Inconceivable that Trump was not fully aware, in advance, of the Don Jr, Kushner, Manafort meeting to conspire with the Russians for dirt on Hillary.
And Trump was boasting to the whole world, two days before the planned meeting, of all the "dirt" he was going to reveal in his next big speech the following week. When the dirty meeting fizzled, Trump never mentioned the "revealing big speech" again.
Trump's close aides, Bannon, Sam Nunberg and Cohen all claimed Trump was fully aware of this meeting in advance.
Bannon: “The chance that Don Jr did not walk these jumos up to his father’s office on the twenty-sixth floor is zero.”
And finally...C'mon, who would EVER believe Donnie Jr would have been so empowered to coordinate such a highly secretive meeting with representatives of the Russian government without first clearing every detail with his Putin-loving father?
5
Guiliani reminds me of a king's court jester. Only to happy to spout off about that which he knows naught. No filter between brain and mouth. If he did he would know that he was accusing DJT of choosing and keeping a "pathological liar" to represent him for so many years. Like his boss, Rudy is supremely overconfident and incapable of thinking 2 moves in advance. Definitely not a chess player and even checkers may be beyond him.
2
It could well prove Mueller already has evidence to support the Cohen reported claim. The House and Senate Committees refused to subpoena the Donald Trump Jr. phone records to daylight the blocked number he called before and after the meeting. Mueller undoubtedly has those records. Assuming the President is the blocked number Cohen looks better the Trumps look worse.
When asked by House or Senate investigators about the calls Donald Jr. testified he could not recall. Given the President's drafting of the error filled press release regarding the meeting sent to the NY Times the puzzle comes into better focus.
Two final points, Cohen is in trouble no doubt given the raids. However, lying to Mueller only makes his life more miserable. And, informed sources released the claim, not Cohen or his attorney. If the disclosed information was a lie, Lanny Davis would have swatted it down promptly to protect his client. His response to questions, no comment. Davis displays confidence in the reports and his client.
1
“A Sliver of Redemption.”
Great title – I hope you’re the one to write it. Let’s hope it plays out this way soon.
John Dean received that sliver, and it makes all the difference.
2
" The Infamous Tower Meeting ... ". Yeah, I bet Trump is shaking and quaking over that one. As for Stormy Daniels, is there anyone that doesn't think Trump paid her off for her silence for a consensual sex act that took place a decade ago? And does Trump or anyone else care? Want to put a cap on the Trump presidency? Ok, then stop whining and fantasizing, and VOTE! And whoever is the Democratic candidate please have the humility and wisdom to go to at least one working class rally in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
5
No, he will not salvage a tiny bit of honor from a life of dishonor; he'll just squirm to save his own hide. One cannot salvage anything that doesn't exist.
1
This column fills a needed blank. The murky goings on at this point in time are creating prime ground for this episode in our Country's history for a tyrant to fill a vacuum with dire odattempts to ruin our Country. Cohen seems to one of the type persons that inhabits the government presently and they very effective in bad and in my view evil ways, separating families at the border, babies included. I hope that the NY Times keeps the pressure on those who would subststute their lies for fact while calling honest reporting fake news. What a terrible term. Please keep the faith, since it helps us to be vigilant as the attack goes on.
PS
I have read the Times for most of my 82 years as my father did before me. He used to have it mailed to Jerome, Arizona before the means became available to get it out here. The news was bit late, but at least it was robust news.
1
How many times have CNN, MSNBC, even the NYT claimed that "Anonymous Sources" have said something about Trump, only to find out that it's complete garbage?
We get a huge front-page headline, followed by every media outlet in the country copying it, then a week later, when it turns out to be false, it quietly disappears, or there's a little note on the bottom saying that it's been discredited, or there's a small-print retraction in some obscure location. Meanwhile, other media organizations keep printing the lie.
That's why people are losing faith in the whole media industry. Would it kill you to verify what those "Anonymous Sources" are saying before you print it? You might get a million clicks today, but people will remember your article next month, when it's apparent to everybody that it was a complete fabrication.
That's not saying that it is one this time, it's just that, after you've cried "Wolf" 10,000 times, don't expect us to come running the one time that it's really true.
3
I understand that Trump University is offering a law degree, and Rudy will be its first Dean.
3
"Trump is the sun at the center of his own universe."
That's a confused metaphor!
I suggest: "Trump is a black hole at the center of his own Galaxy."
Black holes are entirely self-centered. Get too close and you cannot escape.
5
In the movie "The Grinch Stole Christmas", Mr Grinch had a life changing moment when he realized that the residents of Who-ville carried on with their Christmas celebration despite being robbed of everything but their fellowship. No one could take the Who-ville spirit.
In the movie "Cohen flips for Mueller", Mr. Cohen has a life changing moment when the FBI finds all of his goodies, and realizes that prison is a possibility in his immediate future. His decision is get help from the Don, or throw himself at the mercy of Mueller. Don didn't respond, so the choice was made for him.
He'll save himself for sure. Maybe he is even truly concerned about his family. But out of concern for the country, I don't think so. This is like a serial killer finding Jesus on death row to ward off the electric chair.
He's no Grinch.
1
Maybe the swamp gets drained in a way Trump never intended.
2
Cohen is a corrupt lawyer who tapes clients without their permission, maybe an ethical violation, and a complete liar. Any prosecution that relies on him will lose.
2
What kind of news agency would write this in describing Cohen: "This is not a likable man, or one deserving of sympathy."? Perhaps one whose bias is self-evident, one that can't tell the difference between fact and fiction or news from opinion. One thing for certain CNN is NOT news -- they've adopted Trump's strategy of "talking trash", nonsensical and irrational and have become nothing but a mouthpiece for liberal pundits. Shameful.
Mr. Blow has made the double extra large assumption that Mr. Cohen has knowledge and evidence of crimes committed by Donald Trump that would somehow disqualify him from continuing as President. Mr. Blow has no idea what the crimes or the evidence of the crimes may be, but he is willing to engage in the most imaginative "what if" conjectures without a trace of evidence , except his conviction that Trump must be guilty of something. This, unfortunately, passes for high quality journalism in "Never Never Trump Land " Clap if you believe in fairies , and Tinkerbel will live.
Sounds like a sermon on how Cohen can use Trump to gain redemption. Funny thing about lawyers and politicians they only seek redemption after getting caught with incontestable evidence against them.
At any rate, take the sermonizing out and it's a familiar story, basically paraphrased "this is the thing that could bring Trump down".
I do not know how many times the boy in the story had cried wolf. But it has been far exceeded by Trump critics who have made innumerable claims of a "smoking gun" or "potentially" damning evidence.
What is disturbing about this, is there is not even a specific crime he has allegedly committed. How do you have a smoking gun for an unspecified crime. And no, harsh partisan political rhetoric, speculation and accusations do not count as a defined crime.
Let me clarify, there was a break-in at DNC headquarters, that was a specific crime, and there was reasonable speculation around GOP and/or Nixon involvement. As per the FBI agents who politically hated Trump, their biggest worry as stated in texts was that there was no there there. Turns out their concern was justified since with Trump there still is no there there.
Fishing for a crime with Trump is no less a deplorable act than what Cox did with Clinton. The American people knew what Cox and Congress was doing was stupid and horrid and gave Clinton his highest approval ratings during the whole Cox/Congress/impeachment debacle.
1
I would not be shocked if Michael Cohen meets an untimely death. He would be safer in jail than out on bond.
2
maybe he'll be sort of a bad-guy "John Dean".
1
Gee ... That's exactly what I wrote!
Trump crime family.
Thugs and gangsters.
An autocrat's kleptocracy.
Plutocracy and Trump oligarchy (-in waiting).
Complicit GOP.
I am exasperated and fatigued.
2
For heaven's sake, keep Cohen away from Park Avenue whenever Trump is in NYC.
Republican friends have gone crazy attacking Cohen, asking what kind of sleazeball lawyer would tape a client. I ask them what kind of sleazeball client would hire such an attorney.
6
I am not a Trump fan, but I’d much rather defeat Trump by elections that have him be forever viewed as the victim of a Democratic/FBI coup.
Any attorney who has ever represented a target of a federal investigation knows the Dow are over 3,000 federal laws, and everyone - even the most “law-abiding” - has violated dozens of those laws.
If the feds want to prosecute someone - they find a sap to sing their song - and search until they file enough charges against their “sap/witness” to make him/her sing that song. When motivated, the feds can make a case against anyone they target.
While some may cheer that the fed prosecutors may have created enough “leverage” to get this defendant to sing their song to prosecute Trump - be careful - one day the feds use those 3,000 laws to get someone to sing a song against a politician you like.
In the long-term, I’m much more afraid of J Edgar Hoover’s FBI’s ability to take down a president, than I am two more years of Trump.
1
When Michael Cohen said he'd "take a bullet" for Trump, I don't think he meant it in the sense that he'd "throw himself on a grenade" for him. I suspect that he had more in mind that he'd be willing to take a small caliber, very likely a .22 short, to the fleshy part of one of his legs, for which he'd bill 24 hours a day during a lengthy recovery.
10
Perhaps Michael Cohen can take comfort in these words...
“He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a time when the most humble of men, if he keeps his eyes open, can take his revenge on the most powerful." - Mario Puzo, from The Godfather
8
If a sliver of redemption for Cohen is an avalanche of ruin and impeachment for Trump, I'll take it gladly. Thank you for your service to this country, Mr. Cohen.
17
You know for all the things we have said and know about Cohen we have yet to see a specific crime he has committed. Maybe we have a violation of campaign finance law-maybe not. I doubt very much that that would result in jail time-big fine yes but real jail time-not really. My belief is there is much more meat in what may be money laundering by Cohen on behalf of Trump. I can envision cash under the table for real estate transactions that Cohen was involved in. There might be a Russian connection or not. But even if not-I am very confident that Muller is look for a lot more than a campaign violation. Even if Trump knew about the meeting and lied-he's lied 4000 times since he's been in office-but nothing under oath. If Muller is to succeed he needs a much stronger case on facts that directly links Trump to serious felonies-that no amount of lying will get in the way of Congressional action. Acts by Trump that even his most ardent Republican supports will not
support. Trump will fight impeachment,which is good, as it will bring us closer to 2020-and regardless of the outcome=Trump will not run again and Pence will be stained by Trump and will retire. So I wish Cohen the best deal he can get. If he pleads to anything that constitutes a felony in the State of NY he will be automatically disbarred. Even if he does not plead there is no question-that disciplinary charges will be brought in time.
5
@Den
There’s more to it than that.
1) If Trump knew, then Junior can be charged with lying to Congress because he said his father did not know.
2) If Trump knew, then why didn’t he report to the FBI that Russians had illegally gotten emails about Hillary Clinton.
It directly related to the charges brought against the Russians by the U.S. government over election interference. It smacks of collusion.
3) If Trump knew, and has been trying to hide it for more than two years, it speaks to obstruction of justice.
So, you’re right. He never lied under oath. But there’s a whole lot there he can be held accountable for.
4
Thoughtful column. Charles, please tell me this will be the end of Trump (metaphorically speaking). I can't stand the thought of ever going back to an America where this shady character is in charge of everything from whether I can continue hiking at certain protected national parks to whether America will remain a country of inclusiveness and compassion. Build the wall? Yes, maybe at the penitentiary, Mr. President.
12
Interesting how this whole thing is playing out. Michael Cohen never said anything about testifying that Don Trump, Jr. told Donald Trump, Sr. about his planned meeting with some Russians. It's all hearsay, through "sources with knowledge" blabbing to CNN.
I doubt very much that Michael Cohen would ever testify that he and others heard Don Jr. tell Don Sr. about the meeting. At this late date, and in these circumstances, I think that would be a lie. And Michael Cohen is not stupid. He's not going to lie.
The media needs to start reporting on fact and not on rumor. We deserve better than this kind of reporting where, without any evidence, Donald Trump is tried and found guilty.
2
@John Smithson Sweetie—this isn’t a court of law. He will have his day. And his gullible rubes will all deny they voted for him. Good luck.
Just to clarify:
Reporting is found in “News” section.
Editorials are found in “Opinion.”
Mr. Blow has written an editorial.
3
@John Smithson
With respect, the media is reporting that Michael Cohen that Trump knew. They are not reporting that Trump knew.
1
"Nobody will be surprised" is the sad truth of the matter, and Trump and his craven enablers at Fox "News" are already busy peddling their desperate, last-ditch "collusion is OK" defense. His cult will swallow it, of courese, just as they swallow every other bit of garbage Trump throws at them, but the rest of the electorate will not.
The only question at this point is, how many Republicans will Trump take down with him?
14
@James Demers The trouble with your theory is that Donald Trump has been investigated for 2 years now and there is still no evidence that he committed a crime. How is he going to be taken down if he didn't do anything?
As for other Republicans, they are free to be with Donald Trump or against him. They, like Michael Cohen, are responsible for their own fates. Don't blame Donald Trump.
1
Does Trump have even one person who the rest of us would like to know? His associate, friends (if he has any) are crooks, criminals, ugly, and disgusting. Not as disgusting as Trump but bad. I do not believe he does have any friends. the only reason he is invited to gatherings is because it is a fundraiser. Our country is failing now and he makes it much worse. We will all be amazed at how fast this will happen. We don't have much time to rescue ourselves but Trump will see to it we don't help ourselves. Everyone is afraid of him. Why? What can he do that can hurt all of us. He is already do it now. We set ourselves up for his election and his crazy base jump and and elected him probably out of ignorance. So this is how America ends. In a complete mess with no honest leaders. Some experiment but it failed because of our leaders and those who follow.
8
Couple of weeks ago my daughter and I had lunch together at Fred's restaurant at Barneys.
(They have the best chicken liver).
Michael Cohen just came in and felt there like fish in a water, with all this NY fake double kissing he definitely looked like the darling of the place.
That was second time I spotted him on UES.
So called elite didn't have any qualms embracing him in front of everyone.
5
Mr. Blow is making the double extra large assumption that Cohen has proof that President Trump committed crimes that would somehow lead to his removal as president. Mr. Blow has no idea what those crimes might be, or any indication of what evidence Mr. Cohen may possess, but he is willing to "earn" money as a professional writer by indulging in the highest level of "what if" conjecture. This is what passes for journalism at the highest level in "Never Trump" land.
4
“Why is Giuliani out falsely disparaging Michael Cohen — because they fear him.” What Giuliani most likely does not realize is that his repeated false innuendo is disparaging himself. He's destroying any vestige of his 9/11 legacy that he rightfully earned during our time of crisis. Who knows, maybe his thought process might be deteriorating with age. Rudy, let em remember you for your 9/11 valor and not this garbage you are associated with. Save your legacy.
11
You mean Rudy "911" Guilliani? Valor , please . You fell for that. He used that tragedy the same way bush did.
@Diane Kropelnitski
I, too, have wondered why he would abase himself to this degree. With a wife and two exes, he must need the money.
1
@Diane Kropelnitski
Rudy lost his 9/11 sheen years ago. He rode that horse to death.
1
Set adrift by the Trump gang, this one-time "tough guy" stooge is ready to roll-over on The Don in order to save himself. Cohen was the kind of tough guy that one most often sees on television dramas - loud, tough talking, willing to use threatening language to bully his opponents. In reality, as it turns out, he's kind of a pip-squeak, sucking up to the big boy, taking whatever scraps his master throws him. Cohen's presence "in the room", however, now gives him a measure of power that he has never had and he's going to use it to save himself from the Mueller onslaught. Cohen's no knight in shining armor but the hinge of history often turns on characters like him.
13
Every time I read a column by Charles Blow, I cannot help but think that this is the person who spent a year urging people to support Hillary and minimizing the candidacy of Bernie. Blow supported a Democrat who could not win the support of Obama voters, and was such a poor candidate that she lost the election to a liar and barbarian named Trump. What kind of judgment leads one to support a candidate who could not beat the vulgar barbarian?
5
Of course you realize, as imperfect as Hillary was as a candidate, she overwhelmingly won the popular vote. I strongly contend that Bernie would have lost both the popular and electoral votes. (I voted for him in the primary, but I’m also realistic).
20
@Tim
Hear, hear!
@Tony Ah—the afterward I toldyasos. Not the least but helpful and not even close to relevant.
1
Trump acts like a traitor, enabled by the GOP. The only certain action in the short term is to vote out all of the GOP representatives on Nov 6. Start with Stivers (OH), Kemp (GA), Scott (FL), Comstock (VA), Meadows (NC), Jordan (OH), Nunes (CA), Gaetz (FL), Goodlatte (VA), Brat (VA), Rohrabacher CA), McCarthy (CA), Sessions (TX), Gohmert (TX), Cotton (ARK), Steve King (IA). These are all trash.
13
@toom Anybody else have the strong feeling that they perhaps were beneficiaries of NRA rubles????
1
Here's the question I have that I can't seem to get an answer on. Maybe the smart set at the NY Times can help me out.
If Donald Trump's campaign meeting with Russians to get dirt on Hillary Clinton is illegal collusion, what is Hillary Clinton's campaign paying a British National to dig up dirt on Donald Trump?
4
@Vincent, can't let that old tripe go, can you? The paper you reference was first ordered by Republicans. And the Russians happen to be our adversaries, unlike the British.
19
@Vincent, the Russians were hacking our electoral system, including state voter databases. The British weren't. The Russians were spreading disinformation and agitprop through Twitter and Facebook. The British weren't.
In other words, the British didn't launch a massive cyberattack against our 2016 elections. There was no British conspiracy that one could be part of.
15
@Vincent "The British national" is an individual from a friendly country who is known as a reliable source by the CIA.
"Russians" are none of those things.
5
Guiliani..."fix it man"? LOL
10
Mr. Blow's article concludes: "... if Cohen indeed becomes a cooperating witness for the Robert Mueller Russia investigation, he will salvage a tiny bit of honor from a life of dishonor. He will purchase a sliver of redemption.
*Really?*. I thought Cohen was making a deal to save his posterior, not his soul or his reputation!
8
Blow clearly does not understand one of the most important jobs that lawyers perform for their clients, and is something as old as lawyers themselves. And that is to notify a party that intends to violate his clients rights, or do anything that would be a cause of action, that if they do so they will be held to account. This is not considered thuggish threatening. It is professional lawyering as it has always been practiced. And the fact that Cohen chose to notify the other party verbally and in strong language as opposed to a proper letter writing in legalese does not make this a thug.
He also does not understand that there is nothing wrong for a lawyer to accept anyone including an actual mob boss as a client. Let alone Trump who was always a law abiding businessman of the first order who has never been charged with even the most minor of crimes. So there is absolutely nothing he needs to redeem himself from.
And finally somebody deciding to cooperate with the authorities to avoid going to prison in no way redeems them. Sammy 'the bull' Gravano who admitted to over 15 murders did not redeem himself by turning against the mob when he cooperated to save his own skin.
6
@Michael Stavsen, so Trump has always been a law-abiding businessman? Is this the same Trump who paid victims of Trump University $25 million in 2016 to avoid a conviction for fraud? The same Trump sued by New York State for tax evasion at least three dozen times? (The state won.) The same one who has been sued literally thousands of times?
Trump has made his living as a con man. I'm not sure in what alternate universe he becomes an honest businessman.
8
@Michael Stavsen your comment about Mr. Cohen and his client Mr. Trump, who was never charged with a crime must have been a good lawyer. And the fact that Mr. Trump kept him around for 10+ years tells me that he thought so too.
1
New York is such a wonderful place.
Falsely disparaging Michael Cohen? How can you falsely disparage a person that has zero credibility?
4
Thanks, Charles Blow. Your writing helps keep us from despair. I hope that Cohen sings his heart out to Mueller, and that the Trump u-boat - or rather, i-boat - sinks into the Sargasso Sea as a result.
9
Cohen said that he would take a bullet for trump. When he said that, did he know that trump would be holding the gun? Or that he was the "metaphorical" guy on 5th Avenue?
12
Charles, love the article as always you are spot on. I have no sympathy for Cohen, nobody should take a bullet for Trump or his family. Can't wait when all those people will go down including Manafort, Cohen and all group of corrupted Trump's supporters and fixers.
6
Good piece, Mr. Blow. But please learn a smidge of science before constructing parallels. "Trump is the sun at the center of his own universe," makes zero sense. Perhaps "Trump is the sun at the center of his solar system," or "Trump is the super massive black hole at the center of his own galaxy." Of the possibilities, I think super massive black hole fits best.
5
@gmansc
Or, he’s “a unicorn, riding a unicorn over the rainbow”?
@gmansc
Actually, it makes perfect sense & is a wonderful characterization. Use your imagination.
I'm sure Mr. Blow is well aware of the mechanics of astronomy.
1
In this bizzaro world of Trump's farcical tragicomic Presidential soap opera, I wouldn't count out the possibility, however small, of Mr. Cohen reaching an untimely ending. How many times in the last weeks have I heard the comparison of the Trump crime family with the Mafia?
Oh to be Vladimir bad boy Putin and just be able to order Cohen gone and he's gone. Hmm. Maybe that's what they were talking about.
4
The only reason that will make Cohen cooperate with Robert Mueller will be to save himself. Self interest is the only motive behind all his actions. Nothing to be praised about...
7
Mr. Blow's description of Giuliani as a "rambling, incoherent, lap dog and lackey for Donald trump, is about as accurate as anyone can get, What's equally impressive is how Trump's CFO, Allen Weissberger, has been subpoenaed to testify regading Trump's business deals. Between Trump's CFO and Michael Cohen, all of Trump's extremely dirty, smelly laundry will hang from an international clothes line allowing the sun to shine brightly. i strongly suspect that Cohen's realization that Trump has no concept of mutual loyalty,other shoes will drop that will simultaneously out-fit a caterpillar. j
8
all those stories about people that once knew the Clinton and had dirt on them and expectantly vanished ... wonder now what will happen to Cohen, given his ties to Trump.
3
It's a defense attorney's job to do the best job he can to represent his client, which sometimes (often!) means silly statements like a man not being able to rape his wife, so I don't blame him for that. That said, how come he wasn't disbarred for threatening a reporter covering the divorce with bodily harm??
