Michael Cohen says Attorney General Bill Barr has replaced him as Trump's 'new fixer'

President Trump's former fixer says there's a simple explanation for his tax return runaround.

Trump has done everything in his power to avoid disclosing his tax returns. He has constantly appealed court rulings allowing investigators and Congress a window into his finances and even sicced the Justice Department on them, inviting countless questions about just what he's hiding.

But Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer turned enemy, suggested to CNN on Wednesday that it's a whole bunch of little things Trump is hiding. Specifically, Trump "doesn't report the income that he claims, his wealth is not as significant," and he has probably taken some "lenient" deductions over the years. "His biggest fear is that if in fact the tax return was released ... he will end up with a massive tax bill, fraud penalties, fines, and possibly even tax fraud," Cohen continued.

In a tweet, CNN's Jim Sciutto seemed surprised Cohen's explanation could be "that simple." "Everything" with the president "is simple," Cohen responded.

Of course, Cohen isn't Trump's right-hand man anymore, but Cohen says Trump has had no problem finding a replacement. Rudy Giuliani has partly taken over, but "for the most part" it's Attorney General William Barr who has "tak[en] an illustrious career and throw[n] it right down the toilet" by becoming Trump's toady, Cohen said.

More stories from theweek.com
How a productivity phenomenon explains the unraveling of America
How the Trump-Russia story was buried
The conservatives who want to undo the Enlightenment