Americans witnessed a condemnation of a President’s character unlike any in memory on Wednesday. In sensational testimony on Capitol Hill, Michael Cohen – the man who for a decade was Donald Trump’s confidant and biggest defender – presented a portrait of him that could hardly have been more vile. A racist. A con man. A cheat. A criminal.
In turn, Mr. Trump’s defenders on the House Judiciary Committee used almost every moment of their allotted time to pulverize Mr. Cohen’s credibility. They had much ammunition to work with. He is a convicted perjurer, and will go to jail for his crimes for three years, just two months from now.
But of the two sides, Mr. Cohen was the more persuasive and credible. He came armed with specifics – documents – to buttress his allegations. A copy of a hush-money cheque to porn actress Stormy Daniels signed by Mr. Trump while in the Oval Office was but one glaring and devastating example.
To the critical question – has the President committed a crime? – here was evidence that looks to be exceedingly difficult to refute.
It was the day’s most serious development, and it drew a reaction from Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. “If Mr. Cohen’s allegations are correct, it means the President, while in office, literally while in the Oval Office, was engaged in criminal activity, and that is furthering this campaign fraud scheme.
“So that’s pretty breathtaking when you think about it, that the President of the United States is allegedly paying hush money as President of the United States, and misleading the country about it.”
In his hours on the stand, Mr. Cohen was contrite, explaining how he had become “intoxicated” by Mr. Trump, caught up in his web of deceit.
Alluding to the fact that he called Mr. Trump a cheat, Republican James Comer asked, “What would you call yourself?”
“A fool,” Mr. Cohen replied.
In both personal terms and legal terms for Mr. Trump, his testimony was searing. On the suggestion that Mr. Trump is racist, Mr. Cohen couldn’t have been more blunt: “He told me black people would never vote for him because they’re stupid.”
On the question of Russian collusion in the 2016 election campaign, he didn’t directly implicate Mr. Trump. But he presented evidence that the President knew in advance that Wikileaks planned to release hacked Democratic National Committee e-mails. Mr. Cohen said he was in Mr. Trump’s office while he was on the speaker phone to his friend Roger Stone, who told him about it. Mr. Trump said it was great to hear. Mr. Stone has denied such a call took place.
As if Mr. Trump needed more to answer to, Mr. Cohen told of how during his years as Mr. Trump’s fixer he was ordered to threaten people on hundreds of occasions. He revealed how Mr. Trump instructed him to rig polls, how he ordered him to prevent schools from releasing his grades and S.A.T. scores.
There’s more to come. Mr. Cohen added that federal prosecutors are investigating crimes involving the President that have yet to be made public.
Republicans sounded increasingly desperate as the day wore on. They put forward the argument that Mr. Cohen was just trying to get himself a highly lucrative book deal. Mr. Cohen didn’t deny that he was interested in one. But even if he had remained a Trump ally he could have received a big offer from a publishing company.
But Mr. Cohen, who will give further testimony to committees in camera this week, strongly denied that the reason for turning on Mr. Trump was that he wasn’t offered a big job in the Trump White House, despite prosecutors and journalists being on the record as believing otherwise. It was one area of his testimony that fed doubts about whether he was being entirely forthright.
Still, between Mr. Cohen and the President, Americans will have to sort out for themselves who is the biggest deceiver. Mr. Cohen lied in previous testimony to Congress and on his taxes and elsewhere. Mr. Trump has been documented as uttering literally thousands of lies, mistruths, and distortions.
Ever since Mr. Trump came to office, there has been a maze of news on the Russian controversy and various other ethical entanglements. It’s been easy for Americans to get lost in the details.
The explosive testimony of Mr. Cohen has brought it into the public spotlight with brutal clarity. And with the looming release of the report of special counsel Robert Mueller, with whom Mr. Cohen has been co-operating, it has plunged the Trump presidency into a deeper hell.
Lawrence Martin