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Trump ex-lawyer hints could flip against US president
NEW YORK, July 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer,
facing potential arrest in New York, has declared his first loyalty is to his
family and the country, signaling a willingness to cooperate with prosecutors
against the president.
“To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son, and this country
have my first loyalty,” Michael Cohen told ABC News in an interview broadcast
Monday.
His remarks fanned speculation about whether Cohen has any incriminating
material on Trump and whether he will “flip” on his former boss, with remarks
sharply at odds with a past declaration that he would “take a bullet for the
president.”
The FBI raided his home and office in April on a referral from special
counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016
election and whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow.
In his first in-depth interview since the raid, Cohen did not praise
Trump, pointedly disagreed with his criticism of the federal investigations
and separated himself from the president, ABC News reported.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating Cohen for alleged
violations of election law and possible financial crimes. He has not yet been
arrested or charged with any crime.
Cohen, who became Trump’s personal lawyer in 2007, is infamous for paying
$130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election to keep
quiet about her alleged 2006 affair with Trump.
Cohen initially said he used his own money to pay Daniels and was not
reimbursed by Trump. The US president has subsequently conceded that Cohen
was paid back, despite initially denying knowledge of the payment.
Through White House officials, the US president has denied the
relationship.
Cohen said he would defer to his new lawyer, former federal prosecutor Guy
Petrillo, “for guidance” once he learns what charges, if any, he will face.
“I am not a villain of this story, and I will not allow others to try to
depict me that way,” he told ABC News.
“I want to regain my name and my reputation and my life back,” he added.
BSS/AFP/BZC/1945HRS