Michael Cohen’s relationship with President Trump went from this: “I’ll do anything to protect Mr. Trump. They say I’m Mr. Trump’s pit bull. I’ve stood by him, shoulder to shoulder.” To this: “He’s a weak person.” So, why did Trump’s former personal lawyer flip? Cohen was Trump’s fixer and biggest defender for more than a decade. “If there’s an issue that relates to Mr. Trump that is of concern to him, it’s, of course, of concern to me. And I will use my legal skills within which to protect Mr. Trump to the best of my ability.” In April, the F.B.I. raided Cohen’s office after he became a target in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation. Trump was quick to come to Cohen’s defense. But once the investigation zeroed in on Cohen, the lawyer began to change his tune. “My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will. I put family and country first.” In July, Cohen released audio from a conversation with Donald Trump that he secretly recorded two months before the 2016 election. The two appear to be discussing payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Trump. Cohen: “When it comes time for the financing, which will be —” Trump: “What financing?” Cohen: “Well, I have to pay … No no, no, no. I got — no, no no.” Here’s when things between Trump and Cohen began to publicly fall apart. In a tweet he said: “What kind of a lawyer would tape a client? So sad!” “I expected something like this from Cohen, he’s been lying all week. I mean, for two — he’s been lying for years. There’s nobody that I know that knows him that hasn’t warned me that if his back is up against the wall, he will lie like crazy, because he’s lied all his life.” On Aug. 21, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance laws. And then on Nov. 29, Cohen made a surprise appearance in a Manhattan courtroom where he confessed to lying to Congress. He admitted he’d been negotiating to build a tower in Moscow for Trump well into the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors in the special counsel investigation have interviewed Cohen repeatedly over the past several months. “Mr. Cohen has cooperated. Mr. Cohen will continue to cooperate.” Trump tried to minimize the admission. “What he’s trying to do is get a reduced sentence. So, he’s lying about a project that everybody knew about. I mean, we were very open with it.”