ELECTION POLLS

NEW YORK — President Donald Trump's estranged former lawyer acknowledged Thursday that he paid a technology company to rig Trump's standing in two online polls before the presidential campaign. Michael Cohen tweeted that "what I did was at the direction of and for the sole benefit of" Trump. "I truly regret my blind loyalty to a man who doesn't deserve it," he added. Cohen was responding to an article in The Wall Street Journal that said Cohen stiffed the owner of the technology company out of tens of thousands of dollars he promised for work including using computers to enter fake votes for Trump in a 2014 CNBC poll asking people to identify top business leaders and a 2015 poll of potential presidential candidates. The company owner, John Gauger, told the newspaper that Cohen promised him $50,000 for the work but instead gave him a blue Walmart bag stuffed with between $12,000 and $13,000 in cash, plus a boxing glove Cohen claimed had been worn by a Brazilian mixed-martial arts fighter. Cohen disputed he paid cash, telling the Journal that "all monies paid to Mr. Gauger were by check." He offered no further comment. Federal prosecutors referred to a payment to Gauger's company— though not by name— when Cohen was charged last summer with violating campaign-finance laws by arranging hush-money payments to two women who claim they had extramarital affairs with Trump. They said in a charging document that Cohen had sought reimbursement from the Trump Organization for those payments with a handwritten note requesting $50,000 for "tech services." The Trump Organization paid the full amount, prosecutors said. Messages seeking comment were sent to the Trump Organization Thursday. Trump's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, didn't immediately respond to a message from The Associated Press, but told the Journal that Cohen was a thief for seeking a reimbursement for more money than he'd paid Gauger's company, RedFinch Solutions LLC. "If one thing has been established, it's that Michael Cohen is completely untrustworthy," he said. Gauger is also the chief information officer at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. His attorney declined to comment. Cohen was recently sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to charges that were not related to his dealings with Gauger and the technology company. The Associated Press
The Canadian Press
POLITICS
Michael Cohen's Effort To Rig Reader 'Polls' Shows Exactly Why They Mean Nothing
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
If a "poll" doesn't control who takes it and how many times they do so, it's not really a poll.
A snow family is seen on Capitol Hill as a winter storm arrives in the region, Sunday, Jan. 13, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Associated Press
POLITICS
Most Americans Hold Trump Responsible For Government Shutdown, New Polls Show
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
The latest surveys find the public increasingly concerned about the standoff and unhappy with everyone in Washington.
President Donald Trump speaks at a hangar rally at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018. In a surprise trip to Iraq, President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his decision to withdraw U.S. forces from Syria where they have been helping battle Islamic State militants. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Andrew Harnik/ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Americans' Views Of Trump Are Probably Shaping Their Opinions On Syria
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
The president's opponents are now far more likely than his supporters to say the U.S. has a responsibility in Syria.
President Donald Trump listens during a briefing with reporters about border security in the briefing room of the White House, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Trump Says Country Wants Border Wall, But That's Not What Polls Say
By Mary Papenfuss
And opponents can't call the White House switchboard to let the president know because it's not working due to the government shutdown.
The Capitol is seen as New Year's Day comes to a close with the partial government shutdown in its second week, in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2019. The new House majority led by Democrat Nancy Pelosi gavels into session this week with legislation ready to end the government shutdown. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Americans Give Everyone Negative Marks For The Government Shutdown
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Most of the public considers the shutdown a problem, but just one-third of respondents call it very serious.
SuperStock via Getty Images
POLITICS
These 16 Polls Show How American Thinking Has (And Hasn't) Changed In 80 Years
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Generations past and present weigh in on everything from hitchhikers to financial windfalls to the honesty of Congress.
A display screen is shown inside a Facebook “pop-up” trailer in New York’s Bryan Park on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018. The company hosted a one-day event open to the public, with Facebook employees on hand to answer questions about privacy and other issues. The pop-up event caps a difficult year for the company. (AP Photo/Barbara Ortutay)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Most Facebook Users Don't Trust The Site With Their Data
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Users distrusted the social media giant even before its latest controversies.
Saint-Eloi church. Mass.
Godong via Getty Images
RELIGION
Americans Trust Clergy Less Than Ever, Gallup Poll Finds
By Carol Kuruvilla
Americans' confidence in religious leaders' honesty and ethical standards has been tanking in recent years.
The Capitol building is visible as a man who declined to give his name, right, picks up garbage during a partial government shutdown on the National Mall in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Here's What Americans Make Of The Partial Government Shutdown
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
No one in Washington comes out looking great, but Democrats fare less badly.
First lady Melania Trump reads "Oliver the Ornament" to children at Children's National Health System, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Melania Trump's Positive Poll Numbers Plunge By Double Digits In New Survey
By Mary Papenfuss
The 20 percent slide hits the lowest level of the year for the first lady, according to the CNN survey.
