President Trump spoke at a rally in West Virginia Tuesday evening for Republican Senate candidate Patrick Morrisey. The rally was just a few hours after his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, was convicted on eight counts of bank fraud and Mr. Trump’s longtime fixer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to eight charges, including campaign finance violations.
He addressed the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election briefly, calling it the “Russian witch hunt.”
“Where is the collusion?” the president asked.
Before Mr. Trump spoke at the rally, he weighed in on the Manafort’s partial conviction, telling reporters he feels “very badly” for him. But the president also said that the charges had “nothing to do with Russian collusion,” which he called “a witch hunt and a disgrace.” He called Manafort a “good man.”
Meanwhile, former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony charges that included tax fraud and campaign finance violations. Cohen also admitted to violated campaign law at the direction of Mr. Trump.
Manafort and Cohen were not the only people with ties to Mr. Trump facing legal troubles Tuesday. Rep. Duncan Hunter, an early supporter of Mr. Trump, was indicted on federal charges Tuesday night for allegedly using campaign funds for personal expenses.
