Michael Cohen resigns from top RNC position, denounces Trump's family separation policy

Michael Cohen.
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Attorney Michael Cohen is stepping back from politics and the current administration.

President Trump's former fixer stepped down from his position as deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee's Finance Committee, ABC News reported Wednesday.

In a rare move, Cohen diverged from Trump in the announcement, condemning his former boss' policies that have been separating immigrant families at the border. "As the son of a Polish Holocaust survivor, the images and sounds of this family separation policy [are] heart-wrenching," Cohen wrote. "While I strongly support measures that will secure our porous borders, children should never be used as bargaining chips."

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Cohen is entangled in the ongoing investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller that is probing the Trump campaign's role in Russia's meddling in the presidential election. He said that his legal troubles were one reason he decided to leave his role at the RNC, which he had held since April 2017. "This important role requires the full-time attention and dedication of each member," wrote Cohen. "Given the ongoing Mueller and [Southern District of New York] investigations, that simply is impossible for me to do." Read more at ABC News.

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Summer Meza, The Week US

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.