I have previously written about Michael Cohen’s long and uninterrupted history of false statements, crimes, and unethical conduct (here and here and here and here and here). What was particularly impressive is that Cohen was told by Chairman Elijah Cummings that he would immediately be referred to the Justice Department for prosecution if he lied even in the slightest degree. In the view of many, Cohen proceeded to lie and Cummings decided to do nothing. Now Cohen is contradicting the sworn statements that he made in court as part of his sentencing is saying that the charges — and presumably his own statements accepting his guilt — were lies. Cohen reportedly told actor Tom Arnold last month that he is not guilty of the crimes that he told the court that he committed.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Arnold taped Cohen in the conversation — a reversal of practices for Cohen who notoriously even taped his own clients to capture incriminating statements. Cohen says that he was innocent of tax evasion charges and the criminal charge related to misstating his financial status in his home-equity line of credit was “a lie.” Those were the crimes that Cohen swore under oath that he committed and took responsibility for.
Cohen, 52, continues to come off as a pathetic figure who blames everyone but himself — a victim in a cruel world despite his long history as a legal thug threatening everyone from college students to journalists with ruin. Cohen is quoted as lamenting “I’m a man all alone, and I shouldn’t be alone anymore after more than 100 hours of testimony.” He claims that he is a noble being who went to jail to protect his wife — a curious statement that would seem to implicate his family in alleged criminal allegations: “I love this woman, and I am not going to let her get dragged into the mud of this crap.”
Many of us viewed Cohen’s three-year sentence as ridiculously low. Yet, he again portrays himself as being blindsided by a long and unjustified sentence.
As Cohen expresses denies responsibility for these crimes, his counsel Lanny Davis told NBC News on Wednesday that “Michael has taken responsibility for his crimes.”