‘Mr. Fix-It’ Michael Cohen bombs on the stand, offers no new evidence to convict Trump

[berryberry]

by Jonathon Turley

Michael Cohen apparently wants a reality show but, if his testimony Monday is any indication, reality is about to sink in for not just Cohen but the prosecutors and the court.

In stoking interest in his own appearance, the former Trump counsel promised the public that they should be “prepared to be surprised.”

Thus far, however, Cohen has offered nothing new and, more importantly, nothing to make the case for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Just before he took the stand, the New York Post revealed that Cohen has been peddling a reality show called “The Fixer,” including working with Colin Whelan, who helped create “Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies and Cover-Up.” Whelan appears interested to stay within that genre.

The Cohen pitch came with a cheesy promo video where he promised viewers, “I am your fixer.”

His first post-Trump client, Bragg, may have to disagree.

Cohen had only one advantage for Bragg: His notoriously flexible morals and ethics, which allows him to say most anything to support his sponsors.

With the prosecution’s case almost over, Bragg needed Cohen to clearly state that Trump intentionally committed fraud to conceal some still poorly defined crime.

The problem is that Cohen only confirmed that Trump knew he was going to pay for the nondisclosure agreement and that it would be buried before the election. None of that is unlawful.

On his reality show promo, Cohen tells viewers that he is now there to fix their problems because “the little guy doesn’t usually have access to people with my particular set of skills.”

Those skills seem to have escaped all of the witnesses who were compelled to work with him.

Witnesses detailed how Cohen was ridiculed as someone “prone to exaggeration” and unprofessional.

Former Trump associate Hope Hicks said that Cohen was constantly trying to insinuate himself into the campaign and that he “used to like to call himself Mister Fix It, but it was only because he first broke it.”

Cohen only succeeded in confirming that he put together this payment and advised Trump to go forward with it.

He assured him that it would effectively kill the story before the election.

None of that is illegal. The “Fix it man” assured Trump that he fixed it and now wants Trump to go to jail for following that advice.

In the course of that representation, Cohen also admitted to taping his client without his knowledge, a breathtaking breach of trust and confidentiality.

This is the man who, according to Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Keith Davidson, expected to be Trump’s Attorney General.

Davidson said that Cohen was “depressed and despondent” and “I thought he was going to kill himself” when he realized that he would not be made a cabinet member.

Cohen contradicted Davidson and insisted that he only wanted to be Trump’s personal lawyer.

He also admitted that he was unaware that the publisher of National Enquirer, David Pecker, had long killed negative stories about Trump and other celebrities for decades.

Cohen has yet to fix the problem for Bragg.

More importantly, he has added to the problem for Judge Juan Merchan. Many of us have ridiculed this case as devoid of any criminal act.

Indeed, Merchan has allowed the prosecutors to proceed without clearly stating what crime was being concealed.

It is not even clear why paying one’s lawyer a lump sum for his services and costs (including the NDA payment) was not a “legal expense” or how it was supposed to be entered on a business ledger.

Absent a sudden epiphany in his final testimony on Tuesday, Merchan should rule in favor of a directed verdict — that is, throwing the case out before it goes to a jury. If he instead sends this farcical case to the jury, it is Merchan, not Cohen, who may have a better claim to a reality show as the ultimate “Fix It Man.”

Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

[Salty Again]

... I am of the same opinion of Mr. Turley here.
"Mr. Fix-it" is a bleedin' embarrassment to truth and honesty.
And that Judge Merchan is a disgrace to the legal profession.

... That said - this case surely has GREAT "Appeal"...

#### Salty

[Big Daddy Joe]

I heard he did quite well filling in a lot of the blanks and he has the orange turd on tape admitting to everything!
Good shit!
And good luck with all of your propaganda.
We Have televisions now and can judge for ourselves, not listen to your obviously partisan right wing viewpoints.
You know as well as the rest of us that he's a criminal and a traitor!

Originally Posted by berryberry

by Jonathon Turley

Michael Cohen apparently wants a reality show but, if his testimony Monday is any indication, reality is about to sink in for not just Cohen but the prosecutors and the court.

In stoking interest in his own appearance, the former Trump counsel promised the public that they should be “prepared to be surprised.”

Thus far, however, Cohen has offered nothing new and, more importantly, nothing to make the case for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Just before he took the stand, the New York Post revealed that Cohen has been peddling a reality show called “The Fixer,” including working with Colin Whelan, who helped create “Joe Exotic: Tigers, Lies and Cover-Up.” Whelan appears interested to stay within that genre.

The Cohen pitch came with a cheesy promo video where he promised viewers, “I am your fixer.”

His first post-Trump client, Bragg, may have to disagree.

Cohen had only one advantage for Bragg: His notoriously flexible morals and ethics, which allows him to say most anything to support his sponsors.

