Did Michael Cohen just signal that he's willing to turn on Trump?
President Trump's longtime personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, has made a big show over his loyalty to his boss — "I will do anything to protect Mr. Trump," he has told Fox News, while illustrating his seriousness to Vanity Fair, saying: "I'm the guy who would take a bullet for the president. I'd never walk away." But after the FBI raided his office and homes in April, Cohen had a different tune when speaking this weekend with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos.
"My wife, my daughter, and my son have my first loyalty and always will," Cohen said. “I put family and country first."
Cohen's words echo those of George Papadopoulos' wife last year. Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, was the first witness to make a deal to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, with his wife telling ABC News: "George is very loyal to his country. He is already on the right side of history."
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Trump has repeatedly claimed that Cohen will not flip. "Sorry, I don't see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!" he tweeted in April. Listen to George Stephanopoulos discuss his meeting with Cohen below. Jeva Lange
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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