Is it okay to have some sympathy for Michael Cohen?

[DemocratSinceBirth]

Perhaps his life would have taken another path if he had never met Donald Trump.

[madaboutharry]

1. He got sucked in because of his own need to feel important.

It is a failing that has brought misery to many.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Trump exploited a vulnerable soul.

[Brainstormy]

3. well, as redemption goes

he's certainly making a stab at it

[Funtatlaguy]

4. The enemy of my enemy is my (current) friend.

[Corgigal]

5. He rode the greed train,

but telling us, the American people the truth is a set in the right direction.

Should have been happy to live like a regular American, working for a living without a need to live large.

[octoberlib]

6. Yes and I do.

[Bleacher Creature]

7. I've been thinking the same thing.

He should never be forgiven for what he helped do to this country, but I also get the sense that he's not terribly bright and very easily swayed/manipulated. Had the person he gravitated to been on our side, he easily could have turned out less odious on the political front.

[LuckyCharms]

8. I think it is ok. nt

[SKKY]

9. I kinda do, but at the same time, his own words keep popping up in my mind...

.."What I do to you will be fucking disgusting." I think he got caught up in a situation he wasn't equipped to handle. Let him do his time, and let his actions earn his forgiveness. He does seem contrite. I'll give him that.

[still_one]

10. sure. That is what tradgedies in life are all about. However, you look at people such as Trump or

Stone, and their lack of remorse, and there won't be much sympathy toward them

[panader0]

11. Anyone who tries sincerely to atone for his past deeds

has a degree of admiration from me. It doesn't erase the past,
but it is a start.

[Claritie Pixie]

12. Yes, I do. I feel sad when I look at him.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. He was an adult who decided to throw his lot in with Donald Trump.

He knew what he was doing. He simply hoped all along that he wouldn't get caught.

Of course, it is possible to feel sympathy for anyone who makes a crappy decision and winds up in some sort of a bad place.

[RT Atlanta]

14. sure

we are human and all of us make and will make mistakes in our life. That's always what helps separate us - with the ability to have sympathy, from those in humanity that do not.

[UniteFightBack]

15. Yes and I do. nt

[nolabear]

16. As long as he stays honest. Trust but verify. 😉

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

17. A little.

I don't think he's so much a bad guy as a weak guy - probably like most people who end up in trouble. I think he's a guy who wasn't going anywhere professionally or socially and who stumbled on an opportunity to attach himself to someone who seemed important and powerful. He probably got seduced by all that (apparent) money and show biz glamor and saw an opportunity to become part of that world. The thing about dirty deeds is that once you do one, the next ones become easier and gradually dirtier - and after awhile you're right down there in the muck. And like a fish that doesn't notice the water it swims in, you don't notice the shit you're swimming in. And Cohen wasn't as pure as the driven snow when he met Trump. He was easily seducible by a sleaze like Trump; his previous business dealings with the taxi medallions were already dodgy. Trump has a nose for people who are willing to wade in slime with him. But if Cohen had never med Trump he'd probably have just gone through life as just another obscure, somewhat sketchy lawyer. Maybe he'd have had some IRS troubles, and I wouldn't have felt sorry for him for those. To me Cohen is a rather pathetic person of weak character, but not really evil. I'm not sure whether his testimony this week indicates that he truly repents of his sins, or whether he's just hoping for a little less prison time, or maybe he's getting even with Trump for not giving him a WH job and later throwing him under the bus, but regardless of his motives I'm sure glad he's doing this.

[Javaman]

18. after he serves his time, maybe, but right now. hell no. fuck him.

he willingly sold out our nation.

[mfcorey1]

19. When you lead a life hiding secret dealings and finally, volutarily or

involuntarily, have it all revealed, it is almost the greatest release. Fear of someone finding out something is no longer possible. So, Micheal, even though headed to prison, is in a better place. Don the con cannot strip anything that has already been stripped. There is nothing left but to face the future, whatever it may be. So in that vein, Micheal, for the first time in his life, is in a better place