The president . Good afternoon. Welcome to the lead. Im jake tapper. Pressure mounting for President Trump as to how lawyer his fixer Michael Cohen will be if threatened with serious jail time. New york times said the president s lawyers have become resigned to the strong possibility that Michael Cohen could end up cooperating with federal officials. This comes as the lawyer representing cohen said today for the first time that his client could be indicted in the next 90 days. All of this while multiple salvos are being fired in the legal wars being waged by and against President Trump and his allies. Only five days into fired fbi director james comeys book rollout, the Inspector General is investigating whether comey released any classified information when he shared his memos with a friend who leaked the contents to the New York Times. Comeys former Deputy Andrew mccabe is threatening to sue President Trump for wrongful termination and defamation of character and the dnc is suing russia, wikileaks, Julian Assange and the Trump Campaign, top advisers who attended the trump tower meeting and more. Alleging that they all conspired to interfere in the 2016 campaign. Meanwhile President Trump and the white house have been attacking comey and his memos that paint the president as rather self obsessed and at times without concern for boundaries that separate the white house from the Justice Department. Cnns jeff zel traveling with President Trump in West Palm Beach and he attacked comey saying he leaked classified information and we dont know that to be true but the Inspector General is looking into it. Reporter that is right. The internal Watchdog Group of the Justice Department is looking into whether the memos contained classified information. James comey has said there was no classified information in it. But all of this shining a brighter light and giving a rare look into a conversation between an fbi director and a new president. Former fbi director james comey secret memos now the subject of a Justice Department review over whether he improperly disclosed classified material. The departments internal watch dog is investigating his handling of the newly disclosed memos, the wall street journal reporting which shed new light on President Trumps concern about salacious details unearth by the russia probe. The Justice Department turned over a set of documents to congress on thursday night. Offering a rare look into the comeys private conversations with the president. Im totally fine with transparency reporter in his interview, he said he didnt object to releasing the memos. Hes previously maintained no classified information was disclosed. Ive tried to be transparent throughout and i think what folks will see if they get to see the memos is ive been consistent since the very beginning, right after my encountered with President Trump. Reporter white house officials telling cnn today the memo showed no collusion with russia. And offered no proof of obstruction of justice in the firing of comey last year. From his maralargo resort, the president tweeting, james comey memos just out. And show clearly there that there was no collusion and no obstruction. Also he leaked classified information. Wow will the witch hunt continue . I knew there would be a record of what happened. Reporter republicans requested the memos but it is unclear they got what they were looking for. The heavily redacted writings reveal his early interactions with the president. The president had concerns about Michael Flynn, the fired National Security adviser. Who pleaded guilty and now cooperating with the feds. Comey writing, president pointed his finger at his head and said the guy is seriously judgment issues. The memos also disclosing new information about former white house chief of staff Reince Priebus who comey said asked him whether flynn was under surveillance. Do you have a fisa order on mike flynn and the president was consumed by allegations of the dossier. And the president brought up the golden showers thing and said it bothered him. He said the hookers thing was nonsense but putdin told him we have some of the best hookers in the world. And he discussed putting reporters in jail. The president wrapped up our conversation by returning to the issue of finding leakers and it may involve putting reports in jail. They spend a couple of days in jail and make a new friend and ready to talk. Now as President Trump was visiting one of his golf course this is afternoon, the Democratic National committee added a new twist to this ongoing russia saga, filing a new lawsuit against the Trump Campaign and the russian government and wikileaks, accusing them of a conspiracy using a legal theory for organized crime calling it a racketeering enterprise. Just a few moments ago, the Trump Campaign responded, the Campaign Manager called it a sham lawsuit. Simply designed to raise money. Jake, unclear if that lawsuit will go forward. One thing is clear, this russia investigation still hangs over this white house. Thank you so much. My Political Panel is here and molly let me start with you because it is your birthday and happy birthday and the New York Times is talking about cohen cooperating with authorities and quoting roger stone who is part of that group, the first advisers of the president saying donald goes out of his way to treat him meaning Michael Cohen like garbage. These are friends of cohens kind of suggesting that the president might want to be nicer to Michael Cohen. What do you think will happen . Do you think Michael Cohen will stand up for the president. I have no idea. He has a reputation of being loyal but does that descend to go to jail and that is far