Michael Cohen, Former Lawyer of Donald Trump, Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Michael Cohen, who once claimed he would 'take a bullet' for his boss Donald Trump, was sentenced to three years in prison on Wednesday, December 12, for multiple crimes, including paying hush money to two women, which he claims was done on behalf of Mr. Trump. According to the Associated Press, this sentence aligns with the request of the federal prosecution. Under judicial regulations, Cohen should have been sentenced to four years for these crimes, but the prosecution requested leniency in his sentence. The judge accepted some degree of leniency due to Cohen's cooperation with investigations into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election, stating that this cooperation does not absolve him of all his crimes. The judge added, 'It seems Mr. Cohen set aside ethical standards when, as a lawyer, he should have been better at distinguishing right from wrong.' Before the sentencing, Cohen stated in court, 'My blind loyalty to Donald Trump led me to stray from the right path. I felt it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds.' Cohen's lawyers requested the court to reduce his sentence due to his cooperation with investigations and his willingness to testify against the most powerful person in America. In recent months, Donald Trump has called for severe punishment for his former lawyer, labeling him a professional liar. In August, Cohen admitted to evading $1.4 million in taxes from his personal assets. In this case, which has extensive political implications, he also confessed to violating campaign finance laws by paying hush money to a porn actress and a Playboy model during the final days of the 2016 election campaign. These two women, named Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, claim to have had sexual relations with Donald Trump. The Associated Press adds that during two years of judicial investigations into Donald Trump's campaign, his former lawyer is the first person to publicly accuse a sitting U.S. president of participating in a crime in a court session. Last month, Cohen also admitted to lying to Congress about Donald Trump's business activities in Russia. He acknowledged that he concealed facts regarding his role in negotiations to build a Trump Tower in Moscow from Congress. Cohen claims he lied out of loyalty to his boss. Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump insisted that he had no business dealings in Russia. This ruling marks the climax of the story of a lawyer who helped his wealthiest client win the presidential election and later cooperated with federal investigations against him. A prosecutor on Robert Mueller's investigative team, the special counsel responsible for investigating Russia's role in the U.S. election and potential collusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow, stated that Cohen's cooperation in this case has been very valuable. Court documents also indicate that Cohen provided significant evidence to prosecutors regarding Russia's efforts to influence Trump's campaign. It remains to be seen how the evidence provided by Cohen will impact Donald Trump. Legal experts say that through further cooperation with prosecutors, Cohen may be able to reduce his prison sentence. In recent months, Donald Trump has called for severe punishment for his former lawyer, labeling him a professional liar.