Michael Cohen is now a prisoner rights advocate. As someone who has run a prisoner project for decades, it came as something of a surprise to me but Cohen is now a reformer . . . just ask Tony Meatballs. The reference came up in an interview with MSNBC’s Ari Melber in which Cohen explained that he only filed for early release under the First Step Act (Trump’s much touted criminal justice reform bill) because he promised “my buddies Tony Meatballs and Big Minty, that I wasn’t going to stop once I got out” in seeking to reform our prisons. You see, it is really not for Mike Cohen. It is for Tony Meatballs.
For full disclosure, I have been a critic of Cohen long before he broke with the President. His conduct as an attorney was a disgrace to the bar for years. Cohen has been gaming the system his entire career. He claimed urgent medical needs for release from prison. Of course, he previously claimed health problems in failing to appear to testify only to be spotted out on the town for a fancy dinner. Cohen previously (and implausibly) reinvented himself as a redemptive sinner and received financial support from Trump critics.
Now he is repackaging himself as a prison reformer. It is only a coincidence that his prison reforms benefit . . . Michael Cohen.
It continues to be impressive how Cohen was able to be immediately rehabilitate himself with the media by turning against Trump. Like John Bolton (who was persona non grata until he became a Trump foe), Cohen went from Trump thug to truth teller with a single flip. While MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell (and recently Jake Tapper) have pledged not to interview Trump figures because they are liars, Cohen and other former Trump associates remain popular guests despite histories of lies and fraud.
In 2018, Cohen pleaded guilty to nine counts including tax evasion and fraud and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. He served time at Otisville Correctional Facility in upstate New York — considered one of the most accommodating federal facilities.
However, Cohen said he is a new man because “One of the things I said I would continue to do is fight for prison reform” and, consistent with his prior history, he found the reform begins with his own self-interest.
He filed a couple of lawsuits challenging the refusal of the government to give him a more than yearlong sentencing break he earned under the First Step Act. He insists that he is entitled to both his good time and his First Step credits amounting to 359 days.
This is after Cohen secured compassionate release to avoid COVID-19 infection despite a history of bending past home confinement rules to the breaking point.
Cohen insists that he earned the benefits under the First Step Act by taking classes like “Drug Education: Freedom from Drugs,” “Health/Fitness,” “Victim Impact,” and “Business Start-Up.” He also cited 500 hours of work at Water Treatment and the Pipe Shop H.V.A.C.
Cohen “first step” sounds a lot like his past steps in seeking every benefit for himself.
Yet, no one would be prouder than Tony Meatballs.
Professor Turley has recently written about the lack of merit of the law suites by the Republicans regarding the election. These articles apparently have gone without notice of those posting here in declaration of Turley being a shill for the Republicans. Either a case of selective memory or an unwillingness to present that which is real.
Thinkitthrough. I’m aware of Turley’s legal prognostication of those meritless lawsuits. But Turley has remained SILENT on the real reason Trump sent his crackpot lawyers to file these bogus claims- to raise 200+ million dollars from his poor suckers for his personal use. Turley has not objected to this immoral scam!
More of Turley carrying out his marching orders to try to normalize the absurdly abnormal and his former attorney. Cohen is dirty, just like his former client, but he still knows things that are useful to help the public understand what a total low-life Trump really is. Hey, Turley, why not use your legal knowledge to write about that lawsuit filed by some cracker in Texas against Mikey Pence, wherein he is trying to force Pence to award the election to Trump, to recognize illegal Trump electors instead of those lawfully appointed, so as to overcome the will of the American people?
Natacha. No doubt Turley will be invited on Fox and Friends to opine on the legal merits of this latest Trump election gambit. Turley will throw cold water on the idea. You watch. Turley was hired by Fox in order to give the cultists a reality check. By relying upon his expert legal opinion, the hosts will not be blamed. It is a very shrewd ploy. Fox inflated the Trump delusion bubble; now they have to pop it without appearing to because it has gotten out of hand.
Commenter ‘Diogenes’ Reveals As Blog Troll
The recent exchange below confirms what had been suspected: Commenter ‘Diogenes’ is our usual troll, a nerdy, perverted loser who fields endless puppets to parrot mindless talking points. His saturation of these comment threads goes back to the week of Easter. Though Estovir, the original commenter, had already been posting under that ‘one’ name since the spring of 2019.
For some reason this troll cannot lay-off comments like those below. And typically he praises his own comments with an ‘anonymous’ or another puppet.
