Trump critic Tom Arnold tweets photo with Michael Cohen, says they are on "same side"
Tom Arnold, a comedian and noted critic of President Trump, met with Michael Cohen, a legally embattled attorney and onetime fixer for Mr. Trump, in New York on Thursday.
Arnold tweeted a picture of the encounter Thursday evening, which was then retweeted by Cohen. The meeting turned heads on social media because Arnold is currently making a television series for Vice in which he looks for the long-rumored "Trump tapes," which are alleged to be a series of recordings where the president makes inappropriate comments.
Cohen, meanwhile, faces legal jeopardy over his business dealings, including his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who says she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. Cohen, who denies any wrongdoing and hasn't been charged with a crime, also feels estranged from Mr. Trump and fears the president and his allies are turning on him, CBS News' Jeff Pegues reported last week.
I love New York pic.twitter.com/J7AJg1HiHo
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) June 22, 2018
But on Friday, Arnold implied that it was Cohen who was turning. "We've been on the other side of the table and now we're on the same side," Arnold told NBC News. "It's on! I hope he [Mr. Trump] sees the picture of me and Michael Cohen and it haunts his dreams."
Arnold, who became famous after marrying Roseanne Barr in the 1990s, also told the network that Cohen was in possession of the Trump tapes. "This dude has all the tapes — this dude has everything," he told NBC. "I say to Michael, 'Guess what? We're taking Trump down together, and he's so tired he's like, 'OK,' and his wife is like, 'OK, f*** Trump.'"
Since December 2016, Arnold has mentioned the Trump tapes repeatedly in interviews -- and for a time was saying that he had them. The comedian claimed that Mr. Trump is shown in the tapes using racist and misogynistic slurs while also belittling his children.
The tapes, which are said to be outtakes from Mr. Trump's "The Apprentice," have become a piece of political folklore since the real estate baron announced his run for the presidency. Yet there's been no real evidence that they exist.
Real or not, however, Arnold is betting that the hunt for them makes for compelling television.
"The host will draw on his high-profile network of celebrity friends, entertainment executives, and crew members he's met over more than 35 years in showbiz to dig for evidence on Trump's most incriminating moments — and, being a comedian and all, he'll have a little fun along the way," Vice said in a statement announcing the show.