

It remains to be seen how much damage Cohen’s cooperation will do to Trump. Legal experts said Cohen could get his sentence reduced if he strikes a deal with prosecutors to tell them more.

The defense team said Cohen’s tax crimes were unsophisticated, and his campaign violations and lies to lawmakers were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump, rather than any nefarious intent.

But the New York-based prosecutors who handled the case had urged the judge to sentence Cohen to a substantial prison term and said he failed to fully cooperate with investigators.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicolas Roos said Cohen’s crimes showed a “pattern of deceit, brazenness and greed.”

He called for a sentence that sends a message that “even powerful, privileged individuals cannot violate these laws with impunity.”

In their court filing, the prosecutors left no doubt that they believe Cohen arranged the hush-money payments at Trump’s direction, saying the maneuver was part of an effort to “influence the election from the shadows.”

Trump, who insists the affairs never happened, argued on Twitter that the payments to the women were “a simple private transaction,” not a campaign contribution. And if it was a prohibited contribution, Trump said, Cohen is the one who should be held responsible.

“Lawyer’s liability if he made a mistake, not me,” Trump wrote, adding, “Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!”

Trump had repeatedly called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar.

Cohen has had at least seven meetings with Mueller’s team, which said in court papers that Cohen provided “relevant and useful” information about attempts by Russian figures to influence Trump’s campaign.

In the hush-money case, prosecutors said, Cohen arranged for the parent company of the National Enquirer to pay $150,000 to McDougal. He also paid $130,000 to Daniels and was reimbursed by Trump’s business empire. Prosecutors said the McDougal payment violated federal law against corporate campaign contributions, while the money that went to Daniels exceeded the $2,700 limit on campaign donations. </s> US President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen delivered a blistering attack on his ex-boss as he was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday for multiple crimes including paying “hush money” to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

Cohen, 52, Trump’s longtime “fixer,” said he was taking responsibility for his personal crimes and “those implicating the President of the United States of America.”

Cohen’s lawyers had asked for no jail time after he admitted tax evasion, making false statements to a financial institution, illegal campaign contributions and making false statements to Congress.

But Pauley said Cohen — as a lawyer — “should have known better” and sentenced him to three years in federal prison, ordering him to surrender to custody by March 6.

“Each of these crimes standing alone warrant considerable punishment,” Pauley said, adding that Cohen was “motivated by personal greed and ambition.”

Before the judge passed his sentence Cohen addressed the court.

“Today is the day that I am getting my freedom back,” he said.

“I have been living in a personal and mental incarceration ever since the day that I accepted the offer to work for a real estate mogul whose business acumen that I deeply admired,” he said.

Cohen referenced a tweet from Trump calling him “weak,” saying his “weakness was a blind loyalty to Donald Trump.”

Cohen pleaded guilty to charges brought by federal prosecutors in New York and by the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, the former FBI director who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether any members of Trump’s campaign colluded with Moscow.

Among the counts against Cohen was making “hush money” payments to silence two women threatening to go public during the 2016 presidential election campaign with claims they had affairs with Trump.

Cohen told prosecutors the payments totaling $280,000 to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal were made “in coordination with and at the direction” of Trump.

Both women have claimed to have had sexual encounters with Trump before he was the Republican candidate for president and prosecutors have characterized the payments as illegal campaign contributions intended to influence the election.

“Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election,” prosecutors said.

Trump this week sought to minimize the importance of the payments saying they were a “simple private transaction” and that they were “wrongly” being called campaign contributions.

“Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced,” Trump tweeted. “WITCH HUNT!”

In a sentencing memo, the special counsel’s office said Cohen had “gone to significant lengths” to assist their investigation.

Last month Cohen acknowledged that he lied to Congress about his contacts with Russia about building a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Cohen, wearing a dark suit with a light blue tie, arrived for the sentencing with his wife, son and daughter, who was walking with a crutch.

For 12 years, Cohen was vice president of The Trump Organization, the umbrella company for Trump’s real estate businesses, and one of the principal confidants of the New York billionaire.

Investigators raided Cohen’s offices and New York home in April and he admitted in August to hiding about $4 million in revenue from his taxi business from the tax authorities.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android. </s> NEW YORK -- The latest on the sentencing of Michael Cohen, a former lawyer for President Donald Trump (all times local):

A judge says Michael Cohen's co-operation with prosecutors "does not wipe the slate clean" of his crimes.

U.S. District Judge William Pauley III made the comments Wednesday as he handed down a three-year prison sentence to the former lawyer for President Donald Trump.

Pauley said that Cohen "appears to have lost his moral compass" and that the lawyer "should have known better" than to dodge taxes, lie to Congress and violate campaign finance laws.

