Michael Cohen Made Four Big Allegations. How Skeptical Should We Be?

Tony Branco

National Review   "It’s over. Michael Cohen’s public testimony has ended, and amidst the hours of assertions, speculation, and contention, four allegations stand out from the others. First, Cohen testified that Roger Stone told Donald Trump about the WikiLeaks document dump in advance of the Democratic Convention. Second, Cohen testified that he suspected Trump knew in advance about Donald Trump Jr.’s infamous meeting with a Russian lawyer. Third, Cohen asserted that Trump directed Cohen to make porn-star-hush-money payments and later reimbursed him while Trump was president. And fourth, Cohen claimed that Trump gave him implied directions to lie to Congress and that Trump’s personal lawyer edited his false testimony.  

"The first two claims grabbed headlines — taken together, they mark the first concrete, under-oath assertions that Trump was involved in any way with the various bumbling efforts of Trump-campaign officials and Trump allies to communicate with Russians or Russian assets. No, the claims are nothing like the collusion fever dreams of the hard-core conspiracy Left — and they don’t add up to anything criminal — but they would be improper and embarrassing nonetheless. Yet those first two claims are among Cohen’s least credible.

"Let’s look at them in turn. The clearest expression of Cohen’s claims regarding Trump and Stone comes in his opening statement. Here’s Cohen:. . . 
. . . 
To conclude:

No single witness will decide this case, and the real losers in yesterday’s testimony were the Americans who thought that Cohen’s testimony would somehow represent the beginning of the end of one of the most divisive national controversies of modern times. The controversies will rage on, and we now turn our attention to the next big event — the long-awaited Mueller report, rumored to be released soon. I expect it to be far more instructive and dispositive (for good and ill) than anything we heard Wednesday in Washington, D.C.

California’s Rendezvous with Reality

Victor Davis Hanson  "Californians brag that their state is the world’s fifth-largest economy. They talk as reverentially of Silicon Valley companies Apple, Facebook, and Google as the ancient Greeks did of their Olympian gods.
"Hollywood and universities such as Caltech, Stanford, and Berkeley are cited as permanent proof of the intellectual, aesthetic, and technological dominance of West Coast culture.
"Californians also see their progressive, one-party state as a neo-socialist model for a nation moving hard to the left.
"But how long will they retain such confidence?
"California’s 40 million residents depend on less than 1 percent of the state’s taxpayers to pay nearly half of the state income tax, which for California’s highest tier of earners tops out at the nation’s highest rate of 13.3 percent.
"In other words, California cannot afford to lose even a few thousand of its wealthiest individual taxpayers. But a new federal tax law now caps deductions for state and local taxes at $10,000 — a radical change that promises to cost many high-earning taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars.

. . . California’s progressive government seems clueless how to deal with these issues, given that solutions such as low-cost housing and strict enforcement of health codes are seen as either too expensive or politically incorrect."

Seven Ugly Lessons About the Media From Jussie Smollett's Debacle

They were wrong. Will they apologize? Why on earth would they? No reporter will ask them to clarify their initial remarks.Their industry peers won’t expect an apology of any sort. There’s no incentive for them to say they’re sorry … so they won’t. Christian Toto

 
Christian Toto   . . . "Still, most media outlets focused on the alleged attack over those critical questions. The narrative proved irresistible for our biased press. A gay black man assaulted by Trump supporters?

"Stop the cyber presses!

"Kyle Smith serves up a strong recap of their malfeasance at the New York Post.

"The story seemed scientifically engineered for The Resistance TM. And, sadly, today’s reporters too often belong to that group.

"Smollett insisted this weekend he didn’t stage the attack in question, even while lawyering up. It’s a perfect time to look back and see what we’ve learned from this news cycle.

"The short version? It isn’t pretty. The longer one? It’s a seven-step process." . . .

Read the full article here.

"Christian Toto is a film critic and podcaster and runs the website HollywoodInToto.com." Cartoons added, TD

Ellen Page last month emotionally blamed the Trump administration for what was at the time being investigated as a hate crime against Jussie Smollett.  On the Stephen Colbert show, naturally.

CNN: whatever happened to the profession of journalism?

Rich Terrell

Even CNN Had To Call Michael Cohen Out For Lying During Hearing 
"CNN: Cohen isn't telling the truth when he said under questioning by Jim Jordan that he didn't want a job in the White House."

Has Kamala Harris made one blunder too many?  Another "Even CNN..." post.
"Lovey-dovey CNN has finally called Harris out on her lies about her record on deporting "unaccompanied minors" who are here illegally." . . . 
. . . "Now CNN, which along with the New York Times has been her fiercest booster, has called her out.  It's possible that these outlets are trying to recover their own reputation for impartial news by delivering this hit on Kamala, after that adoring tweet from a CNN correspondent showing reporters picking out Harris's clothing in a boutique.  But that doesn't make the critical call-out any less valid." . . .

