Own goal. 

"In Fox interview, Trump seems to confess a campaign finance violation while trying to deny it"

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2018/8/22/17770074/fox-and-friends-trump-cohen-campaign-finance-payment?__twitter_impression=true

LOST said:

ml1 said:

There were people who literally believed Bush was chosen by God to be president.  That's pretty much the definition of a cult.

 People who believe that GOD controls everything can believe that without being a cult. I am sure there are many who believe Obama was chosen by God.
Trump's followers believe him to be the Messiah or maybe even believe that Trump is God.

 I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this. In 2003 I truly believed there was a cult of personality around GWB. It had obvious parallels to Trump. The plain speaking businessman who wasn't a typical politician. He got reelected after starting a disastrous war because his followers were so devoted. Until he tried to cut Social Security he was untouchable. 

I see it different from Trump only in matters of degree. 

ml1 said:

steel said:
And yet I specifically recall Hannity criticizing Obama for putting mustard on his hamburger without ketchup. 

 and liking arugula

 while wearing a tan suit

fwiw, I'm not the first person to make the case that Republican voters were and are prone to buying into cults of personality.  This is Paul Krugman from 2015:

Republicans buy into cults of personality

I'll repeat myself -- it's facile and ultimately dangerous to just look at Trump and think once he exits the stage, the country can go back to normalcy (i.e., typical post-WWII bipartisan consensus).  We can't, until something fundamentally changes on the right.  As long as they have their own media promoting a dangerous alternative reality, there can't be consensus on anything important.

Tom_Reingold said:
If Cohen is guilty for doing this under Trump's direction, isn't Trump also guilty?

Check out this Bloomberg column from May of this year. It's a keeper.  It becomes more and more relevant since the day it was written.  It details why and how Trump's firing of FBI Director Comey was likely the mortal blow to his presidency. 

www.bloomberg.com:  Comey's Firing Remains Trump's Biggest Mistake

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-05-08/comey-s-firing-remains-trump-s-biggest-mistake

Michael Cohen has participated in multiple interview sessions lasting several hours with Mueller's team over the last month. 

"The special counsel’s questioning of Cohen, one of the president’s closest associates over the past decade, has focused primarily on all aspects of Trump's dealings with Russia -- including financial and business dealings and the investigation into alleged collusion with Russia by the Trump campaign and its surrogates to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News."