5
For having the "best people", Treasonous Trump sure does surround himself with unsavory & morally bankrupt individuals. I suspect Avenatti & Davis are likely in the same class.
1
Mr. Blow's apt description of Giuliani, as a rambling, incoherent, lap dog and lackey is brilliant. What's equally impressive is Trump's CFO, Allen Weissberger has been subpoenaed and between the CFO & Cohen, all of Trump's dirty, smelly, laundry will hang from an international clothes line where the sun will shine quite brightly. It is also quite clear that Cohen has finally realized that rump has no concept of mutual loyalty, and thus, Cohen will sing rather loudly, I strongly suspect.
4
@Counciwilla Gray Donald Trump is well-known for keeping everything legal. He has never been convicted of a crime. He has never been the target of a criminal investigation. His laundry is, it seems, quite clean.
Michael Cohen, on the other hand, has a shady past. His family has been involved with notorious gangsters for a couple of generations now.
Federal prosecutors have targeted Michael Cohen for his own crimes, not related to anything that Donald Trump may have done. Bank fraud seems to be what they are looking into.
2
It appears that the Feds are closing in. The Cohen/Weisselberg scenario is beginning to look so much more like the Dean/Butterfield Watergate revelations. Once the facts are revealed, it is doubtful that the Republican dominated congress and Supreme Court will be of any help to Mr. Trump.
4
I think of the Trump Organization as an organized crime syndicate, a Mafia-style crime family and Donald Trump is the Godfather, ironically named, the Don of the family.
Cohen was the consigliere; he was the legal muscle. He was not the brainy lawyer who came in to dot i's and cross t's and to know and to take advantage of every subsection of the Tax Code and the Bankruptcy Code that was needed. Those people were hired from big, powerful, white shoe law firms.
But the dirty work was done by Cohen. And now just like in the movies, Cohen has to decide whether he should "go against the family."
He's playing a very risky game. It's unclear whether he is playing the SDNY office into giving him a sweet deal to tell all or he is playing Trump into giving him a pardon.
He's got Trump and Giuliani so baffled that Giuliani is making up things about Cohen and then denying the truth of them.
The assumption is that Cohen knows everything about Trump's conduct. This may not be true.
Trump is both untrustworthy and untrusting. It is unimaginable that he would tell Cohen any more than he needed to know. But he is impulsive, inattentive, and disorganized. He does not remember what he has said or done. He has no idea what Cohen knows.
Cohen is not very bright, but he is street wise. He knows that his survival is dependent only on himself. He will act for that purpose only. Honor is not his present concern. Staying out of jail is his only concern.
7
It is apparent that Cohen has tons of evidence to offer against Trump - and maybe others like Pence hopefully. He was around for lots of meetings, he knew they game being played, what was to be covered up and all the lies being perpetrated to keep us in the dark.
It also appears that now, with his new lawyer, Davis, they are methodically building their case and that Cohen will be "flipping" - but God I hope it's soon!
I can't wait for the next chapter to unfold since this whole story would be a really fascinating read........IF it weren't our lives and country at stake!
4
I'm surprised that Michael Cohen is willing to signal his distance from Trump. If I were him I would be afraid for the physical safety of himself and his family.
Paul Manafort was safest under house arrest. Why he would risk that for a minimum security prison is beyond me.
The only way I can conceive that Republican leadership and many other Republicans in Congress can be giving Trump a pass on all of his doings is if they have all received threats from Russian agents regarding the safety of their families.
Their can be no other explanation for their lack of principles, honor and patriotism. It is inconceivable that their actions are purely motivated by greed and lust for power. It seems a huge gamble that can't pay when the dust settles.
5
Redemption (including a sliver of) means that a person knows he has sinned, admits it, and asks for forgiveness. Cohen, however, didn't suddenly grow a conscience (or a part of one). He didn't "get religion" (or get acquainted with the concept of ethics). Instead, he got caught. Plain and simple. All we can hope for is that fear makes him fess up and take Trump down with him.
15
I assume Lanny Davis will disclose any and all communications he has had with his client, and would be willing to testify as requested.
3
Somehow....somehow....Trump manages to ease or slip through everything. So far. The man seems to be made of butter. The constant outpouring of provable lies. alienation of important allies, seeming admiration for dictatorial types such as Duterte, Erdogan and, oh, yes, I almost forgot Vladimir, his attempts to turn freedom of the press into something to be avoided at all costs.....and yet there he still sits.....with all the power of our country's president. So far.
10
Rudi has been ready for his close-up since November, 2016.
Pity us, the viewing public who are subjected to his wild grimaces, pinky ring twirling, bug-eyed expostulations and stream of consciousness ramblings that suggest happy hour chez Guiliani may begin at breakfast time.
Trump is getting exactly the kind of reality show legal representation he so richly deserves.
26
'Michael Cohen will indeed take that bullet, metaphorically speaking of course.'
Of course .... But Trump has no worries of the sort that rightly plagued John F. Kennedy. Because those of a mindset to murder a president, are already all on his side. the FBI & Secret Service could save a huge amount - and risk nothing. I'm quite surprised that given his sensitivity to non-military public expenditure, he hasn't 't alread made this patriotic suggestion, himself.
Cohen? The fact that rats swiftly depart sinkng ships detracts from their charm, but contributes to their longevity. And species sucess.
2
Michael Cohen seems to have decided (aka flipped) on the "bullet" issue. He'd rather give than receive. He's already fired at least once with his release of the tape indicating Donald trump both knew and authorized payment (aka "hush money") to his former Playmate paramour to keep her story out of the news just before the election. Then, there's the somewhat mysterious source of Cohen's bombshell claim that Trump knew about the meeting with a Kremlin emissary bearing "dirt" on Hillary before it (the meeting, that is, although the dirt was dumped soon thereafter) occurred, and, in fact, approved of it. This has resulted in Rudy The Mouth screaming "liar" hysterically to the point that we're not sure whether he's referring to his boss or Cohen. There are apparently other bullets "locked and loaded." Hopefully, there's a silver one that will finally slay the monster marauding America and the world.
12
I don't know (and can't really know at this time) the extent of Cohen's knowledge of anything relevant to Mueller's investigation. In the same sense, I cannot know for sure what Mueller himself knows about any facts relating to Russian collusion, obstruction, false statements, etc.
But here is what I and every intellectually honest person can know from simple observation: not a single one of the suspicions surrounding Trump (from his treatment of women to tax evasion to obstruction to collusion) would be at all contrary to Trump's well-known character. I'm not saying "he did it." Again, that's not possible at this time. I'm saying that finding out Trump might have made common cause with Russia or (as a separate legal matter) tried to obstruct an investigation into himself or his allies would not be shocking in the slightest. Just what kind of sycophancy would it take to pretend some crisis of conscience would stop Trump from taking any particular action?
So if Cohen IS lying about Trump, he' telling lies that (unfortunately for the president), are perfectly plausible. The president and his spokespeople have lied many times about what Trump did or did not know, do or say; lies so apparent they are challenged even as they are uttered. One need not have much faith in a shady character like Cohen to entertain the idea that Trump and his administration lied yet again. What's implausible is when someone tells me that, THIS time, Trump is being truthful in his denials.
10
More than a sliver from me. I love John Dean and want to hear what he says whenever he is one of the talking heads on cable news. Perhaps he should run for president. Now that would be true redemption. Michael Cohen, I'd love to see you turn into another John Dean. Probably not possible, given his past. As for president, how about another run by Howard Dean? He's one I ALWAYS listen to.
6
@Cathy
I never liked Dean, another turncoat who flipped to save his own skin. Now the snitcher is presenting himself as holier than thou so he can make money from cable news. What a phoney.
2
People of conscience can reasonably applaud Cohen for changing sides here, but could he just get on with it? We don't have time for the scorned Cohen to avenge himself in the media while Trump lurches around ever more rageful and destructive. Does anyone really want to watch this tiresome playground fight between two softheaded bullies formerly in cahoots now parting ways?
11
Charles has been saying without proof that Trump colluded with Russia, obstructed justice, fired Comey to stop Russia investigation, harassed Stormy Daniels, etc. and called Trump a liar for denying those accusations. Now the question is, who is lying?
5
@Alex E Most Americans are saying the same thing. A hint-anyone associated with Trump is lying. For that matter, anyone who voted for this fraud is suspect as well.
3
The idea of taking that bullet, either metaphorically or literarily suddenly provides a bit of clarity for Michael Cohen. This reversal comes from the revelation that the Feds have something on Cohen that could send him to jail for a long time and it appears that he does not like the specter of those doors to a prison cell closing behind him.
This abrupt change of heart does not bestow onto Michael Cohen a badge of honor or earn him a thank you for coming clean in the name of God and country. He is not a hero. Cohen is a bully who just got punched in the mouth. And now he’s ready to talk.
16
I always laugh when Giuliani says Cohen is a liar.
Of course Cohen is a liar.
But Giuliani and Trump are even bigger liars.
In the end, District Attorneys and Mueller will only use what they can corroborate.
And both Cohen and the Trump CFO, Allen Weisselberg, know details if there us any Russian money laundering for all the past 15 years or so after US banks stopped loaning money to Trump.
Would be funny except it is our country at stake.
24
One thing about Cohen is for sure...
His career as a lawyer is gone, and he only has himself to blame.
Mueller isn't going to be the only one to get a piece of his hide.
13
@The Owl Cats only have nine lives. Lawyers have as many as they can get away with. He'll keep practicing law and will only stop if disbarred.
1
...'a sliver of redemption, for Cohen writes Blow if he spills the beans on Trump. Oh, what desperate lengths some, such as Blow, go to in the hopes of burying Trump. Cohen is trying to save himself after being abandoned by the thug he served for years. Cohn will no more find redemption than Trump can. Whomever unmasks Trump's crimes against the state and the people won't automatically get a pass for their own wretched behavior.
4
Michael Cohen is for Michael Cohen. If he divulges what he can (outside of client-attorney privilege) and what he must (Trump crime against country), then he can get on a waiting list for redemption.
Michael Cohen must get what Michael Cohen deserves. Everyone needs to get their just desserts. Manafort, Cohen, Trump, etc.
“I put family and country first.” If this were true, Mueller would already have everything that he needed from Cohen. Instead, I see a dirt bag who hurt the people that he 'fixed', a money-laundering criminal with mob / Ukrainian ties, and an unprincipled opportunist willing to enable a preposterously foolish and reckless bigoted billionaire.
Prosecute and let the jury decide. People who do the dirty work, deserve dirt.
5
Is Michael Cohen a despicable human being? Absolutely!
But if he can help bring down Trump, I'll personally donate $1,000 to build a statue of his hang-dog likeness in Central Park. (Perhaps next to where they park the garbage trucks).
16
Cohen and Cohn, why it’s the Roy and Michael Show, The Enemies Within, brought to you by the NRA, a subsidiary of the KGB. “What you don’t know can’t hurt you.” And by, Trump University, “Where an education...is the last thing you need.”
16
If Cohen had any concern for country, he would have disclosed these details before November 2016 and saved us all from this catastrophe.
18
Greed trumps (pun intended) the OMERTA pledge. Trump's advisers/defenders/ spokespeople all share the same flexible approach to truthiness i.e. Giuliani/ Dershowitz/ Hannity/ Lou Dobbs not for loyalty or principle, but personal gain.
4
@Sam Anyone who works for Trump and expects loyalty from the boss is a fool.
1
Whenever I read the quote from Michael Cohen to the journalist from the Daily Beast it makes me shudder. How many other people has he delivered this message to on trumps behalf? The level of arrogance, nastiness and slime in trumps circle which includes Don Jr., Ivanka, etc. is staggering. I just watched another clip of trump declaring that in his next speech he would have information on Hillary. Ivanka was standing directly behind him with a little smile on her face. They are the epitome of a modern crime family and Cohen is their servant.
Now if you'll excuse me I need to take a shower.
35
Cohen could also take a non-metaphorical bullet.
If his knowledge includes Russian-Trump activities (likely), we could wake up one day to read news of his untimely demise via a mysterious heart attack, or some other form of extrajudicial killing craftily engineered by the same people who toxified the 2016 election dialogue.
10
...severing the joint defense agreement between the president and cohen's attorney is the strongest indication yet that cohen has flipped and prepared to testify against trump.
5
After 242 years I suppose it was time that someone like Trump would arrive to threaten our Nation's existence. Trump has collaborated with our worst enemies and has exploited our worst tendencies and vulnerabilities in an attempt to destroy America from within. Trump's actions as President have already destroyed the Presidency and the values that it once stood for. We now stand at the precipice of a national constitutional crisis because the Republican Party and the US Congress have been compromised by greed and power and have failed to carry out their Constitutional responsibilities. I have little faith that the US Supreme Court will act as a bulwark against Trump's corruption. If our nation's electoral system can be protected from the Russian Trump partnership, the ballot box is one of the few places left that can be employed to stop Trump. It is absolutely imperative that the Republicans lose control of one of the houses of Congress in the mid-term election.
26
"A sliver of redemption", or a silver or redemption?
I think Michael Cohen may deserve a special badge of courage.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The reality is that the nation seems to be in a bottomless pit, now.
It is a nightmare to think of a United States of Trump, US of T!
We need heroics from people like Michael Cohen to redeem us.
Recall John Kennedy's " Profiles in Courage". What about now?
1
just curious if Ivanka meant rape figuratively, meaning that she felt she didn't get her fair share of his money, etc? Just trying to get to the truth here, and not defend Cohen or Trump.
@Bob - Nope, she meant it literally.
8
@Bob Apparently she recommended a plastic surgeon who was supposed to work on his balding scalp and the doctor botched the job. Apparently he raped her while nearly pulling a handful of her scalp out saying "hurts doesn't it". so even if the sex wasn't rape, he assaulted her but it's all good in Trump land.
4
Why doesn't anyone interviewing Guiliani ask him why would Trump hire Cohen if he is such a reprehensible person? I guess it "takes one to know one".
17
@Barbara Brown The only constant in Trump's career has been his ability to remain inconsistent. An ally one day becomes an enemy the next. His entire career has been built on it.
3
Here in Texas, Cohen's abrupt distancing of himself from Trump and simultaneous singing to Mueller would fall under the category of a "come to Jesus" moment, that sudden realization that doing the right thing is the right thing to do, all the money in the world notwithstanding.
Death bed conversions are seldom convincing, and should one unexpectedly recover, the change of heart is often and quickly forgotten. If Cohen has a few live hand grenades in his ammo box, he has yet to pull the pin on any of them.
3
Lanny Davis represents a very public signal regarding Michael Cohen's intentions. He's flipped. The gesture was almost too overt. Cohen basically gave Trump the legal equivalent of a middle finger. I guess those non-federal indictments were rather serious in nature.
Giuliani looks rather foolish again though. He's out there calling Cohen a liar. However, Giuliani is the one representing a client whose lawyers universally agree he can't face testimony without perjuring himself. That's rich. Someone should just draw a smiley face on a brown paper bag and have them work the news circuit instead. The bag would do less damage.
18
Michael Cohen almost makes ambulance chasing lawyers advertising on late night television look respectable and honorable. It appears that Cohen has spent his entire professional life "suing" the truth and ethics to defend the dishonorable and morally indefensible. Like cockroaches, the likes of Michael Cohen and Donald Trump have survival instincts and acute environmental adaptability skills encoded in their respective DNA so powerful that it would seem to lend immortality to their immorality.
Mr. Blow is wise to not absolve Cohen of his laundry list of past ethical lapses or his sketchy associations. While cockroach Cohen might ultimately squeal against mob boss Trump, under the threat of being squished by the heel of Robert Mueller's shoe, the cockroach creed might run far deeper than anyone could have imagined between fixer Cohen and fixer-upper, Trump, so all bets are off.
Not unlike the position of funeral director, pest controllers essentially have a guaranteed lifetime of employment--and not just in densely populated NYC, either. Washington DC has always had a problem with cockroaches but the newest infestation has adapted to light and is potentially the worst and biggest in history. This American mutant species loves global warming is attempting to cross breed abroad.
15
Cohen is most certainly not the least bit interested in redemption but wholly in keeping his own posterior as high from the flame as he possibly can. Comparison to the venerable eel does the latter no favors. Thumbscrews and yelping. Braying, then helping. Cohen will go down in history as the ultimate poster child for the ambulance chasing bottom of the barrel of his profession.
Redemption, reduction of sentence?
No, uninteresting. Immunity from prosecution is a far better bet than a presidential pardon. Especially after you have been cast out of the clan by your replacement.
If they can succeed in protecting him the sparks will fly.
4
Too good to be true. I’ll believe it when I see it.
1
Might I just note that a clear majority of white voters in the liberal New York City that now roundly overwhelmingly condemns Donald Trump twice elected the repugnant Rudy Giuliani to be its mayor, motivated largely by racial fears and prejudices.
6
@burghardt Giuliani had the great good luck to have two very weak candidates to run against. When he was faced with a strong one in the race for senator — Mrs. Clinton — he dropped out of the race, post-haste.
4
There are only two reasons anyone would be loyal to Donald Trump. 1) they can make money from the relationship or 2) they could loose a lot of money by disclosing ugly truths about the man. Once both of these are removed, Donald has ZERO friends.
30
Cohen may not literally take a bullet. But he should watch out for nerve agents and polonium.
25
Amazing!
Had no idea what fun was to be found in hiring only the best.
4
I will take a bullet for Michael Cohen if he will provide evidence or testimony that lands our president and a few of his lackeys, e.g., Jared, Don Jr., Pence, et al, in the hoosegow. Sing for your supper, Mike.
13
Maybe Sulzberger and anyone else in the "Truth Business" should take a lesson from Cohen. When you take a meeting with a known and serial prevaricator and fabulist you should always record the meeting.
15
Would love to see Weiner and Cohen in the same cell block!
3
And Trump in the middle cell...three of a kind!
7
Honor from whom? Mr. Blow?
The most salient thing about Mr. Michael Dean Cohen, Esq. is that he, as all lawyers do, sees the world through a prism of exposure.
Honor has nothing to do with any of this, disabuse yourself of this notion.
"...[T]he rat always knows when he's in with weasels" -Tom Waits
6
We're always looking for the one man or party or religion that explains why America lately has betrayed its principal founding documents -- what might be called The Reverse Santa Claus, so... it's the economy, stupid. We have a war industry that sucks billions of dollars from it, and sends young men and women to some 300 bases worldwide and which is mainly unaudited and unquestioned. It's a soda pop and caramel corn food industry. It's wages that haven't risen while costs certainly have. It's the failure to raise honorable professions like teaching to the levels enjoyed by tech and science. We don't make housing available to our people, we throw children into prisons and try to make those prisons profit centers. You can't blame all this on some flap-topped con who captured the White House on the Russian dime. The fault is ours.
11
It remains a mystery why so many are willing to line up and serve trump when trump has no reciprocal loyalty. Are these people masochists? I think Giuliani is going to find out amongst others.
21
@Steve I've long wondered. Giuliani is just the latest in a cavalcade of people willing to debase themselves on television and in print lying on behalf of Donald Trump. What is the reward? Could they really be so starved for attention? Is it the thrill of being close to power, even when that power - in the form of Trump - is clearly corrupt?
16
@Steve I think it's the same with a woman who marries a known wife abuser: "This time is will be different."
1
@Steve
Money!!
2
"For this, Trump world will seek to destroy him. Michael Cohen will indeed take that bullet, metaphorically speaking of course — not for Trump, but from him."
For weeks, Mr. Trump has been posting tweets regarding Michael Cohen's apparent cooperation with authorities. One may wonder what is Mr. Trump's true aim from posting a flurry of tweets all with a single theme: Michael Cohen has betrayed me.
Mr. Trump has millions of ardent followers, including the white supremacists who were in Charlottesville and killed at least one person by a car running into the crowd. These are the same zealots that Mr. Trump, bragging of their dogged devotion, once said: "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose a single vote". Since Mr. Trump's tweets seem to be designed to infuriate these very fanatic followers, there is a chance that they may do something about the man who is betraying their "favorite president".
Frankly, I am afraid that Michael Cohen may indeed end up taking a bullet, not the "metaphoric" one as suggested by Mr. Blow, but a real one. If I were Michael Cohen, I would not be casually walking in the streets of New York. I would go to NY Police and ask for bodyguards and 24-hour protection.
9
cannot wait for the moment when Giuliani angers Trump and becomes the new target of presidential anger and lust for bloody and humiliating destruction. It's just a question of time...
15
Michael Cohen is like so many of Trump's enablers.He has lived in fantasy land so long that even now he has trouble with the truth.Only when he is face to face with the Mueller team and realizes that one false statement gets him the serious charge of perjury will he sober up and cooperate fully and truthfully.
6
Wow, a Republican feeding frenzy. It might be delightful to watch if the integrity of our country wasn’t at stake.
Cohen brings to mind, a concrete boot and the Mariana Trench.
9
And Michael Cohen was asking for it, Charles !
He was rude to reporters constantly, thought himself to be too big for his breaches. I still remember his nastiness and rudeness to this CNN female reporter and that was not a way to treat anyone who merely asks a question.
There is no civility in this trump era of the White House.
It will be coming to trump as well, already the Koch brothers are after Donald J. trump.
When that happens the World wound not cry for the fall of Donald.
5
There's Family and then there's family. Cohen has made his choice. No omerta for him.
1
Why does everything have to take two years???
1
@GreaterMetropolitanArea, The US was structured in a time of sails at sea and equine transportation on land. It was never reset to run at a faster pace.
4
A sliver of redemption??
There’s no honor among thieves and there’s no redemption for cockroaches.
There’s no trump universe just a cesspool, a primordial pit of desperate cockroaches left to prey on each other.
Cohen can wear a $5,000 sport jacket, but his essence reeks of that fragrance we know too well.
7
There's no redemption here. If Cohen squeals it's because that's what rats do when they're caught.
8
In most mafia-like crime investigations, the rats eventually do eventually scatter and then... heigh ho the dairy-o the Cheese stands alone. I think Mueller is approaching that point and Cohen is a tipping point.
5
Forget redemption. These guys are more about revenge. So Mr. Cohen, Trump used you like a pageant contestant and threw you under the infamous Billy Bush bus. Of course you recorded him, you knew what devil you were dealing with. Trump did not and does not care about you any more than how much you can hurt him. Your chance for revenge is now. Take it.