The 52-year-old Cohen pleaded guilty to those offences.

He said Wednesday he takes "full responsibility" for the crimes he admitted committing. But he also said his "blind loyalty" to Trump made him feel a duty to "cover up" the president's "dirty deeds."

Trump had called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer has been sentenced to three years in prison.

U.S. District Judge William H. Pauley III said Wednesday that Michael Cohen deserved a harsh punishment for crimes including tax evasion, lying to Congress and arranging illicit payments to silence women who posed a risk to Trump's presidential campaign.

The judge rejected arguments by Cohen's lawyers that he should be spared jail time because he co-operated in multiple federal investigations involving Trump.

Cohen said his "blind loyalty" to Trump made him feel a duty to "cover up" the president's "dirty deeds."

Cohen's crimes included evading $1.4 million in taxes and misleading Congress about his talks with Russians about a Trump skyscraper project in Moscow.

Trump had called for a tough sentence for Cohen, whom he labeled a liar.

President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen says his "blind loyalty" to Trump led Cohen to "cover up his dirty deeds."

Cohen said at his sentencing Wednesday that he takes "full responsibility" for the crimes he admitted committing. But he went on to say his allegiance to Trump led him "to take a path of darkness instead of light."

Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen, who used to be the president's self-described fixer, could get about four to five years in prison.

His lawyer is arguing for leniency, noting Cohen's co-operation with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence Trump's campaign.

But a prosecutor on the case against Cohen says Cohen's crimes showed a pattern of deceit, brazenness and greed.

A prosecutor with special counsel Robert Mueller's office says President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen "has provided consistent and credible information about core Russia-related issues under investigation."

Jeannie Rhee didn't elaborate on that information as she spoke Wednesday at Cohen's sentencing. But she did say that Cohen "has sought to tell us the truth, and that is of the utmost value to us."

The 52-year-old Cohen served as Trump's personal lawyer and self-described fixer. Cohen has pleaded guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen could get about four to five years in prison, but his lawyer is arguing for leniency.

His attorney, Guy Petrillo, says Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he co-operated with prosecutors.

A defence lawyer says Michael Cohen "came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country" when he co-operated with prosecutors investigating whether Russians attempted to influence President Donald Trump's campaign.

Cohen's lawyer, Guy Petrillo, told a judge Wednesday that Cohen "stood up to power and influence."

Petrillo spoke as Cohen faced sentencing after pleading guilty to dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Cohen could get four to five years in prison, but his lawyers are arguing for leniency.

The outspoken lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels has turned up at the federal courthouse in Manhattan where Michael Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced for crimes including a hush-money payment to the performer.

Michael Avenatti represented Daniels in a legal dispute with Cohen in which she sought to be released from the non-disclosure agreement.

Avenatti has bashed Cohen for months on cable television, saying President Donald Trump's former lawyer deserves to go to prison.

Cohen's sentencing will begin Wednesday at 11 a.m.

Cohen pleaded guilty to evading $1.4 million in taxes, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Prosecutors say the $130,000 payment Cohen made to Daniels exceeded legal limits.

His lawyers say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time.

President Donald Trump's former lawyer has arrived at the courthouse in Manhattan where he is scheduled to be sentenced for evading taxes, lying to Congress, bank fraud and campaign finance violations.

Michael Cohen was accompanied Wednesday by his wife and two college-aged children. He didn't stop to speak with a crowd of reporters.

Cohen is facing the possibility of four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency.

They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen substantial prison time.

He also admitted misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump.

A lawyer who made his career protecting President Donald Trump is set to learn whether co-operating with federal investigators will lessen his punishment for dodging taxes, lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.

Michael Cohen's sentencing hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. at a courthouse in Manhattan.

He could get around four years in prison. His lawyers have asked for leniency.

They say some of his crimes were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump.

Cohen pleaded guilty to misleading Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow and orchestrating prohibited payments to two women who said they had affairs with Trump.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to give Cohen a substantial prison term.

This is a breaking news update. See earlier story below

NEW YORK -- Michael Cohen, a lawyer who made his career protecting U.S. President Donald Trump, is set to learn Wednesday whether his decision to co-operate with federal investigators will lessen his punishment for crimes including making illegal hush-money payments to two women during the 2016 campaign -- a scandal that could damage Trump's presidency.

Cohen said nothing to reporters as he arrived at court for his sentencing, where U.S. District Judge William Pauley III is set to decide whether the attorney will get leniency or years in prison for campaign finance violations, tax evasion and lying to Congress about the president's past business dealings in Russia.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Cohen, 52, stands to get about four years in prison, but his lawyers have argued for leniency.

