"Cohen’s testimony put the committee’s Republicans in an unusual position: After two years of defending or ignoring Trump’s lies, they professed newfound fondness for truth.". - Dana Milbank, The Washington Post
"Americans will see Wednesday just why President Trump and his cronies freaked out when the FBI raided his ex-attorney and fixer Michael Cohen’s office and home. In testimony to the House Oversight Committee, Cohen is spilling the proverbial beans and in the process burying his former boss. Cohen’s written statement set the stage. He described Trump in unsparing terms: “He is a racist. He is a con man. He is a cheat. He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic National Committee emails.”- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, Wednesday, 'Michael Cohen To Congress, Yes, Trump Is A Crook'.
"Their (GOP) attack on Michael Cohen is that he's a liar, never being able to reconcile that the reason he was lying was to cover up for Donald Trump. One of the most interesting interlude is when he addressed the Republicans and said they were continuing to cover up for Donald Trump.
There's an odd dynamic to this hearing that Michael Cohen, who admitted performing poorly during the campaign is now the person speaking from a position of moral authority, not the Republicans. So he should ask himself how it is he's coming off worse in these exchanges." - Matt Miller, former DOJ Spokesperson
Let's be frank: for any American who's followed the unfolding saga of Trump, the Trump Tower Russia betrayal meeting, the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels etc. following the thread of yesterday's hearing was no biggie. This may not apply to those who haven't read enough of the backstory or were distracted by the incessant efforts of the Reeptard members of the House Committee at diversion and distraction. They preferred to go after Michael Cohen's character rather than the facts (or documents) he presented. As Joe Scarborough put it this morning on 'Morning Joe', in respect of how the gaggle of Reep loudmouths made no effort to discredit the facts put forward, only slur Cohen's character::
"You had the Republican party completely disinterested in digging for truth. It was just a cover up operation. ...They attacked Cohen, attacked his credibility but they could not defend Donald Trump against those charges because they know Donald Trump by now. There was no coordination from the Republican side, it was a terrible hearing from the gang that couldn't shoot straight.
These are the people that brought you the Benghazi hearings year after year after year. And I've never seen a hearing in which people repeated themselves so much, asked the same questions of Michael Cohen, thinking it was a gotcha moment, like Do you want a book deal? Have you got a book deal? Aha!' Oh and, 'Why's your lawyer not being paid?"
Good points and more on the Reepos' sound and fury distractions in a bit, but we now know from yesterday's House Oversight Committee Hearing, that the following crimes were committed by Donald J. Trump based on evidence presented - this according to former prosecutor Jeremy Bash on MSNBC yesterday morning:
1) Bank fraud: documents prepared by the Trump organization to help Deutsche Bank buy the Buffalo Bills, which contained fraudulent, false information.
2) Campaign finance violations: the checks to Michael Cohen to pay back the hush money to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. (Cohen produced a signed check from Trump, one of the installment payments)
3) False ethics pledges and false ethics filings.
4)Fraudulent activities related to the Trump charities.
5) Two things related to Russia: i) Roger Stone had called Trump concerning the Wikileaks hack, so Trump knew in advance about the emails being dumped on Hillary Clinton, and ii) Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting in 2016, and he would not have allowed Don Jr. to do anything without Trump Sr's permission.
Nick Confessore noted on Katy Tur's show (during a break to vote on a gun bill) the Republicans were relatively successful in their disruption tactics, i.e. always impugning Cohen's motives and presence after each House Dem member exposed an aspect of Trump's perfidy. Some examples to illustrate:
Rep Carol Miller, R, was "very disappointed" about Cohen being invited as a witness. Tapping the utmost in self-righteous voice she bellowed:
“I am appalled. We could be focused on actual issues that are facing America. Cohen is a convicted felon. We can’t believe anything he says."
She went on to declare::
“One of the most appalling facts about this hearing is that Cohen has used his experiences with Trump for his own greed and profit”.
Saying not one solitary word or syllable how Trump has amassed over 9,000 lies thus far and contemptuously used his office to amass greed and profit that dwarfs anything Cohen has done, including brazenly violating the Emoluments clause of the Constitution,But hey, hypocrisy has reached the gold standard with Repukes, who, if all the same accusations had been made against a President Hillary Clinton, would have had her impeached by now. Little Holman Jenkins Jr. in his latest WSJ diatribe yesterday (p. A15) insisted "it takes no heroism to oppose Trump". Really? Then why didn't more Repubs go on record and do it? Why did they all act like bootlicking lapdogs by protecting him? As former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman observed ('All In' last night):
"What is the test of a witness's credibility? It's cross examination. What did the Republicans do? They didn't ask him about the incidents involving Donald Trump. They asked him, 'Who paid for your lawyer?' I mean they never even touched one of the items he brought up. What they did is call him a friend of the Democrats on the committee. He wasn't testifying because he was a friend of the Democrats. He was testifying because he'd been a friend and confidante of Donald Trump for over ten years."
