President Donald Trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen has given an explosive interview where he put distance between himself and  Trump, saying  his first loyalty is to his family and the country
'To be crystal clear, my wife, my daughter and my son, and this country have my first loyalty,' Cohen told ABC's George Stephanopoulos in his first sit-down interview since coming under criminal investigation
 And he says he will hit back if allies of the president end up coming after him.'I will not be a punching bag as part of anyone's defense strategy,' Cohen said
 'I am not a villain of this story, and I will not allow others to try to depict me that way,' he said
  Amid increasing reports Trump's longtime lawyer and fixer might 'flip,' Cohen rejected Trump's favorite term for the 'witch hunt' Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, praised the professional conduct of FBI agents, and blasted any Russian interference in U
S. elections. It was among several cases where the longtime loyalist who once said he would 'take a bullet' for Trump' gave indications their interest may no longer align
    'I don't like the term witch hunt,' Cohen said.  But he wouldn't answer when asked whether Trump asked him to make a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an affair with Trump, as part of a non-disclosure agreement
'I want to answer. One day I will answer,' Cohen said. 'But for now, I can't comment further on advice of my counsel
'As he has suggested in prior comments, Cohen said the FBI agents who raided his home, office, and a hotel where he was staying were professional in their conduct, even though Trump himself blasted the move as a violation of attorney-client privilege when it happened
'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 said
 '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 said
   Investigators are acutely interested in what Cohen has to say, having sorted through millions of records seized from his devices during an FBI raid
Last year, Cohen told Vanity Fair: ''I'm the guy who stops the leaks. I'm the guy who protects the president and the family
 I'm the guy who would take a bullet for the president.' In June, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani predicted Cohen wouldn't flip cooperate with prosecutors against the president – who has not been named as a target of the Mueller investigation
'He's not cooperating nor do we care because the president did nothing wrong,' Giuliani told Fox News host Laura Ingraham
 'I am absolutely certain of that.''Michael Cohen, I think, would tell you he's got nothing incriminating with the president,' Giuliani said
Cohen helped negotiate a series of non-disclosure agreements, including one involving Trump and Daniels, both using pseudonyms
 Cohen also was in contact with top Russian officials about a potential Trump Tower Moscow in 2016
But in the sit-down interview, Cohen blasted Russian or foreign meddling in elections, which U
S. intelligence officials concluded happened in the case of Trump's 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,' Cohen said
He also veered away from his former client's repeated statements that Putin claims not to have interfered
 'Simply accepting the denial of Mr. Putin is unsustainable,' said Cohen, who has a Ukrainian-born wife and among other things is being investigated for tax issues related to his taxi business
'I respect our nation's intelligence agencies'. unanimous conclusions,' Cohen said, in reference to the multi-agency statement on Russian interference
 Asked whether he would cooperate with prosecutors, Cohen wouldn't give a direct answer, despite the host's efforts to pin him down in a 45-minute interview
'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,' Cohen said, referencing the former head of the criminal division of the U
S. Attorney's office in Manhattan.By mentioning him, Cohen confirmed Petrillo is his new lawyer, something that was reported late last month after he parted ways with Washington attorney Stephen Ryan following a lengthy phase where a team of lawyers sorted through seized documents
 According to ABC, once Petrillo takes over as Cohen's lead lawyer, a joint defense agreement between Cohen and Trump will no longer be operative
 If their interests no longer align, Cohen could seek to negotiate an agreement to assist prosecutors with any information he may have in exchange for a more lenient sentence if he were to be charged with a crime
    He is under criminal investigation for potential bank fraud, campaign finance violations, and tax issues – some of which are connected to the non-disclosure agreement he inked with Stormy Daniels
 Cohen earlier tweeted a photo  showing him sitting with  Stephanopoulos.He said in the tweet that he sat down with Stephanopoulos for an interview to air Monday on 'Good Morning America' but it wasn't on camera
 Stephanopoulos tweeted a similar photo.FBI agents raided Cohen's home, office and hotel room in April as part of a probe into his business dealings
Cohen was Trump's longtime fixer and a key player in the Trump Organization.Trump said last month that he hasn't spoken to Cohen in 'a long time' and that he was 'not my lawyer anymore
'Cohen was spotted storming out of a Manhattan restaurant to take an urgent call on Friday night as speculation mounts over whether he will cooperate with federal investigators
Pacing up and down East 64th Street, Cohen spoke emphatically into his cell phone outside of the upscale eatery Jo Jo, interrupting his dinner for the mystery call
   Share this article   Share   105 shares   The restaurant, the original flagship of famed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, is just a quick six-minute walk from the Regency Hotel, where Cohen has been living at least since an April raid by federal prosecutors
Though Cohen has remained mum on the investigation and insists on his innocence, whispers that he might turn state's witness have turned him into the unlikely darling of New York City's liberal elite, who hope he could be the key to Trump's downfall
 Earlier this week, a woman chased Cohen down the city's sidewalks, shouting that he could be a national hero if he testifies against Trump, according to a report in Vanity Fair
'He could go down in history as the man that saved this country,' another person said in a message they attempted to pass to Cohen last week, the report said
 'I think his family would be so proud of him.'  The guarded praise is a far cry from months past, when Trump's detractors pulled no punches in deriding his longtime attorney Cohen as a 'thug', 'criminal' and 'moron'
In April, based on a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, federal investigators from the Southern District of New York raided Cohen's home, office and hotel while probing allegations of bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance issues
Trump's foes hope that the millions of documents seized in the raids will offer a treasure trove of damning evidence against the President, given Cohen's years of intimate involvement representing both the Trump Organization and Trump personally
Attorney-client privilege will likely provide the barest of shields, given reports that a special master in charge of sifting through the documents has determined that only 161 of nearly 4million seized documents are protected by privilege
   Cohen has yet to speak with prosecutors, though, and remains mum on his thoughts about cooperating with investigators, three of his friends told Vanity Fair
Yet there are signs for the faithful that Cohen may not remain the die-hard Trump loyalist that he has for years been viewed as
   Last week, Cohen retweeted a photo of himself and avowed Trump nemesis Tom Arnold, who is filming a show for Vice about his hunt for tapes that would be damaging to the President
Cohen insisted that he'd merely run into Arnold in the lobby of the Regency and posed for a fan photo of sorts
 But Arnold, in a series of bizarre and rambling television interviews, claimed that Cohen was working with him on the anti-Trump show
The rumor mill also kicked into high gear following a report last week that Cohen had dumped his attorney in favor of Guy Petrillo, the former head of the Southern District's criminal division - the type of insider who might be perfect for cutting a deal
Trump himself has shrugged off concern about a potential plea deal for Cohen, telling reporters earlier this month: 'I'm not worried because I did nothing wrong
'The state of the investigation into Cohen remains opaque, but could be moving toward a grand jury
  On Monday, prosecutors abruptly cancelled a meeting with porn star Stormy Daniels after the media got wind of it
 The meeting was believed to be grand jury prep.The key allegations against Cohen are thought to stem from his $130,000 payment to Daniels, what she claims was hush money to cover up a 2006 liaison with Trump
 Investigators believe the payment may have violated campaign finance laws.For his part, Cohen on Thursday issued a searing statement blasting his detractors
'My family & I are owed an apology,' Cohen wrote on Twitter.'After 2 years, 15 hours of testimony before House & Senate under oath & producing more than 1000 documents, dossier misreports 15 allegations about me,' he continued, in an apparent reference to British ex-spy Christopher Steele's Democrat-funded 'dirty dossier'
'My entire statement must be quoted- I had nothing to do with Russian collusion or meddling!'     
