Giuliani Blasts Cohen on Trump Betrayal: Like 'Brutus Put the Last Knife in Caesar'
Rudy Giuliani attacked former Trump attorney Michael Cohen as a traitor Monday, likening Cohen to the villains in two of William Shakespeare’s masterpieces.
The former New York City mayor who now serves as President Donald Trump’s attorney was interviewed Monday by Alison Camerota on CNN’s “New Day.”
During the interview, Camerota asked if Cohen’s turnabout from a Trump loyalist to an antagonist was a lesson about how well Trump judges a person’s character.
“He turned out to have a close friend betray him, like Iago betrayed Othello, like Brutus put the last knife into Caesar. It happens in life, that you get double-crossed,” Giuliani said, according to The Guardian.
Cohen is facing a federal investigation related to payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels, and recently released tapes in which Cohen and Trump discussed a payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Daniels claims she had a sexual encounter with Trump. McDougal claims she had a 10-month affair, according to The New York Times. The president has denied their allegations.
Giuliani said Cohen crossed a line by releasing the tape.
“You’ve got a really bad guy here,” he said, calling Cohen a “scumbag.”
Camerota asked why Giuliani and Trump had defended Cohen in the past if he was so reprehensible.
“What the heck are you picking on me for, saying he was an honest, honorable man, when I didn’t know he tape-recorded conversations with his clients?” Giuliani said, according to The Washington Times. “George Washington didn’t know that Benedict Arnold was a traitor.”
Giuliani said Trump’s legal team has 183 recordings made by Cohen, and only one has a conversation with Trump.
Giuliani was asked if Cohen would receive a presidential pardon.
“I can’t tell you whether he would pardon him or not. I can’t take away from the president, nor would I, the discretion to pardon anyone. Nor could I really speculate on it,” Giuliani said, according to CNN.
“Nobody should proceed on the assumption that President Trump’s going to pardon. Nobody.
“They should make the decisions about their lives based on the fact that they’ve got to deal with whatever the government is offering them or not offering them, how honest or dishonest they want to be,” he said.
“Now on the other hand, if the president believes an unjust situation happens, of course, like any other President, he’ll pardon,” Giuliani said.
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