Donald Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen has issued a possible warning to the White House, saying he now puts “family and country first” ahead of the President.

Speaking in his first interview since federal agents raided his home and hotel room three months ago as part of an investigation into his business dealings, Mr Cohen made clear that protecting Trump is not his priority.

“My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will,” he told  US ABC television’s George Stephanopoulos in an off-camera interview reported by Good Morning America on Monday night.

″I put family and country first,” Mr Cohen reportedly said.

Mr Cohen, who once boasted he would “take a bullet” for Mr Trump, has not been charged with any crime and is yet to confirm he will cooperate in the FBI investigation.

But he also said nothing to dampen speculation he will aid investigators, taking issue with some of Mr Trump’s criticisms of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s  Russia investigation and even praising the FBI.

“I don’t agree with those who demonise or vilify the FBI,” Mr Cohen was quoted as saying.

He said the raid on his offices and home was “obviously upsetting to me and my family. Nonetheless, the agents were respectful, courteous and professional”.

Mr Cohen was Mr Trump’s self-described fixer and a key player in the Trump Organisation for more than a decade.

Among other things, investigators are looking into a US$130,000 payment he handled as part of a confidentiality agreement with adult star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006.

Mr Cohen has said that the payment was made on his own initiative, but was quoted in the ABC interview as saying he couldn’t comment on the matter on advice from his lawyer.

The President has repeatedly denied the affair, but admitted reimbursing Mr Cohen for the hush money.

Mr Stephanopoulos said he asked Mr Cohen repeatedly if he was considering cooperating with prosecutors in their investigation.

Mr Cohen reportedly responded that if he was charged with anything, he would defer to his new lawyer for advice. 

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, told the Associated Press that Mr Cohen “has sent every signal he possibly can to prosecutors that he will put his own interests first and will jump at any deal that may save him from going to jail”.

“By putting distance between himself and the president on issues both large and small,” Mr Mintz said.

“He’s telegraphing to prosecutors that he intends to be his own man and in the end will do exactly what he thinks is best for himself and his family.”

In a Fox News interview last year, Mr. Cohen declared: “I will do anything to protect Mr. Trump.”

He also told Vanity Fair: “I’m the guy who would take a bullet for the president,” adding, “I’d never walk away.”

The FBI raided Mr Cohen’s home, office and hotel room in April as part of a probe by federal prosecutors in New York into his business dealings.

-with agencies