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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?

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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?

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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?

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