A National Enquirer cover story targeting Michael Cohen could be a strong sign President Donald Trump is upset with his personal lawyer and turning against the man known for years as his “fixer,” a source close to Trump said.
According to the source, Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who is a longtime friend of Trump’s, would not have allowed the publication of the story – which featured a headline including the phrase “Trump’s Fixer’s Secrets & Lies” – without the President’s blessing.
When asked whether he thought a message was being sent by the story’s publication, Cohen told CNN: “What do you think.”
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Dylan Howard, the chief content officer of American Media Inc., the parent company of the Enquirer, told CNN that Trump has no say in editorial decisions.
“Donald Trump has never been consulted on editorial decisions; has never requested that a story be written on a given subject, or angled in a certain way; and never requested a story be killed. Period,” Howard said in a statement.
In a phone call, an official at AMI called the accusations that the story would have to had been approved by Trump “absurd” and “ridiculous.”
The Justice Department announced earlier this month that Cohen has been under criminal investigation for months in New York over his business dealings. The announcement followed a raid of his office and home by federal investigators and Trump’s and Cohen’s legal teams attempting to block the courts from using some of the information seized during the raid.
CNN’s Sophie Tatum contributed to this report.