Obsession: CNN, MSNBC Spend 428 Minutes on Cohen, 12 on NoKo Summit
. . . "Now, to be fair, host Erin Burnett did cut to speak with White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, who was in Vietnam following the President. But, for one minute and 30 seconds, they were discussing how the Cohen testimony was distracting from the trip." . . .

Those liking CNN have to see in them a political ally and not a reliable source of information.

NO DEAL! Vietnam summit ends abruptly as Kim REFUSES Trump’s denuclearization demands...

... leaders fail to agree on lifting North Korean sanctions and abandon lunch and cancel signing ceremony
Any previous president has demonstrated they would have given in to the Norks. Maybe even sent them a pallet of cash. TD

Daily Mail

• Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un abruptly ended their summit in Hanoi early without signing a deal 
• He said the issue was Kim's insistence that all sanctions get lifted in return for only giving up some nukes
• Trump continued to tout his 'warm' relationship with Kim, but added 'you have to be willing to walk away'
• Secretary of State Mike Pompeo added that progress had been made 'but we didn't get all the way' 
• Planned lunch never happened 
• Kim's state news agency KCNA said on Thursday: 'Sincere and in-depth views were exchanged to bring about a comprehensive and groundbreaking outcome'
• The talks came just hours after Michael Cohen's bombshell testimony to Congress which damned his ex-boss as a racist and a liar 

Kim must be assuming that with the Democrat-led hearings in Washington have made Trump powerless. They see the same news in North Korea. TD

. . . "Trump was back to trying his hand at diplomacy after the president's ex-fixer Michael Cohen dominated headlines with his day of bombshell testimony against his former boss.    

"Cohen's appearances have shadowed the president's appearances, and Trump even tweeted to attack his longtime fixer as a 'liar' shortly before he delivered bombshell testimony in the Capitol claiming Trump participated in a criminal conspiracy involving the hush payment to Stormy Daniels." . . .

Democrats don't care about the security of our country

House Democrats spent Wednesday parading desperate disbarred attorney Michael Cohen to attack President Trump while President Trump was in Hanoi, trying to de-nuclearize North Korea and formally end the Korean War.

. . .  "The Democrats oppose securing our border.  They staged their Cohen circus to weaken President Trump at this critical time.  They are using the desperate Cohen and will throw him away when done." . . .

Are there any American voters who can see that Democrats hate President Trump more than they fear the little Korean despot? Perhaps Kim would rather wait for another John Kerry/ Barack Obama team. TD

Ann Coulter: Hush Little Porn Star, Don’t Say a Word…

Breitbart

"Trump won the presidency not because he touted himself as a man of character, but because he said he was someone who could get things done. Like build the wall. If you’re going to impeach him, impeach him for that."

"I gather I was supposed to gasp when Michael Cohen said during his testimony before Congress on Wednesday, “The president of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws.”
"If that’s the best he’s got, Trump should demand we hold the election this coming Tuesday.
"Cohen was referring to Trump’s 2017 reimbursement of the $130,000 hush money he paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about her claim that she’d had sex with Trump, aka Cohen’s client — meaning much of Cohen’s testimony is barred by attorney-client privilege. But who cares about this sacred legal privilege? We’re trying to get Trump!
"Neither the media nor Cohen seem to realize that Cohen wasn’t doing anything illegal when he paid the “hush money.” (Just because Trump thinks every Jewish lawyer is Roy Cohn doesn’t mean you have to, too, New York Times.)
"Words like “hush money” and “porn star” make the payments sound unsavory — especially to The New York Times, known during the Clinton era as Defender of Inappropriate Presidential Sex — but there’s nothing criminal about paying money to suppress embarrassing information, even in the middle of a political campaign.
"If it wasn’t illegal for Cohen to pay the hush money, it’s certainly not illegal for Trump to reimburse him for it. Cohen was, after all, Trump’s lawyer. He got reimbursed for a lot of things.
"But we have to have days of hearings in hopes of establishing that Trump violated the campaign finance reporting requirements with these payments, in which case, OH MY GOSH, HE’D HAVE TO PAY A FINE.
"I’d be more impressed if they got Trump on a jaywalking charge.
"President Obama had to pay $375,000 in fines for actual campaign violations during his 2008 run, and I don’t think we needed 16 prosecutors, half of Congress, and the entire media on the case." . . .

Supreme Court justices appear to favor allowing memorial shaped like a cross to remain on public land

Washington Examiner  "A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared inclined to allow a nearly century-old, 40-foot Latin cross honoring 49 men who died in World War I to remain in place on public land as they questioned litigants contesting whether the memorial's presence on public lands violates the separation of church and state. 

"But during the 70-minute-long argument, the court appeared more divided on the question of when a religious display located on public land is permissible. The dispute may jeopardize other cross-shaped war memorials around the country. 

