Michael Cohen pleads guilty

United States President Donald Trump's former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday in connection with eight criminal charges.

US media reports claimed that Cohen, in coordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, withheld information that could have tarnished the candidate's image.

The CNN reported that the charges against Cohen brought an end to the months-worth investigation by the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

The announcement of the sentence is scheduled for December 12 by Judge William H. Pauley and is expected to include jail time and a monetary fine.

Cohen also pleaded guilty to paying adult-film star Stormy Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement over her affair with Trump. He further claimed to have done so on the instructions "of the candidate," the CNN reported.

On May 3 this year, Trump had defended the hush money paid to Daniels saying that he paid a monthly retainer to his former lawyer, which is "not from the campaign" and had nothing to do with the same.

Daniels publicly claimed a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. However, the US President has repeatedly denied any relations with the adult star. She also claimed that Cohen orchestrated a payment to keep her quiet during the presidential elections.