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Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Welcome to day five of every-bit-as-bad-as-you-thought-it-would-be.

Not rolling over. fuck you, make me.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Polls are now a reliable indicator of what corporate Republicans want us to think.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

This is dead girl, live boy, a goat, two wetsuits and a dildo territory.  oh, and pink furry handcuffs.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

They love authoritarianism, but only when they get to be the authoritarians.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

The willow is too close to the house.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: The Friends of Mikey Cohen

Trump Crime Cartel Open Thread: The Friends of Mikey Cohen

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Vanity Fair, “Under Siege, Michael Cohen Is Vacillating Between a New Level of Exasperation and Trumpian Business-as-Usual”:

…As much as the raid has spooked President Trump, and in contrast to the breezy, cigar-smoking images portrayed, it has also weighed heavily on Cohen. In the days since the raid, according to two people familiar with his thinking, Cohen has grappled with the seriousness of his legal situation and the impact it has had on his family, and the fallout that may follow in the weeks, months, and perhaps years to come. These people explained that Cohen feels as though he is a means to an end—as “collateral damage” and a “disposable” element being used to get to his old boss.

Cohen, according to these people, has vacillated between this new level of exasperation and his typical Trumpian chest-beating manner. He has suggested to people close to him that perhaps he should act as his own attorney, because he may be the most apt person to defend himself. He has expressed anger at the lack of outrage over the fact that his legal office and private residence were searched when he says he was willing to cooperate with any subpoenas. “Where is the A.C.L.U?” he has said; at times, he has jokingly asked whether there is going to be a “Million Michael March”—a reference to the renowned 1995 African-American display of unity—to retrieve his documents. Cohen, according to these people, has also been dismayed by the silence from Trump’s inner circle in Washington, many of whom he expected would have his back. One person familiar with his thinking said that he’s gotten messages from thousands of people since last Monday, but “it’s been a ghost town from D.C.,” other than from the president…

Reader Interactions

57Comments

  1. 1.

    Corner Stone

    His loan application may have misstated purpose of funds

    You mean he didn’t write down, “Pay off a porn star who boned someone who has no idea what I am doing with this money?”
    Shocked face.

  2. 2.

    Smiling Mortician

    I’m . . . I dunno. I worked all day, y’know? Jesus fuck. The stuff that happens when you don’t have time to check the ‘net.

  4. 4.

    Millard Filmore

    May the God I don’t believe in bless all the Balloon Juice community. You all have helped me to stay sane all these months of the Trumpian pretendership. It is good that these dots are getting connected outside of Mueller’s operation … he can charge ahead without being a single point of failure, carrying the whole load.

    Things are finally looking up.

  5. 5.

    Mnemosyne

    These people explained that Cohen feels as though he is a means to an end—as “collateral damage” and a “disposable” element being used to get to his old boss.

    Poor bastard is just figuring this out now?

  6. 6.

    Millard Filmore

    @Corner Stone:

    You mean he didn’t write down, “Pay off a porn star …

    I cannot help wondering why he needed to get a home loan like this. I wonder (hope?) its because he was tapped out paying off so many other women.

  9. 9.

    Cheryl Rofer

    He has suggested to people close to him that perhaps he should act as his own attorney, because he may be the most apt person to defend himself.

    Yes. Please let it be so.

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

  11. 11.

    Millard Filmore

    @Mnemosyne: Yeah, he did a million plus for some other right winger, yet it was the home loan that trips him up to get him the attention he deserves. As Gin & Tonic says, “Fuck it.” I will accept any reason in this to smile.

  12. 12.

    RobertDSC-Mac Mini

    I wish the federal Judge had scratched the concept of the special master. Two losses in one hearing.

  15. 15.

    tobie

    Someone at dkos posted that the law firm Squire Patton Boggs paid Michael Cohen $500,000 in 2017, when he became an “associate” of the firm. He also got free office space at Rockefeller Square. We know Cohen didn’t bring any business to the firm so the whole arrangement strikes me as weird. The fact that SPB represents Gazprom and Cambridge Analytica only makes the arrangement sound more suspicious.

  16. 16.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Gin & Tonic: Depends. At one time President Clinton had several to handle the Paula Jones lawsuit and to handle the Starr investigation. But other than that he did not. Part of the difference here is that the current president wasn’t an elected official when he became president. Rather he runs a business that is essentially him, his eldest children, Michael Cohen who was not working for him in a legal capacity, several other people doing similar work to Cohen – going out and setting up deals, and some staff. And that business is made up of over 50 smaller shell companies that are opaque. Basically it is structured as if it was an organized crime organization. So the current president has a lot of attorneys, or has had a lot of attorneys, because of what he was doing prior to being president.

  17. 17.

    Gin & Tonic

    So I am now finding out that a stupid W-2 that my wife got because of some idiotic adjustment to two hours of overtime she worked at an employer that she last set foot in *three years ago* is preventing me from e-filing either Federal or state. It shows $8.11 in wages and $8.11 in tax withheld, and that’s a flag that prevents e-filing. Now I have to print fucking 20+ pages of Federal plus the same amount or more of two separate states. For a fucking $8 W-2, for money she didn’t actually get. I am unhappy, and this Sagamore Rye isn’t lightening my mood.

  19. 19.

    NotMax

    (pushes briefcase full of cash across table) “I’m not paying her off, you do it.”

    (pushes briefcase back) “I’m not doing it.”

    “I know, let’s get Mikey!”

  22. 22.

    Another Scott

    @Gin & Tonic: Bummer. :-(

    I just did our taxes. We get a huge, yoooooge, $458 refund this year. About $700 less than last year.