One should note that in the exchange below, ‘Diogenes’ logs this prison shower comment in response to nothing in particular. In other words, he is simply shoe-horning perverted imagery onto these threads for no reason other than his perverted thoughts.
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Diogenes says: December 29, 2020 at 10:37 AM
But our trolls use the drop box in the prison shower. They like to mix business with pleasure.
Reply
Anonymous says: December 29, 2020 at 10:52 AM
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
GOOD ONE
Reply
Anonymous says: December 29, 2020 at 11:35 AM
With this comment above, Diogenes identifies himself as the main troll of this blog. That creepy, perverted ‘humor’ confirms it! Diogenes is also known as Estovir, Rhodes, Princess Trohar, Em and every creepy-sounding name posting stupid comments.
Reply
Diogenes says: December 29, 2020 at 12:10 PM
Better keep a rope on that soap, buddy. Ya don’ wanna catch nuthin’.
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m no troll. As usual, the left accuses others of their own vices. I actually have a towering admiration for Professor Turley, so how can I be accused of trollery on his blog? This remarkable man offers his time to enlighten us, only to be set upon by sophomores, beetle brains, and other shadowy figures. It’s true what they say, “A prophet is never honored in his own house.”
At times, my attacks may have stretched the bounds of decency, but vulgarity in the defense of liberty is no vice!
Michael sounds a lot like you, Jonny, as Trump’s sycophant!
three hots and a cot, and free health care, at club fed, is easy time
time to catch up on reading, exercise, and make new friends
Hollywood makes too much out of penitentiaries.
many big city jails are far more dangerous than pens, espeicially in bigger cities
Saloth Sar
Turley’s double standards are once again on full display. Trump just pardoned Manafort who was convicted on 8 counts of tax evasion & tax fraud. Trump clearly doesn’t believe it’s a big deal his campaign manager hid $18 million in a foreign bank account for work he did in the Ukraine. Now here’s Turley mocking Cohen for suddenly being “a redemptive sinner” after pleading guilty to 9 counts of tax evasion & tax fraud–crimes which were committed while Cohen was Trump’s personal attorney.
Best of all, Turley insists anyone with a history of lies & fraud should never be accepted by the media as being credible. JT finds it’s completely irrelevant Trump paid $25 million to settle a lawsuit filed by hundreds of Americans who were conned by his Trump University business scam & Trump was court-ordered to reimburse charities $4 million he used for his own personal use. Trump adds new entries to his history of lies every day. Yet Trump has a standing offer to appear on Newsmax, OANN, & Fox News on a moment’s notice.
While Turley takes aim at Cohen & Bolton’s credibility & jokes about Tony Meatballs, Trump calls the Supreme Court “totally incompetent & weak” & says “it’s a legal disgrace, an embarrassment to the USA” that over 50 judicial reviews found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. Trump also keeps claiming he won the election in a landslide.
None of that matters to Turley.
+10
‘YES’, COHEN IS DEPLORABLE
BUT ‘WHY’ DID TRUMP RETAIN HIM??
The simple answer is that Cohen was precisely the lawyer Donald Trump wanted. Cohen represented Trump’s shocking lack of scruples. Trump wanted a mean-spirited, henchman of an attorney who would carry-out any order. Trump wanted opponents to think he had vague ties to the mafia and Cohen embodied a mafia-like spirit.
Trump even retained Cohen as a lawyer after getting the presidency. There is a well-known news clip of Trump referring to Cohen as his lawyer aboard Air Force One (with regards to Stormy Daniels). It boggles the mind that Trump thought Cohen would pass muster with the media. Everything about Cohen suggested he was nothing more than a hustler on-the make. And Donald Trump was Cohen’s ‘only’ legal client; which made Cohen impossible to disown!
Who is Tony Meatballs, by the way?
https://www.complex.com/life/2020/11/feds-bust-15-members-of-south-new-jersey-and-philadelphia-mob-including-tony-meatballs
Saloth Sar
Turley vilifies Cohen and deservedly so but overlooks the obvious- Cohen was Trump’s mouthpiece.
He and Michael Avenatti…
The Michael Twins.
“You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig”
Take home point: Turley watches Ari Melber.
Elvis Bug
Elvis Bug. Interesting that Turley spares no opportunity to discredit MSNBC- the economic competitor to his TV employer- but does not call out attorney Ari Melber by name. Must be professional courtesy.
Cohen is a prime example of why many believe lawyers should be shark bate.
