Getting three years of jail time for tax evasion, money laundering, bank and wire fraud, 52-year-old Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen did everything possible to get a reduced sentence. Despite the tax evasion, money laundering, bank and wire fraud charges brought by the U.S. Southern District of New York, all Democrats want to talk about is Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s plea deal with Cohen for lying to Congress about the Trump Tower Moscow project and payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy centerfold Susan McDougal. As far as Democrats and the media are concerned Cohen’s plea deal is tantamount to convicting Trump of the same crimes. Cohen never went before a jury, believing he’d spend less money on his defense attorney and Democrat operative Lanny Davis, defending the charges in federal court. Yet the media only wants to talk about Cohen’s plea deal.
Not one media host—including Fox News—reminded the audience that Cohen was not convicted in court but agreed under duress to a plea deal. Yet those same news anchors think nothing of leaping to the conclusion that President Donald Trump is guilty of the same charges in Cohen’s plea deal. Cohen’s plea bargain involved copping to certain charges in order to minimize his jail time but, more importantly, avoid a long, costly trial that could put him in the poorhouse. U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III said Cohen deserved credit for ratting Trump out but it “does not wipe the slate clean,” opting for the three-year sentence over only probation. “Somewhere along the way Mr. Cohen appears to have lost his moral compass,” said Pauley. Adding, “as a lawyer, Mr. Cohen should have known better,” obscuring the fact that Cohen engaged in egregious white-collar crime.
Of all of Cohen’s felonies, none were more trivial than lying about whether Trump concluded talks with Moscow about a possible Trump Tower project. If you listen to the media, that’s the smoking gun for Trump collusion, apart from the fact it has nothing to do with the 2016 presidential election. Last time anyone checked, it’s not illegal or unethical for a real estate tycoon like Trump to try to put a deal together in Moscow or any other foreign capital. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the exact dates-and-times he ended Trump Tower talks with Russian officials. Cohen’s plea bargain involved him pleading guilty to a campaign finance violation, paying hush money to Daniels and McDougal. Yet it’s doubtful, had Cohen gone to trial, a jury would have convicted him of a campaign finance violation because it’s difficult to prove motive or intent in the payoffs.
Cohen’s plea bargain with the U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York or Robert Mueller in no way denies President Donald Trump due process or his day in court to deal with similar charges. Confessing in open court to Judge Pauley, Cohen’s apology seemed like Democrat talking points going after Trump. “If was my own weakness and blind loyalty to this man that led me to chose a path of darkness over light,” Cohen told the Judge begging for leniency. “Time and time again, I thought it was my duty to cover up his dirty deeds rather than listen to my voice,” showing how his sentencing turned into a denounce Trump hearing. Cohen’s money laundering, tax evasion, bank and wire fraud, illegally profiting from New York City taxi medallions, unreported real estate sales, etc., had nothing to do with Trump. Yet Judge Pauley listened to Cohen rat out his former boss.
Showing what a media farce his sentencing hearing, Cohen’s defense attorney Guy Petrillo, only focused on his client ratting out Trump. “He came forward to offer evidence against the most powerful person in our country,” Petrillo said, knowing the most serious felonies were related to Cohen’s own personal greed and bad judgment. If there were any intellectual honesty in the media, they’d remind the audience that Cohen’s plea deal went far beyond anything he did to protect Trump. Illegally selling taxi medallions, income tax evasion, money laundering, bank and wire fraud, etc., have nothing to do with his perjury conviction or campaign finance violations. Whatever Cohen pleaded has no bearing on anything Trump has done, including reimbursing him for payments to Stormy Daniels or Susan McDougal. Trump said any payments to the two women were a civil matter, having nothing to do with the campaign.
Showing that Cohen’s sentencing was more of political stunt, Cohen’s attorney Democrat operative Lanny Davis shot off his mouth. “Mr. Trump’s repeated lies cannot contradict stubborn facts,” Davis said in a statement. Bringing this all back to Trump, proves that the sentencing hearing was more about calling payments to Daniels and McDougal “hush money,” does not explain the real purpose of the payoffs. Attorney Lisa Bloom, daughter of women rights attorney Gloria Allread, claimed she represented 19 women making sexual harassment allegations against Trump before the Nov. 6, 2016 presidential election. Not one of the 19 women claimed Trump ever tried to pay them off for their silence. Even Mueller’s office couldn’t control itself. Cohen “sought to tell us the truth and that is of the utmost value to us,” said Mueller spokeswoman Jeannie Rhee. Everyone knows Cohen has zero credibility.
