Cohen Coming Clean

MICHAEL COHEN, former attorney and problem solver for Donald J. Trump, and currently convicted felon for crimes committed on behalf of his former client (Trump), will, within a few hours, appear in the United States House of Representatives to answer questions. One observer remarked that his testimony will be remembered for two hundred years,, and will be the greatest show on Earth, no disrespect to the Ringling Brothers. That assessment might be less an exaggeration than it at first sight seems. Cohen has been on Capitol Hill before, which is why he is headed to prison in May for a three year stint. The last time, he lied, telling the assembled congressional committee that plans and negotiations for a Trump tower Moscow branch ceased and desisted the very moment Trump entered the presidential race. Actually, they didn't. Discussions with Russians continued right through the campaign, we now know, and talks with the Russians during the presidential campaign seem to have broached other topics as well, most notably, how to win the election for Trump, with Russian assistance. During Cohen's last appearance, he lied like a dog to a republican majority which didn't seem to give a fig, told him thanks, and sent him on his way. Robert Mueller had other plans, which included indicting and charging Trump's boy of lying to congress, a federal offense. Cohen was then sentenced to three years in the pen. If he lies this time, which he won't dare, the federal judge could haul him back into court, and tack on more time. Cohen, no longer willing as in the past to take a bullet for the Don, is nowadays more inclined to aim one towards Trump, and is highly likely to come totally clean, for the first time ever, and give the Democratic majority a full and complete run down on a large number of Trump's transgressions. These include hush payments to mistresses, political help from Russians, and most likely many others. The Democratic majority House of Reps is going to be far more interested in what Cohen has to say than were or are the Republican members, who are already lining up to assert that since Cohen lied before, since he is a known liar, he will doubtless lie again. Their desperate attempt to discredit Cohen before he even takes the stage sounds as terrified as a typical Trump tweet. Cohen has every reason to tell the truth this time, and no reason to lie. The main reason is his desire to avoid more prison time than the three years already in store for him. Trump and the Republicans are ignoring that inconvenient but obvious fact. Trump, Republican members of congress, and Trump supporters are all falling all over themselves to discredit Cohen's testimony before it is even given, to assert that Trump is the victim of a conspiracy, and that Trump has done nothing wrong. Mr. Cohen and Mr. Mueller will in short order shed a great deal of light on all that, and when they do, it will be interesting to listen to the desperate, pathetic excuses that Trump and his gang of fabricators, which includes millions of supporters, try to foist upon us, as their leader sinks beneath a tidal wave of corruption and criminality, and Trump supporters finally find that they have nowhere else to hide, having run out of excuses and accusations of witch hunts and conspiracies.