Michael Cohen told George Stephanopoulos that his family is his "first loyalty." Michael Cohen -- President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney and a former executive vice president at the Trump Organization -- has always insisted he would remain loyal to the president. He was the fix-it guy, the pit bull so fiercely protective of his boss that he’d once described himself as "the guy who would take a bullet" for the president. But in his first in-depth interview since the FBI raided his office and homes in April, Cohen strongly signaled his willingness to cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York -- even if that puts President Trump in jeopardy. “My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will,” Cohen told me. “I put family and country first.” We spoke for 45 minutes Saturday evening at a Manhattan hotel, where Cohen has been staying for the past several months. And during that time, the question of whether Cohen might flip on the president has been the subject of intense speculation. Even the president weighed in, tweeting in April that “most people will flip if the government lets them out of trouble, even if it means lying or making up stories. Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that.” He described Cohen as a “fine person with a wonderful family.” But Cohen did not praise the president during our conversation -- and pointedly disagreed with Trump’s criticism of the federal investigations. When I asked Cohen directly what he would do if prosecutors forced him to choose between protecting the president and protecting his family, he said his family is “my first priority.” Cohen added: “Once I understand what charges might be filed against me, if any at all, I will defer to my new counsel, Guy Petrillo, for guidance.” But when I pointed out to Cohen that he wasn’t repeating past vows to “take a bullet” and “do anything” to protect the president, the longtime Trump loyalist left little doubt about where he stands now, saying simply: “To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son, and this country have my first loyalty.” Cohen recently retained Petrillo, a highly regarded former federal prosecutor who once led the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan -- the very same office currently conducting the criminal investigation of Cohen. Petrillo is expected to take over as Cohen’s lead counsel in the coming days. And Cohen makes clear that his decision about whether to cooperate will be based not on any previous loyalty to Trump -- but on Petrillo’s legal advice. Once Petrillo fully assumes his role, a joint defense agreement Cohen shared with the president, which allowed their lawyers to share information and documents with each other, will come to an end, ABC News has learned. At that point, the legal interests of the president of the United States and his longtime personal attorney could quickly become adversarial. When I asked Cohen how he might respond if the president or his legal team come after him -- to try and discredit him and the work he did for Mr. Trump over the last decade -- he sat up straight. His voice gained strength. “I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defense strategy,” he said emphatically. “I am not a villain of this story, and I will not allow others to try to depict me that way.” Prosecutors in New York’s Southern District are investigating Cohen for alleged violations of election law and possible financial crimes associated with his personal business dealings. He has not been charged with any crime. But on the advice of his attorney, Cohen declined to address specific questions about matters currently under investigation. “I respect the prosecutors. I respect the process,” Cohen said. “I would not do or say anything that might be perceived as interfering with their professional review of the evidence and the facts.” One subject the prosecutors are surely exploring: that $130,000 payment Cohen made to adult-film star Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, less than two weeks before the 2016 election, in exchange for her silence –- a possible violation of campaign finance law. I asked Cohen if the president directed him to make that payment or promised to reimburse him. In the past, Cohen has said that he acted on his own initiative. Not this time. “I want to answer. One day I will answer,” he said. “But for now, I can’t comment further on advice of my counsel.” On issue after issue, Cohen did, however, separate himself from President Trump -– starting with the president’s criticism of how the government has conducted its investigation. After federal agents searched Cohen’s New York properties, Trump described the raid as a break-in, an “attack on our country, in a true sense. It’s an attack on what we all stand for.” “I don’t agree with those who demonize or vilify the FBI. I respect the FBI as an institution, as well as their agents,” Cohen told me. “When they searched my hotel room and my home, it was obviously upsetting to me and my family. Nonetheless, the agents were respectful, courteous and professional. I thanked them for