Large group of people forming the Democratic symbol on a white background
DigtialStorm via Getty Images
POLITICS
Democrats Are Divided On The Ideological Future Of Their Party
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
But they're a lot more optimistic than they were in 2016.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks to members of the media after leaving a closed door meeting about Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Bernie Sanders Eyes 'Bigger' 2020 Presidential Run Despite Some Warning Signs
The Vermont senator has indicated he would step aside if another candidate with a better shot at beating Donald Trump should emerge.
Students wait in line to cast their ballot at a polling station on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, on November 6, 2018 in Irvine, California on election day. - Americans vote Tuesday in critical midterm elections that mark the first major voter test of Donald Trump's presidency, with control of Congress at stake. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
ROBYN BECK via Getty Images
ASIAN VOICES
Asian-Americans Favored Democrats By Far In Midterms: Exit Poll
By Kimberly Yam
“Attacks on immigrants and racist rhetoric, increasingly aimed at Asian immigrants and Asian-Americans, had some harmful consequences for the Republican Party."
Peeling, curled election voting sticker on a blue cotton clothing shirt.
ImagePixel via Getty Images
POLITICS
Most Americans Feel Just Fine About The Midterm Results
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Few think the outcome will have a big effect on their own lives.
VIDEOS
Too Close To Call!
Democrat Stacey Abrams isn’t backing down from her campaign for governor against Republican Brian Kemp.
VIDEOS
First Muslim Women In Congress
Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib helped flip the House as the first Muslim women in Congress.
VIDEOS
Voters Across The Country Struggle To Cast Ballots On Election Day
Voting hasn’t been going smoothly for many people across the country.
MSNBC
POLITICS
77-Year-Old Voter Tears Up At Beto O'Rourke Visiting Polling Place: 'It Means A Lot'
By Jenna Amatulli
“We’re honored that he was here,” Texas resident Pamela Aguirre said. "He represents everything that Donald Trump isn’t.”
Maria Morahn, of Osceola, Iowa, wears a sticker after casting her ballot in the general election, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018, at the United Methodist Church in Osceola, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Voters Report Issues Casting Ballots Across The Country
By Nina Golgowski
Long lines, locked buildings and broken machines are among the issues troubling voters.
EL PASO, EL PASO - NOVEMBER 06: Volunteer Albert Lopez, 18, sets out signs directing voters to a polling place at El Paso Community College-Rio Grande Campus before dawn on Election Day November 06, 2018 in El Paso, Texas. In Texas, Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-TX) is in a surprisingly tight contest against incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for the state's U.S. Senate race. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
POLITICS
Exit Polls, Explained: What They Can And Can't Tell Us About The 2018 Midterm Elections
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Exit polling has seen some changes since the last election.
Want To Protect American Democracy? Become A Poll Worker.
Ji Sub Jeong/HuffPost
OPINION
Want To Protect American Democracy? Become A Poll Worker.
By Abbie Harper, Guest Writer
I am filled with gratitude for the suffragettes who fearlessly fought for my right to vote. That's why I'm a poll worker.
Empty portable voting booths with an American flag decal and the word 'VOTE' son the sides and an American Flag with a Bald eagle on top in the background of a polling station.
cmannphoto via Getty Images
POLITICS
Here's How Polling Has Changed Since 2016
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
After a bruising 2016, the polling industry wants to restore the public's trust and reset expectations.
Looking up at empty portable voting booths with an American flag decal and the word 'VOTE' on the sides and an American Flag with a Bald eagle on top in the background of a polling station.
cmannphoto via Getty Images
POLITICS
Judge Denies Request To Reopen Polling Site In A Kansas County, Citing Voter Confusion
By Kimberley Richards
The ACLU loses its bid to keep open the sole polling place in Dodge City, which is majority Latino. The new site is out of town.
This Nov. 1, 2017, photo shows a van with windows covered with an assortment of stickers in Florida. Federal authorities took Cesar Sayoc into custody on Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, and confiscated his van, which appears to be the same one, at an auto parts store in Plantation, Fla., in connection with the mail-bomb scare that has targeted prominent Democrats from coast to coast. (Courtesy of Lesley Abravanel via AP)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Half Of Americans Say Trump Has No Responsibility For Mail Bomber's Actions
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
But fewer than one-quarter say he discourages his supporters from acting violently.
President Donald Trump speaks at a reception commemorating the 35th anniversary of the attack on Beirut Barracks in the East Room at the White House in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
ASSOCIATED PRESS
POLITICS
Poll: Two-Thirds Of Voters Say Trump Is A Factor For Them In The 2018 Midterm Elections
By Andy McDonald
A similar 2014 poll found that most voters said they didn't consider President Obama a factor during that year's midterms.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh is sworn in before testifying before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., September 27, 2018. Tom Williams/Pool via REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
POOL New/Reuters
POLITICS
We Still Don't Know What Brett Kavanaugh's Confirmation Means For The Midterms
By Ariel Edwards-Levy
Or exactly how much it'll weigh on voters' minds in November.
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