Michael Cohen Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Lanny Davis, the new lawyer for President Donald Trump's ex-attorney Michael Cohen, said Cohen is done with being Trump's "bullet taker" or a "punching bag for" Trump's defense strategy, as prosecutors scrutinize both men's dealings. "Where are we headed? The truth," Davis said to NBC News shortly after releasing an audio tape made by Cohen revealing Trump talking in matter-of-fact terms about potentially paying hush money to an alleged mistress shortly before the 2016 presidential election. CNN unveiled the recording late Tuesday night. "Michael Cohen has decided: 'No matter what happens to me, I'm going to get my life back by telling the truth," said Davis, a veteran crisis manager and advisor to President Bill Clinton during his scandals in the 1990s. "Cohen is trying to reset his life as not being Donald Trump's bullet taker, or worse, a punching bag for Donald Trump's defense strategy where he takes the bullets," Davis added. "This is a turn for him. It's a new resolve to tell the truth no matter what, even if it endangers him." He also said Cohen "has more truth to tell." Meanwhile on Wednesday, Trump fumed on Twitter about the recording. Tweet Despite Trump's speculation about the recording being cut off, Davis said CNN had aired the entirety of the tape.

Split with Trump

Cohen had been Trump's personal attorney and fixer for years. He once boasted of being willing to "take a bullet" for Trump. But in recent months, their relationship has apparently come undone as Cohen has become the target of an ongoing criminal probe by federal prosecutors in New York City, where FBI agents raided his residences and office in April. Cohen's hiring of Davis, who is a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and other moves have increased speculation that he will begin cooperating with prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and possibly with Robert Mueller, the special counsel. Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election and the Trump campaign's contacts with Russians during the campaign. Asked by NBC what he planned to do with either federal prosecutors in New York, or with Mueller, Davis said, "I cannot answer that question." Davis said the same thing — "I cannot answer that question" — when asked if Cohen has been in contact with prosecutors in New York. Those prosecutors are eyeing, among other things, a $130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election, as well as a payment by the publisher of The National Enquirer for McDougal's story, which the Trump-friendly supermarket tabloid never published. Trump reimbursed Cohen for the payout to Daniels, and discussed buying out The Enquirer's rights to McDougal's story — but never did so, according to current Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

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