their service and as they left, we shook hands.” Cohen also refused to criticize the Mueller investigation. "I don’t like the term witch hunt,” he said, adding that he condemned Russia for interfering in the 2016 election. “As an American, I repudiate Russia’s or any other foreign government’s attempt to interfere or meddle in our democratic process, and I would call on all Americans to do the same,” he said. And in a direct rebuttal to President Trump, who sent out a tweet last week repeating Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russia did not interfere in our election, Cohen added this: “Simply accepting the denial of Mr. Putin is unsustainable.” “I respect our nation’s intelligence agencies’... unanimous conclusions,” he said. Cohen also repeated his previous denials of any personal involvement with Russian attempts to interfere in our election, declaring that he never went to Prague, as alleged in the Steele dossier, and never colluded with the Russians in any way. Although he has not been interviewed yet by Mueller’s team, he says he has provided documents and added that he would fully cooperate with them, just as he says he has with the Senate and House committees investigating the matter. “I appeared under oath before the House Select Intelligence Committee for over six hours and to the Senate Select Intelligence Committee for over eight hours,” he says. Cohen believes Mueller will not find any evidence that he had any illegal or improper dealings with the Russians. But Cohen did criticize those members of the Trump campaign who participated in that now infamous Trump Tower meeting in June of 2016 with several Russians after being promised dirt on Hillary Clinton. “I believe it was a mistake by those from the Trump campaign who did participate,” he said. "It was simply an example of poor judgment.” When I asked Cohen if President Trump knew about that meeting before it happened, he declined to answer. “I can’t comment under advice of my counsel due to the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York,” Cohen said. After months of silence, Cohen seemed relieved to be telling more of his story. He visibly relaxed over the course of the interview after telling me -- with some understatement -- that the last year has been “difficult, upsetting and unpleasant.” When I asked if he had any regrets about how he handled any of the matters under investigation, he said “as an attorney and as an employee, I tried to make good faith judgments in the past. I also acknowledge that I am not perfect. I would prefer not to be in this situation at all, obviously.” This interview, he hopes, will be a first step towards his ultimate goal: “Resolution.” “I want to regain my name and my reputation and my life back," he said.<doc-sep>President Donald Trump’s longtime fixer/personal attorney Michael Cohen has broken his silence, sort of. An interview with ABC News chief anchor George Stephanopoulos was described by the anchor on today’s Good Morning America, accompanied by photos of the off-camera chat. Cohen tweeted Sunday, using a black-and-white image to illustrate, that he had spent Saturday afternoon with Stephanopoulos, marking his first interview since the FBI raided his office and home in April. Cohen promised it would be featured on this morning’s Good Morning America and the program did indeed treat viewers to about 10 minutes of Stephanopoulos talking about the Cohen interview, along with more photos – this time in color. The two men were seen chatting in a drab room, Cohen in suit but no tie, Stephanopoulos in khaki pants and polo shirt. Though we didn’t get to watch the actual interview, the chat is described in print on ABC’s web site – just like a newspaper. During the interview, Stephanopoulos said, the man who famously claimed he would take a bullet for Trump now says “My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will. I put family and country first.” Stephanopoulos said that Cohen did not offer praise of Trump at any point in the interview. Cohen has not been charged with anything, but has hired a new attorney, Guy Petrillo, who takes over this week. At that point, Cohen’s joint agreement with Trump attorneys is at an end. “I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone’s defense strategy,” now-unleashed Cohen told Stephanopoulos. “I am not a villain in any story and won’t allow others to try and depict me in that way.” Stephanopoulos asked Cohen if Trump had directed him to make that $130K hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Cohen previously claimed he paid the cash out of own pocket without direction from Trump or any promise of reimbursement. This time Cohen answered, “I want to answer. One day I will answer. But for now I can’t comment further on advice of my counsel.” “A very, very big signal,” Stephanopoulos translated this morning on GMA. Similarly, Cohen signaled he would have something to say in “official form” about whether President Trump knew in advance of that Trump Tower meeting between Don Jr., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner and a Russian attorney with entourage, the latter team allegedly promising dirt on Hillary Clinton. Trump has insisted he was not aware of the meeting. Cohen also said he does not agree with Trump calling Mueller’s Russian tampering investigation a “witch hunt.” “As an as American I repudiate any foreign governments’ attempt to interfere in our democratic process and I would call on all Americans to do the same,” Cohen said. Cohen also scoffed at Trump’s tweet assuring America that Russian ruler Vladimir Putin has denied any meddling in our election, calling POTUS’s assertion “unsustainable” and adding, “I choose to believe our intelligence agencies.”