According to Michael Cohen, lawyer close to the Trump family, the president was involved in a corruption scandal just before his election

From alleged interventions of the Russian government in the presidential campaign to leaks of illegal money, the government of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, has been involved in several political scandals since his possession on January 20, 2017.

Leer en español: De escándalos sexuales a soborno: las polémicas del gobierno Trump

Sex scandals have also been present in the actions of the US president, as revealed by several international media.

Trump's crossroads

According to statements made by Donald Trump's ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, on August 21, the president improperly used money from his campaign to "silence" two women with whom he allegedly had sexual relations, according to El País de España.

The Spanish media reports that Trump paid almost 300 thousand dollars divided between a porn actress and a playboy, with whom he would have had sexual encounters, already married to the current first lady, Melania Trump.

The controversy occurred after "Michael Cohen formalized an agreement with the courts to plead guilty to crimes of fraud and violation of election campaign finances," El Confidencial reported.

In total, there were eight crimes of which Cohen pleaded guilty, however, none of such importance as the two in which the president has been involved.

The magnate's defense

To counteract the statements of the "Trump Clan Attack Dog," as Cohen is popularly known, Donald Trump decided to use his Twitter account. The US president broke out against his lawyer. "If someone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you do not retain the services of Michael Cohen," he wrote.

If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you do not retain the services of Michael Cohen!

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018

In an almost surprising turn, he also wanted to defend Cohen in another of his posts, clarifying that the lawyer "pleads guilty to two charges for violations of campaign finances that are not a crime."

Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime. President Obama had a big campaign finance and it was easily settled!

– Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018

However, Trump’s change of mind could be given by the statements that, according to El Mundo, gave the FOX News chain in which he clarified knowing about the bribery of women, but not with their consent.

In addition, he said that the money came from his pocket and not the money predestined for the campaign. "In fact, the first thing I asked was whether they came from the campaign. That could have been a bit murky", he said.

Also read: The most corrupt politicians in Latin America

Reactions

The sexual controversy of Trump, caused by Michael Cohen, as well as the condemnation of Paul Manafort, director of his presidential campaign, for crimes of tax evasion – both blows to the social and political intimacy of the chief executive – represent lines and minutes for his contradictors.

For example, some US media such as CNN, and other Europeans such as El País, did not hesitate to point out that both Cohen's and Manafort's convictions left "the presidency of Donald Trump tainted by a wave of crime and corruption," says CNN.

El País, in one of its editorials, called the situation as "Trump's swamp" and assures that "the new accusations of fraud demand that the president explains himself."

Impact in Latin America

Trump's brush with the media is not only positioned in his country or in the Old Continent, but in South America. The Inter American Press Association (SIP) has shown its support for US publications that have been victims of the rejection of the president, who has branded the press of his country as "enemy of the people," details the Republic of Peru.

Possibly, both the IAPA's support for US journalism and the scandals of recent days could lower Trump's popularity in Latin America, which, according to the Perfil website, only reached 16% during his first year in office.

LatinAmerican Post | Christopher Ramírez
Translated from “De escándalos sexuales a soborno: las polémicas del gobierno Trump”