Where do I begin? I have a lot to cover on this story since I let the news develop about it before I decided to research it. Michael D. Cohen testified before Congress on Wednesday, February 27, 2019.
For those who don’t know, Cohen is President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer” and is scheduled to go to prison in two months for lying to Congress. According to ABC News, Rep. Jim Jordan (Republican) felt sorry for Cohen saying, “Mr. Cohen has committed four distinct federal crimes over several years, motivated by personal greed and repeatedly used his power for deceptive ends, but Democrats don’t care. They (Democrats) just want to use you Mr. Cohen.” This is just a brief statement that I thought had to be brought to attention, but to further summarize what was said by Mr. Jordan, he continued with his theory that Cohen was a pawn to get Donald Trump out of office, even though Cohen cannot be exactly trusted due to his past.
Cohen’s testimony started the same way it starts for everyone, he was sworn in and he continued saying, “under oath to correct the record, to answer committees question truthfully, and to offer the American people what I know about president Trump. I recognize that some of you may doubt and attack me on my credibility. It is for this reason that I have incorporated into this opening statement documents that are irrefutable and demonstrate the information that you will hear is accurate and truthful…” Cohen also said Trump is a “racist, a conman, and he is a cheat”. But if you’re an average American or at least a college student, like me, you simply don’t have the time to watch the seven hours and twenty-two-minute testimony. In my case, I watched it for a good twenty minutes or so to get the opening perspective and then I researched the important points of the testimony.
Before
Democrats, who acknowledged Cohen’s past history and upcoming prison time, wanted to give Cohen a platform to share his side of the story with the world. Republicans, on the other hand, repeatedly called on Cohen’s history of lying to Congress – one of the crimes he is going to prison for – as proof that he could not be trusted. But eventually, the Democrats won this battle, giving Cohen a chance to tell his side of the story. Now let’s dive into the testimony.
During
Cohen brought up Trump’s justification for being excused from Vietnam’s draft for a bone spur. But when Cohen asked Trump for the medical records, he didn’t give him anything and said there was no surgery. Trump told Cohen to “Not answer specific questions by reporters but rather simply state the fact that he received a medical deferment.” Cohen continued saying Trump finished his comment with, “Do you think I’m stupid? I’m not going to Vietnam.” And added that he found it ‘ironic’ that the President was in Vietnam at that moment and that he continued to work for him after that.
Cohen also said Trump had Cohen pay an “adult porn star with whom he had an affair with and to lie about it to his wife which I did. And lying to the First Lady is one of my biggest regrets because she is a kind, good person and I respect her greatly, and she did not deserve that”.
Chairman Cummings said at one point in the testimony that “ the President called you a rat. We are better than that! We really are! And I’m hoping that all of us can get back to this democracy that we want and we should be passing to our children so they can do better than what we did. So you wonder whether people believe you or not. I don’t know. I don’t know whether they believe you, but the fact is that you come, you have your head down and this has got to be one of the hardest things you could do. Let me tell you the picture that really, really pained me you were leaving the prison, you were leaving the courthouse, and I guess that your daughter had braces or something on and that thing, that thing hurt me. As a father of two daughters, it hurt me. And I can imagine how it must feel for you. But I’m just saying to you that first of all, I want to thank you. I know that this has been hard. I know that you face a lot. I know that you are worried about your family. But this is apart of your destiny. And hopefully, this portion of your destiny will lead to a better, a better Michael Cohen, a better Donald Trump, a better United States of America, and a better world.”
Cummings also stated, “And I’m tired of these statements saying, they come, people come in here and say ‘Oh this is the first hearing.’ It is not the first hearing! The first hearing was what we regard to prescription drugs. Remember a little girl, a lady sat right there, Miss Wortham, her daughter died! Because she could not get three hundred and thirty-three dollars a month in insulin. That was our first hearing! A second hearing, HR on voting rights, corruption in government. Come on now! We can do more than one thing. And we have got to get back to normal, with that this meeting is a germ.”
In his closing, Cohen said, “My loyalty to Trump cost me everything… and I will not sit back, say nothing, and allow him to do the same for the country,” he continued, “I have lied, but I am not a liar. I have done bad things, but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I am no longer your fixer, Mr. Trump. And I am going to prison and have shattered the safety and security that I tried so hard to provide for my family”.
After
Stormi Daniels input: “Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who alleged she had an affair with Trump and was kept quiet about it through a $130,000 payment, once detailed the threats of bankruptcy – and worse, she said – she was facing from Cohen.
But on Wednesday, Daniels said she was “proud” of the man who once paid her for her silence. In a statement to ABC News and others, she spoke directly to Cohen.
“Michael, I’m proud of you for finally beginning to tell the truth about what you did, and trying to repair some of the harm you have caused. I can hear the pain and regret you feel for betraying your family and your country. My heart goes out to you and your family,” said Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
“You spoke about how the president and his attorney put you and your family in danger by calling you a liar and a rat and disparaging you in public. I understand your fear, Michael. I have a family too. Do you believe now that when you and the president called me a liar when you were his attorney and you insulted me, threatened to bankrupt me and worse, that you put me and my family in danger?” Daniels said in a statement. “I remember the fear you feel. I still feel it. Thank you for having the courage, at long last, to begin to tell the truth. I hope that someday soon your family and mine can both leave this nightmare behind.” (ABC News)
2020 election is creeping up on us as well so Democratic Elizabeth Warren, first 2020 candiates to declare a bid, had something to say as well. She promised her supports that if she was electected that “there will be no pardons for anyone implicated in these investigations”. “Warren promised no pardons or commutations for anyone charged in the Mueller investigation, anyone implicated in a federal criminal investigation related to Trump, and “no pardon or commutation for Donald Trump himself.” (ABC News).
Now there is more to the testimony but I strived to share the important parts that I got out of all the new sources. There are plenty of reputable news sources to find out more information, or watch some of the testimony yourself! It is online and so are the tweets. Now I don’t know how much Cohen’s testimony impacted America as many don’t believe him but it was courageous in my opinion for him to take his stand. What do you think? Should we have even listened to his testimony? Will there be any complications from his testimony? I guess time will tell.
ABC News and The New York Times.
All images are courtesy of Google Images.