Michael Cohen sentenced to three years in federal prison
veritable smorgasbord of fraudulent conduct Judge William H. Pauley III
Trump fears impeachment
E LaMont Gregory MSc Oxon
willful tax evasion, illegal campaign contributions, lying to congress
Michael Cohen plead guilty in two separate cases, one brought by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, and the second, by the office of the special counsel, Robert S Mueller III, who is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election
Don't cry for me, America
As to Michael Cohen lying to congress, it should be remembered that Cohen lied to a congress, a House of Representatives, in particular, led by Paul Ryan and Mark Meadows and the chair of the intelligence committee, Kevin Nunes. Kevin Nunes approached Paul Ryan and together they helped the White House fabricate the now infamous midnight intelligence hoax.
It must also be remembered that the Republican majority House under the leadership of Speaker Paul Ryan, produced a report which includes testimony by Michael Cohen which they found credible and truthful, and that in spite of minority party skepticism, the republicans concluded there was no reason, given the credible and truthful testimony of Michael Cohen, to recall Cohen for further and more rigorous examination.
Michael Cohen's testimony to congress was false. And, we now know that his public statement before his testimony to congress was a signal orchestrated by Cohen and Donald Trump to others who would testify as to what and how they should respond to a series of questions. Not the least of which concerned the association between Trump and Russian business dealings. Business interests which Donald Trump time and time again during the election campaign, denied.
Ryan knew that the story they spun would unravel, that is to say, that the truth would come out, and like the coward he has always been, he chose to suddenly and dramatically resign from congress after the November 2018 midterm elections. But not before, the budget balancing knight in shining armor, helped to secure the passage of a massive tax cut for the rich, paid for entirely by increasing the national debt.
So, not only did Ryan prove a coward, but also a fraud.
It is worth noting that the sex-scandal saddled rightest of ring-wing Trump followers in the House, Jim Jordan, during the time of Cohen's testimony to congress, appeared on several cable news networks with a truly absurd suggestion that Trump had never lied to him. In fairness, it should be stated that Jordan never claimed that Trump had ever told him the truth, either.
And, in Jordan world the difference between the two claims is meaningful.
Cohen's claim that he was under the influence of the cult leader Donald Trump when he committed tax evasion, made false claims to banks, structured and executed illegal campaign contributions, and lied to congress, stands in stark contrast to the realization that had Cohen not been caught, he would have continued doing whatever he thought necessary to feed his ambitions and personal greed.
A better stance for Michael Cohen would be 'Don't cry for me, America.'
blind loyalty to Trump?
each of the crimes involved deception and each appears to have been motivated by personal greed and ambition Judge William H. Pauley III