JT: “I served time at Otisville Correctional Facility . . .”
Did they finally get you for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble?”
Maybe the funniest post in eons. Tony Meatballs? Yeah Right?
Who is Tony Meatballs and why should we care about him?
He voted in the last election. They have drop boxes in solitary confinement.
But our trolls use the drop box in the prison shower. They like to mix business with pleasure.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA
GOOD ONE
With this comment above, Diogenes identifies himself as the main troll of this blog. That creepy, perverted ‘humor’ confirms it! Diogenes is also known as Estovir, Rhodes, Princess Trohar, Em and every creepy-sounding name posting stupid comments.
Better keep a rope on that soap, buddy. Ya don’ wanna catch nuthin’.
Anon sees Trolls in her dreams. Oh my good there are thousands of them marching on forever. Oh my god, look the Trolls have captured Anon and forced her to wear a Troll hoody. Oh wait, she likes it after all and has embraced her new role in the dramatic presentation. Guess it depends on what side of the Trolls your on. Thing is, she doesn’t even recognize that she has been taken over by the Trolls in her dreams. It’s obvious she is being tortured.
cohen is likely incarcerated in a minimum security club fed. the first level federal pens are easy time.
there is little fear of unwanted buggery in those facilities
Sal Sar
https://www.complex.com/life/2020/11/feds-bust-15-members-of-south-new-jersey-and-philadelphia-mob-including-tony-meatballs
Sal Sar
Cohen is the court Jester, A FOOL, DISHONEST FOOL, a Turn Coat, Corrupt, Stooge of the Trump haters. Cohen would do anything for a Pardon from Trump. It will be a cold day in hell before Trump would even consider a pardon for a liar turncoat clown like Cohen Perhaps sleepy Joe will give Cohen a Pardon?????????????? I doubt it.
He shouldn’t be pardoned. Neither should Manafort, Flynn, Stone, Papadopoulos, and Van Der Zwan.
Day after day new revelations of the swamp things occupying Washington. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen anything yet. “Build Back Better”.
Turley: “While MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell (and recently Jake Tapper) have pledged not to interview Trump figures because they are liars, Cohen and other former Trump associates remain popular guests despite histories of lies and fraud.”
Um, I think Trump qualifies as having a history of lies and fraud, but for some strange reason you do not object to Hannity, Ingraham, and Carlson, et.al., interviewing Trump and those that lie on his behalf. Do you really think your readers do not notice that you NEVER criticize Fox News for the same conduct you correctly find objectionable with CNN and MSNBC?
I wish you would appear in a public forum so that you could be held accountable for your all too obvious single-minded prejudice against CNN and MSNBC. But I’m afraid that you will never expose yourself to such public questioning because it would prove humiliating.
Turley won’t criticize Fox News because he relies on them to book him for his legal opinions.
Fox new won’t question his credibility when it is merited.
https://greenwald.substack.com/p/instagram-is-using-false-fact-checking
Instagram is Using False “Fact-Checking” to Protect Joe Biden’s Crime Record From Criticisms
The Facebook-owned platform’s denunciation of a well-established view of Biden shows the dangers of internet censorship and the fraudulent use of “fact-checking.”)
A long-standing and vehement criticism of Joe Biden is that legislation he championed as a Senator in the 1980s and 1990s, particularly his crime bill of 1994, contributed to the mass incarceration of Americans generally and African-Americans specifically.
Among the many on the left and libertarian right who have voiced this criticism (along with President Trump) is then-Senator Kamala Harris, who said during the 2020 Democratic primary race that Biden’s “crime bill — that 1994 crime bill — it did contribute to mass incarceration in our country.” When Hillary Clinton was running for President in 2015, Bill Clinton, who as president signed Biden’s bill into law, told the NAACP: “I signed a bill that made the problem worse. And I want to admit it.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) told Biden during a 2019 presidential debate: “There are people right now in prison for life for drug offenses because you stood up and used that tough-on-crime phony rhetoric that got a lot of people elected but destroyed communities like mine.” Booker then said in an interview with The Huffington Post that that Biden’s “crime bill was shameful, what it did to black and brown communities like mine [and] low-income communities from Appalachia to rural Iowa,” also denouncing it for “overwhelmingly putting people in prison for nonviolent drug offenses that members of Congress and the Senate admit to breaking now.”