16
I don't know what he is holding but he's playing his cards like he has two seven off.
1
when they finally arrested Al Capone, it wasn't for murder, stolen money, or one of his own thugs becoming a turncoat but for tax evasion. that's how they'll nail DT. Cohen doesn't need to cooperate, there's so much more to go after...Hail RICO!
7
@zighi
"the bookkeeper" may be the key to bringing trump's lies to light. what is in the "books" of the trump organization & trump foundation? the tax returns may be shown if they have not been shredded & the IRS hasn't suddenly lost their copies (after trump bank friend became new IRS leader).
1
So our government has descended to the level of a criminal enterprise. Sad.
7
My sincere apologies to John Dean, who is a hundred times the man Michael Cohen is, but Michael Cohen may prove to be Donald Trump's John Dean (with a little Alexander Butterfield thrown in).
I am glad, however, that we have Giuliani for comic relief in these troubled times.
2
Did Comey win your redemption too?
I didn’t think so.
1
All those paying close attention will have heard many times that Cohen will be useful to Mueller in court to give context to the many documents he already has. Cohen's long history of lying will not matter, since there are others he can identify (e.g. Hope Hicks) who were also present and have much better reputations for truth. I agree with another commenter that the most disturbing feature is that only those who dislike Trump are paying close attention. The many people in congress who should be up to date on the actual facts, since they can do more that I can, seem not to be paying close attention. It will be good if the midterm elections confront Democrats with the serious issue of whether Trump or Pence is preferred.
While I agree with the intent of Mr.
Blow's article, I am always mystified at the use of the word "universe" for Solar System. ( Universal Pictures makes the same mistake.) There are hundreds of Billions of galaxies in the universe. Our Solar System is only middle sized in our galaxy.
2
"Universal" Pictures was originally meant by Carl Lemmle to suggest they were for everyone - whether they knew English or not (in those days of the silents and waves of immigrants ) and were not too high brow to be boring for your 5 cents. it had nothing to do with astronomy.
Cohen so far has been "showing his receipts," so to speak. He also has much to gain through cooperation with law enforcement, which automatically makes him more likely to be credible.
Rudy seems to be off his medication, and has been so for a long time, all the while moving the goalposts: "not sure if collusion is a crime," now? Wow!
7
"Sliver of redemption" or "thirty pieces of silver" seems to be the binary choice before many a Republican these days...
8
Real American patriots need Cohen, and he needs us. If Cohen can help bring down Trump, then he will be a great American hero in my book.
3
@bikiniwithmartini Great American heros defend the country from the beginning, not when faced with the possibility of a prison sentence.
3
@Norma
Good point, Norma.
Cohen is auditioning to get back to Trump's orbit. If Trump gave him millions of dollars, an immediate pardon, and a chance to get an office in Trump Tower Cohen would go right back into line.
It's instructive that the way Cohen announced he was going to extort Trump was to say he's putting "country and family first." The minute Trump heard that he had to know he was in trouble because what associate of Trump's would ever truly think that way....
3
Don’t forget that trump’s leverage DOES NOT extend to the non federal indictments. Pardon or not, Cohen is facing serious jail time.
1
I would say we are at the beginning of the middle of this whole sordid mess. Don’t forget that this Russia connection extends into the Republican Party via the NRA. As that investigation gets closer to elected republicans get ready for more strident demands to shutdown the Russia probe.
20
Too, little. Too, late.
Michael Cohen has no sense of shame. He has a sense of survival. His rationalization - whatever works, works!
Exposing him and his ilk are necessary for us to really make our nation steadfast again, if it ever was.
We live in a complex, ever-changing world. Somehow, someway, we need to put a stake in the ground. This is a start.
9
If Cohen does tell the truth about crimes he is aware of, Blow says that Cohen will salvage a tiny bit of honor. Maybe so. But what will matter to Cohen will be that by copping a plea he will spend less time in the slammer. Trump will not be inclined to pardon Muller, partly because such a pardon would mean Cohen can no longer protect Trump by pleading the Fifth.
1
@Marvant Duhon Muller doesn't need a pardon, since he has not committed any crimes. As a former US Attorney, he knows the law a heck of a lot better than any of trump's enablers.
3
@Norma
Thanks! My error. I meant to say that Trump would not be inclined to pardon Cohen, not Muller.
I think all of this speculation is mute.
1) Mueller likely has so much information - over a million documents - that he doesn't need Cohen to flip. He can get whatever he needs from what he seized from Cohen's office.
And THAT is what Cohen fears.
2) Last week when the 'secret' tape was released .....surrogates for Cohen were claiming did not leak it. That it must have come from Trump.
WHY would anyone but Cohen and the police have had that tape? Why would Trump have the tape at all...unless he is the one taping people.
Cohen is desperate. He is trying very hard to make himself out to be credible and trustworthy....but his story already....just doesn't add up.
3
Trump did have the tape. They handed it over to Trump’s team when they were still operating under an agreement to share information.
2
I’m concerned that by blabbing about certain events, he is undermining his credibility with the Special Prosector. He could potentially be a very uncredible witness, and I’m just cynical to think that he knows this.
Trump is scandal proof: the only one which will damage him is if it emerges that he is not as rich as he claims or is believed to be. Since his wealth as a "successful" businessman is his main qualification for being president, even his base could be shaken by the news.
6
Mr. Cohen can also give the names of other non family members who were at the Russia meetings, corroborating his story. And they perhaps have their own additional unbeknownst tales to tell, to escape prison time.
Alan Weiselberg, Hope Hicks, and a number of others are possibilities.
Family members may have to stay silent lest they risk perjury, or lying to a law enforcement agent charges.
Then again there is legal patricide. What if you thought your father would betray you? As he had done to your mother.
As this is collapsing, it is an avalanche, with no stopping it.
Rat out or be buried.
4
Perhaps the most disappointing part of this whole fiasco is the lack of interest on the part of many, not all, Republican House and Senate members.
They, too, have sworn to protect this country, at highest order, and to follow the Constitution which was written at a time when treason and subterfuge was rampant.
The cornerstone of what most of us in this country believe in is honesty and truth. We've always had those trying to take advantage of loopholes (somewhat honest) or downright skirting the law entirely (for which we long for them to be caught and punished as the rest of us, non-clever, citizens would be).
His strong arm threatening style, now fully known as bullying, is reminiscent of Al Capone's fixers doing his work.
We deserve and should demand that all, especially a president, be held to our common citizens' standards.
Our lawmakers, entrusted with the same degree of authority, should do the same, even if it is one of their own.
This country should not tolerate a "good old boy's club" approach.
It is time to elevate the law and behavior to the level we expect.
8
@reid - Republicans are very interested, interested in covering it up.
1
While I enjoy Mr. Blow’s columns, he, like the rest of journalists in the age of Trump, continues to be distracted by the latest shiny object thrown at them to distract from the real thing. The same with Russia, as troubling as it is.
Neither a finding of collusion with Russia nor Cohen coming clean will make a dent on either Trump’s base or his enablers in Congress. The former are deeply into a cult and the latter are inebriated by power. But what about the rest of the voters, the energized Democratic base and the disillusioned independents? Well, the former may be distracted looking for the purest progressive candidate in the midterms and 2020 (good luck with that) and the latter may focus more on their own 401(k) account balance or fall for the “Dems are for open borders” trope we hear constantly and decide ethat Trump is their guy after all or sit the election.
No, Mr. Blow and the rest of serious journalists must focus on the fact the economic boom we are experiencing is not helping all of us and especially those who most need it; that our health care is getting more expensive, that the GOP is aiming its guns at Medicare and Social Security by calling them entitlements even though we all paid into them and simply are (or will be) collecting what was promised in return for those payments; and that many of the regulations being set aside were put in place to keep us safe and healthy.
24
Cohen's priority list in order of importance-
Stay out of jail, maintain tough guy reputation, make press go away or say nicer things, unload taxi medallions, stay out of jail, pay for kids braces, order piazza, do the right thing for the country ( if convenient, remunerative or keeps me out of jail)
2
Cohen got caught. He is in damage control and survivor mode. He will use whatever strategy and tactics give the best outcome. If lying, stonewalling, etc works, he'll engage in that . If the truth telling and cooperation works, he'll engage in that. At this point, truth telling and flipping on putin-puppet is the likely the best way to go. His (and his family) biggest physical risk is putin's hitmen. What does redemption, country, have to do with anything?
3
In many ways, the investigations are following the same path as the Watergate queries. Lawyers for Nixon like John Dean began working out deals to minimize their jail time in return for cooperation. Then came indictments against a slew of federal officials that ultimately included the U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell.
Hooray for Mr. Cohen. Let him sing like a canary. Likely he learned early on that his former client Mr. Trump wouldn't lift a finger to help him and otherwise would lie to save his own hide.
4
Trump's base doesn't care what the outcome of all this is. But when the evidence pile gets deep enough and the House begins it's impeachment hearings...and when some Republican senators who are not in an election cycle (or who see an end to serving) walk into the Oval Office .... History will repeat itself.
Those Republican Senators at the end of their careers will want to come down on the right side of history. "Mr. President, you have lost the support of the party."
Trump will declare personal victory and proudly resign or at least not run for re-election. He'll whine about not being appreciated and wanting to have more fun being a tough businessman.
But as he climbs into that departing helicopter (alone...Melania will be home in Slovenia counting her settlement riches) he'll claim credit for a random list of twisted fabrications and stop tweeting for 24 hours.
Then we'll have to deal with Pence the Monster Missionary.
5
Michael Cohen has problems that run far beyond his enabling of Donald Trump. He is waist-deep in his connections to the seamy side of New York taxi cab medallions and quick-turn real estate. Mr. Cohen has multiple "Russian problems" and only some of them connect to Trump Tower. He is wise to leverage resolution of all of those problems into cooperation with the Mueller investigation.
I believe deeply in the power and possibility of redemption. Here, though, cooperation with Robert Mueller is simply Mr. Cohen's best play.
Leveraging a situation to your optimal advantage doesn't usually result in redemption. The benefits to the Mueller investigation are simply Mr. Cohen's Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
4
Dear Mr. Blow,
We both work as journalists and, as journalists, do not at all appreciate Mr. Trump's rhetoric about the media--or much else. I am sure that you, like me, know unemployed journalists, and that we should consider ourselves lucky to be working. So please: is your entire job description to "write bad things about the president"? Do you get up every day, go to the office and engage in no other professional exercise than to seek the impossible, which is think of some new grievance with Donald Trump? Would you please consider using your good fortune in having a job in journalism to write about anything else? I will suggest a broad mandate--ANYTHING else. Contributing toward that goal, I just had syndicated an article about travel to Seattle. In truth, it might not be as important as commentary about the administration, but please notice that I got through an entire piece without even mentioning Donald Trump. It can be done!
Thank you and best regards, Alan
5
@Alan Behr If it makes you feel successful writing vacation stories and sticking your head in the sand, good for you.
Mr. Blow is an OPINION WRITER. We, who understand the difference, are grateful for his op-ed columns. It gives us encouragement that we are not alone in worrying about how the electoral college president is daily demeaning our country.
8
Yes, that is Mr. Blow’s job description, self declared. He said as much in this column after trump was elected.
And you know what? I support him for it. Mr. Blow is right. This clown is an unrepentant racist and white supremacist and has been for many years.
He is a disgrace to the Presidency and a useful idiot for Putin and his FSB. As a journalist you do not need to abandon truth or objectivity to understand this.
You only need to report what is clearly apparent in trump’s history and his actions.
7
Well, it only stands to reason that Michael Cohen, as Trump's longtime lawyer (and champion), would be a sketchy character. What morally upright person would get that affixed to the lowlife that is Donald Trump?
But when respectable people take on Trump, they often end up getting clobbered. So it's just as well that the one who may take down Trump is someone who plays dirty and plays to win.
5
I don't doubt Cohen knows volumes of criminal conduct regarding Trump, his family and associates. I hope Cohen tells everything he knows.
I wish I had confidence that it would matter.
11
On the tape, trump says, “please get me a coke.”
I was surprised to hear him say please, but then I wondered who he was talking to.
That’s the person that can corroborate the discussion. Or, potentially, state that the tape is not genuine.
Who was it? An assistant? One of his children? Enquiring minds want to know.
5
The “whataboutitism” has already started with Trump’s zombie base. Cohen to pretend to “put his family and country first” rings hallow. All Trump’s lackeys are “loyal” (enriching themselves from Trump’s scams) until they’re implicated. Before it was “just business” and handled with lawsuits and settlements, but now it’s a matter of the highest office in the land and how an election was tilted by a foreign enemy. Is it any wonder that Trump’s family and business cronies are hapless fools in front of a press and justice juggernaut?
4
It's never an issue of conscience or ethics -- it's always about expediency. People like Cohen go where their bread is buttered. When the Donald buttered his bread, he ate chez Trump. But with that bread now stale, he'll dine chez Mueller. Purely situational.
This far into the Trump administration, the clearest thing about Team Trump is the degree to which everyone is unapologetically him/herself.
4
Cohen doesn't have a choice.
It is funny that he has the upper hand over Trump.
I don't really care about Cohen's murky past, since nothing can change that. But he can stop the horrific slide into fascism, and that's good enough for me.
I can only imagine the treasure trove of dirt that he has on Trump, with so much of it that will be verified by tapes, documents, etc.
7
Trump seemed to be going berserk
today. When he puts out streams
of negative tweets, as he did today
against Mueller, I fear that the investigation
could be shut down. He may now be on
the verge of firing Mueller
and Rosenstein. All signs are that
he will get away with it, his core supporters
show no sign of wavering. He obviously
knows how much Cohen can hurt him.
It seems that we are getting to a critical point
in Trump’s madness. He is discrediting everything.
More irrational blasting of journalists
with dangerous, incendiary language....
He walked out of his plane with his little
granddaughter to try to look like a kindly
man. Talk about a user.
10
Lawyer client confidentiality is under attack. what's next doctor/patient?
1
When lawyers and their clients conspire to break the law, their communications are not protected by lawyer/client privilege.
18
Michael Cohen's vile threats to the Daily Beast reporter, and the root cause of those threats, his fawning adoration of and supplication to Donald Trump, are indicative of "the content of his character."
Mr. Cohen's new-found willingness to do the right thing is merely something he believes to be a necessary expedient.
6
Cohen’s comical ramblings that he thought were threats are not the words of lawyer, but of a toady who thought he actually had some muscle behind him. They’d be more concerning if Cohen’s client weren’t a famous personality like Trump.
A real lawyer would have been far scarier in their calmness, professionalism, and directness (like Cohen’s description of the Feds’ professionalism when they raided his office).
Cohen is probably transactional like Trump. Knows he is toast unless he actually produces the goods. America loves a good redemption story, Cohen should use his limited opportunities well while they last. If he doesn’t, he’ll be spending all the money he doesn’t have defending himself, and all the years he can’t get back watching his children grow up from a jail cell. Trump ain’t pardoning him.
2
"It has become incredibly clear." Is it credible or not? Journ 101 may be a good career move.
2
Tired of over-inflated personalities running this country for their own benefit. Can’t we round up a committee genius nerds with their computers to crunch the numbers and make the right decisions. And not talk.
1
Cohen can help to save his country from Trump as long as there are corroborating witnesses to enough of his testimony to make the rest of it credible. But I see no nobility to his testimony, only the extreme fright of a scared guy who got caught "bigly" and is looking at the rest of his life in prison if he doesn't cooperate. Let's hope that Mueller is doing what we are giving him advance credit for: backing up every Cohen tape, assertion and testimony with supporting evidence that will put Trump, Pence and the rest of that treasonous crew away for good.
A PS about Giuliani: in my view, he was a racist and vindictive sleaze before and after 9/11, but somehow he arose from the muck and managed to do the right thing repeatedly for four months until his term was up. Amazed, my wife and I would wonder, "Where was THAT guy before the disaster happened?" Now we have our answer: nowhere, and post-9/11 even "more nowhere." He was not America's Mayor; that four months was an illusion, a momentary diversion, albeit one to be grateful for. No longer. I look forward to Giuliani also going down with the rest of the Trump ship; I only hope the sinking starts very, very soon.
11
@CP
Despite what you implied, Pence isn't going anywhere regardless of what happens to Trump.
Something wrong with these analyses. No reason for a cooperator to go public. Did Gates? Flynn? He weakens himself as a valuable witness by doing so. He does not need to “signal” willingness to cooperate, his lawyer simply has to make a private phone call. Is he warning Trump and his finance team what evidence the government already has as he allows them via Giuliani to attack him and undercut any value he might have as a witness against them? I.e., still taking a bullet for the pardon-signaling President? Sorry, he has not suddenly learned to honor family and country except in the same gullible press his boss has been manipulating for years.
4
Considering Trump's long time connections to organized crime in New York and Cohen's involvement with the Russian mob don't be too surprised to wake up one morning soon to find that Cohen has "disappeared" or taken a non-metaphorical bullet for Trump.
Is there anyone out there who thinks this couldn't happen in America today?
5
Trump has mobilized the pitchfork and torch mob throughout the countryside who will demand heads on stakes of anyone who attacks their favorite president. To this 35%, there is nothing including cavorting with Russians that would shake their allegiance. Michael Cohen’s credibility, like that of news organizations, will be attacked by the mob and all Republicans who live in fear of Trump’s mob. Currently there isn’t any organization in this nation with the power to check this man which makes the midterms so important to democracy.
5
One television pundit reminded that Giuliani prosecuted organized crime figures and used organized crime figures who had killed and stolen and extorted, etc., for testimony that put organized crime figures in prison. So, the idea coming out of our beloved former "America's Mayor" mouth that Cohen's less-than-pristine career and reputation reduces his credibility is ludicrous. And, by the way, if you believe Rudy Giuliani is a credible source of information in his new capacity as the Donald's new fixer I have this little bridge over in Brooklyn that I can get for you for a very manageable figure. Fuhgeddaboutit.
6
@Kerryman guiliani's assistant USA's did all the work with the USG special agents. guiliani took over after an indictment looked like a headliner trial and he took all the credit.
4
"That's the way the cookie crumbles."
People change and feelings change...trust no one COMPLETELY...especially if you are not on the straight and narrow path.
Some argue that Cohen would not have played this major chip unless he was desperate to inspire a deal with Mueller. What if it isn't by any means his biggest potential revelation, but just a shot across the bow, a shot that only Trump comprehends? Trump has no scruples about ripping off students, investors and banks and launching venomous attacks on those who commit the most imaginary of offenses. Does anyone doubt that, vengeful and morally vacant as he is, he has always done anything he could get away with to harm anyone who got in his way? Wouldn't Cohen be trusted to "take care of things"? It seems likely that paying off a couple of women to keep quiet is pretty small potatoes. Trump is terrified of something, and it isn't Karen Macdougal.
6
@appleseed Mueller is not investigating Cohen, Feds in NY are. In fact, Mueller handed investigation of Cohen to them. If he were looking to "flip" Cohen he likely would have kept case.
Cohen's only salvation, both in terms of prison and honor, is being a tool for the Mueller investigation.
The criticisms of him are absurd--he hired a Clinton lawyer, but so did Trump when Ty Cobb quit / was fired.
"Everyone else says Trump didn't know about the meeting so Cohen is lying"
Really? Like anyone else NOT under indictment or the serious levels of legal peril as Cohen is NOT going to lie to protect Trump? Giuliani's incoherent arguments.
"I knew Michael recorded phone calls but I didn't know he recorded conversations. Therefore I believe Trump" So said Sam Nunberg about the boss who FIRED him and was notorious himself for taping phone calls and conversations. Why does that make Cohen more dishonest than we KNEW he was? Why is it OK for Trump, though?
Charles Blow points out that loyalty is a 2 way street, or, as I always put it, Loyalty obeys the Law of Gravity: What goes up had better come back down!
But there's an old adage about the value of the promises of kings: Never believe them because they will break them the moment it's convenient. And Trump has ALWAYS seen himself as a king, demanding people call him "Mr. Trump" while HE calls them by their first name.
Cohen is a weapon against the President who is the worst, the most corrupt, and most dangerous to our Constitutional form of government in our history. Trump is SPECIFICALLY who the founding fathers were guarding against when they wrote the rules for Impeachment and ouster.
8
Nixon had his John Dean and Trump has his Michael Cohen. Perhaps. Let’s apply some game theory to look at some scenarios.
If Trump decides to play the smart game and pardons Cohen that might actually protect him from Cohen’s cooperation on federal charges. Nixon clearly had a backup plan for President Ford to pardon him. But is Trump really that smart? He’s never seemed to act by following a strategic plan. Granted, he shows a sort of low-level of nasty cunning. But smart? Not so much.
Trump may decide to fire Mueller or his boss is the best way to win. Nixon tried that with Archibald Cox. It did not go well because of the fury of the public's response. On the other hand, ordering the kidnapping of refugee children should have come with bright red warning lights, but Trump was not smart enough to see them or just ignored them. He lost that round.
Trump may decide to kick over the playing board, scattering all the pieces. Here we come to the most dangerous part of the game. Nixon tried to use illegal methods to secure reelection in 1972. Trump has shown a willingness, at the very least, to use Russian black arts to secure an election. Who is to say he won’t again this year? If Trump retains majorities in Congress, especially with Russian help, then we move into the game over phase.
5
Somewhere long the line Cohen managed to buy multi-million dollar properties and taxi medallions. His life style might not be on the same level as Manifort's, but he has not suffered financially from his one and only client.
5
"He thought himself a tough guy, Trump's muscle collecting the crumbs of Trump's money."
I always viewed him more like the guys with shovels who used to follow the elephants around at the circus.
3
He is like every other "fairly" intelligent man I have ever known. Ethics and morality mean nothing to him. He hangs onto the coat tails of someone he senses is more powerful than himself and rides as long as he can. For most of his life this was Trump. And who can blame him for clinging to Trump, the man did get elected President of the USA. But, now its Robert Mueller he is going to submit to because he now believes Mueller has the power over him. He is a moral coward or as I stated above a clinger to the most powerful man he thinks he knows.
