Trump directed Michael Cohen to make illegal hush money payments, prosecutors say

Accusations come after prosecutors investigating Russia's 2016 election interference say Trump campaign was offered 'political synergy' by Russia as early as 2015

The federal prosecutors' accusations about Trump's role in illegal hush money payments echo those previously made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen (AP/ Mary Altaffer)

Federal prosecutors have said that Donald Trump directed illegal payments to ward off a potential sex scandal that threatened his chances of winning the White House in 2016, echoing accusations previously made by his former lawyer.

Michael Cohen had said that as the election neared, Mr Trump directed payments to two women who claimed they had affairs with Trump.

But, in a new memorandum arguing for a prison term for Mr Cohen, prosecutors in Manhattan said he “acted in coordination and at the direction of” an unnamed individual", clearly referring to Mr Trump.

In another filing, prosecutors for the special counsel investigating Russia’s 2016 election interference said an unnamed Russian offered Mr Cohen “government level” synergy between Russia and Mr Trump’s campaign in November 2015. That was months earlier than other approaches detailed in indictments secured by prosecutors.

And in a separate case on Friday, the special counsel accused Trump's campaign chairman Paul Manafort of lying about his contacts with an individual they accuse of ties to Russian intelligence.

The counsel also accused Mr Manafort of lying about his interactions with Trump administration officials after he was indicted on criminal charges.

Together, the filings laid bare the most direct evidence to date linking Mr Trump to potentially criminal conduct, and added to an already substantial case that Russia was seeking to sway the 2016 election in his favour.

Mr Trump sought on Friday to dismiss the news, claiming it “Totally clears the President. Thank you!”

The White House press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, was less unequivocal.

“The government’s filings in Cohen’s case tell us nothing of value that wasn’t already known,” she said in a statement. “Mr Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr Cohen is no hero.”

She tried to distance Mr Trump from the accusations against Mr Manafort, who was convicted on financial fraud and conspiracy charges unrelated to his work for the Trump campaign.

Mr Trump has repeatedly defended Mr Manafort as a “brave man” and dangled the possibility of a pardon for his 10 felonies, likely to result in a prison term of at least 10 years.

The revelations came in multiple filings by federal prosecutors for the Southern District of New York and by the special counsel, Robert Mueller. Their work has intersected because both teams have charged Mr Cohen with crimes, and he had sought to cooperate with both.

The prosecutors in New York mounted a scathing attack on Mr Cohen’s character. They rejected his plea to avoid a prison term, saying that he had “repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends”.

They argued that he deserved a “substantial” prison term that, giving him some credit for his cooperation, could amount to just under four years.

“His offences strike at several pillars of our society and system of government: the payment of taxes; transparent and fair elections; and truthfulness before government and in business,” they wrote.

Mr Cohen, 52, is to be sentenced next week for campaign finance violations, financial crimes and lying to Congress about the extent of Trump’s business dealings in Russia.

New York Times