Donald Trump seems fixated on a book manuscript supposedly by his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. The only problem? No one has seen such a manuscript.

No less than four tweets posted by President Trump over the course of Saturday night and Sunday morning reference the existence of the book

Virtually everything failed lawyer Michael Cohen said in his sworn testimony last week is totally contradicted in his just released manuscript for a book about me. It’s a total new love letter to “Trump” and the pols must now use it rather than his lies for sentence reduction!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2019

The brand new manuscript for a new book by failed lawyer Michael Cohen shows his testimony was a total lie! Pundits should only use it.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2019

After more than two years of Presidential Harassment, the only things that have been proven is that Democrats and other broke the law. The hostile Cohen testimony, given by a liar to reduce his prison time, proved no Collusion! His just written book manuscript showed what he…..

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2019

…said was a total lie, but Fake Media won’t show it. I am an innocent man being persecuted by some very bad, conflicted & corrupt people in a Witch Hunt that is illegal & should never have been allowed to start – And only because I won the Election! Despite this, great success!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2019

In testimony last week, Michael Cohen was asked by Representative Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) if he has or will pursue a book deal. Cohen refused to do so, leading many republican lawmakers to claim that Cohen’s willingness to come forward was a ploy to to earn a high-income publishing contract.

Now, apparently, the president has gotten on board. One problem: what manuscript is the president speaking about?

Michael Cohen did, apparently, have a book he was working on in the past, while still a friend of the President, shopping it to publishers in 2018. The book, tentatively titled, “Trump Revolution: From The Tower to The White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump” was reported on in February of last year.

While that book was certainly going to paint President Trump in a positive light, Cohen would clearly paint a very different picture today in light of his testimony.

Center Street did opt for that book, but plans for it were scrapped by May of last year. Rolf Zettersten, the publisher working with Cohen at the time, has said that he never received any manuscript from Cohen. 

Nevertheless, Trump seems to think that this apparently non-existent manuscript, a “love letter” to him, discredits Cohen entirely, as he once again claims to be the subject of a “witch hunt.”

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license

President Donald Trump has been asking in “one conversation after another” if his vice president, Mike Pence, is loyal to him, according to sources who spoke to the New York Times.

The subject has reportedly been brought up so many times that some of his advisers are starting to grow alarmed.

Trump has not openly discussed parting ways with Pence, according to the Times. But White House advisers told the publication that the questions could indicate that Trump has grown irritated with his vice president.

Hogan Gidley, the deputy press secretary, insisted that Trump “absolutely supports the vice president and thinks he’s doing an incredible job helping to carry out the mission and policies of this administration.”

The news comes amid reports that Trump is considering ousting his current chief of staff, John Kelly, and replacing him with Pence’s chief of staff, Nick Ayers.

According to Politico, Ayers “enjoys warm relations” with his eldest son, Don Jr., his eldest daughter, Ivanka, and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

“Two White House officials who were skeptical this summer of Ayers’ chances of becoming chief of staff both said this week that they think Trump is now serious about wanting to tap him,” Politico reported.

Some people close to the president believe that Trump’s questions about Pence’s loyalty are “a proxy for asking about whether the vice president’s chief of staff… is trustworthy,” the New York Times reported.

President Donald Trump apparently did not consult with his intelligence team before inviting Russian President Vladimir Putin to the White House.

The Director of National Intelligence, just days after being forced to issue a public statement contradicting Trump’s false claim in Helsinki that Russia did not interfere in the U.S. election, learned on live TV that the man who directed a years-long covert counter-intelligence campaign designed the foment division throughout the country and mistrust in the electoral system will be hosted in the Oval Office.

“We have some breaking news,” MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell announced on live TV, in the middle of her interview of National Intelligence Director Dan Coats. “The White House has announced on Twitter that Vladimir Putin is coming to the White House in the fall.”

Coats can be seen squirming and chuckling nervously.

“Say that again?” Coats, leaning in to Mitchell, asks, while at the Aspen Security Forum.

The audience laughed.

Mitchell, seemingly dumbfounded upon learning the news, laughed nervously as well.

“OK,” Coats sighed. “That’s going to be special.”
Watch:

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats informed on stage at Aspen Security Forum that the Trump administration has invited Vladimir Putin to the White House.

"Say that again," he responds. https://t.co/RBdhdILVas pic.twitter.com/TZal1Xb4Yi

— ABC News (@ABC) July 19, 2018