Michael Cohen, former personal attorney of Donald Trump, compared the former president's rhetoric and demands for unquestioning loyalty to the language in Adolf Hitler’s Nazi manifesto in an interview Sunday.
“Right out of 'Mein Kampf,'” Cohen said, agreeing with MSNBC host Ali Velshi, “which allegedly Donald used to keep on the side of his table.”
Cohen issued a warning to Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliveira, the two defendants charged alongside Trump in the case involving his handling of national security information and alleged obstruction. Invoking his own experience with loyalty to Trump, Cohen said his advice would be to distance themselves as much as possible.
"My recommendation — I've said it to Walt Nauta. He was a former military guy. I'm sure he's got a good pair of sneakers — run. And I would say the same to De Oliveira,” Cohen said.
“Donald is not going to protect you. Donald is like First Avenue: one way. Loyalty for Donald only goes one way, and he will use you, He will throw you under the bus. And by the time that you get thrown under the bus, it's too late already,” he added.
Cohen, formerly Trump’s fixer, has become one of his most vocal critics.
Cohen paid adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the lead up to the 2016 election. He pleaded guilty in 2018 to campaign finance violations connected to the payments and is now a key witness in the case against Trump in Manhattan related to them.
Cohen speculated why the two defendants are remaining so loyal to Trump, saying, “It’s all part of a scheme.”
“It's all part of the campaign to stay on Donald's message. I've seen that over the decade plus time that I was working for Donald where he comes up with a message and it's your responsibility as a loyal employee to promote, to regurgitate his message, whether you know it to be truthful, or you know it to be inaccurate,” Cohen said.
