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Michael Cohen raised his right hand Monday at Donald Trump’s trial in Manhattan and vowed to tell the truth. It was a meaningless gesture.
Mr. Cohen had done this before and continued to lie under oath. He lied in court, at banks, in Congress, and at the Internal Revenue Service, and then went to prison for it. But again, Cohen argues: now he is telling the truth. He wants the jury to believe him. At this time.
Cohen presents a paradox about truth and falsehood. In philosophy and logic, this is known as the “liar’s paradox,” and it troubles juries every time a habitual liar takes the stand and promises to tell the truth.
This contradiction is: If the liar really lied, then admitting the lie is true. Unless, of course, he’s lying about it and all that. He can never really know. The search for truth becomes impossible. In a courtroom where the central witness is a chronic fabricator, the “liar’s paradox” is tantamount to reasonable doubt.
New York v. Trump: Cohen testifies that he paid Stormy Daniels out of his own pocket
It was on full display Monday when President Trump’s one-time self-proclaimed “fixer” failed to connect the defendant to any cognizable crime. But Cohen quickly confessed that he often lied and bullied people. He also defrauded his own client, Mr. Trump, by secretly recording Mr. Trump just before the 2016 election.
Cohen then shared it without permission with the publisher of the National Enquirer. It was a despicable maneuver that violated attorney-client privilege and merited disbarment. it doesn’t matter. Cohen had long ago been convicted and disbarred from his license.
When the recording was played in court, it appeared to help the defense rather than hurt it. Mr. Cohen cryptically refers to payments to have stories taken down, which is not a crime. President Trump seems to be somewhere in the dark, and he can be heard asking, “What kind of funding?” Cohen assured him that he was taking care of everything. His boss didn’t need to know the details. “Okay…I’m doing it,” Cohen said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg knows he is in peril on the brink of perjury charges. But he is hell-bent on convicting Donald Trump of crimes that were not committed or fully disclosed.
The prosecution’s star witness against Trump, Michael Cohen, is a chronic habitual liar
It is puzzling why prosecutors went to such lengths, other than to smear Trump with fantasies of amorphous wrongdoing. The issue concerned former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who was never called as a witness for the prosecution and was completely unrelated, as she had nothing to do with the charges. Mr. Trump refused to pay her over her alleged affair, which Mr. Trump denies.
Mr. Cohen then moved on to his tangle with former porn star Stormy Daniels, who was ramping up an apparent extortion plot as voters soon headed to the polls. Cohen admitted that it was his idea to pay her $130,000 for her silence, accompanied by a legal non-disclosure agreement. As Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Mr. Cohen handled negotiated contracts that were later recorded as “legal expenses.”
Michael Cohen testifies that he secretly recorded President Trump in preparation for the 2016 election
In fact, Mr. Cohen said the money he received was compensation for his work on a legal settlement with Mr. Daniels, reimbursement for him, and compensation for his legal services as Mr. Trump’s newly appointed personal attorney. I explained the details and confirmed the accuracy of the accounting records.
On May 13, 2024, in Manhattan State Court in New York City, U.S., former Donald Trump was charged with falsifying business records to conceal funds he paid to hush porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. At the presidential criminal trial, defendant Michael Cohen is questioned by prosecutor Susan Hoffinger. , this courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
So where is the original fraud that prosecutors claim is the basis for the 34 misdemeanors? It’s nowhere to be found.
Mr. Cohen later testified that Mr. Trump was concerned about how Mr. Daniel’s story would affect his chances in the 2016 election. Naturally, this key point is denied by other witnesses who told the jury that the candidate’s main concern was his wife and family.
In any case, it doesn’t matter. Bragg’s claim is legally flawed because Trump used his own money, not campaign funds. The law imposes limits on the latter but not on the former.
Trump’s supporters gather in large numbers ahead of Cohen’s testimony
This is one of the main reasons the Federal Election Commission (FEC) determined there were no campaign finance violations. The Department of Justice agreed. No civil fines were imposed and no criminal charges were filed. These two organizations have exclusive authority over federal elections. Not a district attorney like Alvin Bragg.
But that didn’t stop the Manhattan DA’s office from usurping federal jurisdiction by charging campaigns it didn’t have the authority to enforce or violations that didn’t exist.
Under normal circumstances, the Justice Department would have intervened to stop it. Instead, Attorney General Merrick Garland held a farewell party for his deputy, Matthew Colangelo. Matthew Colangelo left a prestigious position at the department to become Mr. Bragg’s lead prosecutor.
Undeterred by the limitations of the law, morally bankrupt prosecutors fabricated a case of lawlessness by claiming that President Trump falsified his personal business records in a serious attempt to cover up other crimes. However, he still refuses to be identified. Probably campaign funds. But that’s actually not the case.
Michael Cohen’s credibility issues, brazen TikTok usage before testimony raises eyebrows in media
Former FEC Chairman Bradley Smith said in a column for the Wall Street Journal, “The ‘crime’ that Mr. Bragg claims is being covered up is not a crime at all.”
Even if prosecutors’ twisted legal theory advances, they would have to prove that Trump himself understood campaign finance laws and intentionally intended to violate them. There is no evidence of that. He said even experienced candidates struggle to understand the daunting web of campaign regulations. That’s why they rely on lawyers.
Mr. Bragg wants to send Mr. Trump to prison for relying on his lawyer’s advice. There’s a legal term for it. Natty.
On cross-examination, Cohen will no doubt be confronted with his myriad lies, as I detailed in a previous column. There is one thing in particular that is worth remembering. In February 2018, he told the New York Times that “the payments to Mr. Clifford were legal and were not campaign contributions or campaign expenditures.”
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Shortly thereafter, Cohen changed his tone. It’s still changing. When he takes the stand again on Tuesday, he will spout even more lies and misinformation. None of this is worth much, as Cohen represents the classic “liar’s paradox.” He has told so many falsehoods that even his retractions are self-contradictory.
In the case at hand, Cohen has a personal interest in lying: hatred and greed.when he’s not there Trolling for dollars on TikTok By bashing Trump, he’s promoting a reality show he’s calling “The Fixer.” Cohen needs to correct himself.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg knows he is in peril on the brink of perjury charges. But he is hell-bent on convicting Donald Trump of crimes that were not committed or fully disclosed. By calling Cohen as a star witness, prosecutors abdicated their duty to seek the truth. He aids and abets a convicted perjurer by enabling further lies.
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This is government corruption at its worst. Unscrupulous, dishonest, immoral. It is an affront to justice and an embarrassment to a once-respected legal system.
That’s not a contradiction. That’s a tragedy.
Click here to read more about Greg Jarrett
