Corey Lewandowski, President Trump’s former 2016 campaign manager, on Sunday said he put out warnings that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was “going to become a problem” and that Mr. Cohen was never part of the campaign when he was there.
“I didn’t like to work with Michael. I didn’t like to interact with Michael, and that’s why he had no role in the campaign even though he wanted one,” Mr. Lewandowski said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Cohen last week pleaded guilty to eight felonies of bank fraud, tax evasion, and campaign finance violations, including charges tied to payments he made to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, two women with whom Mr. Trump allegedly had affairs.
“I warned everybody at the organization that Michael was going to become a problem,” Mr. Lewandowski said. “I spent as little time with Michael Cohen as humanly possible. He was never part of the campaign when I was there.”
Asked why Mr. Trump trusted Mr. Cohen as long as he did given such warnings, Mr. Lewandowski said Mr. Cohen was “very good” at “intimidating people.”
Like Mr. Trump did last week, Mr. Lewandowski also claimed that Mr. Cohen’s charges didn’t have to do with the Trump campaign.
On the same day Mr. Cohen pleaded guilty, a jury also found former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort guilty of eight felony counts of bank and tax fraud stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian interference in the 2016 campaign.
Mr. Lewandowski said Mr. Manafort’s case involved crimes that took place well before the campaign.
“What I think is important now is that the Mueller investigative team finishes their investigation, reports that to the Department of Justice, and we put an end to this investigation, which clearly has demonstrated has nothing to do with the presidential campaign of 2016,” he said.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.