Jesse Binnall, an attorney for Donald Trump, told Newsmax that the former president is "fed up" with Michael Cohen, prompting a lawsuit last week of more than $500 million.
Binnall, who is not representing Trump in any of the current cases, made his comments Friday on "National Report."
Trump is suing Cohen, his former lawyer, for more than $500 million, according to a filing in a Florida court Wednesday.
"What's behind this is the fact that Michael Cohen is someone who is a perjurer, has admitted to essentially giving out false statements, and is now a convicted felon," Binnall said. "He has taken and used for his own financial benefit his relationship with Donald Trump. And, as attorneys, we're not supposed to do that. We cannot do that.
"Not only are there confidentiality requirements in being an attorney — everybody has heard about attorney-client privilege — we can't take our relationship with them and benefit from them financially, which is exactly what Michael Cohen has done while trying to undermine his former client. He has violated his fiduciary duties to his client.
"After years of this, after cease-and-desist letters, after a substantial amount of action, President Trump is fed up with that and is doing what legally he is allowed to do, and that is to sue for the breaches of these fiduciary duties."
Lanny Davis, Cohen's attorney, responded to the lawsuit by saying: "Mr. Trump appears once again to be using and abusing the judicial system as a form of harassment and intimidation against Michel Cohen."
Binnall said: "The response, of course is almost comical for the fact that it is Michael Cohen who continues to go around lying about Donald Trump. It's Michael Cohen who has abused the relationship he had with his former client. From a legal perspective, that is something he should always be held accountable for.
"Lawyers are not allowed to go out and talk about a client the way Michael Cohen has. Even though he's been disbarred now, it is important to remember this is a disbarred lawyer. And so, at the end of the day ... lying about Donald Trump, slamming Donald Trump, attacking his former client — all the money he's made belongs to Donald Trump legally. And that's what this lawsuit is all about."
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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