“来年陌生的，是昨日最亲的某某。”

《最佳损友》里的这句歌词对于美国总统特朗普来说可谓一语成谶。

本周二，特朗普两名曾经的“亲信”让这位总统度过了上任以来“最糟糕”的一天：前任私人律师迈克尔•科恩（Michael Cohen）认罪，并在认罪书中暗示听从特朗普的授意；与此同时，他的前竞选团队主席保罗•马纳福特（Paul Manafort）也被裁定有罪。

目前来看，两人均面临着被判长期监禁的可能，不排除为了争取宽大处理和检方合作爆出更多内幕和“实锤”。而和“求锤得锤”相比，眼下特朗普更应该担心的是他遭弹劾的几率也在急剧攀升。

美联社评论称，近期特朗普或将面临任职以来“最岌岌可危”的时刻。

US President Donald Trump suffered an extraordinary double blow late on Tuesday as his former lawyer implicated him in a crime and his former campaign chair was convicted of financial wrongdoing.

In a remarkable hour on one of Trump's worst days as president, long-time personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal counts and former senior aide Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight charges.

Donald Trump with Michael Cohen in Ohio, US, September 21, 2016. /VCG Photo

The verdicts could prove a turning point. Both men now face lengthy prison sentences, and will likely come under pressure from prosecutors – including Special Counsel Robert Mueller – to cooperate in exchange for leniency.

The accusations of wrongdoing are also likely to add to voices calling for impeachment of Trump – who can't be indicted as president – as Democrats campaign to win both houses of Congress in November's midterm elections.

Cohen implicates Trump

“笑着为你挡子弹？”抱歉，现在不可能了

十多年来，科恩一直是特朗普的亲密伙伴和忠臣，两人私交甚笃。科恩甚至一度宣称愿意为其老主顾特朗普“挡子弹”，但是他此次认罪却将自己的老友拉入了违反竞选财务法的“大坑”。

如今，科恩被卷入了涉案金额超过2000万美金（约合人民币1.3亿）的银行贷款和税收欺诈案，并接受联邦政府的调查。

另一方面，科恩的认罪也让之前甚嚣尘上的“艳星封口费”传言成了“实锤”。他表示自己在特朗普的授意下，分别向《花花公子》前模特凯伦•麦克杜尔和艳星丹尼尔斯支付封口费，让这两位声称与特朗普有过“风流旧账”的女子在大选期间能保持缄默。

而对于科恩的这一指控，特朗普并未作出回应。他的法律团队也表示“支付这些款项是为了让特朗普和家人摆脱尴尬，与总统竞选无关。”

科恩向法庭承认八项控罪，包括逃税罪、银行作出虚假陈述及竞选财务违规行为等。

The most consequential element of an astonishing day was Cohen's claim that Trump directed him to make illegal campaign finance payments, directly implicating the US president in a crime.

The 51-year-old testified that he acted "in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office" to pay off two women – Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal – who claimed to have had affairs with Trump.

"Today he (Cohen) stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election," Cohen lawyer Lanny Davis said.

"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?"

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to US President Donald Trump, exits the Federal Courthouse on August 21, 2018 in New York City. /VCG Photo

Trump, who held a campaign rally in West Virginia on Tuesday night, has not commented. The Trump legal team claims the payments to the women were made to avoid family embarrassment, and were unrelated to the campaign.

As part of a plea deal, which includes a possible sentence of five years and three months, Cohen pleaded guilty to one count of willfully causing an unlawful corporate campaign contribution, one of making an excessive campaign contribution, five counts of tax fraud and one count of making false statements to a financial institution.

"Michael Cohen is committed to telling the truth, and nothing but the truth," Davis added on CNN. He refused to comment on whether his client had entered into a cooperation agreement with prosecutors.

Manafort faces decades in jail

“兄弟情”VS“铁窗泪”

除了科恩，特朗普的另一位“密友”，前竞选主席马纳福特也面临着牢狱之灾。

据媒体早前报道，马纳福特于2016年3月加入特朗普竞选团队，同年６月成为竞选团队负责人，当年8月因收受乌克兰亲俄政党酬劳并为其进行政治游说一事曝光被迫离职。

马纳福特共受到１８项指控，包括税务诈骗、银行诈骗、隐匿海外银行帐户罪在内的8项罪名成立，或将面临长达数十年的监禁。

The Cohen investigation was referred to the Southern District of New York by Mueller, and the special counsel had his first court win in his investigation of Russia's role in the 2016 US election with the conviction of Manafort.

Shortly before Cohen made his admission in a New York court, Trump's former campaign chair was found guilty in Virginia of eight counts of financial wrongdoing.

The 12-member jury found Manafort guilty on two counts of bank fraud, five counts of tax fraud and one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts. It said it could not reach a verdict on 10 of the 18 counts with which Manafort was charged.

Manafort, who faces a second trial on separate charges of money laundering in September, could be jailed for decades.

'It doesn't involve me'

“这事儿和我没关系！”

周二，总统特朗普驳斥了马纳福特的8项犯罪指控，并再次将穆勒对俄罗斯干涉2016年大选的调查称作一场“政治迫害”。抵达西弗吉尼亚州参加政治集会后，特朗普表示马纳福特是“好人”，马纳福特案件“与通俄无关”，并补充说该案件“不涉及我本人”。

Trump sought to distance himself from Manafort's conviction in remarks to reporters before the West Virginia rally.

During the rally, Trump again attacked the Mueller probe but didn't mention Manafort or Cohen.

US President Donald Trump speaks during a political rally at Charleston Civic Center in West Virginia, August 21, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Paul Manafort is a good man. ... It doesn't involve me, but I still feel – you know, it's a very sad thing that happened. This has nothing to do with Russian collusion. This started as Russian collusion; this has absolutely nothing to do – this is a witch hunt and it's a disgrace."

In a third blow for Trump on Tuesday, Republican Representative Duncan Hunter was indicted on charges of using campaign funds for personal expenses.

Hunter was the second congressman to endorse Trump's campaign for president. The first, Chris Collins, was charged with securities fraud earlier this month.