With the prosecution’s case almost over, Bragg needed Cohen to clearly state that Trump intentionally committed fraud to conceal some still poorly defined crime.

The problem is that Cohen only confirmed that Trump knew he was going to pay for the nondisclosure agreement and that it would be buried before the election. None of that is unlawful.

On his reality show promo, Cohen tells viewers that he is now there to fix their problems because “the little guy doesn’t usually have access to people with my particular set of skills.”

Those skills seem to have escaped all of the witnesses who were compelled to work with him.

Witnesses detailed how Cohen was ridiculed as someone “prone to exaggeration” and unprofessional.

Former Trump associate Hope Hicks said that Cohen was constantly trying to insinuate himself into the campaign and that he “used to like to call himself Mister Fix It, but it was only because he first broke it.”

Cohen only succeeded in confirming that he put together this payment and advised Trump to go forward with it.

He assured him that it would effectively kill the story before the election.

None of that is illegal. The “Fix it man” assured Trump that he fixed it and now wants Trump to go to jail for following that advice.

In the course of that representation, Cohen also admitted to taping his client without his knowledge, a breathtaking breach of trust and confidentiality.

This is the man who, according to Stormy Daniels’ attorney, Keith Davidson, expected to be Trump’s Attorney General.

Davidson said that Cohen was “depressed and despondent” and “I thought he was going to kill himself” when he realized that he would not be made a cabinet member.

Cohen contradicted Davidson and insisted that he only wanted to be Trump’s personal lawyer.

He also admitted that he was unaware that the publisher of National Enquirer, David Pecker, had long killed negative stories about Trump and other celebrities for decades.

Cohen has yet to fix the problem for Bragg.

More importantly, he has added to the problem for Judge Juan Merchan. Many of us have ridiculed this case as devoid of any criminal act.

Indeed, Merchan has allowed the prosecutors to proceed without clearly stating what crime was being concealed.

It is not even clear why paying one’s lawyer a lump sum for his services and costs (including the NDA payment) was not a “legal expense” or how it was supposed to be entered on a business ledger.

Absent a sudden epiphany in his final testimony on Tuesday, Merchan should rule in favor of a directed verdict — that is, throwing the case out before it goes to a jury. If he instead sends this farcical case to the jury, it is Merchan, not Cohen, who may have a better claim to a reality show as the ultimate “Fix It Man.”

Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.

[chizzy]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

I heard he did quite well filling in a lot of the blanks and he has the orange turd on tape admitting to everything!
Good shit!
And good luck with all of your propaganda.
We Have televisions now and can judge for ourselves, not listen to your obviously partisan right wing viewpoints.
You know as well as the rest of us that he's a criminal and a traitor!

cohen has been disbarred and caught lying to congress. enough said

[Mistershark]

Originally Posted by chizzy

cohen has been disbarred and caught lying to congress. enough said

Sounds like a typical Trump hire.

[Big Daddy Joe]

Originally Posted by chizzy

cohen has been disbarred and caught lying to congress. enough said

Yeah, obviously you missed the part where I said the orange piece of shit is on tape giving him orders to crime! 🤣😂🤣

[Chase7]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

Yeah, obviously you missed the part where I said the orange piece of shit is on tape giving him orders to crime! ������

Be factual. “What is the actual crime”?

I’ll help you, if you say paying hush money. It’s not a crime. If you say using campaign funds which he didn’t it’s a fing misdemeanor.

This is all about using the DOJ against your opponent by the actual President, Obama.

A convicted liar that lost his law license is your main witness that’s, very Rich.

The actual crime is using corrupt AG’s and Judges against your opponent.
This is how the likes of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are run.

What are you going to do when the government comes after you if you don’t fall in line.
To me this is what I’m concerned about.

[Big Daddy Joe]

Let's start at the rear, if this we're China Russia, or those other dictatorial shit holes that the orange turd seems so enamored with, there would have been mass executions not prison sentences handed out!
As for the rest of it, it is always the cover up!
The American people have the right to know what a piece of shit the guy they are about to vote for is, and to be able to make their decision based on his character!
It is permitted to pay people hush money, it is not permitted to hide the fact that it was paid, or why!
It's always the cover up!
But it dosent matter the women of American are outraged about roe v wade, and the orange turd keeps asking them for their thanks for that, something I'm sure they will give him in November!
What a fucking Boob!
Now it finally sunk in, and he's trying to backpedal.
Good luck with that! ��

Originally Posted by Chase7

I’ll help you, if you say paying hush money. It’s not a crime. If he used campaign money which he didn’t , it’s a simple misdemeanor.

This is all about using the DOJ against your opponent by the actual President, Obama.

A convicted liar that lost his law license used by the corrupt DOJ as your main witness is, very rich to say the least.

