Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not."
By Joan Vennochi
Can a lying rat ever tell the truth? Salvatore Sammy the Bull" Gravano brought down Mafia crime boss John Gotti by testifying against him in a deal in which he confessed involvement in 19 murders.
Last August Michael Cohen Trumps onetime personal lawyer and confidant pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. Cohen is now trying to bring down Trump World the same way Sammy the Bull" brought down Gotti: by testifying against President Trump while acknowledging his complicity in their shared sleazy activities.
On Wednesday Cohen was back before Congress this time accusing Trump of illicit acts." Wearing a blue tie and his trademark hangdog expression Cohen said the president called me a rat for choosing to tell the truth much like a mobster would do when one of his men decides to cooperate with the government."
One mans rat is another mans path to personal redemption. And with his dramatic testimony redemption is what Cohen is now after. As Representative Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts said to Cohen: I dont think my colleagues are afraid youll lie. I think theyre afraid youll tell the truth."
Michael Cohen made a number of serious allegations against President Trump in his testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Predictably Republicans attacked Cohen as a proven liar which he is. Or as Representative Paul Gosar Republican of Arizona presented it Liar liar pants on fire."
Cohen told lawmakers that federal prosecutors are investigating unspecified criminal allegations regarding Trump that are not yet public.
But in his prepared testimony Cohen backed away from accusing Trump of criminal conduct on two fronts.
Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress" he testified.
And he added Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. I want to be clear. But I have my suspicions."
Republicans didnt waste much time trying to refute Cohens assertions. They just attacked his credibility. Republicans want the public to believe Cohens new-found conscience is all about getting a lighter prison sentence.
Representative Jim Jordan Republican of Ohio skewered Democrats who now control the committee on oversight and reform for having as their first announced witness a guy who is going to prison for lying to Congress."
Representative Mark Green Republican of Tennessee berated Cohen as a scorned man whos going to prison for lying to Congress... a narcissist a bully who cannot tell the truth about the president or his own life."
But Cohen stood his ground. When Gosar called him a pathological liar" he replied: Are you referring to me or the president?"
For 10 years he said I protected Mr. Trump." And in the end he lost it all. Added Cohen: I can only warn people that the more people that follow Mr. Trump as I did blindly are going to suffer the consequences that I did."
For those who believe a lying rat can sometimes tell the truth thats a dire prediction.
Associate Editor & Columnist Joan Vennochi started at the Boston Globe as a researcher on the Spotlight Team and shared in a Pulitzer Prize for a series on the MBTA. She has covered city state & national politics created a business column that explored the intersection of business and politics and now writes for the Op-ed page. As a member of the Globe editorial board she also helps formulate and write editorials. She is a graduate of Boston University & Suffolk Law School.
