'He can't be trusted': Michael Cohen denounces Trump in ads airing during Republican National Convention

President Donald Trump's former personal attorney and self-described fixer Michael Cohen denounces his old boss as a liar and fraud in a series of ads set to run this week during the Republican National Convention.

"For more than a decade, I was President Trump's right-hand man, fixer and confidant," Cohen says in the opening of an ad that ran Monday night. "I was complicit in helping conceal the real Donald Trump. I was part of creating an illusion."

Cohen warns viewers Trump is going to "blatantly lie" to them at the convention.

"He can't be trusted and you shouldn't believe a word he utters," Cohen says. "So, when you watch the president, this week, remember this. If he says something is huge, it's probably small. If he says something will work, it probably won't. And if he says he cares about you and your family, he certainly does not."

The ads were produced and paid for by American Bridge 21st Century, a pro-Democrat super PAC. The ad released Monday had more than 1.3 million views as of 2:30 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about plans to build a Trump Tower in Russia and, in a separate case, to coordinating payoffs to buy the silence of adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. The women said they had sexual affairs with Trump before he was elected. Cohen insisted he acted at the direction of Trump, who has denied the affairs.

Cohen is serving the remainder of a three-year sentence in home confinement after being released because of the coronavirus pandemic. Trump's former attorney has also written a tell-all book about his work for Trump titled, "Disloyal: A Memoir: The True Story of the Former Personal Attorney to President Donald J. Trump."

Trump has denied Cohen's claims, dismissing him as a "failed lawyer" and a convicted liar.

The president is making law and order a central theme of the convention, which Cohen calls "laughable."

"Virtually everyone who worked for his campaign has been convicted of a crime or is under indictment," Cohen says in the ad. "Myself included."

"So when the President gets in front of the cameras this week, remember that he thinks we're all gullible, a bunch of fools. I was a part of it, and I fell for it," Cohen says. "You don't have to like me, but please, listen to me."

American Bridge 21st Century plans to release the ads over the course of the week on television and online, along with excerpts of an interview with Cohen.

"From family members to long-time confidants, those who know Donald Trump best are sounding the alarm about his character, honesty, and fitness for office," American Bridge 21st Century President Bradley Beychok said in a statement. "The American people deserve to hear the unvarnished truth: our country cannot take four more years of Donald Trump as president."

Over the weekend, secretly recorded audio was released of Trump's older sister, Maryanne Trump Barry, in which she says her brother "has no principles" and "can't be trusted."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: RNC: Michael Cohen denounces Trump as liar and fraud in ads this week