Donald Trump Russia row: Michael Cohen pleads GUILTY to LYING about real estate deal

Cohen admitted one count of making false statements to Congress in its probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential vote in the real estate mogul’s favour. Cohen told a federal judge in Manhattan that he had submitted a false written statement to lawmakers about a real estate deal in the Russian capital. He told the court he had incorrectly stated efforts to build a Trump Tower in Moscow had ceased by January 2016 when in fact attempts were still being made during the presidential campaign up until June 2016.

Cohen said he lied out of loyalty to Mr Trump and to make sure his statement chimed with the then-candidate’s political message.

He told the court: “I made these misstatements to be consistent with individual one’s political messaging and out of loyalty to individual one.”

He had previously named “individual one” as Donald Trump.

Responding to the guilty plea, Mr Trump accused Cohen of lying about the deal in a bid to secure a reduced sentence from prosecutors. 

He called his former lawyer a weak person and said he had decided not to build the tower in Moscow in order to focus on the presidential race.

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of campaign finance violations, tax evasion and bank fraud.

During that hearing, he testified that Mr Trump had directed him to arrange payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with the then former candidate.

Mr Trump has vehemently denied affairs with the women.

Cohen’s latest guilty plea comes as the investigation into Russia’s role in the 2016 election appears to be approaching its conclusion.

The probe, headed by special counsel Robert Mueller, is looking at whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin – as well as whether Mr Trump himself obstructed the subsequent investigation.

Mr Mueller’s office has given little away during its 18-month investigation but recently put a set of written questions to Mr Trump directly, suggesting the probe could be coming to an end.

US media reports that today’s guilty plea by Cohen is part of a new plea deal with the special counsel’s team.

ABC’s George Stephanopoulos tweeted to say the agreement will see Cohen provide “dozens of hours of testimony potentially damaging to” President Trump.

Before today’s court hearing, Mr Trump fired off a series of angry tweets criticising the Russia investigation, which he has consistently branded a hoax and a witch hunt.

Mr Trump said: “When will this illegal Joseph McCarthy style Witch Hunt, one that has shattered so many innocent lives, ever end-or will it just go on forever?

“After wasting more than $40,000,000 (is that possible?), it has proven only one thing-there was NO Collusion with Russia. So Ridiculous!”