Where is Russia stalking? Trump asks after conviction of ex-ally

Condemnation of Paul Manafort and expropriation of former lawyer Michael Cohen should increase the pressure that already exists by the impeachment of the Republican

On the same day that two of his former allies found themselves in the crosshairs of Justice, the President of the United States , Donald Trump said at a rally in the state of West Virginia that the investigation led by Special Adviser Robert Mueller "cannot find collusion with Russia . "

This is a reference to suspicions of collaboration between the winning campaign of the 2016 White House race and Moscow in favor of favoring the presidential election.

"Where is the collusion with Russia? They can not find collusion with Russia, "Trump questioned an audience of supporters on Tuesday.

Earlier, a federal jury found Paul Manafort , who was campaign director for the current president, guilty on eight counts of tax and banking fraud.

Also on Tuesday, his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen has pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud, bank fraud and violations of campaign finance laws. In addition, Cohen said he acted "in coordination and under the direction of a candidate for a federal official post," but did not name Trump in his confession.

In assuming his guilt, Cohen told Judge William Pauley that he paid $ 130,000 and $ 150,000 during the 2016 election campaign in exchange for the silence of two women who would have related to the president, "at the request of the candidate and with the intention of influencing the election. "

Judge Pauley will pronounce Cohen's sentence on December 12, and the lawyer may receive up to five years in prison for each of the tax evasion offenses, thirty years for bank fraud and five years for each offense of violation of the financing law campaign.

The White House declined to comment on Cohen's remarks. Later, in an American press release, Trump's attorney, Rudolph Giuliani, stated that "there are no charges of any crime against the president in what was presented by the government against Mr. Cohen."

Cohen's decision to admit his guilt should turn out to be a real problem for Trump. Although United States legal tradition points out that a president cannot be tried in office, Cohen's admission will certainly increase the pressure that already exists for an impeachment of the Republican.

The Democratic Party leader in the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi (California), said the cases involving Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen are "further evidence of rampant corruption and criminality in the heart of US President Donald Trump ".

For the Democrat, these condemnations are further evidence that investigations into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential election must continue without interference.

Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also ruled, saying that after Tuesday's revelations "there is no other reading" but that Trump "is an uninvolved criminal accomplice."

economy

At the rally in West Virginia, Trump also defended its trade policy on the grounds that the United States will impose a 25% tariff on imports of cars from the European Union and that this measure will convert the current US trade deficit, which it has estimated at US $ 151 billion. dollars, in a surplus of equal value with the block of nations.

Trump also assured that the United States is "on the way to a fair deal with Mexico, " arguing that the president-elect of the neighboring country, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, "knows that Mexico needs the United States." "I get along better with him than with the capitalist," added the American, referring to the current representative, Enrique Peña Nieto.

China was not out of the White House leader's speech. He said that before his inauguration, China "was on the way to being bigger than us". "It will not happen," he promised, amid repeated allegations that Beijing has stolen American technology.