Ackerman is spot on correct, and it obviously took way more heroism for these Reep imps and degenerates than any actually had. Hence it fell to Trump's former fixer Cohen to do it - this despite threats to his family from the likes of gangster Trump and his lap dogs like Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL), trying a day late to apologize for his despicable tweet threatening to expose Cohen's "girlfriends" to his wife and family. This walking turd deserves getting the book thrown at him for witness tampering and threats. He ought to chill out in the can - well, at least a year anyway.
All the while the Reeps got their panties in a perpetual twist over such a "liar" and "convicted felon" as Michael Cohen giving testimony in the House Hearings, and insinuating it was a "media circus". Oh and "destroyed the chamber's credibility". But they needed to be reminded of legal history. Namely, the Valachi hearings (Google!) and how that original "rat" (Joe Valachi) from the Cosa Nostra was instrumental in helping to bring down the organization. The Repukes - so enmeshed in their high dudgeon side show- kept insisting because the guy committed crimes he shouldn't be believed. But even Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman pointed out last night on Chris Hayes' All In how "this happens all the time". Noting: "When I was a prosecutor I had a guy who spent his whole life stealing and scheming and committed nine murders, and I had a lot of people convicted on his testimony."
In other words, it was a standard (and legal) template to use a lower rat to catch bigger rats. But since the 'pukes clearly loved the bigger rat (Trump) they were too blinded to see they'd actually surrendered the moral high ground to Cohen, who no longer had any incentive to lie, period. (His prison sentence was already fixed, there was nada he could do or say to alter it.)
Then we had former lawman Rep. Clay Higgins (La) , also drawling in his Southern accent, asking about where Cohen got his documents, i.e. "Where is this treasure of evidence?" And : if they were in "boxes", shouldn't that be in the Special Counsel's possession? Never mind Cohen attempted numerous times to inform the nitwit that these had been originally seized in an FBI raid last year then returned to him. We also beheld Mr. 'Cornpone' blabbing: "I’ve arrested several thousand men and you remind me of many of them.” Oh really? And NONE of those arrested reminds you of the slimy con man, grifter, traitor and crime boss occupying the White House? Then you were either useless as the law, or blind.
In other words, it was a standard (and legal) template to use a lower rat to catch bigger rats. But since the 'pukes clearly loved the bigger rat (Trump) they were too blinded to see they'd actually surrendered the moral high ground to Cohen, who no longer had any incentive to lie, period. (His prison sentence was already fixed, there was nada he could do or say to alter it.)
Then we had former lawman Rep. Clay Higgins (La) , also drawling in his Southern accent, asking about where Cohen got his documents, i.e. "Where is this treasure of evidence?" And : if they were in "boxes", shouldn't that be in the Special Counsel's possession? Never mind Cohen attempted numerous times to inform the nitwit that these had been originally seized in an FBI raid last year then returned to him. We also beheld Mr. 'Cornpone' blabbing: "I’ve arrested several thousand men and you remind me of many of them.” Oh really? And NONE of those arrested reminds you of the slimy con man, grifter, traitor and crime boss occupying the White House? Then you were either useless as the law, or blind.
"Just to make a note, Mr. Chairman, just because a person has a person of color, a black person working for them does not mean they are not racist. And it is insensitive that someone would use a prop - a black woman - in this chamber, in this committee. Someone could say that is racist in itself."
As one MSNBC commentator (Danielle Moodie-Mills) put it, after Meadows sputtered a hollow defense ("Ah also have colored nieces and nephews, and few know that!!):
"On an auction block, and 'look at my black friend'? Look at her, that means the president isn't a racist? That is the epitome of racism! Are you serious? Is she the black ambassador for the entire race? Because one person out his entire staff is black, that this is who you bring up? The fact he thought this was going to be like a gotcha moment was incredible."
After all, he had put one African-American on his staff. The spectacle so aroused MSNBC commentator Maya Wiley - when the clip was shown on Katy Tur's show- that she nearly flipped out and called it an outrage. When Tur asked "Is that all?" Prof. Wiley replied, "Well, this is a public television program and I can't curse."
Former GOP strategist Rick Wilson put Meadows' stunt in more nuanced perspective ('All In') averring: "That was for his FOX-Breitbart audience, the 'black friend' theory. It was awful and you just thought 'get off that train', that's not a great place for you to be." Well, that's about as good a take as any.
For sheer irrational belching of BS no one took the prize like top Trump ass kisser, Jim Jordan. It was also hilarious seeing how often the other Reep committee members ceded their time to Jordan hoping he'd land a punch. But all he landed were light flicks that Cohen easily brushed aside. One of the hottest segments transpired when Cohen went head to head with Jordan, after one barrage misrepresenting Cohen's words. Cohen fired back:
"Shame on you, Mr. Jordan. That is not what I said. I said I took full responsibility for my actions...!"
At another juncture Jordan tried to invoke the "patsy" strawman like some of his Reeptardo colleagues:
"The Democrats just want to use you, Mr. Cohen. You're their patsy today. They just gotta find somebody, somewhere to say something so they can try to remove the president from office."
Unable to take this crock much longer Yvette Nicole Brown, grew so manifestly irritated at Jordan's antics she let loose a tweet that encapsulated what was on all our minds:
"What does Trump have on Rep #JimJordan? Look up Trump Lackey in the dictionary and it’s that fool. Sheesh Further, he’s SO upset about lies and crimes yet supports Tang?! How does THAT work?"
