In his forthcoming book “Disloyal,” former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen takes readers deep inside his close relationship with the president that, according to Cohen, eventually made him fear for his life when he agreed to testify against the man he once thought of as a father figure.
Cohen released the foreword to the book online, which begins, “The President of the United States wanted me dead. Or, let me say it the way Donald Trump would: He wouldn’t mind if I was dead. That was how Trump talked. Like a mob boss, using language carefully calibrated to convey his desires and demands, while at the same time employing deliberate indirection to insulate himself and avoid actually ordering a hit on his former personal attorney, confidant, consigliere, and, at least in my heart, adopted son.”
The convicted felon then paints a clear picture of just how close he says he was to Trump and all the nefarious activity he bore witness to.
“He has lived his entire life avoiding and evading taking responsibility for his actions. He crushed or cheated all who stood in his way, but I know where the skeletons are buried because I was the one who buried them. … From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas, to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump’s clandestine lovers, I wasn’t just a witness to the president’s rise–I was an active and eager participant,” Cohen wrote.
In a tweet announcing the book, Cohen wrote, “The day has finally arrived. I have waited a long time to share my truth.”
The book’s official announcement comes just weeks after a federal judge ordered the release of Cohen from prison. He had pleaded guilty in 2018 to lying to Congress, tax evasion and campaign finance fraud involving hush-money payments to women who said they had affairs with Trump.
That ruling came two days after Cohen filed a lawsuit against Attorney General William Barr, in which he said the reason he was taken back into custody earlier in July was because of the book. The president had denied he had the affairs.
In a new statement posted to the book’s website, Cohen’s attorney Danya Perry said, “We are pleased that the government now recognizes the need for adherence to basic constitutional liberties. This is a complete victory for Michael Cohen, for free speech, and for the rule of law.”
There is no publication date yet announced.