In 2016, author and scholar Michele Alexander argued that Hillary did not deserve the votes of black people due to her and her husband’s support for numerous bills, including Biden’s 1994 crime bill, that led to the mass incarceration of African-Americans. Harvard’s Cornel West said in 2019: “When [Biden] says [the 1994 crime bill] didn’t contribute to mass incarceration, I tell him he has to get off his symbolic crack pipe.”
While that debate over the damage done by Biden’s crime bill has long raged in Democratic Party politics and the criminal justice reform movement, it is now barred from being aired on the Facebook-owned social media giant Instagram, or at least is formally denounced as disinformation. With Joe Biden about to enter the White House — one that will exercise significant influence in determining Silicon Valley’s interests, will be filled with tech executives, and was made possible in large part by Silicon Valley’s largesse poured into the Biden/Harris campaign — Instagram has arrogated unto itself the power to declare these well-established criticisms of Biden and his crime bill to be “False” and having “no basis in fact.”
As first noted on Monday by former Sanders campaign organizer Ben Mora, Instagram publicly denounced as “False” a post on Sunday by the left-wing artist and frequent Biden critic Brad Troemel, who has more than 107,000 followers on that platform. Troemel’s post said nothing more than what Biden’s chosen running mate, Kamala Harris, has herself said, as well as numerous mainstream media outlets and countless criminal justice reform advocates have long maintained.
Troemel posted a 1994 photo of a smiling, mullet-sporting Biden standing next to then-President Bill Clinton. The photo contained this caption: “Find someone that looks at you the way Biden looked at Clinton after Clinton signed Biden’s crime bill into law. Bringing mass incarceration to black Americans.” This was the same photo and caption which an anonymous Trump supporter under the name “realtina40” first posted back in June.
Shortly after Troemel posted this on Sunday, Instagram appended a note in red letters, with a warning sign that read: “Learn why fact-checkers have indicated that this is false.” That was followed by a note plastered over Troemel’s original post with the title: “False,” and which claimed “independent fact-checkers say this information has no basis in fact.” The same thing was done by Instagram to the original post from “realtina40” back in June.
Fact-checking label applied by Facebook-owned Instagram to Brad Troemel’s criticisms of Biden’s 1994 crime bill
This is not the first time Troemel has been censored by Instagram for posting criticisms of Biden. In response to questions, he told me he first earned the “false” label when posting a meme in April which he had created that mocked Biden’s campaign messaging. Instagram’s retaliation happened after the Biden campaign loudly complained about Troemel’s satirical ad. Biden campaign operatives falsely blamed the Trump campaign for having created it, and then induced Twitter to censor it.
As Troemel told me: “Here you can see Dems using the Russia-tinged cover of disinformation as a way to discredit any and all criticism of Biden found on social media.” When Troemel re-posted that meme last month with the clear notation that it was satirical, Instagram began “shadow banning” him: severely limiting the reach of his posts. It was those events — all involving Troemel’s criticisms of Biden from the left — that caused Instagram to heavily scrutinize his postings, culminating in its blurring of his latest post with a “False” label that contained these well-documented criticisms of Biden’s crime bill.
The only thing that is demonstrably “false” here is Instagram’s Biden-shielding assertion that there is a “fact-checking” consensus that this criticism of Biden’s 1994 crime bill is false. It is true that one media outlet, USA Today, fact-checked the identical claim posted back in June by the anonymous Instagram user and concluded that “our research finds that while the crime bill did increase the prison population in states, it did not bring about a mass incarceration relative to earlier years.” But that article so concluded even while admitting that Biden’s “crime bill did increase the prison population in states” and “any increase in the overall prison population would automatically translate into a larger number of Black inmates.” The article’s own premises thus bolster, not refute, the claim at issue.
But numerous other media outlets and fact-checking organizations — far more than just one — concluded the opposite: namely, that there is at least a reasonable and substantial basis for these claims about Biden’s bill:
PolitiFact rated as only “Half True” Biden’s claim that the 1994 crime bill “did not generate mass incarceration,” noting the bill provided funds to states on the condition that they force prisoners to serve longer sentences and that it bolstered the tough-on-crime climate that led to higher incarceration rates in the states (that was the same point Bill Clinton made to the NAACP: “the federal law set a trend…. [W]e had a lot people who were locked up, who were minor actors, for way too long”)
Amazing how the sanctimony and attacks on Biden come out after the election. Not a bad word to be said about old Joe before the election, but raving now. Post on oh tiny dancers.
