Cohen Wants Trump To Pay His Legal Fees Because Of His Loyalty To POTUS

Michael Cohen, an attorney for President-elect Donald Trump, arrives in Trump Tower in New York, Friday, Dec. 16, 2016. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
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President Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen wants the President to foot his mounting legal fees, including those associated with the hiring of his new lawyer, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

According to people familiar with the matter who spoke with the WSJ, Cohen has been grumbling to associates in recent months that he’s frustrated Trump hasn’t even offered to cover some of his expenses, which he says are “bankrupting” him. Cohen reportedly has told friends that he thinks Trump owes him some support, given his ongoing loyalty to Trump and the Trump Organization spanning over the course of a decade.

Several outlets reported on Tuesday that Cohen hired a new lawyer — Guy Petrillo — to represent him in the Southern District of New York’s criminal probe into his business dealings. Several news outlets reported last week that Cohen was planning to break with his legal team, partially due to Cohen’s payment issues.

Trump’s family has paid for a portion of Cohen’s legal expenses after his house, hotel and office were raided by the FBI in April, including costs associated with reviewing the records that were nabbed in the raid. The Trump campaign has also paid at least $230,000 of Cohen’s legal expenses, but only those related to his representation in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 election, not the separate criminal probe.

Read WSJ’s full report here.

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