SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Medved: Michael Cohen’s remarks undermined both himself and Trump’s defenders

Feb 27, 2019, 2:27 PM

michael cohen...

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Taken from The Michael Medved Show on Wednesday. Edited for clarity.

My initial response to today’s hearing is two very obvious questions that nobody’s asking and nobody’s answering. Question one is for the Democrats: How does this hearing today help anyone? I understand they want him to testify publicly before he goes away to prison, but why is this important for the country right now? What is the new information that is being generated here?

And the question for Republicans — who are not defending President Trump, and are attacking Michael Cohen, who has lived much of his life as a slimy creature — is why did the President of the United States see fit to employ him and trust him for more than a decade?

RELATED: Attack on John Wayne Show the distance we’ve traveled

It seems to me that purpose of Cohen’s opening statements was to try to make himself seem if not pitiable, at least sympathetic, and the problem is that he undermines his own case for the same reasons that the Republican defenders of President Trump undermine their own case.

Republican defenders want us to believe that Michael Cohen is the worst person in the world; if they’re right and he is, then why did he continually work for Trump, and why was he entrusted with highly sensitive and highly dubious operations?

RELATED: Liberal racism poisons immigration debate

In addition to trying to garner sympathy for himself, much of the statement also seemed intent on portraying Trump as the worst person in the world. Cohen implies that Trump’s insanely paranoid about his college grades, a racist, a cheat who files false reports to banks.

If he claims that he knew these things about Trump, why did he continue to work for him? Why did he take these gigantic risks? Why did he help him become president?

FILE - Dr. Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disea...

Associated Press

Anthony Fauci again faces questions from Senate Republicans about pandemic origins

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. scientist who helped lead the nation’s COVID-19 pandemic response, is set to face off — again — with a Republican senator probing the origins of the coronavirus. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky subpoenaed Fauci to appear before a Senate committee Wednesday. It’s part of Paul’s yearslong accusations that the now-retired […]

38 minutes ago

Associated Press

Russia charges Telegram founder Pavel Durov with aiding terrorism and puts him on wanted list

Russia’s main domestic security agency said Wednesday that Pavel Durov, founder of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with “aiding terrorism” and put on an international wanted list. Telegram’s administration has not removed “numerous channels, chats and bots” that are “actively used by Ukrainian intelligence agencies, terrorist, and extremist organizations to prepare and coordinate […]

3 hours ago

A variety of robots are displayed at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, Friday, July 17, 2026. (A...

Associated Press

US bans foreign-made humanoid robots, targeting China over national security

HONG KONG (AP) — The Federal Communications Commission in the U.S. said on Tuesday it would ban the import of foreign-made humanoid robots in a move that targets China, arguing they pose a national security risk. The decision could strain bilateral relations as the technology race between the two world leaders advances. China makes substantially […]

4 hours ago

The border between Syria and the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights town of Majdal Shams is seen Tues...

Associated Press

Fringe Israeli settler group is sneaking into Syria to try to claim land for a Jewish outpost

NAHARIYA, Israel (AP) — The Israeli military was about to launch a nighttime strike on a group of men in southern Syria when the soldiers noticed the long curls dangling from the temples of their targets. The troops held their fire. These were not Syrian militants attempting to breach Israel’s border but religious Jews who […]

4 hours ago

This satellite image provided by Planet Labs PBC on July 27, 2026 shows smoke rising from the Saudi...

Associated Press

Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes against militias in Iraq

CAIRO (AP) — Jordan’s air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday, the country’s military said, hours after the U.S. military said it had knocked down an Iranian missile barrage launched against American forces in the Middle East, shattering a brief pause in fighting. The Jordanian military said the missiles had been “intercepted […]

5 hours ago

Patrick Clancy, the father of Cora, Dawson and Callan Clancy testifies for the prosecution against ...

Associated Press

Lindsay Clancy’s ex-husband set to resume testifying about the day she killed their 3 children

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — The former husband of a Massachusetts woman on trial for killing their three young children is expected to return to the stand Wednesday, continuing his testimony about a day that began with art projects and playtime in the snow and ended with him coming home to find the bodies. Prosecutors say […]

6 hours ago

Medved: Michael Cohen’s remarks undermined both himself and Trump’s defenders