"The Peace Cross, which is part of the Bladensburg World War I Veterans Memorial located in Prince George’s County, Md., was erected by bereaved mothers whose sons died in the war. Several of the justices noted that while the cross is the preeminent symbol of Christianity, Latin crosses were often used to memorialize service members killed during World War I. Additionally, the cross bears no religious writings and is part of a larger park with other monuments for past armed conflicts. 

"But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the lead member of the court's liberal wing, stressed the prominence of crosses in the Christian faith, noting that “people wear crosses” to show their devotion to Christianity.

"In one exchange, Chief Justice John Roberts, who often sides with conservatives, questioned American Humanist Association attorney Monica Miller, who challenged the constitutionality of the cross, whether a Native American totem erected on property owned by the federal government would have to be taken down. Ginsburg, meanwhile, asked Neal Katyal, representing the Maryland commission that owns the monument, whether a cross-shaped memorial honoring those killed during a school shooting would be permissible." . . . 

SCOTUS Blog: Argument analysis: Peace cross appears safe, if not stable

"For nearly a century, a 40-foot-tall stone and concrete cross has stood on a traffic median in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, just a few miles from the Supreme Court. But seven years ago, a group of local residents filed a lawsuit seeking to have the cross removed. They argue that the presence of the cross on public land violates the Constitution, which bars the government from establishing an official religion and favoring one religion over another. The state of Maryland, which owns and maintains the cross, and the American Legion, which built it, counter that the cross – which is badly in need of repair – is simply a secular war memorial. Today the justices heard oral argument in the dispute, and it seemed likely that the cross will survive the challenge, even if the court’s ruling proves to be a relatively narrow one that allows the peace cross and other historical monuments to stand while making clear that new religious symbols may not pass muster in the future." . . .

The Cohen hearings, first day

The Three Times When Michael Cohen's Testimony Accidentally Exonerated President Trump   "Because attorney-client privilege is apparently no longer a thing, Michael Cohen, President Trump's former lawyer, is on Capitol Hill this week testifying against his old employer. The media tells us that his testimony is like a carpet bomb on the Trump Administration, full of explosive and damning revelations that will surely spell doom for the President. Something closer to the opposite is the case, I think.

Cohen Testimony: No Evidence of Trump Colluding with Russia, But Lots of Dirt

Michael Cohen testifies about Trump, Roger Stone-WikiLeaks plot at House hearing -- live blog  "Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia," Cohen testified. "I do not. I want to be clear. But, I have my suspicions."

Meadows confronts Cohen in testy exchange on Trump racism accusations 
"Rep. Mark Meadows on Wednesday brought in Trump administration staffer Lynne Patton, who is black, to push back against Michael Cohen's allegations during testimony before a House panel that the president is a racist.

"You made some very demeaning comments about the president that Ms. Patton doesn’t agree with. In fact, it has to do with your claim of racism," Meadows said.

"She says that, as a daughter of a man born in Birmingham, Ala., that there is no way that she would work for an individual who was racist," the conservative Republican added.

"Patton, who serves in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, provided a statement to the House Oversight and Reform Committee that was entered into the record but not read aloud during the hearing.

"Cohen during his testimony noted that he is responsible for Patton joining the Trump Organization and for "the job she currently holds."

"Meadows said he's spoken with Trump "over 300 times" and has not heard any racist comments from the president. He pressed Cohen for proof of his allegation, including whether he had recordings. 

" 'No, sir," Cohen responded, acknowledging that he has recorded other conversations." . . .

Rashida Tlaib goes off on ‘racist’ Mark Meadows inviting Lynne Patton — and outs herself as a flaming racist [video]   . . . "We expected Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to make an ass of herself at Michael Cohen’s congressional hearing, and she did not disappoint.
"As Twitchy told you earlier, Lynne Patton, who worked for the Trump Organization and currently serves as a senior HUD official, was a guest of GOP Rep. Mark Meadows at today’s hearing. And, according to Tlaib, that’s “in itself a racist act”:"....Video

Michael Cohen Admits Discussing ‘Topics’ with Adam Schiff Before Testimony. . . "Schiff, who is expected to question Cohen Thursday when the former Trump attorney testifies before the House Intelligence Committee Thursday, said earlier Wednesday that the president engaged in illegal activity while in office if this testimony is factual.
 “If Mr. Cohen’s allegations are correct, it means the president, while in office, literally while in the Oval Office was engaged in criminal activity, and that is furthering this campaign fraud scheme,” Schiff, chair of the House intelligence panel, told CNN’s New Day Wednesday morning." . . . CNN, of course!

Cohen Admits He Can’t Corroborate His Allegations Against Trump  . . . “ 'How can we corroborate what you’re saying?” Democratic Rep. Deborah Wasserman Schultz of Florida asked Cohen, referring to the former Trump confidant’s allegations that the president was aware of Stone’s contact with WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange.

"She is among a slew of Democrats and Republicans grilling Cohen during a congressional hearing.

“ 'I don’t know, but I suspect the special counsel’s office and other government agencies have the information that you’re seeking,” Cohen said in reply." . . .