    WooHoo.

    I can’t wait to see how much of that yooooooge refund will be clawed back next year. :-/

    Hang in there, G&T.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  23. 23.

    brettvk

    @tobie: Is the Boggs here related to Cokie Boggs Roberts? [checks Wikipedia] Yep, named for her deceased brother. It’s a small world amongst our betters.

  24. 24.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Adam L Silverman: I think if I were to retain Michael Cohen for my tax issues, the next step would be to strip naked and walk into the nearest IRS office saying “do with me what you will.”

  26. 26.

    Mnemosyne

    @Adam L Silverman:

    And that business is made up of over 50 smaller shell companies that are opaque. Basically it is structured as if it was an organized crime organization.

    Or like the Church of Scientology, as G pointed out the other day. Six of one, half a dozen of the other.

  29. 29.

    Ruckus

    Mickey is astounded that his crappy legal sheepskin isn’t keeping him out of trouble after he’s spent years running an illegal mob facilitation shop?
    Well knock me over with a feather I couldn’t be more surprised at that. As most of our resident legal eagles have said on numerous occasions, criminals are usually not all that smart. And we are seeing the proof of this every day.

  31. 31.

    tobie

    @brettvk: Yes, there is the Cokie link. I gather that Squire Patton Boggs is a huge law firm. That may explain why Gazprom and Cambridge Analytica would approach them for counsel. Still the $500,000 payment to a lousy lawyer who didn’t bring in any (official) business seems odd.

  33. 33.

    Shalimar

    @tobie: Can’t find the link now, but I read somewhere that Cohen had actually referred something like 5 clients as part of the deal. Records were kept separate so the firm had no clue what Cohen had done for those clients or whether he had continued to meet with them.

  35. 35.

    Yarrow

    Cohen, according to these people, has also been dismayed by the silence from Trump’s inner circle in Washington, many of whom he expected would have his back

    He really is delusional. Anyone who has observed Trump for any amount of time, and certainly while he’s been in office, can tell you loyalty only goes one way with Trump. You have to be loyal to him. He won’t be loyal to you.

  37. 37.

    Ruckus

    @Adam L Silverman:
    I’ve stated here before that I’ve owned 2 companies that I owned for a total of 24 yrs and that I’ve used the services of lawyers occasionally. Never had one on retainer, they were trying to get deadbeats to pay me what they owed me. And I couldn’t tell you any of their names, that’s how often I needed their services. Yes drumpf’s scams were much larger than my legit businesses but having to have multiple lawyers to set up dummy corps to hide money, to move money around to avoid taxes and to pay off people he fucked and fucked over is a sign of an extremely dishonest man. But you knew that.

  41. 41.

    Yarrow

    @Ben Cisco: Oh, the tax bill isn’t popular? When that comes up I always like to revisit what Mitch McConnell said about it when the bill passed:

    “If we can’t sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said after the bill’s passage.

    They’re not selling it to us so another line of work for them it is!

  42. 42.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et Al.)

    Really, this fucklehead is surprised Donald Tяump isn’t helping him out here? Has he met this guy? Jesús Marimba…

  44. 44.

    Ruckus

    @Yarrow:
    Fair enough, how about stable boys? At one of those huge dairies with hundreds of cows. They could shovel shit, they are good at it. Although I’m not sure that merely hundreds of cows would keep up with their normal output.

  46. 46.

    Parfigliano

    @Peale: I think its that he was taping conversations is now public knowledge is whats really got Mikey pissing his pants. Mobsters generally take a dim view of being taped. They have their own airtight NDA.

  48. 48.

    tobie

    @Shalimar: Now I’m totally confused…how could he refer five clients when according to his own / his counsel’s testimony he has at most three clients. Nothing, but nothing, is straight with these guys.

  49. 49.

    Ruckus

    @Parfigliano:
    They were going to find out eventually anyway. But by finding out now publicly I’d bet that rather drastically lowers his sell out value to Bobby M., who probably has everything and really at that point has little more use for Mickey. Mickey is screwed, really screwed, and from both ends.

  50. 50.

    Ruckus

    @tobie:
    He has 3 clients now, he supposedly referred 5 clients to the law firm that paid him half a mil. Don’t have to be the same clients.

  53. 53.

    jl

    @Yarrow: “If we can’t sell this to the American people, we ought to go into another line of work,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said after the bill’s passage.

    Depends on what kind of work McConnell was talking about. Probably wasn’t legislative work in an honest functioning democracy. McConnell was talking about another kind of work. Then it makes sense, just that so far it looks like Congressional GOP screwed up their con this time.

  54. 54.

    tobie

    @Ruckus: Well, if he was referring clients to the firm, that would make sense. I thought Shalimar was suggesting the five were Cohen’s clients:

    Records were kept separate so the firm had no clue what Cohen had done for those clients or whether he had continued to meet with them.

    As I said, nothing is straight with these fellows.

  55. 55.

    Vhh

    @Adam L Silverman: Trump Org is a crime family, with Donald as Capo di Tutti Capi, the kids and operators of shell firms as capos, then local bosses, etc. Cohen is the Consigliere. I wonder if there is any violence in sddition to the financial extortion.

  57. 57.

    Ruckus

    @tobie:
    What I’m saying is that of those 5 he supposedly got paid 1/2 a mill for, 3 may, or may not be the same 3 he claims he has now. Or they could be 3 of the 5. It might not have anything at all to do with any clients, moved or not moved to the firm that paid him money. The entire thing could have been money laundering. It could be a payoff for something else. It could have been a half mil for his boyish good looks and charm.
    Wanna bet that Bobby M knows what it was for?

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