4
The America I grew up in, in the 1950's, was a place of high taxes and many had a sense of responsibility to the community. There was a draft, and most males served their country for little compensation.
Today, well, this article probably exposes the kernel of what America has devolved into, a cutthroat, money is everything pretend democracy.
It happened in Russia, where Putin runs a pretend democracy, with pretend adherence to the rule of law, and a pretend media.
When we accept the fact that billionaires deserve to strut about the cities, owning tens of houses and yachts, while the very poor and sick and elderly struggle for every crumb, we are lost.
Our insane economic system creates monsters of capitalism, and we can do little to fight, as it seems only obsequious toadies are allowed to serve in places of power.
Bring back the draft, make it for both men and women, so children of the rich, like Javanka, have to risk their lives in dumb wars, and learn how to scrub toilets, and live as the poor do.
Ah, such a dream...liberty, fraternity, equality...It is a great daydream to see a time when the billionaires are no more than historical freaks like the Pharaohs.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
5
It should be noted that my lawyer friends, who are not Trump supporters, are a bit concerned about the damage Michael Cohen can do to Trump. As one friend put it, if I were Trump's lawyer I couldn't wait to get Cohen on the stand---a first year law student could create a narrative of a man who would do and say anything to make a buck or save himself from jail. What the prosecutors would have to depend upon are tapes or written documents that would support Cohen's narrative, without that supporting evidence, a jury would be hard put to use his testimony in any meaningful way. And it appears, that Trump's base doesn't really care anymore if Trump is a liar, a serial wife cheater, a cheat, even a Russian agent.
6
@ACJ In my experience, experienced prosecutors aren't idiots. They know what evidence they need and how to get it.
Mueller is the prime example of a successful career prosecutor. guilliani is not.
3
According to the old saw, rats are the first to abandon a sinking ship. Cohen's swan song will be as a witness to infamy.
3
Fear can be the greatest motivator.
Ask Mr. Cohen.
5
It still amazes me how many remain loyal to Trump when he so clearly is willing to throw any and all under the bus. Even accounting for fear of that or desperate to keep a job or get a job, it seems like a game of Russian Roulette and you're last one up, a very dangerous place to be.
Maybe it's arrogance, believing you're the one he really loves and will treat fairly. But no, it's like any abusive relationship, there is the abuser and there is the enabler and that never changes.
Or maybe Donald Trump isn't the only one beholden to the Russians.
6
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Mr. Cohen, I'm holding my nose and wishing you the best.
7
Mr. Cohen is a blight on the legal profession. His blatant disregard for legal ethics, both as Mr. Trump's lawyer and now, should have him before the Bar Association's Ethics Committee and should lead to the immediate revocation of his license.
Neither threats against witnesses and others nor revelations of what should be confidential attorney/client conversations can be tolerated in a practicing attorney, and no matter what the results of either, no redemption of this sleaze bag is possible or desirable.
I'm tired of thinking about Trump's base and whether its support for Trump will crack or not.
Even if 75% of Republicans approve of Trump, strongly identified Republicans make up only 25% of the electorate, so we shouldn't waste our time worrying about less than 20% of the electorate!
Plus, anyone who still supports Trump after all that has gone on is willfully ignorant, uninformed, deeply disturbed, or watches too much Fox Fake News! Most of his diehard supporters are, in fact, deplorable.
Finally, the percentage of people approving of Trump has been dropping, and the percentage strongly DISAPPROVING of him has been growing, including in the unexpected and key battleground states he won!
Let's focus on exciting progressive, wooing independents to a real plan to make America great, and ensuring a big turn out, especially among women, minorities, the poor, the working class, the disillusioned Democrats, and other people who eschew politics, can't stand Trump, and often do not vote.
2
Charles, I wouldn't be so sure that any bullet M Cohen ends up taking will be "metaphorical." Neither would his being poisoned, say with plutonium or nerve agents.
I'm surprised he isn't already in a witness protection program or otherwise been safely hidden underground. Let's face it, Cohen could be the person that Trump does finally shoot on 5th Avenue.
Is anyone protecting that guy?!?
17
Remember DJT is a habitual liar and champion disembler. Amid the chaos around DJT, if Mr Cohen knows only one of the countless number of DJT's sets of "alternative facts" then he does not know enough to box in DJT. That is, others surrounding DJT will step up and have another counter set of alternative facts which will be just different enough to muddy Mr Cohen's set. Armed with two or more "sets" Mr Cohen testimony will test DJT's theory he could shoot someone on 5th Ave and walk away more popular than ever.
1
It's never an issue of conscience or ethics -- it's always about expediency. People like Cohen go where their bread is buttered. When the Donald buttered his bread, he ate chez Trump. But with that bread now stale, he'll dine chez Mueller. Purely situational.
This far into the Trump administration, the clearest thing about Team Trump is the degree to which everyone is unapologetically him/herself.
5
Let us remember that when he was asked about Don Jr. taking the meeting, the President was quite insistent that,"anyone would" even as all of Washington said that the only correct reaction was to agree vaguely and then go right to the FBI to find out how they wanted to handle it.
It occurred to me at the time that "anyone" likely equaled "me," but there was no one around at the time to say so.
Also remember that Cohen is more dangerous to the Trumps with a pardon than without one. With a pardon, he can be forced to testify about anything with no chance of invoking the 5th amendment to keep his mouth shut and absolute truth the only way to avoid a prosecution that wouldn't be covered by the previous pardon.
Without a pardon, the administration can at least claim he is lying to make himself seem more valuable to the prosecution, even though lying to Mueller's team seems to be hopeless. They will catch you at it.
1
Both men have long been liars, grifters, cruel. But it does seem that one has the maturity and mental stability to now make sound decisions, and to try to spare their families as much as possible
2
It'll be a funny day indeed when Giuliani, forced to face the consequences of the many lies he is currently telling for the so-called president, realizes he's been used and turns on Trump himself.
It's so predictable it's a total joke.
5
If justice were to triumph, Trump and Cohen should be cellmates after Mueller completes his report. We are witnessing treasonous and criminal behavior at a level that makes Nixon look like Mr. Rogers.
10
That unsavory people like to surround themselves with other unsavory people is, perhaps, a universal truth. The ties that bind these unsavory people together is presumed to be mutual benefit, be it money, fame, influence or power. That the ties that bind unsavory bosses and unsavory lapdogs and lackeys are presumed to be, at least by the bosses, unbreakable is not, however a universal truth. How many despots and tyrants throughout history have been brought down by a 'lapdog' or 'lackey' who ultimately decided that it was in their best interests, even if at heart unsavory, to turn against their boss.
In my heart of hearts, this is what I hope will happen with Cohen. But I am kept awake at night by the fear that Cohen, at the last second, will do a 'gotcha!' and say that he all along was playing Mueller and all of Trump's opponents for fools, not only keeping his loyalty intact but also making his level of sycophancy legendary.
2
I hope Cohen is in protective custody. I'm serious about this. The last person who could have done serious damage to the Republicans was Michael Connell, a high level consultant who was going to testify in the matter of computers in Ohio in the 2008 election having been programmed to flip votes from Kerry to Bush.
Shortly before testifying, Connell was killed when the single engine plane he was flying crashed. It was reported that Karl Rove had threatened Connell.
I hope Cohen is in protective custody.
17
Is he really doing the right thing? Or just playing a little hardball so he can negotiate a pardon from Dirty Donald before he spills too much? Time will tell...
2
The only people Trump tolerates around him are flamboyant dimwits, loud hangers on and all sorts of sycophants. To keep their standing, they must praise him continuously no matter what he says or does. The words loyalty, friendship. love, truth, honour and trust do not exist in their warped universe.
So eventually, they all get fired and as they have no loyalty, only fear can keep them quiet, that is until they realize they have more to fear from the prosecutors than from Trump. This is where Cohen is. He won't be the last.
4
Kudos to Mr. Cohen for "seeing the light," albeit very late and when very vulnerable (after "the raid"). I hope he sings like a canary, flies like a butterfly, stings like a bee. It is truly incredible that Trumpsters don't care how slimey their slimeball becomes, no matter what - tapes or no tapes. Fans of Huey Long (who was exactly like Trump, wild red hair and all) only remembered that Long gave their children books, built roads and bridges in Louisiana, and told them they should all be kings without crowns. And they loved him even more when he showed the crowds during his massive rallies the holes in his cotton socks ("he's just like us!"). Never mind they were all worse off than they were before he took office, with a massive debt and a government so corrupt they're still untangling it. The folks attending Trump rallies in this day and age must be the offspring of those folks...
3
And then Cohen will write a book to pay for those hefty legal fees and loss of income. I can't WAIT for this book!!! I almost feel sorry for the hapless, sour Giuliani - what an awful way to end his career. And working as Trump's chief legal advisor is a job-ending mission, especially at this stage of his presidency. It won't end well - and won't come soon enough!!
4
"Trump is the sun at the center of his own universe. "
As an amateur astronomer, I can tell you that physicists believe there is no actual center to the universe. However in this case, to carry forward your analogy, the center of Trump's Universe is most likely a gigantic black hole of narcissism and deceit.
7
The 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz" can be updated 79 years later with a sequel: "The Wizard of Hate and Lies."
The moment in the fabulous 1939 film, is when the Wizard is exposed when the curtain is drawn that eludes surprise from the audience and follows with a happy ending. So Hollywood.
Will it be that Michael Cohen, while groveling on hands & knees, reaching up and exposing the Wizard of Hate and Lies end the current horror story?
Stay tuned, cue the Special Prosecutor...
5
"He will purchase a sliver of redemption." Thirty pieces of sliver?
3
I don't trust Cohen,period. He could be making it look like he is taking a bullet but actually has a flak jacket on underneath his shirt. What if he turns out not to be useful? Kind of like signing up for Trump University. What if the advertising about Cohen looks good, but in reality the documents he signs aren't worth the, paper they are printed on? And all the talk about Cohen from Trump and Giuliani is but a diversion? And waiting at the end of the rainbow for Cohen is a pardon and a,white envelope filled with unmarked bills.
1
You get what you vote for. We don’t expect trump to behave like a normal president. We don’t demand that he place the needs of citizens before his on self-interests. But then we praise Cohen for turning on trump as though he is our savior. The problem is with We the People: the people who are willing to lose their farms and forfeit their wages in support of the Criminal in Chief; the people who still chant “lock her up.”
Cohen is no savior. The American people are to blame for the catastrophe called trump. And we’re all going to pay a terrible price.
12
@AB Correction: "A minority of the American people are to blame for the catastrophe called trump. ...."
2
Mr. Blow describes Michael Cohen as "an incredibly unsavory character and a bully." It should be obvious that as long as there are people like Donald Trump, unsavory characters and bullies will be guaranteed employment. Supply and demand.
4
Has any reporter ever asked Trump or Giuliani or Sanders, point blank, how they reconcile their current position that Cohen has “lied all his life” with their oft stated position that Trump surrounds himself with, and hires, only “the very best people”? If someone has, I’ve never heard it.
4
There are many interesting insights in this witty piece. There's one question that I've heard nobody theorize on convincingly, though - and that is, why is Cohen making so much noise in public, when he knows he'll be ripped to shreds by the Donald Trump propaganda machine? Why not lay low, go to Mueller, spill the beans, save his skin as much as is possible, and, as Charles Blow suggests, redeem himself just a little bit at the same time? I can't see how the excessive posturing and bluster will get him anywhere at all. If he wants to be a born again patriot, he should hurry up with the confessions before DJT wreaks any further havoc on the world at large.
6
Mr Blow is correct once again. Cohen will take the bullet from Trump because he's the guy Trump will actually shoot on Fifth Ave - and no one will care - because by that time Trump will be out of office, and Cohen, well, who would care?
3
The two biggest and most prominent con-artists in America today are Trump and Cohen. Don't forget it. Not for one millisecond. If Cohen eventually provides dirt on Trump, great. But it hasn't happened yet and I won't believe it until I see it. Neither should you.
In the long run Cohen’s credibility means little if there is no trial. Likewise Mr. Muellers “report” to Congress, which may never be seen as long as Trump has the congressional majority. That report could be marked “Top Secret” and put in a vault with the announcement that the president was cleared of all charges.
If you can judge by the way Trump is behaving he guilty as sin of high crimes and certainly of collusion with the Russian government to steal the 2016 election, obstruction of justice, bribery, tax evasion, money laundering and other fraud based crimes. In my opinion most of America would agree; but we have a ruling party in America which controls all branches of government or soon shall if Trump keeps putting fascist judges on the bench.
The Trumpist party has replaced the Republican party and that party is going to protect him from impeachment and conviction and removeal from office. Trumpocracy has replaced democracy and the Trumpocrats are okay with the Trump-Putin regime and perpetual one party rule.
Trump will not be on the ballot this year but his Congressional majority is and that the voters can take away from him. It will have the same effect on Trump as giving him giving him a close haircut.
I’m intrigued by those who think that Mueller is somehow barred from taking his findings to a grand jury. Why do you believe that?
1
Cohen appeared ti signal Trump in his RNC resignation letter that time to help him with a pardon was running out... word was Cohen was experiencing financial pressure with legal bills at the time. The strange line in the letter was regarding his mentioning of the separation of kids and parents at the boarder... and how terrible that would be for any family.
I read this as a warning to Trump, that if he didn't act soon to hep Cohen, he'd put, if not Trump himself in legal jeopardy, but them likely his kids... and what are we hearing about these days but Don Jr having potentially lied to congress... a perjury conviction possibility that would lead to jail, and the kid being separated from the dad.
Or maybe I was reading more into it than was there..
1
So Rudy admitted Trump was aware of the Russian trump tower meeting before it occurred. Rudy did it by telling Cohen to shut up. Rudy said Cohen was breaching attorney client privilege by making his statements. If Cohen's statements are false, he's not breaching the privilege. In order to violate the privilege the attorney's statements must be true.
4
All this speculation about what Cohen knows, might say, and could do is depressing. So is listening to trump's tweets and wondering what he might really mean. It's all like watching a not very good soap opera but with a twist. Because it is real and has real consequences for America and the world. But guessing... investing time in what-ifs, is wasteful.
Charles Blow can do more with his gifts.
1
On Face The Nation yesterday, Guiliani assailed Mr. Cohen's truthfulness calling him a liar. When asked why only weeks earlier he had been singing Cohen's praise, Guiliani's explanation was that he "didn't know" that he was surreptitiously recording #45 and others or that he would violate attorney-client privilege and that he had gone "rogue". However, I remember reading an article immediately after the FBI raid on Mr. Cohen's office, apt., home in which it was noted that his inner circle was well aware that he recorded conversations because he played some of them back for people to hear, presumably including to #45. So Guiliani, who is the liar, Mr. Cohen or Guiliani's client? And I wish someone would ask Guiliani if he was aware of this practice by Mr. Cohen previously.
1
Why is it that we think he’s “considering” cooperating? I imagine that he’s been cooperating for months. Do people really believe that Lanny Davis is going to make a public announcement that it’s happened?
SDNY and Mueller are black boxes, and neither wants Cohen to encounter an unfortunate “accident.” Cohen is spending evenings with Michael Avenatti, which neither man denies.
He turned a long time ago, and I don’t care why, as long as it happened.
3
OK, Charles. If you believe dangling out a sliver of redemption will help motivate him. Why not offer a full slice?
1
While it is undoubtedly true that the popular vote losing president has always surrounded himself with "lapdogs and lackeys," nothing conveys the essence of these people like the wonderful word lickspittle.
3
He is not turning into an informant for any high moral purpose. This is not a moral man. He is a criminal. He is doing it for self-preservation.
2
The truth matters!
In my opinion the truth will destroy Trump politically
by revealing the full extent of his corruption and his character. It will hopefully lead to impeachment and the start of America’s redemption by ending this nightmare!
6
If Donald Trump is worried about Michael Cohen he should be really worried about his CFO Allen Weisselberg.
This guy really knows EVERYTHING about the Dotard in Chief's financial adventures.
Just wait until Trump finds out that they are asking for his tax returns by way of his CFO.
The dominoes are falling slowly, one at a time, but steadily.
7
Mr. Blow, please keep encouraging Michael Cohen to wash several industrial-sized loads of dirty Trump linen in public.
Whatever it takes.
Make him feel like a bit of a patriot, and a quasi-good guy, and worthy of an microscopic sliver of redemption. Decent people will hold their noses and subsume their contempt for Cohen while you work on buttering him up.
However, after Cohen ultimately serves the public interest by testifying against Trump, he will be an even bigger self-serving, self-righteous and greedy slime-ball, one who seeks to monetize his story. Don't buy it.
4
Well, we have room for him here in Colorado. He can room in same wing as "Blago". There are vacancies in Blogo's rock band. Views are really great if you have a window.
1
You live by sword you die by sword. Trump has led his life by treachery and betrayal; he shall be brought down by betrayal by those who helped him in his lies and life of extortion and coercion. It is poetic justice indeed.
2
He does not seek redemption, he just want to make a deal and tohis punishment.
Michael, remember the Nike ad, Just Do It.
2
Trump is not content to just obstruct justice.
He wants to pervert, prevent and obscure even the concept of justice.
He no longer needs Cohen, or anybody else.
If his plan for one man rule doesn’t work, he’ll sink like a stone and knows it. His only chance is to proceed, full speed ahead, on course to total control in the, we all hope, false faith, that he can pull it off.
2
He’s playing against a President who skillfully manipulates perception. I can’t think of a reason for him not to release another Several tapes.
Even Teflon scratches if you poke it enough.
Well, what is the difference between Trump, Cohen and Giuliani? Total boids of a feather. You could not believe a word from any of them. Just another thing to be thankful for that is tying our "President" up in knots and killing more time. Don't get me wrong - I am pretty sure most of the Trumpy dirt will be fact based. But the replies and explanations will make for real horselaff entertainment. So - this is supposedly about some hot women? I don't remember without the pictures.
1
Mary had another lamb,
with fleece not white as snow.
Every where that Mary went,
that lamb was in the know.
1
Mr. Trump, if you paid your bills you might garner fealty when you really need it. Instead you've made the decision to dump your bag man and stiff him with his lawyer's fees. Even the mob treats their underlings with loyalty.
2
Cohen, Trump, etc. All of these miserable human beings. You want to like Cohen a little, or at least empathize, because he is cooperating. But then you read this. There is a grand Canyon between these folks and the notions of public service or genuine patriotism. None of them should ever have been allowed anywhere near the working parts of government. Trump abused Cohen horribly. Cohen has children and possibly he loves them. Perhaps with effort I can empathize even if a sliver of redemption might be a long time in coming.
2
If Cohen is guilty of crimes, he should go to jail.
I am so sick of people "cooperating" and then they get off and wander back carefree into their own lives.
Threaten Cohen with twenty years for the crimes he's committed, and tell him he'll only get ten if he cooperates.
But he should serve time, especially if he's guilty of collusion, obstruction, or treason.
He should look out from between steel bars.
He should eat terrible food.
He should long for the outside world.
He should spend time hating life and hating prison.
Let's not get turned around here. Michael Cohen is not turning against Trump because he's had a change of heart and has suddenly found God or his soul or morality.
He's turning because he's trying to avoid jail time and a cell mate named Max The Ripper.
It's time for jail time for Michael Cohen.
Maybe not so long if he tells the truth. But he needs to go to jail and work in the laundry room.
3
Applauding Cohen feels like applauding a cockroach because it ran under the baseboard when the light came on. Both are acting in self protection, and both are nasty enough to make you shiver with disgust when you come across them.
Cohen may turn on Trump, but I suspect he is just looking for a firm commitment that he will get a pardon in exchange for keeping his mouth shut. He dangles the knowledge that he has things he can testify about, hoping to use it as a literal get-out-of-jail-free card.
Don't be fooled. Cohen may turn on Trump, or he may not, but all he is doing is looking for a convenient baseboard to scurry under.
1
What caused Cohen's change of heart is his realization (once he got a real lawyer) that he faced not only federal charges but also state charges in New York. Trump could, of course, pardon him from his federal crimes, but the chance of Andrew Cuomo giving him a pass on his state offenses is less than zero. And, would he really like to serve time in Attica or Danamora?
So this is simply a case of a crook making the best deal he can.
5
Congressional leaders are unwilling to remove this unfit and amoral man from the presidency.
So it may take an unsavory character spilling the beans that result in an indictment.
Ironic that a low-life like Cohen could be the one to save our nation because of the cowardly abdication by the likes of Ryan and McConnell.
5
Rudy Giuliani: Michael Cohen Has Been Warned To Keep His Mouth Shut
Isn’t this a violation of 18 U.S. Code § 1512 - Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant?
(b) Whoever knowingly uses intimidation, threatens, or corruptly persuades another person, or attempts to do so, or engages in misleading conduct toward another person, with intent to—
(1) influence, delay, or prevent the testimony of any person in an official proceeding;
(2) cause or induce any person to—
(A) withhold testimony, or withhold a record, document, or other object, from an official proceeding;
(B) alter, destroy, mutilate, or conceal an object with intent to impair the object’s integrity or availability for use in an official proceeding;
shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both.
Where are the charges?
1
@Steve Ell guiliani has become the mob consiglieri his Assistant US Attornies used to put in jail.
Anybody who runs a hotel business is familiar with parasites, from bedbugs to people who claim they found a mouse in their salad. Cohen has simply switched roles from a fixer against parasites, to an actual parasite, which is a role many in the media are familiar with
Cohen is a willing victim of Trump’s self serving and greedy life. McConnell, Ryan and dozens of other Republicans are no different, aligning themselves with a malevolent but powerful force that cares not about them, to gain some crumbs.
All of them should be ashamed; neither money nor some judges and tax cuts are worth selling your soul for yet that is what they have done.
3
Many unlikable, sleazy, and despicable folks have sung sweet songs in attempts to save themselves while bringing down their even less savory bosses. Let's hope this music is a familiar tune.
1
This is all based on the fact that liberals, like Charles Blow, have refused since day one to accept the election of Trump as president under the United States Constitution. So, they perceive it as a good thing that a snake is prepared to attempt to undermine the presidency with dirt on issues with women, financial dealings and Russian "attempts" to disrupt American politics. Voters in 2016 knew already there were issues with women (as there were with Clinton, Kennedy and others). And there are always going to be financial issues. Again, look at the Clinton Foundation and Bill and Hillary's inflated speaking fees. And, to date, no evidence of any material collusion with the Russians--more on the democratic side, if anything.
