Michael Cohen's first ad.

[RVN VET71]

19. I seem to recall a complaint from him about the Stormy payoff

Cohen "laundered" the first payment -- maybe it was to the other bimbo -- and had been promised a prompt repayment by Trump -- but he had to cajole and nudge his boss for months to finally get the money. Trump knew he owed Michael the money, mind you, but seemed to think Cohen was just another "contractor" to be fleeced and ripped off. That kind of behavior from the man you're protecting does not ensure loyalty. I'm sure there's more to Cohen's flipping than that, but I can't help but think the reluctance of Trump to pay Cohen as promised must have made poor Michael finally understand that Trump couldn't be trusted to be fair, even with a long time acquaintance and fixer. So Cohen faces prison while Trump lives like a king with thousands, millions even, of duped fools lining up to kiss his ring. Worse, Trump's public statements about Cohen, after his arrest and indictment, suggest he barely knew the guy. Imagine being in Michael's shoes: Michael Flynn, in Trump's public words, remains a fine man and patriot, a paragon of honesty and good work; Cohen is just some lawyer whose help he occasionally used for some unimportant things.

Cohen was no G. Gordon Liddy, willing to take a fall for the "big guy"; and that may well be because Trump is no Richard Nixon, a paragon of loyalty to his minions by comparison. Trump is no Don Corleone, either, or his consigliere wouldn't have ratted him out.