Calling 72-year-old President Donald Trump a “racist,” a “conman,” and a “cheat,” 52-year-old former attorney Michael Cohen let it all hang out before Rep. Elijah Cummings’ Government Affairs and Oversight Committee. Cohen agreed to testify in open session, providing riveting live TV, eclipsing Trump’s high-stakes summit in Hanoi, Vietnam with 35-year-old North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. Giving Democrats on the Committee an early Christmas gift, Cohen gave Democrats everything they couldn’t get from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s two-year investigation that so far hasn’t confirmed any of Cohen’s most spurious charges, including that he witnessed and listened firsthand to Trump talking to Washington gadfly Roger Stone talking with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Cohen asserted today that he heard Trump talk to Stone about Assange.
Assange confirmed today, to the extent he’s believable, that he’s never communicated with Roger Stone or anyone else from Trump’s campaign or anyone in the 2016 presidential race. Cummings warned Cohen about lying to the Committee, saying he would seek punishment through the Special Counsel or U.S. Attorney to extend his three-year jail time. Cohen claims he wanted the public hearing to tell his story but, judging by his opening and closing remarks, it sounded more like repeating Democrat talking points. Claiming he’s trying to redeem himself, Cohen took no responsibility for his own actions, often blaming his multiple felonies on blind loyalty to the president. Not one Democrat reminded Cohen that his three-year jail sentence was largely for income tax evasion, bank and wire fraud. Democrats and media mention nothing about the real reasons for Cohen’s guilty pleas.
When asked if Trump ever asked him to lie to Congress, Cohen admitted that Trump never did but gave his own view. “In his way, he was telling me to lie,” Cohen told the Committee, referring to telling Congress he concluded the Moscow Trump Tower project in Dec. 2016. Cohen plead to a perjury charge after federal agents produced emails proving he was still talking with Russians in June 2017. “I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather that listening to my own conscience,” Cohen said, trying to explain, as Trump’s personal attorney, why he committed multiple felonies. Cohen said he was taking responsibility for his actions but essentially blamed Trump for his criminal behavior. Democrats and the media focus almost exclusively on Cohen’s perjury charge or violating campaign finance laws, paying off porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy centerfold Karen McDougal.
Cohen admitted during testimony today that the U.S. Attorney’s office could further reduce his sentence if his testimony today or continued cooperation results in more criminal investigation into the president. Former Democratic National Committee [DNC] Chairman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz asked Cohen today whether or not he knew in advance about the WikiLeaks email dump that came from hacked emails from the DNC and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Chairman John Podesta. Cohen insisted Trump knew about the hacked Russian emails released by WikiLeaks. “The answer is yes,” Cohen told Wasserman-Schultz. How ironic that Wasserman-Shultz, a known liar and dirty trickster, fired by the DNC for sabotaging the campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would ask Cohen about the WikiLeaks email or would be allowed to ask Cohen question by the Committee.
Cohen admitted that he had no knowledge of Trump colluding with the Russian government on hacked emails or otherwise yet implicates Trump with his conversations with Mueller’s indicted conspirator Roger Stone. Stone has denied the Special Counsel’s charges that he talked or otherwise communicated with WikiLeaks founder Juilan Assange. Democrats on the Committee spent considerable time on Cohen’s cancelled $35,000 check from the Trump Revocable Trust. Cohen told Democrats it was partial reimbursement for paying “hush money” that he spent off his home equity line to pay Stormy Daniels [Stephanie Clifford]. Admitting that lying to Melania was the most difficult thing he did [because he liked Melania], Cohen confessed that whatever the payoff, it was made to prevent Melainiia from finding out Trump’s alleged affair with Stormy in 2006.
Cohen’s cancelled check looks dramatic on TV but amounts to nothing other than payment for services rendered. Getting Cohen to plead guilty to a campaign finance violation, Mueller cleverly helped his case against Trump and Cohen but says nothing about what really happened. “Lying to the First Lady is one of my biggest regrets,” Cohen said. :She is a good person. I respect her greatly—and she did not deserve that,” said Cohen, essentially saying the payment was made to prevent Melania from finding out about the alleged one-night-stand. Cohen’s statements run counter to Mueller’s charge that he violated campaign finance laws. Democrats used the public hearing today to steal the headlines away from Trump’s historic summit with Kim. If Trump gets a peace deal or an agreement to de-nuclearize the Korean Peninsula, Trump would no doubt get the Nobel Peace Prize, something Democrats dread.