<doc-sep>President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE’s former lawyer Michael Cohen teased a new interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on Sunday night. “Spent Saturday afternoon with @GStephanopoulous @abc (not on camera) interview for Monday’s ['Good Morning America'],” Cohen tweeted Sunday with a photo of him with the ABC anchor. “My silence is broken!” Cohen wrote. Stephanopoulous also shared a photo prior to the new interview. ADVERTISEMENT "Tune in tomorrow morning on ['Good Morning America'] for more on my conversation with President Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen," he wrote. Tune in tomorrow morning on @GMA for more on my conversation with President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen. pic.twitter.com/W7xYoMo4DD — GeorgeStephanopoulos (@GStephanopoulos) July 2, 2018 Cohen has been at the center of a media firestorm after it was revealed earlier this year that he paid adult-film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump prior to the 2016 presidential election. Cohen is currently under investigation in the Southern District of New York for bank fraud and campaign finance violations. ADVERTISEMENT The FBI raided his home, office and hotel room earlier this year and collected thousands of files. It was reported mid-June that Cohen is also considering cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller Robert (Bob) MuellerSenate Democrats urge Garland not to fight court order to release Trump obstruction memo Why a special counsel is guaranteed if Biden chooses Yates, Cuomo or Jones as AG Barr taps attorney investigating Russia probe origins as special counsel MORE’s federal investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. "He knows a lot of things about the president and he's not averse to talking in the right situation," a friend of Cohen’s told CNN. "If they want information on Trump, he's willing to give it." Cohen reportedly feels “let down” and “isolated” by Trump as he faces mounting pressure from investigators. The president said last month that he is no longer being represented by Cohen and the pair have not spoke in “a long time.”<doc-sep>
President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to break his silence on "Good Morning America" on Monday. Update: I Will Not Be Trump's Punching Bag, Michael Cohen Tells ABC Cohen tweeted out a photo of himself sitting down for an interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Sunday night, writing: "My silence is broken!" The attorney clarified that the interview, which took place on Saturday, was "not on camera." It is unclear how the interview will be aired. However Stephanopoulos retweeted Cohen's post and also took to Twitter on Sunday to promote the show, telling viewers to "tune in tomorrow on Good Morning America for more on my conversation with President Trump's longtime personal lawyer." Cohen has been a key figure in the scandal surrounding an affair President Donald Trump is alleged to have had with adult film star Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Earlier this year, it emerged that the lawyer paid the film star $130,000 to keep quiet about the alleged affair in the lead-up to the 2016 election. Trump initially claimed that he had no knowledge of the payment until his new attorney, Rudy Giuliani, revealed that to be untrue in May. Cohen is also currently under investigation in the Southern District of New York for potential bank fraud and campaign finance violations. Thousands of files were obtained by the FBI in raids of his home, office and a hotel room he had been staying in. It is unclear what Cohen will reveal in his interview with Stephanopoulos. However, the lawyer had recently said he felt "let down" by Trump, who appears to have distanced himself from Cohen in recent weeks, according to the Hill. Last month, Trump said he is no longer being represented by Cohen and claimed that the two had not spoken in a "long time" despite the lawyer being a longtime confidante of the U.S. leader. In September, Cohen told Vanity Fair that he would "never walk away" from his dedication to defending Trump. He said he was "the guy who protects the president and the family" and "the guy who would take a bullet for the president." Whether the lawyer still feels that same sense of loyalty towards the president is likely to be revealed on Monday. Good Morning America's episode featuring the interview with Cohen is set to air at 7 a.m. ET and will be published online later.