'He's playing games': Michael Avenatti sounds a warning about Michael Cohen's ABC News interview

While the rest of the country reacted to news that Donald Trump's longtime "fixer" and personal attorney Michael Cohen appeared to be distancing himself from his previous sworn loyalty to the president, attorney Michael Avenatti pointed out the bigger picture.

The lawyer for Trump mistress Stormy Daniels told MSNBC's Hallie Jackson that Cohen's off-camera interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos was "a big nothingburger."

"This is Michael Cohen trying to send a message to the president that he wants the president to pay his legal bills or he's going to flip," Avenatti said.

"You know, he's playing games with the American people," he continued. "If he has information that's damaging to this president — and I know for a fact that he does — then he should come forward and state it and disclose it now. He doesn't have to wait for anything. He doesn't have to wait for charges to be issued. He could do the right thing now.

Instead, Avenatti noted, Cohen is "playing games by giving these off-camera interviews like you saw today."

Watch the entire segment below, via MSNBC: