What happens when people parrot only the headlines. Not taking time to do their own due diligence. . .
According to the allegations, "Unnamed executives at the Trump Organization directed that Cohen be paid $420,000, which would reimburse him for his payment, along with additional money for taxes and expenses and a $60,000 bonus, filings said. One executive told another to falsely describe the fees as legal expenses and describe the first two monthly payments as a “retainer,” according to court papers."
So, Cohen got convicted in part because he was stupid. If the Trump Org was going to reimburse him for taking out a HELOC to pay Daniels, PLUS
taxes and interest/expenses, PLUS a bonus, why the hell would be try to hide $4M-$5M of income from the IRS? I guess greed is a powerful motivator.
I think Trump's biggest weakness has been his trust of people that should not have been trusted. Cohen proved to be a criminal in his own right.