to go as the piece points out when it is your employer who has basically kicked you around like trump would say like a dog for many years and that is the dynamic of this relationship over time and it is a larger dynamic between trump and almost everyone around him. This idea that loyalty is a oneway street with him. He treats a lot of people bike b garage and the question is whether that will come home to roost, whether with the cabinet secretaries ur secretaries, hes unceremoniously fired and those employees with something on the line. And the dogs will come home to roost. And robbie, listen to sam nunnberg another part of the first group around the president saying to the New York Times, the softer side of the president has a affection for Michael Cohen but the president has also taken michael for granted. What do you think is going on there . It worried me that stone and nunberg he has a bone to pick with the president and has been critical. But roger stone, talk about a loyalist coming out and saying this. Hes really trying to send a warning. It is very clear. I assume they think there is something going on there. To me, at the im not a lawyer. But this is probably about the evidence more than anything. If a lot of bad things were done and it is clear to cohen that Law Enforcement can nail him on it, and his only choice to maybe shorten a sentence is to come out and talk about it, i think hell probably do that. And i dont know that it makes a difference. I think theyll get the president one way or another. It is a matter of lessening his time and making the process more efficient, that is a pretty compelling argument. The only person who hasnt broken owe this so to speak is manafort and ive been surprised because it looks like hes in real trouble. But he may have issues of his own that he doesnt want to come clean on yet. And it is interesting that rosenstein came out assure add the president he is not the target or the subject of the investigation surrounding cohen which leads you to believe cohen is left Holding Water and so from his standpoint, i wouldnt go to jail for anyone, no matter if it is the president of the United States. So i would expect for him to provide information to save himself and may not be helpful to the president , and that way that the president may become a subject of this investigation. But right now, it looks as though all eyes are on the cohen, based on the information that was seized in the raid of his property and if i were him sh i would be concerned. The minutes after the department of justice shared with congress the comey memos, somehow everyone in the media ended up with copies of them. I have my copies right here. I want to turn to one part of the comey memos. On february 8th, 2017, when comey is talking to President Trump, comey recounts, quote, putin had told the president , quote, we have some of the most bufrl beautiful hookers in the world and he remembers putin telling him that. Just a few days before on january 17th, putin said this in a press conference about the dossier which had been published at that time after buzzfeed take a look. It is hard to believe that he ran to a hotel to meet with our girls of a low social class. Although they are the best in the world the best in the world. And cnn covered this comment when it happened, im sure all of the other media did and as a trump watcher and observer, do you think saw this on tv an internalized it this is what putin told him, we have the most beautiful prostitutes in the world or do you think he had been told that by putin. It is tough to know but what does your gut tell you . I have no idea. That does seem like the kind of thing trump would do because this is a period where he was still portraying himself as close to putin. There is a string of exaggerations that he made where he claimed to have met putin and had a closer relationship with putin than later reporting has revealed that he actually had. Because he had this sort of crush on putin and wanted people to think that they were buddies. So that could have been a thing where he was he had seen a comment and also could have been a thing that really happened or that he made up. Other thing i think is funny is that yesterday in denying this, the kremlin said that is not a thing that putin could have said. As if implying, these words are not capable of coming out of the exalted leaders mouth and there he said the same thing. The truth means nothing. And i interviewed james comey and he said he didnt hate donald trump and he went and did a new yorker conversation with david remmic and he said my wife asked me how come i said i dont hate donald trump, take a listen to as his explanation as to why he doesnt hate the president. It is a full screen. He said i think he has an emptiness inside of him and a hunger for affirmation that ive never seen in an adult. That is comey talking about the president. I think he has an emptiness inside of him and a hunger for affirmation ive never seen in an adult. And as he told you yesterday, this book is not about donald trump. He said it is about a higher loyalty and this is about having not loyalty to a person but to integrity and honesty and comparing three president s, two of them with integrity and one as he said is a counter point. But so much of the big is i view as personal in nature and personally attacking the president and the comments that he made diminishes any kind of Bigger Picture statement that he would want to make about loyalty and about integrity in this high office and i think it dip diminishes that and i felt it was very misleading and you pointed out, for him to continue to say that it is possible for russia to have damaging