Washington (CNN)Michael
Cohen claimed that President Donald Trump used racist language in
several private conversations with him during the time he worked as
Trump's personal lawyer and "fixer."
In an interview with Vanity Fair that published Friday, Cohen recalled four times that Trump made denigrating comments to him about black people.
CNN
has confirmed from a source close to Cohen that the Vanity Fair story
and quotes are accurate. The White House did not respond to Vanity
Fair's multiple requests for comment. CNN has also reached out to the
White House for comment.
Cohen
alleged that Trump made a disparaging comment about African-American
voters when they were discussing the turnout for one of his 2016
campaign rallies.
"I told Trump
that the rally looked vanilla on television. Trump responded, 'That's
because black people are too stupid to vote for me,' " the President's
former lawyer told the magazine.
Cohen
claimed that when South African leader Nelson Mandela died, Trump
remarked, "'Name one country run by a black person that's not a
s***hole,' and then he added, 'Name one city.'"
He
said that when he and Trump were traveling to Chicago in the late
2000s, "we were going from the airport to the hotel, and we drove
through what looked like a rougher neighborhood."
"Trump made a comment to me, saying that only the blacks could live like this," Cohen told Vanity Fair.
Cohen
also claimed that Trump said "there's no way'" he could let an
African-American contestant from season one of "The Apprentice" be the
reality show's winner.
According to
Vanity Fair, Cohen expressed regret over not quitting his job at the
Trump Organization after Trump allegedly made those remarks to him,
telling the magazine, "I should have been a bigger person, and I should
have left."
The latest allegations
from Cohen against his former boss come after their relationship soured
over a federal investigation into Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty in August
to eight criminal counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign
finance violations. He also said that "in coordination and at the
direction of a candidate for federal office" -- referring to Trump -- he
had helped keep potentially harmful information about Trump from
becoming public during the 2016 campaign.
Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Former
White House communications staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was
fired from her job last December, claimed in her book "Unhinged" that
Trump had used a racial slur on the set of "The Apprentice."
Trump
has denied Manigault Newman's claim and White House press secretary
Sarah Sanders has said Manigault Newman's book is "riddled with lies and
false accusations."
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Washington (CNN)Michael
Cohen claimed that President Donald Trump used racist language in
several private conversations with him during the time he worked as
Trump's personal lawyer and "fixer."
In an interview with Vanity Fair that published Friday, Cohen recalled four times that Trump made denigrating comments to him about black people.
CNN
has confirmed from a source close to Cohen that the Vanity Fair story
and quotes are accurate. The White House did not respond to Vanity
Fair's multiple requests for comment. CNN has also reached out to the
White House for comment.
Cohen
alleged that Trump made a disparaging comment about African-American
voters when they were discussing the turnout for one of his 2016
campaign rallies.
"I told Trump
that the rally looked vanilla on television. Trump responded, 'That's
because black people are too stupid to vote for me,' " the President's
former lawyer told the magazine.
Cohen
claimed that when South African leader Nelson Mandela died, Trump
remarked, "'Name one country run by a black person that's not a
s***hole,' and then he added, 'Name one city.'"
He
said that when he and Trump were traveling to Chicago in the late
2000s, "we were going from the airport to the hotel, and we drove
through what looked like a rougher neighborhood."
"Trump made a comment to me, saying that only the blacks could live like this," Cohen told Vanity Fair.
Cohen
also claimed that Trump said "there's no way'" he could let an
African-American contestant from season one of "The Apprentice" be the
reality show's winner.
According to
Vanity Fair, Cohen expressed regret over not quitting his job at the
Trump Organization after Trump allegedly made those remarks to him,
telling the magazine, "I should have been a bigger person, and I should
have left."
The latest allegations
from Cohen against his former boss come after their relationship soured
over a federal investigation into Cohen. Cohen pleaded guilty in August
to eight criminal counts of tax evasion, bank fraud and campaign
finance violations. He also said that "in coordination and at the
direction of a candidate for federal office" -- referring to Trump -- he
had helped keep potentially harmful information about Trump from
becoming public during the 2016 campaign.
Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced in December.
Former
White House communications staffer Omarosa Manigault Newman, who was
fired from her job last December, claimed in her book "Unhinged" that
Trump had used a racial slur on the set of "The Apprentice."
Trump
has denied Manigault Newman's claim and White House press secretary
Sarah Sanders has said Manigault Newman's book is "riddled with lies and
false accusations."
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