Michael Cohen's attorneys say he's a victim who doesn't deserve prison

[groundloop]

Source: CBS News

Lawyers for President Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, say he should be spared prison for crimes he committed in an abundance of enthusiasm for his ex-boss, and they portrayed him to a judge as a hero for cooperating in a probe Mr. Trump has "regularly questioned publicly and stridently."

The lawyers said in court papers filed in New York late Friday that Cohen, 52, has cooperated extensively with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and New York state investigators who brought a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization and individuals, including Trump.

They cited the fact he met with Mueller's team in "seven voluntary interview meetings" that began even before he pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to campaign finance and bank frauds, among other charges, and continued through late November.

He pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to Congress, a charge that his lawyers said resulted in part from information he voluntarily provided Mueller's team in meetings governed by a limited-use immunity agreement. Cohen admitted to lying about how long he worked on developing a Trump Tower in Moscow.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michael-cohen-attorneys-say-he-deserves-no-prison-time/

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While I applaud Cohen for FINALLY coming forward with the truth about crimes Tiny has committed, he's hardly a victim. That claim is laughable.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He'll get credit for cooperation, as he should, but he's hardly a victim.

In fact, the only thing that made him stop lying through his teeth on Trump's behalf was his realization that Trump wasn't going to pardon him. It's funny how a guy can suddenly see the error of his old ways when faced with a long prison sentence.

[RockRaven]

2. LMAO.... Now, THAT'S a good joke.

Criminal crimed criminally every chance he got until he got arrested.

Now all of a sudden he's a good guy who's trying really, really hard to do all the rights things. GTFO!

[pecosbob]

3. Buried in the NYT article by Haberman

is the little part about Cohen consulting with WH lawyers as he prepared his false congressional testimony.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/12/1/1816436/-In-Memo-Asking-Clemency-Cohen-Reveals-He-Worked-With-Trump-s-Lawyers-Preparing-False-Cong-Testimony?utm_campaign=trending

suborn verb
sub·​orn | sə-ˈbȯrn
suborned; suborning; suborns
Definition of suborn

transitive verb

1 : to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing

2 : to induce to commit perjury also : to obtain (perjured testimony) from a witness

[dalton99a]

5. +1. He got caught.

[sandensea]

4. Here's one way to mitigate that: Sharing everything he knows about the Don's MANY dirty dealings

Come clean, as they say, or don't come at all.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Here's Cohen's sentencing memorandum

in which Cohen throws Trump under the bus and then backs over him. So there's that. https://www.lawfareblog.com/document-michael-cohen-files-sentencing-memorandum

[47of74]

8. Beep...beep...beep...

[Initech]

7. That's a good one! Where can I buy their stand up comedy album?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. Lawyers are often handed a sow's ear with instructions to make a silk purse out of it.

They are not always successful.

[LakeSuperiorView]

9. What the normal punishment for Treason again?

[elmac]

10. the ol abundance of enthusiasm defence

yep, works every time but, who knows, if the affluenza defense could work maybe this could work also, we do have separate justice systems for the rich.

[Autumn]

12. If you can't do the time don't do the fucking crime. You knew you were lying

[displacedtexan]

13. John Dean went to prison.

And he did the right thing much, much earlier than Cohen. Cohen only cooperated because he had to.

[marylandblue]

14. Dean did almost the same thing for the same reasons.

He realized Nixon was setting him up to be the fall guy, so he flipped. He knew everything, from the initial planning right through the coverup. He was sentence to 1 to 4 years, but he continued to give useful information right through the trials, so he got a reduced sentence and only 4 months in jail.

[Nitram]

16. Cohen also cooperated because he was thrown under the bus by the man he had unquestioningly served

for decades.

[keithbvadu2]

24. Plenty of room - UNDER the Trump bus

Plenty of room - UNDER the Trump bus

[Nitram]

15. Cohen is not a victim, he is a criminal and an accessory to numerous crimes.

That said, I don't mind giving him a break if he puts Trump in prison.

[Paladin]

17. If Cohen is instrumental in getting trump thrown out, I don't mind if he walks. (nt)

[Rorey]

19. I'll add to that

If Cohen is instrumental in exposing every guilty Trump and they are brought to justice, I'm fine with him getting about the same amount of time that John Dean got.

[Paladin]

21. That works for me. (nt)

[cstanleytech]

18. Problem is everything he did he did with deliberate intent and I suspect he would have kept on

doing it if he had not been caught so I personally would have a hard time being lenient towards him if I was the judge.

[ThoughtCriminal]

20. Sez who?

[PSPS]

22. "crimes he committed in an abundance of enthusiasm for his ex-boss"

LOL. I guess this is one step away from "I was just following orders." Leslie Van Houten and countless others could make the same laughable claim.

[keithbvadu2]

23. The Nuremberg trials had many such 'victims'.

[AKing]

25. 3 to 5 see ya in 2 with good behavior sounds fair.

[Bleacher Creature]

26. He's not a victim, but if he has the goods on Trump he deserves leniency. NT

[malthaussen]

27. Of course they do, they're advocates.

I do think he should do a little hard time -- not that that is on the cards -- because I never really have agreed that the "shame and dishonor" of a white collar conviction is quite sufficient payment for the crime. But since he has cooperated, he should get some slack -- just not a free pass.

-- Mal