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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDid anyone watch the Michael Cohen interview??
I thought it was fascinating.
He was ready to spill the beans. I thought he was very believable. Rachel kept saying, "I didn't know that". He said that Trump did not think he was going to win. I have long thought that he was running for another reason than just to win the race. There were other benefits for him.
He enjoyed telling the story about going to an auction to purchase a large painting of Donald Trump and Trump wanted to make sure the bid was sufficiently high. And paid for it with funds from the Trump Foundation. And that was one of the reasons the Foundation was ordered to be dissolved.
Although Cohen had been a two-bit Mafia-wannabe, there were things he could not say on television or in a book, in my opinion. He may have put himself in some sort of criminal jeopardy, if he had done so.
But, in my opinion, he gave a very credible presentation of the real Donald Trump. A petty man with no empathy, who wanted to be an autocrat, and was intoxicated by the power of the Presidency.
The part about Sean Hannity was very interesting. I wonder what his fellow FOXNEWSers think of him?
underpants
(182,772 posts)I thought the excerpt having Hannitys name but neither of them saying his name was funny.
mitch96
(13,892 posts)demtenjeep
(31,997 posts)and in the mess he is in he is very forthwright.
It is nice to hear
dlk
(11,552 posts)Trump never wanted to be president but now that hes had a taste of true power, he wants even more. Cohens interview reminded us that everyone who voted for Trump in 2016 was suckered by a con artist.
rockfordfile
(8,702 posts)shanti
(21,675 posts)Bev54
(10,047 posts)when interviewed, now that he does not have to lie for someone else.
Marie Marie
(9,999 posts)pulling his strings. Existing day in and day out in Trump world must be beyond taxing.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Hes intelligent. You cant pretend that. But he also has a sense of humor. He was one of the few people Ive seen Rachel interview for the first time who wasnt stiff or looked scared. Usually first timers on her show look quite nervous.
Perhaps its the ease of mind of finally telling the truth after a lifetime of lies and deception. He looked like he felt relieved. For the first time I thought I could like him if he doesnt revert.
RussBLib
(9,006 posts)On his 2016 opponents. David Pecker would send Cohen a list of ways to hit each rival, and Trump would pick which smears to run.
How is that not an illegal campaign contribution?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)even on Election Day.
But all Cohen tells us was that trump was a racist, Cad, conman and probably worse. But over 40% still support the loser. Better than him saying nice things, I support.
tblue37
(65,334 posts)kentuck
(111,079 posts)...but that Hannity agreed to be all in for Trump. Etc..
tblue37
(65,334 posts)mitch96
(13,892 posts)the screen it said Hannity... oopsy.....
m
tblue37
(65,334 posts)ARPad95
(1,671 posts)Trump about Hannity being a Ted Cruz supporter. BTW, Cohen can't stand Lewandowski.
"Mr. Trump, Lewandowski's a piece of shit and a liar," Hannity said. "I can't come out publicly to endorse you at this time. It would destroy my credibility as it relates to you. But I want you to know that I am today and have always been behind you."
Pathetic! It reads like a poorly scripted soap opera episode.
tblue37
(65,334 posts)Hekate
(90,645 posts)Its been a hard fall, but hes taking his punishment without excuses, which is commendable. It doesnt mean he is a good man yet. But his efforts are commendable.
mitch96
(13,892 posts)I think a lot of these books about tRump are seeking redemption like you said. Explanation and showing tRump for what he and his are really about also. Bolton, Winston Wolkoff et al.... YMMV
m
ARPad95
(1,671 posts)prison and he had talked to them daily. I don't know. Seems like there's a big pile of doo doo that he's protecting either because it incriminates him, the Falwells or both.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Apparently they have been very supportive to him through his tribulations. He denied there was a quid pro quo with the naked photos of Falwell's wife being destroyed and Falwell enthusiastically supporting Trump. That could be true but... I could easily see him protecting his friends. Overall, I find Cohen very credible.
About Hannity, I wonder if the book has anything interesting to say about him beyond what we all know. Needless to say, I doubt they are friends any longer.
I wish Rachel had asked him about his post-Trump plans. Of course he has to complete his sentence first. His career as a lawyer, at least for now, is destroyed. I don't know if any state bar would ever grant him a license again, but I don't know the details about all that.
JeaneRaye
(402 posts)I found it very credible. He has nothing to lose or gain at this point and he stops short of saying things that he doesn't really know. Bought his book but it may take awhile to get to it. In the middle of Michael Schmitt's book and it is 400 pages long. Apparently, so is Cohen's book. I know I read slow, but Rachel must be a speed reader!!
NJCher
(35,658 posts)put it this way: "he doesn't overstate things." Goldman (majority council for the impeachment) said this is something that speaks to his credibility.
wnylib
(21,432 posts)Trump never expected to win. He does not seem like the kind of person who would put himself forward in a public campaign and risk being a "loser" if he didn't have some expectation of winning.
A couple years before he ran for president, he considered a run for governor of NY. His first demand was that he would not have to face a primary. He wanted the NY Republican Party to endorse him without it. They declined and Trump ended any and all attempts to run for office in NY. He turned his attention instead to national office.
czarjak
(11,266 posts)I call bullshit.
wnylib
(21,432 posts)in 2016 because a loss would mean that it was rigged against him.
I believe that he said that because he expected to win, knowing that Russia was tipping the vote in his favor and that he had gained the acceptance of the Republican Party. If the election had been declared for Hillary, a litigious personality like Trump would have contested it forever to undermine Hillary and come out strong for the future. But with Republican and Russian help, that would not be necessary.
The idea that Trump's ego would allow him to face a potential loss in front of the nation and the world, after defeating all the Republican candidates in the primary, just does not ring true. He wouldn't even risk losing a Republican primary in NY. But the fact that he explored a candidacy in NY for governor suggests that he had national ambitions then and hoped that NY would launch him.
calimary
(81,220 posts)Mike Nelson
(9,953 posts)... the folks at FOX "News" should have had Hannity figured out before any Cohen revelation. I know I did... if they don't know by now, they must be very dumb.
shrike3
(3,572 posts)He could have blown a lot of hot air, but was willing to say, "I have no knowledge," regarding whether Trump ever said the n word, whether he ever paid for an abortion, et. al.
I also believe his version of Trump's relationship with Putin. All about the money, at first. Now a junior dictator in training.
kentuck
(111,079 posts)McGahn was on the FEC before he was appointed White House Counsel and had made some important vote that was in Trump's favor?