Opinion: Michael Cohen has blown a lot of political smoke but no impeachable fire, henryolsenEPPC writes
Michael Cohen testifies before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. By Henry Olsen Henry Olsen Columnist focusing on politics, populism, and American conservative thought Email Bio Follow Columnist February 27 at 5:15 PM Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday was explosive and raw. But the verdict is nonetheless clear: lots of political smoke, little impeachable fire.
The second set of allegations is more troubling and could set the president up for legal trouble. While the specific campaign-finance violations Cohen pleaded guilty to have proved difficult to sustain when pursued , that doesn’t mean charges will not be brought. Misuse of charitable funds, if that is in fact what occurred, is also a potential violation of state laws.
The Stone-WikiLeaks connection is the most direct and important evidence for the collusion narrative so far. If Cohen is to be believed, Stone was acting on his own all that time. That exonerates Trump and the campaign entirely in this specific matter. It’s unbelievable that a hyper-competitive, narcissistic man would pursue winning at all costs and believe he wasn’t going to win. Hyper-competitiveness always produces false confidence in victory, not its opposite. Yet we have repeatedly heard, both throughout the campaign and in many post-campaign revelations, that Trump never thought he could win. Cohen’s initial statement is highly unflattering to Trump, but is likelier to be true than the subsequent forced concession.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Analysis | The GOP’s attacks on Michael Cohen sound a lot like attacks on TrumpMany of the things Republicans attacked Cohen on could carry collateral damage for the man they are defending.
Read more »
Opinion | Four big takeaways from Michael Cohen’s explosive testimonyCohen depicts a racist criminal in the Oval Office who issues directives to subordinates in the language of a mob boss.
Read more »
Opinion | New Michael Cohen testimony may undermine Trump’s spin on MuellerExtensive wrongdoing and likely criminality has already been established, and we can't lose sight of that bigger story.
Read more »
Opinion | The most revealing insight of Michael Cohen’s testimonyTrump never expected — or even wanted — to win the election, his former personal lawyer tells Congress.
Read more »
Opinion | Did Matt Gaetz illegally intimidate Michael Cohen?Opinion: Did Matt Gaetz illegally intimidate Michael Cohen?
Read more »
Opinion | Michael Cohen just breached the Great Trump WallIt’s no wonder the president’s apologists sought to keep Cohen from speaking to a national audience.
Read more »
Opinion | Michael Cohen to Congress: Yes, Trump is a crookThe blockbusters to focus on.
Read more »