@ATF The Clinton Foundation and the Clintons' speaking fees came when they were again private citizens and no longer in the White House.
2
What Trump has to fear from Cohen is his ability to corroborate other witnesses testimony.
3
No impeachment, no possibility of redemption.
Wow! There is no redemption for Cohen.
Two for the price of one...could we add journalists to attorneys who have access to information about criminal conduct as well?
2
Blow dislikes Trump and Cohen.
His Opinions are dedicated to attacking them as well as Republicans, conservatives, and others who disagree with his strong political views.
Today's Opinion continues his series of political diatribes which are mind numbing in their repetition.
3
@jck Can anybody with a soul not dislike Cohen and The Donald?
4
Lanny Davis is a “fixer” as sleazy as they come. He represented Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewensky fall-out - Lanny was responsible for a methodical campaign to smear the young intern in the press.
In the summer of 2010, Davis signed a $1 million annual contract to represent one of the most corrupt despots in the world, President Obiang, who has ruled Equatorial Guinea for over three decades and is accused of countless human rights abuses throughout his tenure.
He represented Laurent Gbagbo, the democratically ousted president of the Ivory Coast who refused to step down after losing a presidential election. After national press shined light on their relationship, Lanny stepped down.
He has represented sleazy U.S. businessmen and politicians who require a skilled attorney/ PR person to deal with ugly, sordid situations.
I certainly hope Trump’s alleged transgressions are proved true and he’s driven from office and I am happy to see Michael Cohen flipping - but Lanny Davis is as sleazy a weasel as the rest of these sordid characters.
Funny that people think Michael Cohen has anything bad on Donald Trump. By all accounts Donald Trump was careful to obey the law. Certainly no one, including Robert Mueller, has given any indication that they have evidence that Donald Trump committed a crime. Why think that he did?
Michael Cohen is in trouble for reasons unrelated to Donald Trump. He played hardball, and that's a hard game to play. Looks like he lost. Too bad. But it's not going to help to have made an enemy of Donald Trump.
You can hate Donald Trump for his style and/or his actions. But that doesn't mean he committed a crime. Those who think Michael Cohen can rat him out overestimate the power of a rat. He only had one recording of Donald Trump, and we've heard it. Nothing criminal there.
1
So Trump’s accountant is under subpoena why, then?
YOU don’t have evidence that Trump committed a crime. Unless you’re on Mueller’s team, or a prosecutor from SDNY, I don’t much care what you have.
2
@Kim Murphy Trump's accountant has been called to testify in front of the grand jury investigating Michael Cohen. Not Donald Trump.
As to evidence of Donald Trump's alleged crimes, no one has shown any evidence that Donald Trump committed a crime. Sure, someone might have some. So might they have evidence that the CIA killed Kennedy. Or the moon landings were faked. Or Barack Obama was born in Kenya.
Those who say Donald Trump committed a crime have to prove. Those who say he didn't don't.
Did anyone else think when you heard the news clip of Giuliani speaking of an "incredible liar" who has "been lying for years" and has a "tremendous motive to lie now." and that he had credibility was talking about Trump only to find that it was Cohen? Its is amazing that when Trump or his "fixers" speak how they project all his qualities onto others.
4
If the stool pigeon took the Mueller birdseed, what would they sow that we already don’t know. That the narc is a mark and the pres is a perp? That their britches are soiled and the election despoiled by influences who toiled to topple? To wit, the probe will continue, the Chaff to be winnowed and the seed to be sown and alas that the election was thrown?
1
Normally, people try to get on the boss's 'good side' to get promoted. Does Donald Trump have a 'good side'?
4
@bnc Ask Ivanka. I bet she's the only one who knows.
To paraphrase an old saying, we can expect Michael Cohen to do the right thing - if he has no other choice.
1
Cohen is clearly setting HIMSELF up for what he perceives to be the next stage. He is trying to cultivate a new image, i.e., that of a patriot. Let's call him a reluctant patriot or a reformed sleaze bag. But let's not go so far as to say that Cohen is reclaiming the mantle of democracy that has been besmirched by his former boss. Cohen is a guy who wants to keep the cash flowing to his coffers and to stay out of jail. Nothing mystical about that but hardly a profile in courage.
1
I picture all of these guys — Trump, Trump Jr., Michael Cohen, Manafort, Flynn and friends — as members of a gang known for parading around with pit bulls trained to attack anybody who threatens their dirty businesses or seeks to expose them to the law.
Now somehow members of the gang find themselves in an arena, where their own dogs have been unleashed. There’s a big audience. And it turns out these snarling, mistreated dogs are not loyal to their owners.
The guys in this arena are now seeing Dog Attacks from a whole new angle. They’re on the receiving end. They’re shivering. Protecting parts of their bodies with their hands. They ain’t gladiators.
And who’s the umpire of this new blood sport? Give him credit. Robert Mueller. Even the dogs shy away from him.
4
I love your analogy but as a pit bull lover and owner I prefer that your characters have mean cats.
1
I think it will take many years after Trump goes to clean up the mess that he brought. First they really need to disinfect the White House!
4
@Cancun Charlie I agree. Followed by a quick rinse in the House to spin McCon and his gang out.
Mark Twain would have loved these characters. Yankee scoundrels entwined together by tape recordings of each other, taking their final swipes as they sink to the bottom of the Mississippi. If only it were fiction.
4
One only needs to change one word from his "“take a bullet for the president,” to “take a bullet FROM the president,” to make it correct now.
That is where Cohen is right now, getting a verbal onslaught bullet.
1
"Now, Trump’s new fix-it man, the rambling, incoherent Rudy Giuliani, is on a mission to discredit Cohen."
I could not help but think as I watch Giuliani's rants: "He is a serial liar; he's been lying his whole life; was he lying then or is he lying now" etc., etc., ad nauseam. He could be describing the current occupant in the Oval Office. The irony.
4
As stories about Trump and his father and their attachment to criminal elements now swirl around us, I cannot fathom why it took so long for them to be subjected to this level of scrutiny. Geez, we always knew they conducted sleazy and possibly illegal businesses.
1
Trump claimed, "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue... and I wouldn’t lose voters." Well, figuratively speaking, Cohen may be standing on 5th Avenue, and your voters probably won't get another chance after Cohen sings. It's disgusting what Cohen and his tapes will do to you.
2
Very interesting that Rudy G is now characterizing Cohen as a long time liar and manipulator.
Isn't that exactly what Trump would look for in a lawyer?
And also interesting that Rudy has himself morphed from a mob busting prosecutor to a mob lawyer.
4
It appears that Giuliani is testing any bizarre defense he can find. Now he’s wondering if collusion is really a crime. In what bizarro universe is it acceptable for a US presidential candidate to conspire with an adversarial government such as Russia to try and tip the election in his favor? Giuliani says Cohen has no credibility and is a serial liar. Funny but that description fits his boss better than Michael Cohen. If Cohen was so untrustworthy then why did Trump keep him around for all those years and entrust him with cleaning up all his messes. Both Trump and Giuliani know that Trump is heading for big trouble with Mueller that’s why there’s all this smoke and mirrors defensive posturing. Trump knows that it takes one despicable character to know another and that man is Michael Cohen.
We need to make sure that this November there are enough Democrats elected to Congress to make sure that Mueller’s report is accepted and acted on.
4
Very good analysis, Mr. Blow. Michael Cohen is the Zelig in Trump's life, hovering around every sordid moment in the career of a man whose one talent happens to be surprisingly effective as his "terrible two" presidency attests; Trump may be the most successful con artist in modern history.
Exposing the "Wizard's" chains and pulleys would indeed be a great service to the nation. Let's hope Mr. Cohen cares about some form of redemption.
2
Since this administration so closely resembles a Goodfellas movie (or Badfellas as the Times once described) it would seem that Cohen is the Ray Liotta charecter Henry Hill and Trump is Paul Sorvino, the Paulie Cicero character.
2
I didn’t think that it was possible, but you portrayed Mr. Cohen as a sympathetic character.
Why ??
Michael Cohen belongs in a witness protection program. And I don't know what kind of "honor" that he could salvage from the wreckage of his "relationship" with Donald Trump.
What's all problematic here is Cohen's word vs. Trump's word. How this shakes out will determine much--or not very much. You see, Mr. Blow, Cohen's testimony must supported by facts--recorded tapes without any doubt as to who is speaking; hard, clear, irrefutable documents that show proof of collusion; and/or unimpeachable evidence of willful intent to sidestep the law in the case of political activities or in outright criminal behavior.
As a private citizen, I would be more than inclined to believe Cohen because he once held the keys to Trump's kingdom. That combination lock is now in the hands of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller, a man the president tweeted earlier today is as compromised and untrustworthy in the mold of James Comey and Andrew McCabe.
Cohen is frightened but I have no sympathy for him. He put himself in this position. He once thought he was bulletproof and didn't need to wear a vest. He thought that his don (pun intended) could command the forces needed to protect him as long as he remembered the law of Omertà.
All of us who have seen The Godfather films remember what happened to Frankie "Five Angels" Pentangeli when he was in "witness protection." His life ended in a Roman bathtub--by his own hand, figuratively taking a bullet for his own don.
Will great art imitate tawdry life?
1
How about this scenario? Cohen could be angling for two wishes. However, as needed and pertinent, his benefactor(s) might make it two for the price of three. So, One: pardon. Two: massive offshore payment.Three........... assisted suicide.
not in my mind he wont.
Thanks for putting this in The Times, Charles. I'm mystified why the "paper of record" that claims to report "All the News that's Fit to Print" has totally ignored (had a blackout) on what appears to be a very significant story indicating that Michael Cohen has an important story to tell about payments to women and the infamous Trump Tower meeting. Why he hasn't formally "flipped" yet is equally mysterious as is who really leaked the story that Cohen can answer the silver bullet questions, "What did he [Donald Trump] know [about the Trump Tower meeting]? And, "When did he know it?" If true, this puts Donald Trump Sr. and Jr. is very serious legal jeopardy. The fact that Rudy the Mouth is calling Cohen a "liar" is as laughable as anything on late night TV. If Cohen can point to other who corroborate what he claims, then as one of Nixon's aides famously said, "The ball games over!" Meanwhile, it's possible that Cohen has flipped and this is a planned leak to bait The Don and The Mouth and "all the President's men." If so, Mueller now has them on tape.
1
Michael Cohen was more than happy to be the "fixer" for the Trump Crime Family. It's highly unlikely that Cohen will ever do the decent, honorable, or patriotic thing. He's a low life like his former "client" DJT.
6
Cohen rolling over on Trump is like a Mafia guy ratting out his boss. Neither person has an ounce of humanity, compassion, or kindness and are full of themselves to the extent they believe they're actually above the law because they're such cool insiders. Cohen is a despicable ambulance chaser who carried water for Trump for years in exchange for being treated like dirt. None of any of these guys' behavior makes a whit of sense to normal people and thank God for that.
2
By ratting, Cohen will not 'purchase' a sliver of redemption, nor will he salvage even less than the 'tiniest bit of honor' for himself. He'll simply be ratting out to save his own rancid skin, which is what a rat does. That said, the rest of us could benefit greatly from this sleaze spewing ultimately his tangerine-tinted bile. But as in sausage-making, we have no need or desire to watch the process as it occurs.
"Cohen alleges that he was present, along with several others, when Trump was informed of the Russians’ offer by Trump Jr. By Cohen’s account, Trump approved going ahead with the meeting with the Russians, according to sources.” No one seems to know with certainty who leaked the information. It would seem to be to no one's advantage to do so. If it is true, I only hope the allegation can be corroborated. I doubt if any member of Trump's family would tell the truth about that meeting. Such corroboration would most likely have to come from someone facing charges themselves. While there appear to be lots of tapes, transcripts, and emails, we do not know as of yet, if they contain information that could show Trump's involvement in anything unlawful.
I am wary that the unsavory Cohen will (under duress) do the right thing by testifying truthfully. Trump's mouthpiece, Giuliani is threatening to take Cohen down (whatever that means). Perhaps that is just bullying pseudo tough guy bluster, but the Teflon Don occupying the White House, has no compunction whatsoever about doing whatever it takes to destroy the credibility of Cohen. Cohen has very little credibility to begin with, and if Trump releases any damning information about him, will he even be believed if he does tell the truth? I must confess I would have a difficult time believing the man now unless there were airtight corroboration to back up the testimony. He could also still choose to "take a bullet" for Trump.
Trump has always bullied those who work for him and re loyal to him. He expect loyalty, he does not give loyalty. It is always a one-way street. Thus far, the one-way street policy has worked well for Trump because he was a private citizen dealing with goons in the construction business. Now that he is POTUS, these tactics are slowly falling apart. How sweet it is that Trump may have finally met his nemesis in Cohen, his personal lawyer-cum-fixer.
5
I’m curious as to where & how the Daily Beast reporter got that lengthy, threatening quote purportedly made by Michael Cohen? Did he tape the conversation? Assuming that Cohen in fact uttered those outrageous threats, he should have put his talents and skills to good use ... and applied for a fixer job with Tony Soprano.
At this point, I don’t care what Cohen’s done if he’s willing to become Mueller’s John Dean. Dean only came clean when it was apparent that Nixon was going to throw him under the bus and back it up over him and it seems like Cohen’s in the same situation. The tapes are an added bonus, and it’d be nice if he could take down Hannity too.
8
As a lawyer he should be disbar. But, he should still do some jail time. Maybe he can redim his soul. God is merciful and full of grace.
Just thinking.... perish the thought, but if Michael Cohen were to have an "accident," before testifying in court, would that render his anticipated testimony null and void? Can someone address my concern?
@john jackson Yes. Unless he has written it all down and signed it with witnesses.
@Norma,
Thanks. So, unless he has written it all down and signed by witnesses, he might want to avoid taking walks at night??
Earlier today it was another Cohen who said it better than anyone what needed to be said. For Jews like myself Jesus is and always will be a wiser, always righteous older brother who always does the right thing.
Twice today Steven Cohen Democrat 9th congressional district Tennessee said what only another Cohen could say, he said, Michael may have had a come to Jesus moment.
I am also a Canadian and it was the early 19th century writer and statesman Thomas Chandler Haliburton whose most famous character Sam Slick from Slicksville said "When a man is wrong and won't admit it, he always gets angry."
Trump , Guillianni and Cohen were very angry men but something in Michael Cohen seemed to have changed, he seemed to have let go of his anger. Could it be that he really had a come to Jesus moment and admitted to himself he has been wrong.
Trump is not the Messiah nor the anti-Christ he is a very flawed human being, if I was doing branding I would call Trump the UnJesus.
Until the 18th century Judaism had been not about good and evil but balance our Messiahs like David and Saul have always been flawed and we have no devil. In a country without balance Steven Cohen's come to Jesus moment comment seems the voice of truth coming from a very dense fog.
3
Just one piece of 'hard copy' corroboration about the Trump Tower meeting before it happened, and Cohen will become the 'darling' of the liberal community.
Will this be Week 2 of the Trump Theater of the Absurd?
3 Liars trading barbs about who is the worst, the bestest Liar. Between Trump, Cohen and Giuliani it's hard to pin the gold star of supreme achievement. Let us not forget that this disgusting display involves our President.
None of these men will earn any redemption. Trump has yet again taken the office of POTUS to new lows. It's all about his survival.
Why at this point anyone would want to see Trump continue to sit in the Oval Office is beyond me. It's not even a matter of a proven "crime" so much as the total lack of character, ethics and morality which Trump displays daily which makes him truly unfit to be POTUS. He is a pathological manipulator and Liar.
Well, some see this man for what he is and is not. I can not explain those who still see a man worthy of the office he holds.
Trump and Giuliani reek of desperation and Cohen is finally standing up for himself as only a fraudster can. Cohen is now being treated to the Trump hit back hard, something he did to others for Trump for so many years. He knows what's coming.
1
Redemption is a large concept with which Mr Cohen isn’t familiar, wasn’t for decades and won’t be in the future. He’s simply netted but the same untutored oily bully’s bully who threatened children to do his master’s bidding. If he had cared about his family he wouldn’t have threatened the families of others, nor would he now betray the man who fed him. If he had honor he would commit sideways, as burlesque comics called it. But he’s a coward as is his master, as are all bullies, the Bannons of this moment, and the Millers, and the weepy white nationalists they champion. All will fall, and we may learn most when Trump the fake president must choose between his children and himself. If Mr Cohen truly seeks redemption he will find it in good works done in darkness without reward or posturing. Until then he remains the rat in the toilet bowl looking up, and that is a creature in search of rescue not redemption.
5
Cohen and Trump are quite similar in their lack of character. Both will say and do anything. Cohen is concerned only with Cohen; Trump is concerned only with Trump. All the rats are scurrying.
Michael Cohen does NOT take a bullet.
1
Cohen's redemption aside, Giuliani's rapid and willing descent into his own hellish abyss from "America's Mayor" to Trump "Fixer" is a sad testament to his corrupt and decaying character.
7
What does it say of the character of a man when every person associated with him is a loathsome leach?
Dishonest Donald has not exactly surrounded himself with the Best and the Brightest?
More like the wretched of the earth?
8
@BobbyBow What does it say of the character of a man when he associates himself with trump, a loathsome exploiter and abuser? That is the question.
1
I love watching how Giuliani’s eyes almost pop out of his head when he describes Cohen as being a “lifetime liar.” He’s so rabid, so animated, so . . . unconvincing, that I’m just waiting for America’s Mayor’s teeth to fall out. Now there’s someone who’s taking a bullet for Trump. Now he’s a liar, too. So what we are seeing and reading about is the doings of a real Pack of Liars.
The Story of the Three Stooges.
Let’s not forget that the King of Lies, Donald Trump, lies to everyone including Michael Cohen. It’s entirely possible that what info Michael Cohen has on Trump is based on lies and therefore, essentially deniable. Trump plays Cohen as he plays everyone else: i.e. Cohen has nothing.
Perhaps Michael Avenatti has it right. Cohen wants it both ways and if he really wants to save himself the only way is for him to come clean and reveal all the information he has on Trump. Otherwise, he’s just playing games. 'Those who know don't tell and those who tell don't know.'
1
And can there be any doubt who ordered the mob-like threat to Stephanie Clifford (Stormy) and her child?
5
No more than an ambulance chaser.
3
**RESUBMISSION** Thanks for putting this in The Times, Charles. I'm mystified why the "paper of record" that claims to report "All the News That's Fit to Print" has totally ignored (had a blackout) on what appears to be a very significant story indicating that Michael Cohen has an important information about payments to women and more significantly the infamous Trump Tower meeting. Why he hasn't formally "flipped" yet is equally mysterious as is who really leaked the story that Cohen can answer the silver bullet questions, "What did he [Donald Trump] know [about the Trump Tower meeting]? And, "When did he know it?" If true, this puts Donald Trump Sr. and Jr. in very serious legal jeopardy. The fact that Rudy the Mouth is calling Cohen a "liar" is as laughable as anything on late night TV. If Cohen can point to others who corroborate what he claims, then as one of Nixon's aides famously said, "The ball game's over!" Of course, it's possible that Cohen has already flipped and this is a planned leak to bait The Don and The Mouth and "all the President's men." If so, Mueller now has them on tape.
@Paul Wortman As a newspaper, the NYT cannot comment. It can only report on what is actually happening, it can cite quotes that are attributable.
Opinion column writers, like Charles Blow, can express their own opinions based on personal takens on these issues. When--and, if--such things are proven, the NYT can legally headline them in their reporting.
Whoa! Let's hold off there Lone Ranger and everyone else for congratulating Cohen as some kind of patriotic American. He's just another Sleazy guy like his former boss Don the Con who got caught. The only consolation is that it sometimes takes forever, if at all, for these crooks to be held accountable. You can always see where they've been by following the trail of their slime. Muller is doing just that and this is why Trump is so scared that we'll eventually find out just exactly why Trump supports a murderer and dictator like Putin.
3
All this is coming down to a he-she said moment. Of course I believe the FBI, CIA, the DOJ under Rosenstein and Muller above trump and his pals any day. I also believe Cohen and his attorney. I would call Cohen a ethical gangster, he lied, cheated and bullied all the while to help trump. I would call trump, Giuliani and palls just gangsters. They would throw anybody under the bus.
4
Cohen should talk to John Dean. They have alot in common and Dean might be able to convince Cohen that he should just do the right thing. Dean is now called upon to attest to his place in history,he's not a piranha.
5
Mr. Blow, two things you should know by now:
Trump, Cohen, and the rest of that mob are major sleazeballs and act accordingly.
native NYers, especially those from the outer boroughs and inner ring suburbs, all talk that way. I know I do.
1
Trump learned the "art of the deal" as a developer in NYC. His teachers were Mafia heavies, union bosses, fixers, bagmen, and other bullies and lackeys.
We are taught from grade school onward that the genius of American democracy is that anyone can become president, including even Tony Soprano. For all practical purposes, the current occupant of the White House IS Tony Soprano.
1
Michael Cohen will come through for one reason . The Feds have millions of documents from his office. It is not possible for him to refute their content once under oath and under cross examination.
It's really an easy call on his part. When Special Counsel tenders a document that reveals what actually happened, his answer will be the only thing it can be: 'Yep, that's how it went down'.
1
Desperate times call for desperate measures.... Et tu Trump ?
"Rudy Giuliani, is on a mission to discredit Cohen"
As I read the op-ed Giuliani floats up to the top. He's a big mouth and don't understand why anyone in their right mind would want him as their lawyer. He just shoots his mouth off in a scatter gun manner, and its going to come back to haunt him and his "client" someday. Good! Wouldn't be surprised to see Rudy's head on the block in the months ahead either.
Cohen's a lost cause and will sing any song the Special Counsel asks. And he'll do time no matter how much he sings. Good again.
1
So many layers of reprehensible men surround the father of all reprehensible men, Trump. Yes, Cohen, parasite that he is, could help get us out of this mess.
But only women can move us forward. The future is female.
