Michael Cohen pleads guilty to lying to Congress about Trump Tower Moscow project, implicating Trump

On November 29, 2018, Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal attorney, pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to a single charge of making false statements to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow project. Cohen admitted that negotiations about the Moscow development continued until June 2016, well after Trump had become the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, directly contradicting Trump's repeated claims of no business ties to Russia during the campaign. Cohen stated in court that he lied 'to be consistent with Individual 1’s political messaging and out of loyalty with Individual 1,' a reference to Trump. The plea agreement, secured by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, revealed that Cohen briefed Trump and his family members on the project more often than previously acknowledged and discussed a possible Trump trip to Russia. Trump, departing the White House, attacked Cohen as 'a weak person' making up stories to reduce his prison sentence.

“a weak person and not a very smart person” — Trump departing the White House on Nov 29, 2018, as reported by multiple outlets. Quote verified against source