A Fly in the Ointment
I'll start by saying I have great respect for good lawyers. Over the decades, I've had the opportunity to work with a number of outstanding lawyers on both criminal and civil cases, in state and federal courts. I have some cousins who practice law. And one of my daughters currently works in a law office.
I also like many “average” lawyers. They do a lot of important work. And it definitely takes intelligence and self-discipline to earn a law degree and be admitted to the bar. It's a tough job, and thus many individuals with a law degree end up not practicing law.
That brings us to Michael Cohen.
My brother has said that one in ten lawyers graduated in the bottom 10% of their class. In Cohen's case, we can agree that one in a hundred graduated in the bottom 1% of their class. Hence, while Cohen must have a degree of intelligence, and had some self-discipline, he ended up working for Trump, though not as Trump's lawyer.
Since the FBI raided Cohen's home, office, etc, and confiscated literally millions of documents and recordings, it is commonly recognized that Cohen is in dire legal trouble. It's safe to say that Cohen's troubles are likely to create serious legal problems for Donald Trump. So let's take a look at the nature of their relationship.
Trump, being a sociopath, only has relationships based upon how useful an individual can be to him. This includes his seeking to identify the individual's weak points, to exploit as needed. Cohen has more than a few weak points, but let's focus upon his adolescent need for a hero/ father-figure. Cohen, in this sense, demonstrates the same level of maturity that a 13-year old boy displays when thinking that wearing a Michael Jordan jersey will improve his game.
Trump exploited this tendency. He encouraged Cohen's adolescent identification with television and movie “tough guys,” in order to get Cohen to willingly inhabit the muck and mire of Trump's business interests. Cohen, as federal investigators have documented, even told friends that he was “connected” to the Russian mob. He fancied himself as the new Roy Cohn. He even believed that he was part of the family, Trump's adopted son.
Existing in this delusional state caused Cohen to believe that, like on a cheap movie, everything he did for Trump was “protected” in the context of attorney-client communications. Thus, his education in the legal field resulted in his keeping extensive records of his work for Trump, including with shady characters and illegal activities.
Cohen was confident his experience in the gutter would insure a major position within Trump's administration. He was so sure of this, that he actually said that Trump should not bring Jared and Ivanka into the White House. Not surprisingly, those two advised Trump to not bring Cohen to Washington, though he was unlikely to anyhow. Trump wanted to keep the janitor of the gutters out of public view, other than appearances on Sean Hannity's show.
When the shit hit the fan in April, Cohen thought his legal team's coordinating with Trump's on the documentation the FBI gathered, meant they were on the same team. The Trump team had already been covering much of Cohen's legal expenses. So Cohen was willing to lie to his own lawyers, in a pathetic attempt to protect Trump. He didn't grasp that there was a divide between who the two legal teams were representing.
In time, it began to dawn on Cohen that this was not reel life, and that in real life, he was in serious trouble. When Trump's legal team became fully aware of the documentation that the FBI had secured for the SDNY federal investigators, the “father-son” relationship fractured. Perhaps Cohen recalled the line from the movie “Braveheart,” when the mad Irishman tells William Wallace that “the Lord says he might get me out of this, but I think you're fucked.”
Part of the reason Cohen is separating from his legal team is because he can't pay them. But it's more than that. Good lawyers generally do not appreciate clients that lie to them. Or clients who beg them to keep Sean Hannity's identity secret in federal court, for that matter. Indeed, the only way for a good lawyer to represent Cohen at this point, is to try to secure the best deal possible for him. And even that will be difficult --- for what might Cohen's team use as a proffer to investigators and prosecutors, that they haven't already documented through the FBI raid and previous surveillance ?
Friday should prove interesting, both for Cohen and Paul Manafort.
Peace,
H2O Man
= new reply since forum marked as read
I thought that was a fitting line from a movie for Cohen. (I'm trying to think of a movie that might fit the Trump family for a future essay; all that comes to mind is the 1979 film "Caligula."
I really admire and respect the way you have laid out how this situation has evolved.
I too look forward to whatever Friday may bring. I hope that both tRump and Cohen are extremely displeased/unhappy with it.
when this whole thing finally comes to light.
Preacher (H2O Man) says, "can I get an Amen?"
And all the DUers will say,
AMEN!!!!
AMEN!!!!
AMEN!!!!
And he's "tough" and "smart!"
School; a law school so bad that several graduates sued them successfully for their diplomas being virtually worthless. 
Cooley law is currently located in Lansing, Mi.
Turd can't pardon those.
When it rains, it pours. 