1
It sure seems like Rudy is worried sick about what Mr. Cohen knows about “The Donald”. It could get very awkward for Michael if he describes some sketchy actions for his boss.
2
They always squeal, there is no honor among thieves. That’s a movie myth and an extreme improbability for even a one client Lawyer. And THIS lawyer knows where the metaphorical bodies are buried and where the actual CASH is stashed. And exactly how that cash was acquired, with all the details and, probably, documentation. Follow the Money, but most importantly, follow the Moneys’ Lawyers. The time for escape draws near, Trump Family Syndicate. Pack your Louis Vuitton Bags and prepare to flee, permanently. Perhaps a fabulous Russian Dacha, or three? Putin will surely welcome you ALL, for the right price. That’s what “friends” are for. LOL. Bigly.
3
Does it occur to the stable genius that Giuliani is in this whole thing for himself? He is literally chasing headlines for himself and sabotaging Trump along the way. I love it. But really, how dumb is Trump?
2
Interesting how Giuliani attacks Cohen as a liar. Yes, Cohen is a liar but it seems much of his lying was done for and on behalf of trump. Now Giuliani is lying for trump! What a despicable group of thugs the mobster president has associated with.
Cohen, the unprincipled bully now sings to save himself. What a laugh that he would invoke country as a motive for squealing
Finally, Cohen’s claim regarding the trump tower meeting must be old news to Mr. Mueller. It absolutely defies credulity that trump could have been unaware of the meeting before it happened. He is a control freak and don jr is nothing more than a lapdog. The willingness of Republicans to believe and accept outrageous fantasy is truly astounding.
4
For instance, in 2015 he threatened a Daily Beast reporter who was writing about the time Trump’s first wife, Ivana, claimed Trump had raped her, only to later say that she didn’t want her use of the word rape “to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”
According to that reporter, Cohen erroneously — and outrageously — claimed, “You cannot rape your spouse,” before launching into this tirade:
...
This is not a likable man, or one deserving of sympathy.
______
I agree with your conclusion, but is this not the way many lawyers act in real life, with or without the expletives, particularly in large cities?
2
I agree with everything Mr. Blow has to say except the redemption part. Michael Cohen is an irredeemable human being who deserves all the misery he's currently experiencing. And don't think Trump won't pardon him. Whatever that coward can do to save his own skin is what he will do. I just hope Cohen is mean and nasty enough to still serve a purpose in this life by giving his former boss a taste of his own medicine.
4
Michael Cohen is very much like the character John Proctor in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, who at the end of Act III at the Salem trial defended himself by declaring:
"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life. Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name!"
Thank you Michael Cohen.
1
After giving a full accounting of his notorious “fixer years”, spent shoveling up all of Trump’s multifaceted doodoo, to the Mueller investigators and negotiating a favorable plea deal, Cohen will probably land a multimillion dollar book deal with a major publisher. Then there will be the riveting and lucrative movie version of the sordid time Cohen spent administering to his amoral client. In typically American fashion, Cohen will eventually rise from the ashes and prosper, evolving into a media folk hero, the ultimate insider who helped bring down the most corrupt and unfit President in U.S. history. A bright, exciting, and famous future awaits him. He will be a much sought after campus speaker.
1
@John Grillo
he won't collect on anything as he will most likely be killed.
I sense some parallels between Michael Cohen and Lee Atwater. Atwater (for those of you much younger than I) was George H. W. Bush’s dirty trickster (a “hatchet man”).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Atwater
While never charged with a crime, Lee Atwater, in the final days of his life…dying from brain cancer at age forty…publically regretted his association with Bush.
I’m wrong a lot…but it seems that Michael Cohen, now under legal siege, has been forced to wonder what he has gotten in return for selling his soul to “Misturr Trump”.
2
A rat who does not want go down with the ship. Good enough.
2
It is laughable to hear Rudy Giuliani now call Michael Cohen a known liar and say that he had long been warned about Cohen.
So how could Giuliani have so recently praised Cohen?
And what does it say about Trump himself that he spent years attached to a bad element?
5
Giuliani is so incoherent and so indiscrete he will get Trump indicted.
Grace?
Karma?
Luck?
You decide.
5
Cohen is the mafia agent that has turned against the crime family. He could get a sliver of dignity, but he has to save us from Trump to even get that. I question whether he has the proof to save us from Trump. Trump seems pretty untouchable right now.
Cohen, for all of his posturing, will roll over on Trump in a NY minute. Why? Because he is afraid of going to live in prison for 2-5 years. He'll sing like a canary and squeal like a stuck pig. If it's a choice between Trump, or doing a stretch in stir,
Trump is toast. He's not going to get banged up over Trump. And if it turns out he really does have the goods on Trump....then good on hum.
2
Only a masochist would twist the tail of the tiger. The irony of Cohen "saving" the Republic is to laugh.
Michael Cohen is is in the perfect position for a white collate or non-violent criminal. He can make a deal with the prosecutors, do less than 24 months in prison. Then he can publish a tell all book and make a small fortune.
2
How amusing that giuliani calls cohen a pathological, manipulative liar. Does rudy overlook the fact that trump has the same traits plus many, many more way too numerous to list.
4
Trump's ultimate fantasy would probably be to shoot each and every one of his enemies on Fifth Avenue while huge crowds cheer him on. So yes, I suppose Cohen would take a bullet for Trump if he becomes the dictator of his dreams.
1
If Cohen turns, stumpy better stock up on 'Depends' so he doesn't soil those expensive, ill=fitting suits....
2
Follow the money. Weisselberg (?) has the goods
1
How far Giuliani has fallen, now he's Trump's fix-it man.
1
@Tom giuliani fell far quite a while back. That is why he fits so well in trump's organizaation.
You just weren't paying attention.
4
It's unfortunate you had to mention Lanny Davis, who certainly is a Clinton lap dog, toady, and sycophant.
Which points up the terrible choices in 2016, once a man of character and integrity, Bernie Sanders (who you, Mr. Blow foolishly didn't support and instead talked about "Bernie 'splainin), was eliminated with a rigged primary.
So now we've got the blight of Trump and the underworld likes of Cohen.
3
@srwdm
I too supported Bernie, but you have to stop. She won and she won without the super delegates. Democrats have to face the truth even if Republicans won’t and don’t want to.
Repeating untruths does not make them true. Even Benedict Donald is about to find that out.
2
@celia
As you know, it was rigged beyond the superdelegates.
Not repeating any “untruths”.
The DNC should be ashamed of itself, and they were.
@srwdm The DNC is not ashamed of having supported a real Democrat over an imposter. As a Democrat, I give funds to the DNC to support proven Democrats, not opportunists who think they can borrow the label for the short time it takes us real Democrats to reject them.
re "Now he’s attempting to convert himself from parasite to patriot":
A patriot? Hardly. Michael Cohen is doing nothing nobler than trying to save his own skin.
In a perfect world, he would be sharing a prison cell with Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort or Jared Kushner.
4
@Dotconnector In a perfect world, you would also include the don--donald sr..
1
Mr. Blow,
Right now it does not seem Trump voters care how corrupt and how filthy and indecent Trump is. They love their own ignorance, it is their bliss. They swallow lies like it's candy.
It is time for you and other progressives to concentrate on winning votes, not just the high ground.
2
Ok, but you omit a crucial fact, Mr. Blow. Michael Cohen already stated that Trump did not know about the meeting. Cohen is most likely telling the truth now, of course, but who cares? He is easy to discredit because telling the truth has never been Cohen’s driving purpose.
2
@Darlagirl: He learned how to lie from a master.
2
Sounds like yet another ploy to buoy Trump's approval rating just like Russia, Stormy Daniels, and Playmate of the year Karen McDougal.
1
What will they say about Mr. Cohen once the results of his lie detector are released?
Trump and his crime family syndicate conspired with his Russian masters. It was not an accident.
2
Rats desert a sinking ship.
3
OK, Charles, I generally agree. But what could Cohen have on Trump that is worse than what we already know? We know he is a liar, a cheat, a bully. We know he is a racist. We know he demeans and disrespects woman. We know he cheats on his wives. Unless Cohen has documented proof that the Russians have something even worse on Trump, I can't see that Cohen can hurt Trump. So depressing.
1
Actually Cohen's tirade at the Daily Beast reporter wasn't intimidating as much as it was comedic; like the over-the-top dialogue you hear in a John Waters flick. Cohen is threatening a reporter that if he writes a story, he'll become a vexatious litigant and hound him with frivolous lawsuits. Ooooohhhh! So scared! Cohen is one more example of just how intellectually and ethically laughable the legal profession has become.
1
There is hope that Mr.Cohen will do the right thing. He openly disagreed with Trump on the FBI raid. Cohen said that the FBI were respectful and courteous when they executed the search warrant at his office.Trump claimed the opposite. You know Cohen is heading in the right direction when he places family and COUNTRY ahead of Trump. It may be that Trump did not completely corrupt Cohen.
1
Mr. Blow, you managed to work the word "reciprocal" into this piece. Trump would be pleased.
Donald Trump has ALWAYS had a dirty, immoral reputation, from serial bankruptcies(six), constant lying, stupidity, racism, sexual assaults, philandering, cowardice (multiple Vietnam deferments) misogyny, the list is long, and there is not one redeemable character trait, yet 63% of white men, and 53% of white women voted for this abomination for president. What appealed to these "enlightened" voters? Racism, misogyny, hate mongering, white supremacy, these white voters couldn't get enough, and, disgustingly, still support Trump. Racial hatred goes a long way.
4
Redemption is not easy for any of us.
Last week I counseled a guy who once committed severe and violent crimes. He wants to be a better, more kind and honest man when he gets out of prison.
He had a bad dream the night before.
There was a bullet in his belly, it hurt and had the properties of poison, but was blazing hot. His lungs and mouth were thick with blood. It didn't matter how it got there, he desperately wanted the bullet out of his body, to cough or vomit it up, but he couldn't.
Cohen has a lot of poison in his belly too. Secrets, threats, frauds, lies. Does he even yet know honesty? Yet that he's done wrong? He's going to have to wrestle with his whole universe if he decides to testify for the government. What the world must seem to him.
Lets hope both these guys release whatever is at the center of their misery, which is our misery too, and that all of us repair.
Charles Blow has become the go to columnist for what's up with the Trump resistance. The N.Y. Times needs to give him more space. Thank you Mr. Blow for so plainly articulating the true nature of Trump and his lackies. Your voice will help empower us to finally depose this abomination of a human being who through years of poisonous Republicanism was handed leadership of the free world.
1
@Ed Smith - I wish Blow would spend some time writing about people who can help undo the damage Trump and co. have done.
1
trump is surrounded by a bunch of characters mirroring himself .
They are sycophants,dishonest,disgusting,arrogant,hypocrites,
money and power hungry,pathological liars, without a sliver of morality.
Michael Cohen is one of them,but now that he is about to confront the real possibility of spending time in jail, he is finding a glimmer of common sense and self preservation,turning against his “master”.
I wish he will cooperate fully and his revelations will determine the total collapse of this shameful presidency.
3
Trump is a liar and he needs a well-oiled lying machine. He has found that in Giuliani. Put another nickel in his ear, pull down his arm, put him on Fox and watch him say things that contradict his previous statements. Lies cannot, should not, and will not prevail in the long run.
Now, put another nickel in ...
2
If you need Michael Cohen to tell you the president is a liar and unfit for office, you aren't paying attention.
6
Time and time again, Trump has proven that with the support of his base (who believes whatever nonsense he tweets and ludicrous spins coming out of the Whitehouse), a neutered Congress, and a very strong economy, he will continue to outlive any scandal that would normally destroy other politicians.
Evidence, even as damning as those possessed by Michael Cohen, doesn't mean much anymore in the age of Trump. It's something all rational human beings must come to terms with.
As the NYT columnist Roger Cohen eerily contemplated a few weeks ago in one of his essays, should the case against Trump picks up more momentum and he feels cornered, don't be surprised if Trump incites his base to take to the streets to "protect democracy" from the scheming deep state Democrats. This will inevitably result in confrontation and violence. Trump will then impose martial laws, call in the armed forces, and consolidate his power.
Americans are analogous to frogs being slowly boiled right now. The water temperature is get warmer everyday that Trump is allowed to stay in power, soon it will be too late, if not already. Your democracy will yield completely to fascism.
7
Trump’s base is so ignorant, they think it’s a compliment to say - about them - that they would stay with him even if he shot someone on Fifth Avenue. He insults their intelligence to their faces, and they are too dumb to realize it. God help the United States of America.
3
“I am mad north-north-west: when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw.”
Michael Cohen knows which way the wind is blowing, and it is southerly in Mueller’s direction. Jump the Trump Titanic and save yourself, Michael.
“Earlier this month, Cohen was interviewed by ABC and said this of his loyalties: ‘I put family and country first.’”
When a sleaze like Michael Cohen, up to his eyeballs in business with New York’s “Russian Mafia Family” as well as joined at the hip with a certain, Putin-praising real estate mogul turned president, I would not necessarily assume that the “family and country” Cohen refers to are the ones we might think.
1
Trump's lawyers. Cohen and Guiliani, and back to the infamous Roy Cohn, a true gem. Where did they get that cartoon-like persona of the tough thug who will "take a bullet" out of "loyalty"? New Yorkers, all grew up in the era of the 5 Families, the Mafia who controlled so much: the construction unions, the taxi companies (Cohen), politics and judges (Cohn and Guiliani). And Trump lapping it up as a drooling wanna-be from Queens.
Trump, the Rat-Pack President. As phony as Sammy Davis Jr hugging Richard Nixon.
1
I don't care how dirty he is. If he takes down the entire Trump Crime Family I will personally pin a medal on his chest and kiss him on the lips, with his permission, of course.
6
Charles, Mr.Cohen is a sleaze who is prone to “composing” to save himself. Unless there is a tape to prove it—after all he has so many of them—I’m inclined to believe the President was only informed after the meeting. The solicitous email was sent only to Don Jr. It’s more likely that he organized and held the meeting without notifying this father, hopeful of getting lots of dirt on Hillary so he could then show Daddy how smart and resourceful he was.
Put this column together with Ms. Dowd’s from yesterday and one cannot help but hope Mr. Cohen has a body guard. He’d better get several. And a private detective or two. But I’m sure he’s got his bases covered since he knows how the mafia works. Rat on Mr. Cohen, for the sake of the nation.
3
perhaps mr blow, now clerk of the works in the redemption shop, once mr cohen has qualified for his "sliver," can turn to those of his fellow american citizens deemed "irredeemable" by our former chief judgementalist, despite records of actual achievement far less deplorable, if you will, than mr. blow's new, however odious, friend.
A sliver of redemption? Michael Cohen may sing like a birdie and earn maybe 30 slivers of redemption. We are all "treading (expletive) lightly" at the possible silver bullet Mickey Cohen may take for his alleged possibly-co-conspiritor -- the president of the United States of America -- in Cohen's doling out hush-money for Trump's girl-friends/dolls/extra-marital sweethearts.
Right again, Charles Blow, that Michael Cohen is undeserving of our sympathy if he doesn't lower the boom, take the bullet (only metaphorically) for Donald Trump. And if the presidential candidate knew of the infamous Trump Tower Meeting with Russians on 9 June 2016 -- re "Russian Adoptions" (i.e. "Nothingburger!" said DT, Jr.) -- which turns out to have been a Russian-sourced gathering of mudballs against Hillary Clinton -- Cohen's words will be invaluable. Mickey Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer, was a witness to nefarious doings by our Republican president for many years before his election. If Michael Cohen's life is more than metaphorically in danger, we all hope he has seen the light, the gestalt of true American patriotism versus "alternative truths" and will put his family and country first. Here's hoping Michael Cohen will earn many slivers of redemption for coming clean.
What Cohen knows may be enough to save America from the slime trail left by Trump. If he does he will go down in history as a true hero and patriot.
2
Nonsense.
Mikey Cohen is no "Tom Hagen" and Donnie Trump is no "Don Vito Corleone" from the Godfather cycle.
Cohen is more " Frederico "Fredo" Corleone" and Trump is more " Santino ' Sonny "Corleone" than they are "Michael Corleone ".
2
Charles is still chasing unicorns, as he exalts Clinton’s chief hatchet man and fixer, Lannie Davis.
2
I wonder when the Russian oligarchs tied to Putin (aren't they all?) will start sending hit men to the U.S. to murder witnesses planning to testify against The Con Man?
5
@June
they are already here.
Putin, Netanyahu, Cohen,... The common thread of power is blackmail.
4
Michel supposed to have said that "he WILL take a bullet FOR Trump" bever expecting a bullet FROM Trump. And here they come, a barrage through many guns, I mean mouths ncluding another Mafia Boss Rudy Giuliani. I guess Ruy, while prosecuting the Mafia in New York, also learned their techniques and helped fakeDonald.
Back in the 70's during my divorce from my abusive husband, I remember standing before the judge and my lawyer explaining that my husband had tried to sodomize me.
I remember the judge shrugging his shoulders and saying 'well she is his wife'.
I got out of that marriage and it cost me a lot of money that I didn't have.
But paid for I did. even at the risk of eating beans and can goods for a while.
Yes, there is such a thing as rape during a marriage.
I had to learn to fight like a man to defend myself and yes I endured his sexual attacks by just lying there taunting him to 'just hurry up' and taking a shower and douse afterward.
It's funny (not) how some men still in a position of authority still think women BELONG to their husbands.
5
Movie time, Mr. Blow! Do you like movies? I do. . . .
. . .sometimes.
(1) "Jurassic Park," Do you like dinosaurs? I don't. I have no abiding love for a T Rex. Or a Velociraptor --and I have read: when creating imagery for this dreadful creature, they touched up the mouth. Just a bit.
To heighten that look of malevolent cunning.
BUT. . . .
. . .that huge unlovable T Rex lumbers into the final scene and makes mincemeat of those two velociraptors. . . .
. . .while our quailing humans make a speedy getaway.
See where I'm going with all this?
Some people around Mr. Trump--just a few!--are turning on their chief. Shadows of the clink are falling upon those crafty souls! Sauve qui peut! Every man for himself!
Good riddance, I say!
(2) "All The President's Men." Remember Robert Redford and those dark, surreptitious meetings in the parking garage. As he catches the murmured words of wisdom coming from "Deep Throat."
"Follow the money. . .just follow the money. . .. "
More than anything, Mr. Blow. . ..
. . more than ANYTHING. . . .
. . .isn't THAT the deep dark secret our President (that worthy man) is sitting on?
What on earth is going on with the MONEY?
Why WON'T he reveal his tax returns?
What WILL Mr. Mueller find out--if allowed to?
What DO the Russians have to do with it?
Thanks for your piece, Mr. Blow.
A "sliver of redemption" for Mr. Cohen?
Nah.
3
Mueller has already typed out his subpoena of Cohen, if the court has not already approved it. It's just a matter of time before Mueller's team grills him.
Cohen is not a credible witness, so he will have to back up ALL of his claims with evidence. If he says there were others in the room, they will appear before Mueller as well. The immediate danger is on Trump Jr, because he's in serious perjury jeopardy if Cohen's claim is proven to be true.
4
When Cohen flips
Trump gets a pink slip
4
Mr. Blow, there’s no money in redemption. Ciao!
2
Trump is the Ebola of politics. Anyone who get near him starts hemorrhaging lies from all the orifices in their bodies.
Let's "hope" Mr Cohen has the medicine this country needs, to stop this disease from spreading anymore than it has.
5
It crystal clear that no one in Trumps inner circle has moral and ethical standards that rise to a level of honesty and trust. It's like every other one of theses characters is a double agent and will do what ever they can to protect their client while also watching their own backside. I think Cohan is this type of individual. He does it to survive. As seedy as these new revelations are, Ionly suspect more and more will come. Hopefully Trump and his brood of bag men will get their comeuppance. It can't get much worse.
5
i like that "sliver of redemption." reminds me of the final scene of The Bad Lieutenant, with Harvey Keitel in his car in front of the church.
IMO there have always been donald trumps to play the crowd. The more astute question ought to be "who is willing to pay the price of redemption?..."
2
I think Michael Avenatti has correctly pegged Cohen a thug. He wasn't a "fixer" he was in the business of "thuggery" and threatening people on behalf of demented Donald. He wasn't a deal maker, he was a silencer who used all available means at his discretion, lawful and unlawful.
Avenatti is correct: Cohen is a thug.
4
Cohen has no where to go, so he might as well tell the truth. I would bet that the Trump pardon is already off the table.
Hopefully the Prosecutors offer Cohen nothing. Once he has testified and the case is closed, that is another matter.
It will be the Judge's responsibility to sentence Cohen.
Perhaps the judge will be lenient, maybe not
2
Nothing that Cohen says can be taken at face value unless backed by documents or other witnesses. When it comes to lying he is in the same class as Trump. That he was in the same room as Trump when his eminence approved the meeting with Russians is plausible but unless someone else at that meeting confirms it no jury will believe it. The more damming to Trump may be a paper trail confirming a slew of shady real estate deals with laundered Russian money. Payments to mistresses are not going to harm Trump any more than a tape boasting about grabbing women by the p.. did, even of they are considered a violation of campaign rules. As far as his supporters are concerned campaign rules are there to be broken.
10
Maybe Mr. Blow is right. But, more likely, we are witnessing a public negotiation of a pardon for Mr. Cohen, who has to convince Trump that he really will talk if not sheltered from prosecution. My bet is that, in the end, if Trump thinks Cohen will in fact give testimony against him, the pardon will be forthcoming. Not a single Trump supporter would have any problem with this outcome.
9
@Lee N
The warning first appeared in Cohen's RNC resignation letter.
Issues with a pardon are that Cohen would likely still have to answer prosecutor's questions and that there are likely potential State charges that could result.
1
Nothing will happen to Trump. The Republican Congress won’t act, and if they do, President Pence will pardon him, and nearly half of the country will feel justice is served and vindicated. Reality doesn’t exist anymore in this new world order of Trumpian reality TV. How one man can turn the world upset down is astonishing. But I guess it has happened before.
32
I may have to,see my doctor about reactions I’m having when I see photos of these miscreants in the Administration and in Congress.
-when I see Trump or Cohen I feel the need for a shower.