Some of Cohen's crimes, they said, were motivated by overenthusiasm for Trump, rather than any nefarious intent.

He has pleaded guilty to misleading Congress about his work on a proposal to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow, hiding the fact that he continued to speak with Russians about the proposal well into the presidential campaign.

Cohen also pleaded guilty in August to breaking campaign finance laws by helping orchestrate payments to silence former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said they had sexual encounters with Trump while he was married.

Daniels' outspoken lawyer, Michael Avenatti, also turned up for Cohen's sentencing. Avenatti represented Daniels in a legal dispute with Cohen, in which she sought to be released from an agreement prohibiting her from talking about the alleged affair. Avenatti has bashed Cohen for months on cable television, saying Trump's ex-lawyer deserves to go to prison.

Meanwhile, Cohen looked relaxed as he sat in court awaiting the proceeding, occasionally looking at papers on the table in front of him.

For weeks, Cohen's legal strategy appeared to revolve around persuading the court that he is a reformed man who abandoned longtime friendships and gave up his livelihood when he decided to cut ties with the president and speak with federal investigators. Cohen's lawyers have said in court filings that their client could have stayed on the president's side and angled himself for a presidential pardon.

New York prosecutors have urged a judge to sentence Cohen to a substantial prison term, saying he'd failed to fully co-operate and overstated his helpfulness.

They've asked for only a slight reduction to his sentence based on his work with the office of special counsel Robert Mueller and prosecutors looking into the campaign finance violations in New York.

A probation-only sentence, they said, is unbefitting of "a man who knowingly sought to undermine core institutions of our democracy."

"While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs" with Trump, prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors said Cohen orchestrated payments to McDougal and Daniels at Trump's direction.

Trump, who insists the affairs never happened, said Monday in a tweet that the payments to the women were "a simple private transaction," not a campaign contribution. And if it was campaign contribution, the president said, Cohen is the one who should be held responsible.

"Lawyer's liability if he made a mistake, not me," Trump wrote, adding, "Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!"

A sentence of hard time would leave Cohen with little to show for his decision to plead guilty, though experts said Wednesday's hearing might not be the last word on his punishment.

Cohen could have his sentence revisited if he strikes a deal with prosecutors in which he provides additional co-operation within a year of his sentence, said Michael J. Stern, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit and Los Angeles.

"Few things spark a defendant's renewed interest in co-operating faster than trading in a pair of custom Italian trousers for an off-the-rack orange jump suit," he said.

Annemarie McAvoy, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, said prosecutors appear to be angry at Cohen for limiting his co-operation.

"It could be a tactic to try to break him like they've tried to do with (Paul) Manafort," McAvoy said, referring to Trump's former campaign chairman. "It kind of shows they're putting the screws to him. If they're not mad at him, he didn't give them what they wanted."

Cohen's transition from Trump's fixer-in-chief to felon has been head-spinning.

He once told an interviewer he would "take a bullet" for Trump. But facing prosecution for evading $1.4 million in taxes, Cohen pleaded guilty in August, pledged to co-operate with Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the presidential election and changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat.

Judge Pauley, who was appointed to the federal bench by former President Bill Clinton, may allow Cohen to begin serving any prison term he receives at a later date. But legal experts said Cohen could also be taken into custody immediately.

"If I were advising him, I'd encourage him to bring his toothbrush to court," said Stern.

Cohen's lawyers have asked for no prison time, saying he has suffered enough already.

"The greatest punishment Michael has endured in the criminal process has been the shame and anxiety he feels daily from having subjected his family to the fallout from his case," his attorneys wrote in a court filing last month. "The media glare and intrusions on all of them, including his children, the regular hate correspondence and written and oral threats, the fact that he will lose his law license, the termination of business relationships by banks and insurers and the loss of friendships, are but some of this fallout." </s> NEW YORK (AP) - The unveiling of federal criminal charges against 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.

How did the court appearance play out and what are the implications? Some questions and answers:

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

He told U.S. 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."

In the second instance, Cohen said he arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels "in coordination with, and at the direction of, the same candidate."

The emotional Cohen, who shook his head repeatedly during the 40-minute proceeding and cried outside court, did not name the two women either. But the amounts and the dates all lined up with payments made to Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal in the weeks and months leading up to the presidential election.

Other charges included tax evasion and making false statements to a bank.

A plea agreement with prosecutors calls for Cohen, 51, to get about four to five years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 12. He remains free in the meantime.

