Amid tweets in which he attacked a New York Times reporter and declared what a "beautiful day!" it will be as he watches on TV the funeral of former First Lady Barbara Bush, President Donald Trump on Saturday also let the world know via Twitter that he doesn't believe his long-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen will "flip" on him.
"Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble," tweeted Trump, "even if it means lying or making up stories. Sorry, I don't see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!"
Trump's remarks stemmed from reporting by a team of journalists at the New York Times on Friday evening which suggested that while Cohen was once thought to be so loyal to the president that he would "take a bullet for him," those days may now be over.
Cohen's current legal troubles—and, in turn, possibly Trump's—center around Stormy Daniels and the payment she received from Cohen to keep quiet about an affair she claims she had with Trump years before he ran for president. Earlier this week, Daniel's attorney, Michael Avenatti, predicted that Cohen "is going to be indicted" by the federal prosecutors now looking into the case.
According to the Times, "Mr. Trump's lawyers and advisers have become resigned to the strong possibility that Mr. Cohen, who has a wife and two children and faces the prospect of devastating legal fees, if not criminal charges, could end up cooperating with federal officials who are investigating him for activity that could relate, at least in part, to work he did for Mr. Trump."
Angered by the report, Trump also used his Twitter outburst on Saturday to lash out personally against Maggie Haberman, one of the Times' journalist who wrote the story:
The New York Times and a third rate reporter named Maggie Haberman, known as a Crooked H flunkie who I don’t speak to and have nothing to do with, are going out of their way to destroy Michael Cohen and his relationship with me in the hope that he will “flip.” They use....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018
In response, Haberman herself seemed not even a little nonplussed:
When I was reporting this story, I said to one person who’s observed the Cohen-Trump relationship that Trump has been abusive to him. The person replied, “He’s abusive to everybody.” https://t.co/coxNMRVCUl
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 21, 2018
