Michael Cohen’s win over Donald Trump was even bigger than you think
The Republicans on the House Oversight Committee had one job during Michael Cohen’s hearing: preserve Donald Trump’s credibility while attacking Cohen separately. The question they apparently failed to ask themselves is how exactly they should go about smearing a convicted felon who has already admitted his guilt and who was also Trump’s lawyer/fixer (only the best people) during the time those crimes were committed, while pretending Trump wasn’t involved. After all, Cohen didn’t hand Stormy Daniels $130,000 or lie to Congress about Trump Tower Moscow for any other reason than that it stood to benefit Trump.
So, Cohen’s credibility isn’t really the issue. It’s the evidence he brings that’s key, like a $35,000 hush money check signed by Donald Trump Jr. So, every time GOP members reminded the country of Cohen’s crimes by asking “Why we should believe a convicted felon who has lied to Congress,” they reminded the country of Donald Trump’s crimes, since the lawyer/fixer and his client’s interests were intimately attached. Who would believe otherwise, that Cohen would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of his own money to break campaign finance laws without Trump’s knowledge? Why would he previously lie to Congress about Trump Tower Moscow if it wasn’t to help Trump? Add physical evidence, and House GOP members are left with no argument that isn’t steeped in dishonest stupidity.
That’s why none of the GOP members defended Trump on the facts in evidence. Clearly reading from a list of talking points frequently – and in the case of word-murdering Louisiana rep Clay Higgins, failing miserably – Republicans were content to call the entire hearing a waste of time while propping up other Trump talking points concerning migrants at the border and the repeal of Obamacare. What any of that has to do with Cohen’s testimony is approximately nothing, other than satisfying the audience of one around whom Republicans have circled their wagons. Trump is surely satisfied with their dimwitted, lockstep loyalty, though no one can compare to witness tamperer Matt Gaetz, who put Trump’s political career over his own in a lame, yet still criminal, attempt to scare Cohen off via Twitter.
It was an embarrassing and damaging performance by two-bit GOP clowns who wasted time attacking both an admitted felon’s credibility – while ignoring the mountain of evidence he brings to the table – and the investigations into Trump, which a large majority of Americans support. If this is all just a big waste of time, as Republican snake-oil salesmen are hawking, it’s a big waste of time that the world is watching and that has irreversibly connected Cohen’s crimes with his biggest client – and Don Jr. – right before everyone’s eyes.
Chuck is a former community reporter, columnist, and Army veteran