Lewandowski: I warned everybody that Cohen was going to become a problem

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski on Sunday took aim at President Trump’s former longtime lawyer, Michael Cohen, for pleading guilty to federal charges and implicating the president in a crime.

Lewandowski during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” downplayed Trump’s relationship to Cohen and the charges to which he pleaded guilty last Tuesday.

“What Cohen has now pled guilty to has nothing to do with the Trump campaign or the Trump Organization,” Lewandowski said.

{mosads}

He went on to slam the president’s former “fixer,” saying that he had denied Cohen a role in Trump’s campaign.  

“There have been reports that you privately tried to get the president to back away from [Cohen],” Fox News host Sandra Smith, who was standing in for Chris Wallace, said.

“You were warning [Trump] that [Cohen] was a loose cannon. But the president said at that time, at one point in time, that he was a good lawyer and he trusted him for a long time, now he’s calling him a flipper. So why did the president trust Michael Cohen as long as he did?” Smith asked.

“Michael was very good at certain things and one of the things he was very good at, and we have now seen it, is intimidating people,” Lewandowski responded.

“I didn’t like to work with Michael, I didn’t like to interact with Michael, and that’s why he had no role in the campaign, even when he wanted one,” he continued. “I was very clear when I was in charge of the campaign, Michael was not somebody who we wanted at the campaign. He would go out and make statements that we had to walk back afterwards because he would say things which were factually untrue. I warned everybody at the organization that Michael was going to become a problem.”

Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts after striking a deal with prosecutors in New York.

Trump’s former lawyer told the judge that he made two six-figure hush money payments to women at the direction of a candidate for federal office, implicating the president. 

Though he did not name Trump in a court document, Cohen’s comments align with records of payments made to adult-film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women have said they were paid to remain silent about their alleged affairs with Trump years ago.

Following Cohen’s plea deal, Trump recommended against retaining the services of his longtime personal fixer.

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

—Updated Monday at 6:42 p.m.