Before the guilty plea, speculation swirled about whether Cohen could deliver more dirt on his former boss as part of the deal. His legal team, as if to prove his value, took the unusual step of going public with a tape recording his client made of Trump discussing one of the hush-money payments.

But a plea agreement Cohen signed on Tuesday made no mention of cooperation.

By contrast, the agreement struck last year with Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, spelled out that he had to fully cooperate with the expectation he could be rewarded with a more lenient sentence.

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, said there's still a chance that Cohen could be cooperating under a separate agreement that's under seal.

"For a variety of reasons, prosecutors may not want to announce to the world that a defendant has agreed to cooperate," he said. Still, he added, prosecutors also could "have concluded that any additional information that he could provide beyond his public statements doesn't rise to the level of substantial assistance."

WHAT WAS THE REACTION TO COHEN'S GUILTY PLEA?

As cable networks were showing split-screen coverage of the dueling conviction and plea bargain by two former loyalists, Trump boarded Air Force One in the afternoon on the way to a rally in West Virginia. He ignored shouted questions from reporters about both former aides, retreating to his private stateroom on the airliner.

As Cohen left the courthouse, a couple of people outside chanted, "Lock him up!"

"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, tweeted.

Daniel Petalas, former prosecutor in the Justice Department's public integrity section, said, "This brings President Trump closer into the criminal conduct."

Michael Avenatti says Cohen's plea should open the door to questioning Trump about "what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it."

Avenatti told The Associated Press that he was certain "cooperation was occurring" between Cohen and prosecutors, saying he had been made "very familiar" with what's going on.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, noted the possibility of Cohen cooperating should be worrying to the president and his allies.

"What it shows is that the people close to the president have criminal exposure and it may mean they don't need Cohen to cooperate," she said.

Associated Press writers Stephen R. Groves and Michael R. Sisak in New York, Jonathan Lemire and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles contributed to this report. </s> NEW YORK (AP) — The unveiling of federal criminal charges against 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.

How did the court appearance play out and what are the implications? Some questions and answers:

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

He told U.S. 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."

In the second instance, Cohen said he arranged a $130,000 payment to Daniels "in coordination with, and at the direction of, the same candidate."

The emotional Cohen, who shook his head repeatedly during the 40-minute proceeding and cried outside court, did not name the two women either. But the amounts and the dates all lined up with payments made to Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal in the weeks and months leading up to the presidential election.

Other charges included tax evasion and making false statements to a bank.

A plea agreement with prosecutors calls for Cohen, 51, to get about four to five years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for Dec. 12. He remains free in the meantime.

Before the guilty plea, speculation swirled about whether Cohen could deliver more dirt on his former boss as part of the deal. His legal team, as if to prove his value, took the unusual step of going public with a tape recording his client made of Trump discussing one of the hush-money payments.

But a plea agreement Cohen signed on Tuesday made no mention of cooperation.

By contrast, the agreement struck last year with Trump's former national security advisor, Michael Flynn, spelled out that he had to fully cooperate with the expectation he could be rewarded with a more lenient sentence.

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, said there's still a chance that Cohen could be cooperating under a separate agreement that's under seal.

"For a variety of reasons, prosecutors may not want to announce to the world that a defendant has agreed to cooperate," he said. Still, he added, prosecutors also could "have concluded that any additional information that he could provide beyond his public statements doesn't rise to the level of substantial assistance."

WHAT WAS THE REACTION TO COHEN'S GUILTY PLEA?

As cable networks were showing split-screen coverage of the dueling conviction and plea bargain by two former loyalists, Trump boarded Air Force One in the afternoon on the way to a rally in West Virginia. He ignored shouted questions from reporters about both former aides, retreating to his private stateroom on the airliner.

As Cohen left the courthouse, a couple of people outside chanted, "Lock him up!"

"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, tweeted.

Daniel Petalas, former prosecutor in the Justice Department's public integrity section, said, "This brings President Trump closer into the criminal conduct."

Michael Avenatti says Cohen's plea should open the door to questioning Trump about "what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it."

Avenatti told The Associated Press that he was certain "cooperation was occurring" between Cohen and prosecutors, saying he had been made "very familiar" with what's going on.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, noted the possibility of Cohen cooperating should be worrying to the president and his allies.

"What it shows is that the people close to the president have criminal exposure and it may mean they don't need Cohen to cooperate," she said.

Associated Press writers Stephen R. Groves and Michael R. Sisak in New York, Jonathan Lemire and Catherine Lucey in Washington and Michael Balsamo in Los Angeles contributed to this report. </s> Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, departs following his appearance in Federal Court on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, in New York. Cohen, has pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance fraud stemming from hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal. less

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, departs following his appearance in Federal Court on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, in New York. Cohen, has pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance ... more

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, departs following his appearance in Federal Court on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, in New York. Cohen, has pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance fraud stemming from hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal. less

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, departs following his appearance in Federal Court on Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018, in New York. Cohen, has pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance ... more

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves federal court after reaching a plea agreement in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018.

