newYou can now listen to Fox News articles.
If lying was an art, former Trump fixer Michael Cohen would be its Rembrandt.
Throughout their careers, disbarred lawyers have found powerful clients who value their reputations for supporting the side that offers them the greatest return.
Now he has been accused of further lies under oath, and the question is whether his current backers will protect him from criminal charges again.
Top Republican calls on Justice Department to investigate Michael Cohen for ‘deliberately’ false statements in Congress
For years, Cohen has been a burden to Donald Trump, who has threatened to destroy everyone from journalists to students for blackmailing the former president.
Facing disbarment and criminal charges, he has since become an equally vicious Trump critic. A human club for the Democratic Party. The most notable aspect of his bizarre career has been his consistency. It is a long and continuous series of lies upon lies. In fact, he’s now being accused of lying about previous lies.
I’ve criticized Cohen for years, but now I’m back to working as Trump’s legal culprit. That criticism continued even after Mr. Cohen sought to raise money from Democrats as a Trump killer rather than a Trump enabler. Those of us familiar with his history cautioned against the idea that he was now an “emancipated former liar.”
As expected, the position changed, but the lie continued.
Trump confronts Cohen in court after former lawyer testifies against Trump in Trump Organization civil trial
He was scheduled to appear before House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings as the Democratic Party’s rising star witness, but was soon accused of lying under oath again. Cummings, who would later become chairman of the Jan. 6 committee, declined to take any action against Cohen. Once again he found a powerful ally who valued his moral flexibility.
Even after his law license was revoked and he was sentenced to three years in prison, Cohen continued his pattern. In 2019, Cohen did not appear to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, citing an inability to travel for surgery. However, he was seen partying with five of his friends before the hearing and there were no particular problems.
Cohen was also accused of lying in court while in prison, violating an early release order citing medical issues. He was ordered into custody after he was discovered at an upscale restaurant.
Nevertheless, Mr. Cohen has few illusions about his sudden alliance with the media and Democratic Party officials. He doesn’t have to be honest. He must be useful.
This high-profile role continued this year, when Mr. Cohen was called to testify in the New York fraud case brought by Attorney General Letitia James. It mattered little to James that Cohen was a serial liar. But even her office may be surprised that Cohen so readily acknowledged her false statements.
President Trump sues former lawyer Michael Cohen for $500 million
During his recent testimony, Mr. Cohen faced statements that directly contradicted his sworn testimony before Congress that Mr. Trump was inflating the value of his assets. Most witnesses would cringe at the thought of admitting they lied under oath. Most people would refuse to testify under the Fifth Amendment. Not Cohen. He just seems to ignore it, and he admitted to Congress in 2019 that he lied under oath.
In testimony before the House Intelligence Committee on February 28, 2019, Mr. Cohen was asked about similar alleged violations and said, “I’m sorry. Did you ask me to inflate the numbers? I don’t remember, no.” ” he answered.
When Cohen read the response in New York, he admitted he had not been “honest” with Congress. Trump lawyer Alina Haba then asked, “So you lied under oath in February 2019? Is that your testimony?” Cohen replied, “Yes.”
For Cohen, admitting a lie isn’t such a big moment. In 2018, he was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to serious crimes including making false statements to a bank and confessing his deep guilt and remorse. He then later stated that he didn’t really mean it to deny aspects of his plea.
Trump drops lawsuit against Michael Cohen, vows to refile after ‘winning’ other cases
After this plea and subsequent denial of a sworn statement, Cohen was called to testify before the House Intelligence Committee. He says he has now started lying again.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner and House Republican Conference Chairman Elise Stefanik sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting an investigation into the admitted false testimony.
This would seem an embarrassingly easy case for prosecutors. A serial liar has admitted under oath that he previously lied under oath. There is a five-year statute of limitations on lying to Congress.
Additionally, this attorney general is the one who aggressively pursued Trump administration officials and their associates for contempt and other violations related to the Congressional investigation. It’s also the same department that prosecuted people like General Michael Flynn for making false statements to FBI agents.
For more FOX News opinions, click here
For Cohen, the key to his career was lying to the right person at the right time. It will be up to Garland to join a long line of powerful allies covering Cohen.
Mr. Cohen may once again avoid real punishment. While he was still bashing people for supporting Trump, Cohen told reporters, “What I’m going to do to you is going to be very disgusting, so you should take it very lightly. Do you understand?” he said.
When it comes to the legal system, Cohen is ironically true to his word. What he has done to the justice system for decades is truly terrible. New York lawyers took no action for years until Cohen confessed to the crime to secure a plea deal.
Previous cases in which charges of perjury were brought before Congress were ignored because the prosecution was inconvenient. Now, he has unceremoniously admitted that he lied under oath in 2019 after pleading guilty to criminal lying.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The problem isn’t Cohen. He continues to act according to his nature. The problem is the political and legal system that allows him to be a serial liar. It’s a system that keeps calling Cohen to the stand and asking him to swear to God “the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” without the characteristic joke drum roll that precedes the punchline.
The fact that Cohen can say “I do” without holding back a laugh reflects a true artist at work.
For more information on Jonathan Turley, click here