President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE on Friday pushed back against one of his longtime lawyer’s criticisms of his behavior while claiming that the lawyer's upcoming book violates attorney-client privilege.

Trump asserted in a phone interview with The Wall Street Journal that his former lawyer Jay Goldberg is bitter over not being hired to a position in the White House.

“I’ve had nothing but victories, so it’s sad that somebody you can’t take to Washington for obvious reasons wants to write a book,” Trump said, citing economic gains and a bolstered military.

Goldberg represented Trump in his two divorce cases and is releasing a memoir in December called “The Courtroom Is My Theater: My Lifelong Representation of Famous Politicians, Industrialists, Entertainers, Men of Honor, and More.”

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“There’s lawyer-client privilege here. You can’t do that,” Trump told the Journal.

A spokeswoman for Goldberg said he is cognizant of the issue and will not reveal anything to violate attorney-client privilege. She also maintained that Goldberg "never wanted to go to Washington," despite Trump's claim.

The lawyer says in an excerpt of the book that he rejected an offer from Trump to work in Washington providing legal advice, according to the Journal.

Goldberg also criticized Trump’s personal legal team over its handling of his former longtime fixer and personal attorney Michael Cohen, who implicated Trump last month in campaign finance violations related to payments he made to buy the silence of two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump in 2006.

Goldberg argued in an interview with the Journal that alternate praise and condemnation of Cohen from Trump's personal legal team did the president a disservice.

Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City and Trump’s personal attorney, praised Cohen earlier this year, calling him “an honest, honorable lawyer.” But once it was revealed that Cohen had secretly taped Trump, Giuliani slammed Cohen as a “pathological manipulator.”

Goldberg said attacks from all fronts have made Trump “punch drunk,” causing him to lash out.

“There’s so much pounding against him from all different directions, he says things that if he had chance to reflect he wouldn’t say,” Goldberg said.

His spokeswoman later clarified, telling the Journal that Goldberg would become "punch drunk" if he had to endure the criticisms that Trump has.