NEW YORK (AP) — What other dirt might Michael Cohen have on Donald Trump?

Cohen's lawyer says the president's former "fixer" has information "on certain subjects that should be of interest" to the special prosecutor beyond his allegations made while pleading guilty Tuesday that Trump directed him to make hush-money payments to fend off damage to his White House bid.

Cohen has been said to be willing to tell special counsel Robert Mueller that Trump knew in advance of a 2016 meeting at Trump Tower in which the Republican candidate's eldest son sought damaging information from a Russian lawyer about Hillary Clinton.

But his lawyer, Lanny Davis, on Wednesday hedged a suggestion he made on television Tuesday night that Cohen could tell Mueller about whether Trump was aware of and encouraged Russian hacking during the 2016 campaign before it became publicly known.

"It is my observation that what he knows will be of interest," Davis said during a battery of television interviews. "Whether Mr. Trump knew ahead of time will remain to be seen."

Cohen, who showed fierce loyalty as Trump's personal lawyer, said in court that Trump directed him to arrange payments of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels and $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal to buy their silence about alleged affairs before the election. Trump denies the affairs.

Trump tweeted on Wednesday that the campaign finance violations Cohen pleaded guilty to "are not a crime." He told "Fox & Friends" that, because the payments came from him and not the campaign, it's "not even a campaign violation." Both claims are wrong.

Nothing made public so far from Cohen's criminal case indicates he has agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, but Davis said that was simply a "distinction without a difference." Cohen is intent on telling the truth to whoever asks him and is "more than happy" to tell Mueller all that he knows, Davis said, calling that pledge, "the functional equivalent of cooperation."

Cohen forged his new path amid months of scrutiny from federal investigations and a public falling-out with the president, for whom Cohen once said he would "take a bullet." But what compelled him to take a plea deal and potentially flip on Trump?

Cohen told confidants he was disappointed and angry that Trump and his team — namely his lawyer Rudy Giuliani — had repeatedly bashed his reputation and character.

Cohen suggested that the attacks helped pave the way for his guilty plea and possible cooperation, according to a person who has spoken to the lawyer in the last 24 hours but was not authorized to discuss private conversations and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Davis made the claim during his media tour Wednesday that Trump's deference to Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16 was a "significant turning point" and that it galvanized Cohen's thinking that Trump was unsuitable to hold office.

But, that summit was about two weeks after Cohen made clear to ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an off-camera interview that he was putting his "family and country first" and wouldn't be a "punching bag as part of anyone's defense strategy."

Working out of a Trump Tower office next to his boss, Cohen likely has vast knowledge of the innerworkings of Trump's empire, his business dealings and his campaign. Federal agents in April seized more than 4 million items from his home, hotel room and office, including recordings of Trump and others.

Investigators from New York state's tax department entered the mix on Wednesday, subpoenaing Cohen to share what he knows about the Trump Foundation, the president's embattled charitable foundation.

Cohen, who turns 52 on Saturday, wiped away tears as he gazed out a courthouse window after pleading guilty on Tuesday. He is free now and allowed some limited travel. He could get about four to five years in prison at sentencing Dec. 12.

Believing that his arrest was imminent, Cohen turned himself in to the FBI because he wanted to spare his children the image of him being perp-walked in handcuffs, according to the person who spoke with Cohen.

Even as his legal fate approached, Cohen tried to project normalcy in recent days: he went on a family trip to Florida and he oversaw moving back into his upper East Side apartment after spending months in a nearby hotel after a water main break.

When the judge asked him if he had taken any drugs or alcohol in the past 24 hours, Cohen confessed: "Last night at dinner, I had a glass of Glenlivet 12 on the rocks."

It was the only moment of levity at an otherwise glum proceeding.

"Is it your custom to do that, sir?" the judge responded.

"No, your honor," Cohen said.

Tuesday night, hours after entering his guilty pleas, Cohen took his wife out to dinner.

Associated Press reporter David Klepper contributed from Albany, New York.

Follow Lemire at twitter.com/JonLemire and Sisak at twitter.com/mikesisak
Michael Cohen, the former lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump, is sentenced to three years in prison for making illegal hush money payments to two women with whom Trump allegedly had affairs, and a concurrent sentence of two months for making false statements to Congress about a possible Trump Tower deal in Russia.