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| © The Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) |
Associated Press
WASHINGTON
The Latest on President Donald Trump's interview with The Associated Press (all times local):
6:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he's selected Washington lawyer Pat Cipollone to serve as his next White House counsel.
Trump tells The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday that Cipollone will replace departing White House counsel Don McGahn as the top West Wing lawyer.
The White House counsel would bear the brunt of congressional subpoenas and investigations should Democrats retake the House of Representatives in next month's elections.
McGahn announced this summer that he would leave after Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court.
On Saturday, Trump called the commercial litigator "a great guy" who is "very talented."
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6:20 p.m.
President Donald Trump says his former lawyer Michael Cohen was "lying" when he testified under oath that Trump directed him to break the law.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Trump also did not back down from derisively nicknaming porn actress Stormy Daniels "horseface" hours earlier.
He says "you can take it any way you want," when asked if it was appropriate to insult a woman's appearance.
Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance violations alleging he coordinated with Trump on a hush-money scheme to buy the silence of Daniels and a Playboy model who alleged affairs.
Trump says Cohen's claim was "totally false."
And he dismissed Cohen as "a PR person who did small legal work." Cohen worked for Trump for years.
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6:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he won't accept the blame if Republicans lose the House in November.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Trump said he thinks he is "helping people" in the midterm elections. He said, "I don't believe anybody has ever had this kind of impact."
Trump says he thinks Republicans are "going to do well." Still, Trump noted he was not on the ballot and said some voters have told him they won't vote in the midterms because he's not running.
Heading into November, Democrats are hopeful about their chances to recapture the House, while Republicans are increasingly confident they can hold the Senate.
Trump said he will "handle it very well" if Democrats pursue investigations or impeachment should they take the House.
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