Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, stepped down as one of the Republican National Committee’s deputy finance chairs on Wednesday, citing the federal investigations and criticizing the Trump administration’s zero tolerance approach to illegal immigration that has resulted in family separations.
“This important role requires the full time attention and dedication of each member. Given the ongoing Mueller and SDNY investigations, that simply is impossible for me to do,” Cohen wrote in his resignation letter to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, reviewed by ABC News.
Cohen was referring to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe and federal prosecutors from U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York who are looking into his business dealings, including those with Trump.
In the letter, Cohen also offered rare criticism of Trump, condemning his administration’s decision to prosecute all illegal crossings of the U.S. border, which has led to many minors being taken away from their parents or guardians as they cannot be detained for long periods of time.
“As the son of a Polish holocaust survivor, the images and sounds of this family separation policy is heart wrenching,” Cohen wrote. “While I strongly support measures that will secure our porous borders, children should never be used as bargaining chips.”
Cohen was appointed to the RNC position in April 2017. A party official confirmed to the Washington Examiner that McDaniel had accepted Cohen’s resignation, adding he “has been inactive on the committee for several months.”
Cohen has not been charged with a crime, but investigators are looking into whether he broke any tax or campaign finance laws.
