Trump praises Manafort for refusing to 'break,' unlike Cohen, his former fixer

He wrote on Twitter: “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort and his wonderful family. “Justice” took a 12 year old tax case, among other things, applied tremendous pressure on him and, unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to “break” - make up stories in order to get a “deal.” Such respect for a brave man!”

Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, was convicted Tuesday of tax and financial fraud. Michael Cohen, the president’s former personal lawyer and fixer, made a plea agreement with federal prosecutors and admitted to campaign finance crimes that he said were committed at the direction of Trump.

In the president’s view, Manafort is “brave,” and Cohen is a bad lawyer who, Trump incorrectly asserted, pleaded guilty to “violations” that “are not a crime.”

Trump said he felt bad for Manafort and his family. And he warned his nearly 54 million Twitter followers not to hire Cohen.

“If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!” the president wrote.

Trump’s statements appeared to be a reminder to others who might consider implicating him that loyalty is a trait critical to the president.

Cohen on Tuesday admitted that Trump had a role in payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to two women who said they had affairs with Trump. In the plea agreement, Trump is not mentioned by name but referred to as “Individual-1.”

Cohen and his attorney have made clear that, if asked, Cohen would cooperate with the continuing special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, an investigation that Trump on Wednesday again called a “Witch Hunt.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Eileen Sullivan © 2018 The New York Times