The actual crime is corrupt AG’s against the rest of Americans. They may come after the rest of us if we don’t fall in line with their wants. This same thing is how China, Russia, North Korea and Iran operate as examples.

[Chase7]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

Let's start at the rear, if this we're China Russia, or those other dictatorial shit holes that the orange turd seems so enamored with, there would have been mass executions not prison sentences handed out!
As for the rest of it, it is always the cover up!
The American people have the right to know what a piece of shit the guy they are about to vote for is, and to be able to make their decision based on his character!
It is permitted to pay people hush money, it is not permitted to hide the fact that it was paid, or why!
It's always the cover up!
But it dosent matter the women of American are outraged about roe v wade, and the orange turd keeps asking them for their thanks for that, something I'm sure they will give him in November!
What a fucking Boob!
Now it finally sunk in, and he's trying to backpedal.
Good luck with that! ��

Off topic by you concerning abortion.

Trump supports abortion decisions going to the states not the federal government, simple as that.
You’re wrong on that. Like I said be factual!

Ledger entries is the crime, come-on. Bragg does not have authority to try federal laws, which this is.

[Big Daddy Joe]

Let me rephrase.
It is not illegal to pay to shut someone up.
It is however illegal to hide it from the American voter if you are a candidate for office.
. It was a misdemeanor until then
The it became election interference!
A felony.

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

Let's start at the rear, if this we're China Russia, or those other dictatorial shit holes that the orange turd seems so enamored with, there would have been mass executions not prison sentences handed out!
As for the rest of it, it is always the cover up!
The American people have the right to know what a piece of shit the guy they are about to vote for is, and to be able to make their decision based on his character!
It is permitted to pay people hush money, it is not permitted to hide the fact that it was paid, or why!
It's always the cover up!
But it dosent matter the women of American are outraged about roe v wade, and the orange turd keeps asking them for their thanks for that, something I'm sure they will give him in November!
What a fucking Boob!
Now it finally sunk in, and he's trying to backpedal.
Good luck with that! ��

[Chase7]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

Let me rephrase.
It is not illegal to hide the fact that money was paid to shut someone up.
It is illegal to hide it from the American voter. It was a misdemeanor until the!
The it became election interference!
A felony.

Everyone knows there will not be a conviction. Possible hung jury since it is NY.
This trail is “Actual Election Interference” by corrupt DOJ, AG’s and Judges.

You know he won’t be convicted, driving some crazy. Could be considered hilarious it wasn’t what the liberals are doing to control an election and using the government to come after the people!

[Salty Again]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Joe

Let me rephrase.
It is not illegal to pay to shut someone up.
It is however illegal to hide it from the American voter if you are a candidate for office.
. It was a misdemeanor until then
The it became election interference!
A felony.

... Sez WHO??

... WHERE did you get THAT dotty line of thinking??
MSNBC? ... Newsweek?? ... The View?? ...

#### Salty

[berryberry]

Originally Posted by Salty Again

... I am of the same opinion of Mr. Turley here.
"Mr. Fix-it" is a bleedin' embarrassment to truth and honesty.
And that Judge Merchan is a disgrace to the legal profession.

... That said - this case surely has GREAT "Appeal"...

#### Salty

Yeah Salty. Imagine that leftists here who know nothing about the law dismiss Jonathon Turley, a great legal mind and not a Republican. Turley has followed this sham trial closely and speaks the truth

Oh, and if anyone was paying attention - they would know there is no crime to pay someone to remain quiet and there is no crime to not disclose such agreement to the public if you are a candidate for office.

[berryberry]

Originally Posted by Salty Again

... Sez WHO??

... WHERE did you get THAT dotty line of thinking??
MSNBC? ... Newsweek?? ... The View?? ...

#### Salty

LOL, yeah Salty - what a joke

Meanwhile a real lawyer notes:

Jonathan Turley: “Can't imagine any competent lawyer would not be embarrassed by what has happened in this Courtroom…This day is truly going to go down as a day of infamy for the New York Legal System. Watching this unfold in that Courtroom as a lawyer is really deeply disturbing…They keep on referring to these documents. The documents don’t move the ball. The documents show an NDA and a payment that’s not in dispute. They are not unlawful. They are not unlawful as a Federal Campaign Contribution.”

[eyecu2]

The crime he's being accused of is falsifying business documents in relation to election funds.

Falsifying the documents is the misdemeanor, and the portion of it as to how it affects the election is where it becomes a felony.

All the armchair quarterbacks can claim whatever they want and quote earlier whomever - it's going to be the jurors that determine what the hell happens here and whether Cohen is believable or not. Cohen is not a likable character generally speaking but, I think there's no additional payout for him since he's not getting any remunerative value for his testimony. Might sell some books, but everyone around Trump, FOX , CNN have written books...so I don't see that as being so negative, but it's a shame we can't watch it on TV like we could with OJ.