WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has avoided mention of his former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his former personal attorney Michael Cohen at a campaign rally in Charleston, West Virginia.

  

The closest reference on Tuesday night came when he slammed the special counsel investigation into Russian election interference as a "witch hunt" and asked: "Where is the collusion?"

  

Hours before the rally, Manafort was convicted in federal court in Virginia on eight counts of financial crimes. Cohen pleaded guilty in federal court in New York to eight felonies, including breaking federal campaign finance law by arranging payments to two women who said they had sexual relationships with Trump before he became president.

  

Trump has denied the relationships.

  

Cohen says he made the payments at Trump's direction.