(CNN) President Donald Trump maintained the felony counts Michael Cohen admitted to were not actual crimes in an interview aired Thursday.

"What Michael Cohen pled to weren't crimes," Trump told Fox News.

Cohen, Trump's longtime personal attorney, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two felony campaign finance violations -- making an excessive campaign contribution and causing an unlawful corporate contribution. Those are crimes. And he confessed to them under oath, saying he willfully violated those laws at Trump's direction.

"He made a great deal. He was in another business totally unrelated to me where I guess there was fraud involved," Trump said, suggesting Cohen accepted a plea deal on the campaign finance violations because the other crimes he admitted to were more serious.

"A lot of lawyers on television and lawyers I have say they aren't crimes," Trump said on the campaign finance violations. "He makes a better deal when he uses me."

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