New book says Trump disparaged black leaders like Mandela: Report
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen is alleging in a new book that Mr Trump made disparaging remarks about black world leaders including former South African President Nelson Mandela, as well as about US minorities in general, the Washington Post reported on Saturday.
Cohen worked closely with Mr Trump for years before turning against him, most publicly in testimony to Congress last year prior to Mr Trump's impeachment.
Now Cohen is serving a three-year sentence for, among other things, making false statements to Congress. In a book due to be published next week, Cohen alleges that Mr Trump described Mr Mandela as a poor leader, according to the Washington Post, which obtained a copy of the book.
Cohen wrote that following Mr Mandela's death in 2013, Trump said: "Mandela f**ed the whole country up. Now it's a s***hole. F*** Mandela. He was no leader."
Cohen also alleged that Mr Trump said: "Tell me one country run by a black person that isn't a s***hole. They are all complete f***ing toilets."
White House spokesman Kayleigh McEnany responded by attacking Cohen's credibility.
"Michael Cohen is a disgraced felon and disbarred lawyer, who lied to Congress. He has lost all credibility, and it's unsurprising to see his latest attempt to profit off of lies," Ms McEnany said in a statement.- REUTERS
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