information on trump. It does lead you to believe it is possible. Which is more than unlikely or it is still up to be determined by Robert Mueller. I think that was a disturbing takeaway from your interview. Everyone stick around. We have a lot more to talk about. There is the man who leads the life of danger to everyone he meets. He stays a stranger. Well hear from Donald Trumps most mysterious and loyal advocate next. Stay with us. And the wolf huffed and puffed. Like you do sometimes, grandpa . Well, when you have copd, it can be hard to breathe. It can be hard to get air out, which can make it hard to get air in. So i talked to my doctor. She said. Symbicort could help you breathe better, starting within 5 minutes. Symbicort doesnt replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. Symbicort helps provide significant improvement of your lung function. Symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It should not be taken more than twice a day. Symbicort contains formoterol. Medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. Symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. You should tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking it. Symbicort could mean a day with better breathing. Watch out, piggies get symbicort free for up to one year. Visit saveonsymbicort. Com today to learn more. If you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. Ftheres flonase sensimist. Tchy and watery near pollen. It relieves all your worst symptoms including nasal congestion, which most pills dont. And all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. Flonase sensimist. Almost 800 when we switched our auto and home insurance. With liberty, we could afford a real babysitter instead of your brother. Hey oh, thats my robe. Is it . When you switch to liberty mutual, you could save 782 on auto and home insurance. And still get great coverage for you and your family. Call for a free quote today. You could save 782 when liberty stands with you. Liberty mutual insurance. An explosive new claim designed to hit the president where it hurts. His wallet or at least what he wants to think is in his wallet. A reporter for Forbes Magazine saying that years ago the president repeatedly lied about the scope of his personal fortune and a charge he is backing up with newly discovered tapes that he claims are of donald trump himself. Alex marquardt joins me with more. And it is the return of the president s alter ego john barren whom as far as i could tell no one has met in person and who sounds mysteriouslyco incidentally im sure like donald trump. He is back and that is right. John barren who first appeared in the early 80s on these new recordings with greenberg who helped launched the forbes 400 list and researching the wealthiest americans and in the tape you could hear trump and barren trying to convince greenberg that his wealth was far greater than it was believed to be, raising yet more questions about the president s casual relationship with the truth. What is your fairst name. John barren. One of the aliases President Trump has been accused of using over the years to speak with reporters glowingly about himself. Most of the assets have been consolidated because have you reporter in this call from 1984, barren is claiming the assets of Donald Trumps wealthy father fred are in fact his. Sew deserved a higher spot in the forbes 400 list. And it is well consolidated okay, so that is one point that you could now is that just the the [ inaudible ]. Yes. The other things have been consolidated basically now and over the last couple of years have been working on it. Trump as himself was in regular contact with forbes reporter Jonathan Greenberg arguing for a better ranking. And then you mentioned other names and there is no con test. There is no contest. Greenberg didnt take trump at his words and decided to list him at 100 million. Much lower than his stated value. Greenberg said later research showed he was worth under 5 million and didnt belong anywhere near the list. He is a consumate con man. He figured out what he to do in order to deceive me and get on to that list. And he did it very well. And he maintained that persona of just sort of talking about his assets without any sense of debt and lying about it reporter greenberg said hes only reporting now because he recently came across the tapes from the mid80s and said he exaggerated the value and number of trump properties. He lied about there were 25,000 apartments there were 8,000 apartments in brooklyn and queens and lied about his father, that he owned all of his fathers assets an borrowed against his fathers assets. Reporter trump has denied hes john barren or jon miller who would call gossip reporters. Im new here. What is your position . Im handling p. R. This doesnt sound like me really. You think that sounded like me . Yeah. I dont. Over the years ive used alias. If you try to buy land you use different names. What name do you use . I used the name barren. There it is. Not just a name he liked for an alias but for his youngest child, naming his son bar ron and he stayed on the forbes 400 list but with figures well below he claimed to be worth. During the 2016 campaign he said he was worth some 10 billion but that cant be checked because we cant see his tax returns and we reached out to the white house and they have not reported. And in one minute he calls him lying comey and then he relies on his words. Which is it . The white house weighs in on all of todays news next. If youd have told me three years ago. That wed be downloading in seconds, what used to take. Minutes. That guests would compliment our wifi. That we could video confere