It was a telling moment for a lawyer who has consistently adopted the worst possible approach to legal controversies. It is absolutely baffling why Cohen would want to telegraph to the court that he did not have anything better to do and simply used the time to smoke a cigar with friends.
So Cohen wants the judge to take extraordinary steps to protect his communications but it is not enough for him to actually take a 10 minute car ride to the courthouse to convey his respect for the court and the case. As with many of his decisions, there is literally no positive element to this move. He could have stayed inside his apartment or office during the hearing if he did not want to be in court. Instead, he picked a public location with the knowledge that reporters were waiting outside. He has achieved the impossible . . . he makes Stormy Daniels look professional and deliberative by comparison.
Elizabeth Landers
✔@ElizLanders
Photo of Michael Cohen taken by my NY colleague Lawrence Crook- who reports that he’s sitting outside the Loews Regency now with a group of friends smoking cigars