-when I see Giuliani, I break into raucous laughter.
-when I see Pruit, DeVos, Ross, et.al. , I grind my teeth
-when I see McConnell or Ryan, I make sure I still have my wallet
-when I see Manafort, the shower urge again.
Anyone else having physical reactions to these members of Trump’s Hall of Infame?
52
@Patrick alexander
Adapted from The New Yorker two weeks ago:
Trump Tweets are not for everyone. Do not read Trump Tweets if you suffer from high blood pressure or are susceptible to alternative facts, historical misrepresentations, or conspiracy theories. Common side effect include headache, confusion, changes in mood, family arguments and, in some instances, vomiting. Profound shame at being an American citizen has been known to occur. If a sudden urge to move to Canada lasts for more than four months, see your travel agent. Stop reading Trump Tweets immediately if you experience thoughts of ramming your fist through a wall. Studies have shown that Trump Tweets have a more harmful effect on women. If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, be sure to read carefully, especially those concerning cuts to neonatal care. Avoid driving while taking in Trump Tweets. Instances of driving off a cliff have been reported. Excessive consumption of alcohol while reading Trump Tweets is permissible. In fact, it is encouraged. Trump Tweets have been shown to cause a rise in Neo-Nazi behavior among certain individuals with a family history of bigotry. Sudden stoppage of reading Trump Tweets have been known to result in feelings of euphoria and an over-all better feeling about oneself. These effects are temporary. In rare instances, you may find yourself agreeing with Trump Tweets. Seek professional help immediately.
3
@Carter Joseph...didn’t see this. Thanks.
@Patrick alexander
Yep. Seeing any of them, with Sarah Sanders and Mike Pence thrown in for good measure, makes me feel like I'm going to vomit.
Michael Cohen "will salvage" not even "a tiny bit of honor from a life of dishonor." Just like Trump, Cohen's "life of dishonor" defines his essential nature. Patriotism is not a commodity acquired overnight in a frantic move to save one's own skin.
If Cohen helps bring our execrably unprecedented president to account, so much the better but let's not kid ourselves that Cohen has somehow enshrouded himself in a mantle of nobility.
He's still the same, lovable Michael Cohen, one of Trump's "best of the best."
16
I really, really hope that you are right!
20
It is against the law to accept help from a foreign government in a federal election. The Trump campaign has admitted that they wanted help from the many Russian offers of help, The only unsettled proof is did Trump know and when did he know it? We know he is the source of the lie that was offered about the reason for the Trump Tower meeting. Why did they lie? They lied because the truth ties the President directly to the foreign involvement. Lock him up!
93
and throw away the key.
@tom
His claim at the rally that he'd have significant dirt on HRC the following week (right after the Tower meeting) leaves little room for doubt- he knew of it in advance!
4
@tom, it is Trump, many people around him, and I believe many Republicans in and out of Congress along with the NRA. Such a shame for a party that once had some honor. Please vote in November and in 2020. Save our country
The Trump Tower meeting is where the conspiracy was consummated. The Russian government set up an encrypted web site with the stolen emails for private viewing the day before that meeting. In the days immediately following that meeting the stolen emails were released to the public.
Whichever Americans they invited to view that stolen information are the co-conspirators. We don't need anyone's testimony only their computer history.
If Trump was aware of the theft or distribution of that stolen material he is guilty of conspiracy. We already know he is guilty of obstructing justice after the fact with his cover up letter for Don Jr.
57
Can anyone be so delusional and I include Trump supporters in this to believe the Man who said I alone can fix it, would be somehow kept out of the planning for a meeting involving his Son, Son in law and campaign Manager with a Russian promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.
It’s truly laugh out loud funny that he would not have known within minutes of Don junior receiving the email proposing a meeting. The question is are there others who will add to Cohens statement of prior knowledge my guess is that Mueller has known this for a long time.
64
Cohen taped because he knew that Trump taped. That means there are Trump tapes.
Someone needs to subpoena those Trump tapes.
19
Whether seen as selfless or selfish, whether prompted by self-preservation or newfound scruples, if Michael Cohen can offer decisive testimony against The Donald, delivering, once and for all, a mortal blow to Trump's political fortunes, I say, give the man his sliver. It's a small price to pay.
20
If promoting the idea Cohen is a patriot is what it takes to bring down Trump, then welcome home Paul Revere! No one who's been paying attention will be fooled. Cohen still won't be invited to the better social events in Manhattan. But his book will sell a zillion. And our insatiable TV culture will keep him busy for a good while. If that's not enough, there the movie and the docudrama to keep him busy.
He can be the Meyer Lansky of our time, without the organization, watching Yankee games from a penthouse condo somewhere in Florida. It's a much better outcome than rotting for decades in a federal prison.
23
letting NY state attorneys investigate Cohen was a classic move to isolate trump from interfering with this office. this office is off limits to his obfuscation and twitter tirades.
seems to me that the man that has ascended to the top of Mt.Hubris has no idea that crumbs and cracks are forming in the base.
36
Cohen is playing a dangerous game of leverage - pardon vs. special prosecutor witness with a deal or immunity vs. Putin taking him out with one of those untraceable nerve agents and then making us all wonder if Trump ordered it.
13
He is putting himself first; not family or country but I’ll take it any way I can get it.
21
And how will all this play out with Trump's base? Will they again shrug off all of Trump's misdeeds? Or will they finally wake up to the reality that Trump has been running a con game on them?
25
@Sandy I think they know it's a con and don't care. They want white conservative judges, Roe v Wade overturned, guns for all and tough talk at foreigners, who they find easy to blame after Hillary and Obama. Trump feeds their anger, real or fake, doesn't matter.
1
No redemption purchases going on here - there's is no soul left to redeem.
Cohen's just trying to purchase lesser prison time. As they say, he would sell out his grandmother in a heartbeat.
17
first, he would take out a loan against her from a Ukranian mobster.
but he's no Roy Cohn, who got his in the end.
In the 2016 election, Trump won 36.5% of the vote in New York - his home state! Who knows Trump better than New Yorkers. What does that say to and about voters in the middle of the country?
14
@Nancy And in the 2016 election, Trump won less than 10% of the vote in Manhattan!!
Is there anything more ridiculous than the lawyer for the mother of all pathological liars accusing someone else of being a pathological liar.
Can you imagine how easy it would be to impeach Trump's testimony were he to ever take the stand?
Let me be clear here: I do not trust Michael Cohen - but Donald Trump is literally among the least trustworthy persons alive on the planet today.
Rudy, I know that you're a groveling has been, a man who sold his soul in a wasted attempt to be a major player within in the GOP, but do try to not unduly insult our intelligence.
76
Remember the guy that was purported to have made a secret trip to Prague to coordinate with the Russians? The guy who showed his passport's lack of a visa for the Czech Republic as proof that he had not been to Prague on Trump's behalf to meet with Russians? That was Cohen. And it was reported months ago that Meuller has information from Steele that it was indeed Cohen. So maybe we get to find out about that. Pretty direct evidence of collusiion by Trump with a foreign power to influence the US election, I would say.
42
My guess is that at the state level Cohen did something illegal, bigly. Something that would not be eligible for a Trump pardon. It’s all calculus and no morals with the lot of them.
6
Cohen's long-time job was to protect Donald Trump. Both knew it, and both made assumptions about where it would take them. Both, it seems, were wrong. Now, Cohen realizes that his job is to stay out of prison, and preserve what passes as a normal life for him and his family.
He may have gone to what is regarded as the worst law school in the country and, certainly, he appears not to have had what could politely be called a distinguished legal practice. While his intellectual smarts might not rightly be regarded as stellar, it is his street smarts, learned at the feet of his master, which could end up being what matters.
Cohen may still be smart enough to realize that it is his past which offers him a shred of hope for a passable future. He may have learned from his long-time mentor, Mr. Trump, that life is, indeed, a zero-sum game, and in this game, in order for Cohen to win, Trump has to lose.
Caveat emptor, Mr. President. Check and, time may tell, checkmate.
33
The never ending news cycle is now that the tapes released to CNN were cut off. Looking at this as a poker game, Cohen holds the tapes which are purported to incriminate DJT's prior knowledge of the playmate payoff and potentially the Trump Tower meeting. Neither DJT or Cohen own up to leaking the tape.
Is it possible that Cohen leaked it with the incriminating aspects cut off? Continuing the poker metaphor, if Cohen has the full tape this would strengthen his hand with the other players at the table; The Southern District of NY, Mueller and DJT.
3
There is an attorney-client privilege. The attorney may not reveal information obtained about the client as a result of the attorney-client relationship.
Cohen should be enjoined from disclosing information gleaned while doing business with his client.
6
Clearly you are ignorant of law - the privilege may not be used to conceal a crime.
2
@MIKEinNY
Criminal intent overides that
2
His client waved it.
''Cohen was going down. The only question was how he would manage the descent. '' - I am always fascinated by how defendants react when they are presented with overwhelming evidence of their guilt.
Having said that, does he think he is going to get a helping hand, pardon, or by some other grace, given immunity to all of the ills that he initiated ? The descent is not a slow rolling boulder down a moderately steep hill - it is free fall from 30,000 feet with no parachute and only seconds to make a decision.
Do the right thing, stop playing games and put your country first over everything else. That is what is required and if you were to do so immediately and without reservation, then I am sure the judicial powers will take that into consideration and be lenient to your crimes.
This is a layman's advice.
31
In fairness to Mr. Giuliani, he may be incoherent; he may flip like a pancake and lie with every breath; he may be a sycophant without a moral compass; but his position as Mr. Trump's lawyer obliges him to "do and say anything to defend and protect him, praise and promote him." However, because he is a lawyer, just as in a courtroom, it's imperative for the TV shows on which he appears to follow his statements with an attorney with an opposing view. Lawyers are hyper-partisan--it's their job--so they are naturally biased. Showing one side and not the other is misleading. Letting Mr. Giuliani ramble unchallenged is tantamount to an infomercial.
55
As a former prosecutor and current criminal defense attorney, I can assure you the Cohen will not survive cross examination on the witness stand. A witness need some kind of credibility for a jury to believe the the story. Cohen and mueller not only have a credibility problem but more importantly, a prior inconsistent story issue. You see, it’s not lying that is the problem for Cohen, it’s remembering the lie!
7
@Mick : Everything you say of Cohen, is doubly true of Trump.
Erasing a lie is easy; you just stop lying and tell what you know.
As for any problems Mr. Mueller has with his reputation and truth telling, I am aware of no ACTUAL issues in those areas, only fake news from the fevered twitter fingers of our erstwhile El Presidente.
1
@Mick Please, what is Mueller's credibility problem? is it Trump's absurd assertion that it's rooted in a dispute over golf club fees?
6
What the Trump team is going for is a means to fully discredit Cohen and get a ruling of inadmissibility for most of what he brings to the table. They want to let Fox and Friends argue about the material contents, but keep it out of the legal process. Gulliani is working that angle with the tape by saying it has been altered.
25
I can only fall back on Mr. Trump's favorite dodge in thinking about Mr. Cohen's upcoming trial and his behavior therein.
Trump proffers a policy position, tweets a storm or two, and then, when the pot is boiling and interest is piqued about what he means and intends to do, he drops into the weird perspective of the third person indefinite with his standard phrase: "Time will tell" followed by a long pause.
What will Mr. Cohen do? Time will tell.
17
Rick is right. I think that, deep down, most Americans know, trust and believe that Mueller's team are straight and true. We will accept his findings.
132
Sliver of redemption? Coughing up info to snare a bigger criminal surely isn't enough to obviate Cohen's long shady history.
"A Brief History of Michael Cohen’s Criminal Ties-
From the Russian mob to money launderers, Trump’s personal attorney has long been a subject of interest to federal investigators
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/a-brief-history-of-m...
58
The point is : Cohen can be useful in the investigation that could put an end to our National nightmare .
27
When Mr. Cohen says he will 'put family first' that means he does not want to go to jail. And his reference to 'country first' simply means that he is willing to turn rat - thereby selling out his client of many years - but wants you to believe it is for a purpose higher than saving his own skin. I am not blaming him mind you. I am just not buying the patriotic family guy routine as excuse to do what he has to do for entirely personal reasons.
200
@Stephen Gianelli: All true but....I take "country first" to mean he has intimate detailed knowledge of Trump's long history of criminal and treasonous activities, and is willing to testify to it all. As such he would, by default, be doing an extremely patriotic service to the country, regardless of his motivations. The preservation of the nation and the advancement of justice are not trivial matters.
17
I'm confused about the extent to which Cohen is needed at this point. Doesn't the FBI have all of his files and recordings?
43
@Jonathan
Cohen undoubtedly has a great deal of information about conversations and deals that were not recorded. He can also reveal who else might have corroborating information. And he can provide context for the files and recordings which by themselves may not tell a complete story.
62
@syfredrick I agree with your points. He would also be helpful as a witness able to corroborate the authenticity of tapes and other materials when prosecutors are seeking to have them introduced as evidence.
2
@Jonathan: The files and recordings will be used to corroborate Cohen's testimony, limiting the extent to which Trump can accuse this powerful witness against him of lying. The sound of his own voice on tape will frustrate Trump, shutting off the possibility of full-on attack mode, his favorite response to anyone who says anything he doesn't like.
16
Who needs a fixer? How many Times readers have "fixers"? (I'm hoping not a lot of hands are going up.) Those who need fixers are those who break things that would otherwise remain intact. Marriages, for example. Pres. Trump goes far beyond that, though. Financial fixers (Mr. Cohen), political fixers (what else is Ms. Sanders?), legal fixers (what else is Mr. Giuliani?) All of them use crude, heavy-handed techniques compared to those who preceded them in the official positions they hold. All to serve Donald Trump. And 40-45% of the American adult populace are OK with this. Leaves me reeling.
583
@Gnirol - Other fixers: Republican enablers in Congress, Cabinet appointees, Gorsuch and conservative Supremes, Jeff Sessions, Kirstjen Nielsen, SeanHannity/Fox News/Rupert Murdoch, the Koch Brothers, A.L.E.C. members, Roger Stone, Jeff Sessions, Sheldon Adelson, Fred Sater, Brad Parscal/Robert&Rebecca Mercer/Cambridge Analytica/Steve Bannon, the Federalist Society, Facebook/Twitter, etc....of course, the ultimate fixer -- Putin.
274
Sarah is far from a fixer. She simply says what she’s told to say, although she may be part of the rationalizing. The fact that she can say this stuff with conviction and not vomiting in her mouth is what makes her so valuable.
4
@Gnirol Many of Trump's fixers are one degree of separation away. Their family members have Trump administration jobs while they work the news shows, rile up the base, and run the Senate. Then there are his House Russian Collusion Fixers with their own motivations for corruption. Hope they are exposed too.
5
My dad was an imposing man. When he walked into a room, you noticed, things changed, What was a raucous good time was too loud. What was goofy, was infantile and what was fun, stopped being that. He brought the serious. He brought the gravitas. He was my hero. He was the person I was most scared of and most impressed by. No matter the threat, physical, psychological, existential, financial or spiritual, dad brought the goods. He brought experience, heartache, loss and gain to the table. He brought knowledge, instinct and emotional maturity. He was my grownup, and Robert Mueller fills that role now that I've lost my dad, my sense of right and wrong and my country. If he tells me "All clear" I'll believe him. If he tells me different, no amount of tweets will change my mind.
462
Right on Rick. I am in my sixties lucky to still have my dad. When I do something I feel good about, he's the guy I want to share with and when the rough spots come I think of him as my go to. I feel bad for kids who don't get this experience.
51
@Rick Gage I have the same connection to my father, who would have had his 107th birthday yesterday. I feel more grateful and amazed by him the older I get. He believed in me and let me be myself.
29
@Rick Gage
Mine too, then he voted for trump. Now Mueller is also my surrogate sage.
13
If Mr. Cohen is completely forthright with the Mueller investigation and offers substantive proof of wrongdoing by Trump, in my estimation he is entitled to far more than a "sliver of redemption." Remember John Dean was essentially the mastermind of Nixon's malfeasance and not only was he the nail in that crook's coffin, he went on to lead a very distinguished and honorable life. Cohen could very well do the same.
In the course of every single person's life there comes a time when circumstances force introspection and subsequent choices between right and wrong. Sometimes those circumstances place one between a rock and a hard place, but a choice nevertheless must be made. I don't care so much about Michael Cohen's past. I care very much about what this man chooses to do today and tomorrow. And so far it looks as though he is making the right choice. Regardless of his circumstances, Michael Cohen now has the power to be of immense service to this country. Let's all encourage him to do so.
304
One thing Cohen can look forward to, along with others in Trump's circle, is a lucrative book deal. The more salacious and tawdry its contents, the more copies will be sold. He could engage Tony Schwarz, who penned a book for Trump, to do the actual writing. Cohen could make millions. He could have a "reality" TV
show, with reenactments of choice Trump escapades, with some of the real people playing themselves. The incident in the Moscow hotel room would get very high ratings, especially if the actual Russian performers played themselves. The wetter, the better.
68
@Matt Olson-Russian billionaire oligarch son Emin Agalarov--who reportedly helped arrange a meeting between the Russian delegation and Donald Trump Jr in 2016--actually made a pretty good video, Got Me Good, that parodies the Moscow hotel room incident.
https://scroll.in/video/884307/watch-russian-pop-star-linked-to-trump-kr...
15
Are you applying to be his agent?
If Cohen is regarded by the courts as a Trump lawyer when he made that recording, he may be in trouble for a gross violation of attorney-client privilege having released it publicly – that’s a disbarring offense. Of course, Mueller has enough on him to make his license to practice law a dead-issue anyway. I suppose he can always go back to the taxi business.
Then, who would ever hire him again as a lawyer when he was dumb enough to keep what some suspect were compromising materials on a client unsecured in an office?
Yes, Charles, a rat “gets something right” when he’s supporting your own political interests; and Cohen’s motivations in this are so clearly of the purest. No, he’s not sympathetic. It may turn out that he’s not even believable.
But … here you go again. Despite all the times Trump has skated when you’ve been sure SOMETHING was about to hang him out to dry, you pin your hopes on the claimed revelations of a guy under immense pressure from Mueller, and whom many regard as a shyster. You might want to leave yourself an out this time.
A sliver of redemption? If Cohen actively helps Mueller make the argument that being aware of a Russian offer for dirt on Hillary in the midst of a heated campaign in which EACH side was calling the other every scurrilous name imaginable, represents “cahooting with Russians to affect our election”, then he won’t have earned “redemption”. However, he may avoid actual jail time. But the argument will fail anyway, because it’s absurd.
16
@Richard Luettgen
Trump waived attorney-client privilege over that tape, apparently because he believed it exonerated him.
I agree that Cohen's testimony on its own is hardly reliable, but he has other tapes. Also, if Cohen gives Mueller the names of the people he claims were in the room when Trump approved the meeting with the Russians they will surely be subpoenaed and required to testify under oath. That will be interesting.
94
@Richard Luettgen When one looks at what is known of the DT financial picture, it is most certainly not absurd to surmise that DT is indebted to the Russians possibly to the point of insolvency if the Russian money is pulled out. 6 bankruptcies made it impossible to get regular financing for the "Donald Risk;" the Duetsche Bank, which has already paid a $630 million dollar fine for Russian money laundering, stepped in, not in its regular lending department, but through the "private wealth management side;" more recent DT purchases have been with cash, not financing, with no acknowledgement of where the cash came from; son DT has acknowledged that a significant portion of their financing has come from Russian sources; a significant portion of DT business assets are in golf courses, a declining business with financial losses at the DT courses that are required to make official reports.
73
@Richard Luettgen
Attorney-client privilege likely does not apply in an instance in which a third party is present, unless, perhaps, that third party is present to "aid the cause."
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/the-attorney-client-privilege-wh...
It seems the only voices on (at least some of) the tapes are not Trump's and Cohen's, which may render them perfectly admissable. (That said, the ethics of both Trump and Cohen are below the standard of anyone I -- and I dare venture you, too -- would conduct business with, but from all appearances the they're are a match of equals. Poetic justice demands they both end up outcasts.)
27
Ah if only I could truly believe that Michael Cohen will do the right thing. That he will do it for his family but also for himself.
I'm having trouble with that point.
Theirs is a long relationship with a man seeking something from Trump that he needed: respect and a father figure. Trump on the other hand, demands loyalty and respect but doesn't return it.
Does Cohen really have something damaging? It would be easy to conclude he probably does but will he come forth with it and will the GOP congress and Trump's supporters believe him.
I worry that the emotional need Cohen had for Trump will keep him from stepping up. But that remains to be seen
What is evident is that anyone who gets involved with Trump is forever stained, just like this country.
The healing will be a long process. If Cohen does the thing then his healing can begin too.
88
@nwgal Wanting to stay out of jail has nothing to do with healing.
2
Anyone who works for Trump is going to have serious character issues. Mafia dons have gone to jail because senior mafiosos tatted them out.
I don’t see how Cohen’s character flaws make any difference here. The main task is to bust the President, and never allow him near our government again.
379
@Mike Roddy 'The main task is to bust the President, and never allow him near our government again', or sharp cutlery, tanning lotion, hair dye, his own underwear or any device capable of twitter rants and me.
3
@Mike Roddy
I wish I could share your optimism, that this is possible. In my view the fascists are deeply entrenched in our government.
Is there anyone so dense as to believe that The Donald wasn't aware that his son, his son-in-law and his campaign director were going to meet up with the Russian Mafia in order to obtain dirt on Hillary- let alone that they'd do so without his consent? Trump has never been what we'd call a delegator: I can't imagine that anyone who works for him would be so audacious as to visit the toilet without his permission. And insofar as his paying off his exes is concerned, who are you going to believe- him or that other guy who boasted about grabbing women by their genitalia?
706
@stu freeman Indeed! This is the man who gets upset when his wife watches CNN!
11
@stu freeman
Yes, there are people that dense, and they generally watch Fox "News." Kind of hard to believe, even at this point.
11
Yes, unfortunately, Donald Trump's "base" still believe that he knew nothing, nothing at all about this......seriously, ask anyone that voted for Trump, they still believe every word he says, and that is why he and crazy Rudy are starting to attack Mueller and Rosenstein personally...it works for their base...