Another commenter Josh Gad tweeted: "How hard do you think it must be to keep a straight face while saying that Michael Cohen is a liar while defending Donald Trump who literally cannot breathe without lying?"
The claim of Repukes like Jordan that "no one should believe a confessed liar and convicted felon" is, of course, utter balderdash - as I earlier noted citing the Valachi case and Nick Ackerman's own experience. And as Cohen told the Committee, he didn't expect to just have his word taken at face value, but wanted members to examine the documents he brought - including a signed check for $35,000 with Trump's signature. This was to pay Cohen back for using his own $130,000 from a home equity line of credit. (Cohen explained the reimbursement had to be paid back in increments and include the NY state tax hit of 50 %, i.e. so making up $260,000 in total.)
There was also a constellation of additional positive evidence supporting Cohen's claims, including: namely thousands of records obtained from Cohen's residence in the April 9, 2018 warrant search conducted by the FBI, e.g. hard copy financial, legal documents, seized electronic devices, audio recordings made by Cohen, emails, text messages sent over encrypted applications, records retrieved from the corporation referenced in the charging documents as "Corporation One" and records from the media company also therein referenced. Last but not least, there is the documented testimony of witnesses involved in the transactions for illegal payoffs, like Trump accountant Allen Weisselberg, e.g.
As Tim O'Brien ('TrumpNation' author) made clear on 'Last Word', it is Weisselberg who knows "where all the bodies are buried" - at least in finance, money laundering terms. Hence, after Cohen he is the next logical choice to be called to the Hill.
Way back in August, Lanny Davis, Cohen’s lawyer, asked in a tweet: “If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn’t they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Indeed. And I am certain Weisselberg will have he answers - many of them - and ought to be called before House committee hearings soon.
Way back in August, Lanny Davis, Cohen’s lawyer, asked in a tweet: “If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn’t they be a crime for Donald Trump?" Indeed. And I am certain Weisselberg will have he answers - many of them - and ought to be called before House committee hearings soon.
In an appearance on CBS Early Show the morning of Aug. 22, 2018, Mr. Davis had to repeat his explanation three times to the bonehead morning anchors: Nora O'Donnell and John Dickerson. Neither seemed to grasp the concept of "dispositive evidence". When each CBS knucklehead continued to ask "Where's the evidence?" for the "explosive" claim that Trump directed Cohen to make these payments- Davis repeatedly referred to Trump's lawyers who themselves made that statement as sworn testimony before Mueller. Hence, their recorded statements qualified as "dispositive evidence" . But the dynamic duo of CBS Early Show never did process it. All of that early drama last year set the stage for yesterday.
Make no mistake,despite the Reep Rats efforts at obstruction and disruption, Cohen’s testimony marked a rare opportunity for millions of Americans to bear witness to the account of a central player in multiple investigations ensnaring Drumpf and his associates. Cohen acted for more than a decade as Trump's fixer – a role in which he became intimately familiar with both Trump’s personal and professional affairs.
In many ways, his testimony reminded me of former Nixon Lawyer John Dean's back in 1973- which helped bring down the original presidential crook. A huge difference is that Dean worked in the White House, Cohen didn't But what Cohen lacked in placement he more than made up for in time, 10 years as Trump's de facto consigliere. In addition, Cohen yesterday produced actual documents to support his case, while Dean had none at the time of his Senate hearings. (The tapes would only emerge later).
In many ways, his testimony reminded me of former Nixon Lawyer John Dean's back in 1973- which helped bring down the original presidential crook. A huge difference is that Dean worked in the White House, Cohen didn't But what Cohen lacked in placement he more than made up for in time, 10 years as Trump's de facto consigliere. In addition, Cohen yesterday produced actual documents to support his case, while Dean had none at the time of his Senate hearings. (The tapes would only emerge later).
Perhaps the most extraordinary moment came in Cohen's and emotional closing statement, in which he spoke directly to his former boss, admonishing Trump for a litany of sins ranging from his attacks against the media to his policy of separating immigrant families and his failure to “take responsibility for your own dirty deeds”. He exhorted those who still support the president, as he once did, not to make “the same mistakes I have made or pay the heavy price that my family and I are paying”.
In his most lurid warning, Cohen suggested that America could be facing existential peril as a constitutional democracy. “Given my experience working for Mr Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.”
Well, in that case we will have to see that the criminal traitor is dragged out by the scruff of his orange neck if need be. And maybe tarred and feathered before being hung, drawn and quartered as a public spectacle. But there's no way in hell the miscreant can be allowed to thumb his nose at the country, the Constitution and the laws.
See also:by Marjorie Cohn | March 1, 2019 - 8:41am | permalink
And:
And:
"Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, in their frantic effort to discredit Mr. Cohen, went after him while steadfastly ignoring the actual evidence he produced. They tried to impugn his character, but were unable to impugn the documents he provided. Nor did a single Republican offer a character defense of Mr. Trump. It turns out that was too much, even for them."
