Michael Cohen appears to be distancing himself publicly from President Donald Trump, as legal pressures on the attorney intensify amid a wide-ranging probe into the president’s links to Russia.
On Twitter, where Cohen has been an active user, the lawyer removed the reference on his biography to being Trump’s personal lawyer. The discovery was first reported by CNN, which also pointed out that Cohen has yet to make changes to his LinkedIn page, where the “personal lawyer” descriptive remains prominently displayed.
Despite suffering through the indignity of a raid on his offices, the New York lawyer and political fixer has been fiercely loyal to his former boss. In fact, a Wall Street Journal report in April quoted Cohen as saying, “boss, I miss you so much,” in a conversation with his client.
However, signs have emerged that Cohen is trying to put more daylight between himself and the president. In an interview with ABC News this week, Cohen insisted that his first loyalty was to his family and his country.
“Once I understand what charges might be filed against me, if any at all, I will defer to my new counsel, Guy Petrillo, for guidance,” Cohen told the network. “To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son, and this country have my first loyalty.”
Those remarks constituted a dramatic shift in tone for Cohen, who once bragged he would take a bullet for Trump. After FBI agents raided his properties in April, seizing thousands of items and sparking a lengthy court battle even before any charges have been filed, Cohen has reportedly been more amenable to working with federal prosecutors, ABC reported.
Cohen did not immediately return a call from CNBC seeking comment.
— CNBC’s Brian Schwartz and Kevin Brueninger contributed to this report.
