President Trump silent on Michael Cohen guilty plea at West Virginia rally
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally Tuesday at the Civic Center in Charleston, W. Va. Credit: AP / Tyler Evert
At a raucous rally in Charleston, West Virginia, on Tuesday night, President Donald Trump avoided mentioning the felony convictions hours earlier of his former campaign manager Paul Manafort and his longtime personal lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen.
The closest Trump came to referencing his one-time political and business confidants occurred when he lashed out at special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, calling it a witch hunt and asking the crowd of supporters inside the Charleston Civic Center, "Where is the collusion?"
Tuesday afternoon, a jury in federal court in Virginia convicted Manafort on eight counts of financial crimes. The conviction, while not connected to any dealings between Manafort and Trump, was the first stemming from the president’s associates and their ties to Russia.
At about the same time on Tuesday, Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in Manhattan to eight felonies, saying he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to influence the 2016 presidential election.
After Air Force One landed for the Charleston rally, Trump told reporters Manafort is a "good man" and called the longtime Republican Party insider's conviction "a disgrace."
He stayed silent as he stepped into a waiting limousine and reporters shouted to him for comment on Cohen's guilty plea.
Trump took the stage at the rally amid loud cheers from supporters, many holding signs above their heads that said "Trump Digs Coal," a nod to the president's support for the region's mining industry.
At one point, Trump asked the dozens of hard-hat wearing coal miners in attendance to stand. Trump clapped and the crowd let loose with more cheering.
The president spent the first 20 minutes of the rally talking about ESPN and its relationship to the NFL and the league's ongoing issue of players choosing to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police misconduct. Trump also introduced members of Congress in attendance and stumped for the candidacy of Republican Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey, who is challenging Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin.
With AP
'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
'A different situation at every airport' FAA data analyzed by Newsday shows the number of bird strikes voluntarily reported by airports in New York City and Long Island has increased by 46% between 2009 and 2023. NewsdayTV's Shari Einhorn reports.
