Cohen denies Omarosa’s claim that Trump chewed up paper after Oval Office meeting

Michael Cohen on Sunday disputed a claim from former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman that she saw President Trump put a piece of paper in his mouth after meeting with his then-attorney.

“To the many dozens of #journalists who called me, questioning @OMAROSA claim in her new book that @POTUS @realDonaldTrump took a note from me, put it in his mouth and ate it…I saw NO such thing and am shocked anyone would take this seriously,” the president’s longtime personal fixer tweeted.

LTo the many dozens of #journalists who called me, questioning @OMAROSA claim in her new book that @POTUS @realDonaldTrump took a note from me, put it in his mouth and ate it…I saw NO such thing and am shocked anyone would take this seriously.

— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) August 12, 2018

Manigault Newman, who rose to fame on “The Apprentice” and was fired from her White House job in December, has made a number of explosive claims in her upcoming memoir “Unhinged: An Insider Account of the Trump White House.”

{mosads}

The Washington Post, which obtained excerpts of the book, reported that Manigault Newman claims that in early 2017 she and Cohen walked into the Oval Office for a meeting with Trump. She writes that Trump put a piece of paper in his mouth as Cohen was leaving.

“Since Trump was ever the germaphobe, I was shocked he appeared to be chewing and swallowing the paper,” she wrote. “It must have been something very, very sensitive.” 

Cohen is no longer Trump’s attorney, and is reportedly under investigation in the Southern District of New York for tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance law violations. His comments Sunday come as some have speculated he may be willing to cooperate with investigators and turn on Trump.

As excerpts from Manigault Newman’s book have started to leak, the White House has gone on the attack, arguing she lacks credibility and has previously espoused praise for the president.

“The first time I ever heard Omarosa suggest those awful things about this president are in this book. And I think that Omarosa unfortunately has undercut her own credibility,” White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said on ABC’s “This Week.”

Manigault Newman famously said after the 2016 election that the president’s critics would have to “bow down.” Upon her departure, she gave an interview saying she would not work for someone she believed to be racist.

However, the claims in her book have rocked Washington. While some allegations are unsourced, she claims there are tapes proving Trump repeatedly used the “N-word” on the set of “The Apprentice.”

She also has a nondisclosure agreement allegedly showing she was offered $15,000 a month to remain silent about her time in the White House.

Manigault Newman revealed on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that she secretly recorded chief of staff John Kelly in the Situation Room during her firing. The move came as a shock to lawmakers and national security experts, who noted it was a breach of protocol to bring recording devices into the secure space.