Trump Slams NYT Reporter Over Article Detailing Cohen Relationship

by Michael John Scott

The New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has gotten under President Trump’s skin again by filing a story on Friday detailing Trump’s relationship with longtime lawyer Michael Cohen—one in which Trump is said to treat Cohen “like garbage,” per Trump associate Roger Stone.

That article apparently spurred a tweetstorm from Trump Saturday morning in which he defended Cohen, attacked Haberman (with whom he has a long history, per Mediaite), and made some other claims about how people react under duress from the US government.

….non-existent “sources” and a drunk/drugged up loser who hates Michael, a fine person with a wonderful family. Michael is a businessman for his own account/lawyer who I have always liked & respected. Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble, even if….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 21, 2018

He continued:

“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 despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”

Haberman responded with a tweet that linked back to her story and took a jab at Trump’s misspelling of her name.

One B, sir (or Dan?). Here’s the story that seems to have touched a nerve. https://t.co/M34kkP0sQb https://t.co/V73uBzg7wJ

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) April 21, 2018

Trump deleted his tweets, then reposted them with the spelling corrected.

The Times issued its own tweet:

We are extremely proud of @maggieNYT, who is a part of a team that just won a Pulitzer Prize. We stand by our story and our reporting. Here’s the link to the story by @maggieNYT, @SharonLNYT and @dannyhakim: https://t.co/fyKRwkstBy pic.twitter.com/SBylg2tbub

— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) April 21, 2018

And so the President of the United States continues to masquerade as a twisted schoolyard bully, but upon reflection, I’m not sure it’s a masquerade at all.   As a nation, we should be embarrassed by the man occupying the Oval Office.