1
The "concealments" that Cohen might know about are not the stuff that Mueller is looking for. It isn't Russia. It is years ago sex romps. It is payoff of girls. Cohen is a small time sleeze.
31
@Mark Thomason: Yeah, the kind of stuff that got Clinton impeached. Anyway, it appears he knows something about that meeting with the Muscovites. And that ain't nothin'.
265
@Mark Thomason
Robert Mueller is indeed looking into Trump's Russian activities but that might include a wide range of criminal activities that go beyond election interference. And Cohen may have knowledge of those activities, we don't know yet what he knows.
162
@Mark Thomason Robert Mueller and his team are consummate professionals, who knows what threads they may find on Cohen that could unravel so much more.
111
"He will purchase a sliver of redemption" I suppose Cohen in legal terms can gain (purchase) some sliver, but I'm wondering how willing we all will be in offering forgiveness. Cohen is like a test case for us of all the Trump supporters and advisors and fans, who will one day realize what their blind allegiance cost the country - physical harm in polluting the planet, human suffering in poor health insurance, increased diseases from pollution, plus policies that degrade our democratic institutions like the immigration policy of separating children from parents, as well as education, economics, foreign affairs, trade, etc. etc. Some of these poor decisions will take decades to undo the damage and it will be all because they allowed fear and anger towards others different from them to rule over their good sense. Redemption, in a spiritual sense, cannot be gained like it can be legally, but it is the life changer Cohen is seeking, as we all are in one way or another. I hope his legal redemption leads to the spiritual kind, not just for him but for us all.
159
I know this has been said a million times but that doesn't make it not worth saying again. Trump's base of support does not and will not care whatever he has done in the past. And the other Republicans will put up with and keep him as long as he advances their agenda (ie. cutting taxes for the rich, being hard on illegal immigrants, appointing ultra-conservative Judges throughout the land, destroying Obamacare, killing environmental laws and regulations, supporting big business, and so on).
516
@Brainfelt - Trump's base will not care whatever he has done in the past.
That is true. Or in the future as the idea of shooting someone on 5th Avenue is a future event, as far as we know.
What is curious though is that they care very much about the past of people with last names like Obama, Kennedy, Clinton, Warren, or Kerry. Interesting dichotomy, no?
12
@Brainfelt You're likely correct, but I'm still holding out hope for the rule of law.
4
@Brainfelt -- all great and cogent reasons to vote this November.
5
Cohen has already made his most significant contribution - he publicized a recording which mentioned Donald's (and his Dad's) longtime accountant, Allen Weisselberg, making it easy for Weisselberg to be summoned by a Grand Jury sooner rather than later.
An accountant who is in his 70s, and has spent his entire career at the Rolling Trumpster Fire's family company, likely knows more than a single Grand Jury has time to hear.
His Unhinged Unraveling Unfitness should now be hoping he never slighted Weisselberg in any fashion, and never treated him dismissively or took him for granted, as if he were the character Milton from the movie Office Space.
430
@R. Law
I would plead the Fifth if I were him and let them seize everything they want. That is probably the prosecution's plan anyway.
7
@R. Law
we can also hope that Mr. Weisselberg is a true American who will not perjure himself for the likes of trump. When did it become so hard for citizens of this country to do the right thing in cases of crime & injustices?
4
Cohen won’t choose to do “the right thing” but rather will be forced to by the dictates of our society. And that just proves that we need the rule of law.
380
Indeed.
@David newman
That Cohen could redeem himself is an interesting idea. That would imply he knows the difference between right and wrong and if he is sociopathic, he doesn’t and never will. The concept of redemption is tainted by its lack of acceptance that individuals who commit crimes lack a moral compass. But the idea of redemption will sell to most people because they are healthy neurotics who wish redemption themselves for sins they probably didn’t even commit. And so to redeem a sinner feels good. But he is not good.
I understand that New York has some very large sewer rats. I always thought that they lived in, well, the sewers. After Trump got elected, it appears that sewer rats walk on their hind legs and live in posh apartments. That they wear really tacky, over priced blazers. That they all worked for Donald Trump and got fired, or still work for Donald Trump and will be fired. Some of them have even been mayors. That they lied constantly when they worked for Donald Trump and lie for him after he fired them. That Trump hires new rats after they convince him that they can lie as much as he does. Some of the new hires make total fools of themselves on a daily basis, especially if they have been mayors.
But lo! One such rat has seen the light! He has repented. He will now tell us the truth but is being labeled a liar by Trump and all his newly hired liars.
But the repented liar has evidence! He has recordings. He has computer files. He has transcripts. He has records of financial transactions. But the repented liar is not to be believed because he was born of lies, fed by lies, and will now be destroyed by lies.
How can this be? Because he is opposed by the greatest liars the universe has ever seen. Their lying powers are so great that even hard evidence can be dismissed as just more lies. Especially by the liars that used to be mayors.
How do I know these things? Easy. That's how we make America great again. I saw it on a hat so it must be so.
1129
@Bruce Rozenblit: New York's sewer rats don't all work for Donald Trump. The biggest one IS Donald Trump, the rodent king himself.
278
@stu freeman On behalf of actual sewer rats, I protest this demeaning example of guilt-by-association.
Bruce Rozenblit, it isn't often that I can laugh at this garbage. Thanks very much.
4
Everyone comes to a crisis of conscience at times during their lives. Michael Cohen's public existence has been as a satellite to Trump's orbit. There is some tangle of loyalties, and some of the men near Trump evidently regard him as a father figure. Pence's older brother said that was true for Mike Pence.
Redeemed right wing zealots usually have clearer vision than others who regard them from an appalled distance. It is not clear that Cohen ever was part of that crowd, but had a personal and professional allegiance to Trump.
Trump betrays everyone but Ivanka and Putin, including Wife No. 3 as these hush money payments have made lear.
John Dean wrote a book on Conservatives Without Conscience, and much of what he said is dead on accurate for Trump supporters.
I welcome Michael Cohen's return to sanity and patriotism, his break with Trump, and the potential good he can do for the country.
I would equally welcome all Trump regretters. There was a brief moment when much was not known about Trump, and much was hoped for. His performance in office, involvement with Russia, tweets, and policies have put the lie to his promise.
If Cohen can help Mr. Mueller and others draw back the curtain on the frauds, betrayals and deceptions of Trump, so much the better.
281
@smb
There was never a nanosecond when "much was not known about Trump and much was hoped for" except by the willfully ignorant and incredibly stupid. He was known to be a corrupt racist misogynist lying bullying deal welshing mentally unstable bankrupt adulterer KKK sympathizing conman from the beginning of his campaign. A little was unknown and that was the extent of his collusion with the Russians, hinted at when he told Putin to publish Clinton's emails and low and behold immediately after the DNC leaked files were released.
11
@smb
"There was a brief moment when not much was known about Trump." Who does this man think he's kidding? Everyone who could read has been aware of Trump's character since at least the 1980s. You could be from Savannah, you could be from Barrow, Alaska -- it didn't matter. Everyone knew.
5
A sliver of redemption, you wrote. I agree with you.
Cohen should at least be commended by most of us for doing the right thing.
56
@James B
Had his stuff not been raided and had millions of bits and pieces not been seized, he wouldn't be singing.
That's not doing the right thing. It's doing what you gotta do. Big difference.
464
Sure, if by the right thing you mean throwing the boss under the bus to save his own behind. Don’t get me wrong - Trump absolutely deserves what Cohen is going to dish out. But don’t think for a second that Cohen has suddenly become a righteous man. He’s a slime ball out to save his own skin.
5
@Rima Regas You are probably right, but you know, we don't actually know what is in anyone's head and what their motivations are, do we?
Treacherous, treasonous Don,
Why does your face look so wan?
Is it Mueller's hot breath
That scares you to death,
Or secret tapes of your Con?
Are you fearful of what Cohen can tell
Of your crooked dealings pell mell
Of Russian collusion
All done in profusion
The hacking you once thought was swell?
Or is it each unbridled tweet
You twitter from out of your seat,
Or is it heartburn
From fast food wise men spurn,
Or a pox from not being discreet.
762
@Larry Eisenberg one of your best, Larry. Thank you for making us laugh and helping us all cope with the nightmare. The last line is terrific.
152
#LarryEisenberg ---perfect meter as well as substance. I read them aloud. Thanks for keeping up.
87
@Larry Eisenberg Your best one yet.
3
Redemption has religious connotations. People who gravitate to and feed off of the likes of Trump are the furthest from religion or secular moral principles as one can get in a society.
Cohen isn't looking for redemption. He's looking for the least amount of time to serve in jail. He was caught with millions of bits of incriminating evidence against his boss and himself. He's out to save his hide as best he can.
He could do well. The more he's willing to say in a court of law, the more leniency will be granted to him.
Michael Cohen knowingly and willingly helped a traitor get elected. Then, when he wasn't offered a White House post, he started selling access to his former boss and policy influence to corporations, maybe even without Trump's knowledge, raking in millions of dollars. Those corporations already had their men inside the various departments, but I guess they paid Cohen to see if they could get more. Did any of those dealings end up as Trump-directed policy? We've yet to find out. In any case, while we weren't looking, the men and women Mike Pence hired during the transition, like Scott Pruitt, started doing the Koch's bidding, starting America's "great undoing."
Cohen isn't taking a bullet. He's getting himself a shield. Trump would, too, in Cohen's shoes. There's still no honor among thieves...
---
What Trump did while we weren't looking
https://www.rimaregas.com/2018/01/07/blog42s-running-list-of-what-trump-...
556
Sorry, but this is how we got into this mess. Too many purists condemned Hillary Clinton as a flawed candidate, often believing Kremlin propaganda and right wing smear jobs.
Too often, voters piously said that voting for the lesser evil was still voting for evil.
Millions are paying the price for a harsh condemnation of another candidate as not being perfect, for contempt for those who weren't far enough left (or right) for their tastes.
Democracy is not a club in a gated community but is open to whoever wants to participate in it.
If Michael Cohen has had a change of heart, he is welcome. So are others in this country who now are turning against Trump. Some, like Cohen, can help bring him down. There are women out there who have not spoken out, but whom Trump mistreated. There are accountants out there and business people who may know what is in Trump's taxes. Others may know about his ties with Russia. Any who can shed light will contribute to truth in a dark time.
Trump is a threat not just to democracy but to national security. Patriots don't just come in one flavor.
35
@Rima Regas: If Pence, through his hiring to spread "disaster and chaos" for Trump to America and the world to please Putin and the lunatic fringe in the U.S. (who want to bring down a government that honors civil rights, i.e. Republicans), is in on Trump's many illegalities, why wouldn't he be included in any removal proceedings? Obvious high crimes and misdemeanors should also apply to Pence. Just kidnapping children and holding them for ransom is a serious crime.
5
@smb
That change of heart is called Mountain of Evidence.
Redemption implies a selfless act. Cooperating with federal prosecutors is not a selfless act, its survival.
968
@George: If Cohen brings down the worst president in US history, and the worst human being ever to hold that office, he's aces with me.
18
Trump's complict congressional protectors and the Republican base, have already given Trump (and Russia) a free pass on any election related crimes.
Rep. Darrell Issa already has helpfully stated the Republican position that "nobody's going to be surprised" if Trump attended the Trump Tower meeting and lied about it. "There are some things in politics that you just take for granted."
Republicans just don't care if Trump conspired with a hostile country to impact the election and then obstructed justice to cover it up. As Issa said: '“Businessmen listen to almost everyone who might be helpful, and by the way, they make pragmatic decisions about how to make bad stories go away.” Cohen will not find redemption there.
But you know who does care if the President has committed crimes?
Blue State Attorney Generals.
If Trump fears Cohen, it's because Trump's crimes are financial, well documented, and numerous. Trump has shown little understanding of the Constitution, but you can bet he does know this: Neither he nor any Republican President can pardon him if he has committed state crimes.
552
@LT: "... Neither he nor any Republican President can pardon him if he has committed state crimes." LOL, so true, and we KNOW how much the GOP LOVES states rights, lol.
3
@LT Maybe they will get Trump on financial crimes and on his taxes. It worked with Al Capone and Trump is no less a thug and grifter.
4
"Now, Trump’s new fix-it man, the rambling, incoherent Rudy Giuliani, is on a mission to discredit Cohen."
Yes, but the irony is that in attempting to do so, Giuliani is discrediting Trump just as much if not more. If Cohen is so bad, why did Trump have him around for so long and so close?
294
@Somewhere
It's not about serious discourse. It is just about providing enough ammunition to the faithful for the moment, to they can continue to fool themselves about their maga man.
@Somewhere
Incredible, even sad, to watch Rudy Giulliani rambling incoherently and lying through all pores of his body.
What could drive a man who had a successful career, to decide at the twilight of his life to make such a fool of himself and become a major purveyor of falsehood in betrayal of his country?
@Somewhere - All "birds of a feather", aren't they?
2
"Trump seems to always surround himself with lap dogs and lackeys, people who will do and say anything to defend and protect him, praise and promote him. Trump is the sun at the center of his own universe."
It's really amazing that the president, long before winning political power, could receive so much one-sided loyalty when he's known to to give none in return.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Rudy Giuliani will rue the day he signed on as Trump's umpteenth fixer, losing whatever scintilla of legal decency he still retained, in return for ... what?
I agree, Cohen has probably learned the hard way that the man who demands so much of employees gives so little, aside from contractual payments --which often must be wrested from him in court.
So, if Cohen wants a new place in the sun--not perpetually orbiting around a selfish boss who thinks he is one--he will do the right thing and cooperate.
Wouldn't it be rich if the one person who can hammer some really hard nails in Trump's political coffin is the loyal fixer he could have easily kept on his side were it not for his arrogance and utter contempt for anyone eager to serve him?
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@ChristineMcM . And so it goes, just as Michael Avenatti predicted!
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@ChristineMcM,
Or, perhaps, what people say about Trump - that he is a failed mobster wannabe - is true. In that case the picture comes better into focus: the posing tough-guy mannerisms, the surrounding 'yessir' men and gun-mol women, the appeal to low-information voters who just want to 'do what's right' and are easily misled by hypnotic speech-making and a rabid TV/social network of supporters with 'other agendas'.
So Cohen will roll over on him and Turmp will meet the same fate as the thugs he idolizes - some of them put away by Mr. Rudy G, the Peoples' Prosecutor. Nice irony, no?
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@ChristineMcMDoesn’t it seem like every single person who gets close to Trump—business or personal—ends up burned?
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For those thinking that Cohen is lying with his most recent "disclosures", consider this. Testimony of parties or witnesses must be evaluated in light of what they may gain or lose by so testifying. Cohen has lied for Trump for more than a decade, and he understands now that he may pay a very serious price for continuing to do so.
I've been an attorney for nearly 40 years. I tried both bench and jury trials. And I had to argue in favor of my client's or witnesses' credibility to a judge or jury. When I did so, I would discuss that person's motivations for testifying as he or she had.
In Cohen's case, he has everything to gain by telling the truth now (except if Trump literally tries to "rub him out", a la, Putin and his poison machine). He might avoid federal charges or receive a very minor sentence. He might avoid New York state charges, for which he cannot be pardoned by Trump. Thus his "change of heart" is simply the recognition of the serious situation he is in, and making the calculation that it's time to come clean.
But understand this as well. Mr. Mueller has a surfeit of evidence (testimony and documentary) far beyond the waxings of Cohen. Thus when his credibility is weighed, you can be sure that Mueller's team has a lot we haven't yet heard, which corroborates Cohen's change of heart. It will not be a case of "he said, he said" at all. Cohen's version will be corroborated by a wealth of evidence, and Trump will have only his unhinged tweets to fall back on.
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@Rick Deckard
I do agree with you.
Manafort won't cooperate because he might be rubbed out.
Going against Trump is not that dangerous. Manafort might have to go against people who are dangerous.
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@Rick Deckard With all my heart, I hope you are right!
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@Rick Deckard
Wow, you give me a lot of hope, thanks!
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Don't count on the truth harming Donald Trump. In a world where facts and law count, Donald Trump would never have become president. It is virtually certain he laundered Russian money, but even if proven in court his supporters will remain loyal. And given the political nature of the Supreme Court, how much can we count on justice being served?
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@Eric Caine The Supreme Court only decides constitutional cases. Money laundering is tried in a criminal case and he won't be president forever. He will undoubtedly escape many charges as president but I'm sure there is enough law breaking to keep him busy for years.
He can go through a lot of money for defense lawyers. Will the Russians want to loan more when he's no longer of importance?
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@Eric Caine So true but, in the final analysis, the ballot box is our ultimate defense.
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@Eric Caine . that's a bit too negative to me. Given the facts if proven, he's done, either by impeacement or by stepping down.
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If he gets trump and his compromised accomplices to resign Mr. Cohen could be the hero of the world, win the Noble Peace Prize, avoid lifetime imprisonment - where his former boss notes he would make new friends - and insure his family a legacy of courage, instead of one haunting all future Madoffs.
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Hearing Giuliani rail against Cohen because "he's a proven liar" and "has done many despicable things" made me snort milk out through my nose.
There's lots of hypocrisy in the GOP, but that really took the Galactic Prize for it.
And I'm sure Rudy's not finished! Another week begins.
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@Peter Parchester
Remember, if Trump resigns, you get Pence — see Frank Bruni’s column on the “holy terror” to see why this would be — incredibly — even *worse*.
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@Peter Parchester Good lord, Pete! Have you seen who's next in line? Mullah Mike! And he has some competence.
We don’t have to like Michael Cohen to appreciate his value to the ongoing investigation of Donald Trump, Trump’s finances and Trump’s organization.
We don’t have to wish redemption for Michael Cohen in order to approve of his being offered a reduced sentence in return for cooperating fully with the team of Robert Mueller and other prosecutors.
When a person like Donald Trump engages in criminal activity, most of the key witnesses against him will be people of unsavory backgrounds or checkered personal histories.
We don’t have to admire them and shouldn’t.
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Cohen can't possibly depend on receiving a presidential pardon once he's in jail - by then Trump will have no incentive to do anything but leave him there, and the POTUS has never felt obliged to keep a promise if there's nothing in it for him.
Cohen's got two options to save his skin - try and get a pardon in advance, which means persuading Trump that he has to be bought off before he can do too much damage, or minimize the trouble he's in with the prosecutors by giving them what they want. This policy of drip feeding a few damaging things about Trump presumably fits with both of those options. I wouldn't start to think about the man as even slightly redeemed until he commits to the prosecution rather than the pardon.
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@LouiseH
Trump can't pardon forthcoming State level charges.. just Federal Court. Otherwise I agree with you totally.
@LouiseH
This is why Mueller and his team referred the matter to New York district attorney's office.
Cohen would be tried by the state of New York instead of federal jurisdiction.
Trump can only pardon a federal crime.
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@LouiseH I don't think Trump can entirely pardon Cohen, since the SDNY is probably looking at charging some of this stuff as state, not federal, crimes.
Doing the wrong thing, doing evil for personal gain. This is the first, oldest crime. It is anchored in personal self aggrandizement. Cohen will consequently decide to flip. How much and when will be based on a personal cost benefit calculation. He will weigh Trump and his new fixers' promised rewards and threatened punishment (personal, family, assets) against Mueller's promise of a lighter sentence and a chance at career, reputational and financial (book deals?) rehabilitation.
If he flips he will be doing the right thing for the wrong ethical reasons. It is about maximizing gain and minimizing pain.
Ethics was never a part of his make-up. Self aggrandizement is his ethical anchor. It is the first, oldest human failing.
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@Chris Parel
I agree completely, there will not be any redemption, since he will turn on Trump only to save himself. There is no honor, Cohen is not the type of guy who will ever have any honor.
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@Chris Parel, I disagree. Many ethical actions require wrongdoing, well-illustrated by a Nazi officer coming to one’s door, asking if there are any Jews in the attic. The honest thing to do is reply “Yes.”, though the ethical action is to deny it, protecting one’s own family from retribution and those in the attic from annihilation. Mr. Cohen, like all of us, can do the wrong thing for the right reasons.
"But, if Cohen indeed becomes a cooperating witness for the Robert Mueller Russia investigation, he will salvage a tiny bit of honor from a life of dishonor. He will purchase a sliver of redemption."
No he won't. He will save his skin, that is all he will do. And on top of everything else he will then be a snitch, which is not a big addition to his long list of unsavory characteristics, if only because it is already so long.
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@GBC1
Another word for snitch is whistleblower. Even unwilling whistleblowers should get some credit. We do not like whistleblowers because there is so much to snitch about and when people start snitching important institutions (like the Catholic Church) start falling apart. The kid who cried out that the Emperor was naked was a snitch, and was probably severely punished to save the social order from the threat of the truth.
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@GBC1 Any prosecutor will tell you their star witnesses are not altar boys. Altar boys don't generally associate with targets of investigations.
Would you have written your comment about John Dean? He participated in a crime but was a hero in bringing down Nixon.
Judge not...
@GBC1 "a snitch" (laughing) how quaint :-D
I agree with many commentators that Cohen will flip for his own protection. He certainly does not want to spend too much time in jail, and with the information he no doubt possesses, he can buy a lot of freedom for himself. He can also save himself a lot of legal fees, which he will need, because he will not be able to earn a large salary in the future.
Once Trump ran for president, it was only a matter of time before prosecutors ferreted out something like this, given the ongoing Russia investigation. If Trump had just stayed home, a lot of people who are now under investigation or indicted would still be free, as they were all basically under the radar previously. So Trump's narcissistic ambition has resulted in a lot of misery for his "friends." It's not likely to stop soon, either.
Not that these are fine, upstanding citizens. They either committed crimes or behaved extremely unethically, and they deserve to pay the consequences for their actions. But Trump outed them.
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@Shayladane Likely that he will have outed some of his own children as well and unlike Flynn, unlikely DJT will take a bullet for any of his offspring.
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Shayladane--Yeah, he needs to stop exposing the evidence to the public. Not favorable to his, or our, future situation. Just shut up, already. Talk to Mueller, period. (And, Michael Avenatti: Just Go Away. Please.)
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4Katydid--Heh, heh, heh...yup.