Despite the assertions of the President and his defenders, campaign finance violations are very serious indeed. Cohen could not have pleaded guilty to "campaign charges which were not criminal." A guilty plea can only go through if both the judge and federal prosecutors agree a crime was committed. In this case, Robert Khuzami, the deputy U.S. attorney who is leading the prosecution (a man who has spoken at a Republican convention) and his team have outlined a wide-ranging criminal conspiracy involving numerous players who appear prepared to testify that the President directed and orchestrated willful violations of criminal campaign finance laws. Prosecutors and Cohen have both stated that the campaign finance offenses were at the direction of the President.