President Trump attacks ex-lawyer: 'I would strongly suggest that you don't retain services of Michael Cohen'

David Jackson | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Michael Cohen, Paul Manafort signal serious moment for Trump Tuesday was a bad day in court for former associates of President Donald Trump, and it could foreshadow tough days ahead for the president. AP's Washington Bureau Chief Julie Pace looks at what it all means for Trump's White House. (Aug. 21)

WASHINGTON – A day after being accused of illegal conduct, a defiant President Donald Trump denied wrongdoing Wednesday and mocked his former personal attorney who implicated him in a hush money scheme designed to silence alleged ex-mistresses.

While he has praised Michael Cohen profusely in the past, Trump now says the lawyer who worked for him from 2007 until this year – a reputed "fixer" involved in many of the president's business dealings – is now making up stories to protect himself.

“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” Trump said during a morning tweet storm.

Meanwhile, the attorney for Cohen said the president’s former lawyer is ready to provide testimony linking Trump to another case: Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election via hacked Democratic emails.

Trump spoke out a day after taking a remarkable one-two legal punch, courtesy of Cohen and his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort.

If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018

While he has not discussed the Cohen allegations in detail, Trump expressed sympathy for Manafort's plight – and on Wednesday, he praised his former campaign aide for not talking to prosecutors, as Cohen has.

"I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family," Trump tweeted about his ex-aide's conviction on bank and tax fraud. "'Justice' took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to 'break' - make up stories in order to get a 'deal.' Such respect for a brave man!"

I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 22, 2018

In again decrying the alleged "witch hunt," Trump also pointed out that the jury convicted Manafort on only eight of 18 counts.

As for Cohen, Trump claimed in another tweet that campaign finance violations "are not a crime." Trump also said that predecessor Barack Obama's team once settled a campaign finance case – but Obama was not accused of authorizing and seeking to hide a hush money scheme, as Trump now is.

In pleading guilty Tuesday to tax evasion and campaign finance charges, Cohen stated that he made hush payments in 2016 to women who claimed to have had affairs with the Republican presidential nominee, and did so at the "direction of the candidate," plainly meaning Trump.

Prosecutors said the payments, designed to influence the election by keeping the women's stories out of the public eye, amounted to an illegal and unreported campaign contribution.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump said he learned of the payments after the fact. The president said he reimbursed Cohen with personal money, not campaign funds, and, therefore, "it's not even a campaign violation."

At the same time Cohen was pleading guilty, a federal jury in Virginia convicted Manafort of bank and tax fraud charges, the first conviction for special counsel Robert Mueller. The jury's decision increases the pressure on Manafort to cooperate as Mueller investigates Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election to help Trump.

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Trump likely faces more trouble in the coming months.

While placing the president in direct legal jeopardy over the hush money payments, Cohen also served notice he is willing to cooperate with Mueller on the Russia investigation.

Lanny Davis, Cohen's attorney, told MSNBC that Cohen is "more than happy" to speak with the special counsel about "the obvious possibility of a conspiracy to collude and corrupt the American democracy system in the 2016 election," as well as other Russia-related subjects.

They include "knowledge about the computer crime of hacking and whether or not Mr. Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on," Davis told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. "And we know he publicly cheered it on, but did he have private information?”

Trump's attorneys said Cohen is lying in order to get better treatment from prosecutors over his own illegal conduct.

"It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen's actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time," Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said.

Trump was more complimentary of Cohen before his long-time attorney began talking to prosecutors. He has called Cohen "a very talented lawyer" and, as recently as June, "a good person."

Speaking Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show, Davis sought to deny Trump a weapon he could use to prevent Cohen from talking to prosecutors: a pardon. Davis said Cohen would not accept a pardon from a president he regards as corrupt.

Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, warned Trump against any efforts to buy the silence of Cohen or Manafort.

"My message to the president: you better not talk about pardons for Michael Cohen or Paul Manafort tonight, or anytime in the future," Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted.

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The president's legal difficulties could also have political implications. Republicans already face tough battles as they seek to keep majorities in the House and Senate in the November elections.

Stumping for candidates in West Virginia on Tuesday night, Trump did not mention Cohen or Manafort, but did again attack Mueller's investigation as "fake news" and a "witch hunt."

"Where is the collusion?" Trump said at one point. "You know, they're still looking for collusion. Where is the collusion? Find some collusion."

Republicans have been near-silent on Trump's legal travails, but many seemed worried about the impact on the elections.

"The looming threat is that the potential for more days like the one we just endured is high," GOP strategist Kevin Madden said. "It will get more and more difficult to shift the midterm contests away from being a referendum on the president's standing."

Democrats are likely to make corruption a major issue, both before and after the elections, especially if they win control of the House and Senate.

"This is all about impeachment," GOP strategist Scott Jennings said. "If Democrats take the House, they will impeach the president and this (Cohen allegation) will be article one."

It all adds up to a "very big deal," said Neal Katyal, a former U.S. solicitor general.

"The President of the United States has been directly implicated in federal crimes, and implicated not by some enemy, but by his own personal lawyer," Katyal said. "This is the first time anything like this since Watergate, and it will begin the call for impeachment proceedings."

Many legal analysts question whether the Constitution permits the indictment of a sitting president, but Katyal said prosecutors within the Department of Justice may be revisiting that question.

In the meantime, Mueller is believed to be preparing a report that Congress could use as the basis for impeachment hearings.

"I see both calls for impeachment proceedings beginning, and internal moves within DOJ to examine the indictment of a sitting President," Katyal said.