As protectors abandon Trump, investigation draws closer

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump has now been abandoned by two of his most powerful protectors — his longtime lawyer and the company that owns the National Enquirer tabloid — bringing a perilous investigation into his campaign a step closer to the Oval Office.

Both Michael Cohen and American Media Inc. now say they made hush money payments to a porn star and a Playboy Playmate for the purposes of helping his 2016 White House bid, a campaign finance violation. The women alleged affairs with Trump, and federal prosecutors say the payments were made at Trump's direction.

The admissions by Cohen and AMI conflict with Trump's own evolving explanations. Since the spring, Trump has gone from denying knowledge of any payments to saying they would have been private transactions that weren't illegal.

On Twitter Thursday, Trump contended he "never directed" his former personal lawyer to break the law. He tweeted that Cohen "was a lawyer and he is supposed to know the law."

Cohen pleaded guilty to campaign finance charges "in order to embarrass the president and get a much reduced prison sentence," Trump tweeted. He said the charges were "unrelated to me."

Though prosecutors have implicated Trump in a crime, they haven't directly accused him of one, and it's not clear that they could bring charges against a sitting president even if they want to because of Justice Department protocol.

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