If you can’t see that CNN and MSNBC have become shills for the Democratic Party you should improve what your feeding your seeing eye dog. In your ideal future any opposition news source should be prevented by the force of law. If censorship is pointed in the right direction your all in. I watched a fox segment last night that included a Democrat in opposition to Trump. Donna Brazil is a commentator on Fox. Please inform me of opposition commentators on CNN or MSNBC. The only Republicans on these networks are never Trumpers. Your defense is very watered down whisky. You must do it to save the mental money.
Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum’s comments have been anti Trump. Please demonstrate any criticism of Democrats by Brazil on Fox. I forgot about Waun Williams on Fox and his defense of all things Democratic. Your use of a never Trumper as an example reinforces that CNN and MSNBC only pick Republicans who will criticize Trump. Google “Rick Santorum on Trump”. Using Google might be a good idea if your going to present someone as a Trump supporter. Thought out response or knee jerk jump to conclusion? I think the later.
Thinkitthrough. The reason CNN and MSNBC won’t put a Pro-Trump commentator on their network is the same reason they do not air Trump- they are ALL LIARS if they support or otherwise remain silent in the face of Trump’s manifest lies!
Speaking of Build Back Better, the Village Idiot stole that phrase from Boris Johnson. Soon he will be telling us we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
Joe Biden’s 1988 primary campaign lasted 1 month, when journalism was fair and balanced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmuAB5MqP0Y
I agree with you Turley, Michael Cohen as well as ALL Trump cronies who lied on Trump’s behalf should NOT have their reputations resuscitated by appearing on any TV program. I would not trust Cohen to give me the time of day. If only, Turley, you would exhibit the same level of utter contempt and disdain for Cohen’s client- Trump! The very fact that you will not do so demonstrates how you, as a liberal, continue to pander to the Trumpists who you do not wish to alienate from this blog. And, of course, you want to remain in good graces with your employer, Trump TV.
Are you going to take the Trump vaccine?
Craig Nichols. Absolutely, I’ll take the Covid vaccine to prevent catching the Trump virus.
such a pussy.
Got to be a sociaist posing as a Democrat.
It is outrageous how all these liars and criminals attach themselves to Trump Jeffrey. Won’t they leave the poor man alone?
Friday. Turley and the Trumpists know all too well that Cohen followed Trump’s unethical/immoral/illegal orders, but they refuse to hold the Don accountable for his lawyer’s dirty work on his behalf. It is hypocritical, but they simply will deny the undeniable.
Silverman, lawyers execute immoral orders all the time. legality is the standard not whatever you personally deem “moral”
as for ethics, the lawyer has a clear rule set and is obliged to follow them whether a client demands it or not.
indeed, clients rarely understand the nuances of legal ethics. day in and day out practicing lawyers have to curtail their clients.
cohen seems to have been the sort of lawyer who did not curtail his client’s impulses, rather he indulged them.
so, yes, perhaps for that and perhaps for many other reasons: cohen bad.
sal sar
joefriday, It’s outrageous how the Chinese have attached themselves to the Biden family. I forgot, Cohen is so much more dangerous than the Chinese. For some reason some people always pick the smallest apples.
Hey Jeffrey give it a rest. Please inform us of your written past disdain for “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor”. Please don’t leave out any time you sadly opined against “We have to pass the bill so you can see what’s in it”. We are waiting for proof of any comments you have brilliantly made about these expressions made by your godly fearless leaders. Waiting to exhale for your response. Then again, you wouldn’t have been informed of such statements on your worship sessions of sacrifice at CNN and MSNBC.
Oh yeah, that was terrible for Nancy to say “the proof will be in the pudding” (most Americans do not want Obamacare repealed, do she was right) and for Obama to say what was true for all but maybe 3 million Americans max who were on empty policies. I still have my same doctor and almost everyone does. How about you?
joefrday, so it’s ok to keep the American people in the dark about legislation effecting their lives? Don’t worry about what is in the Bill. Just do as your told. If things turn out good we will tell you. If things turn out bad you don’t need to know. Shut up and sit down. Some puddings are not edible. Joe is willing to eat anything they put on his plate. He must be afraid of the consequences of the cancellation to come if he complains about the mold on the hay they feed to the herd.
Hey Joe. I am on a government health program and they change my doctor whenever the want. The last time they didn’t even inform me of a change. So I should believe you or my own personal experience. Not saying you would make something up. Then again, I’ve read your previous posts.
Thinkitthrough, I’ve thought about it, and, no, I shall not rest. Was Obama a liar at times? Possibly. If so, he was wrong, but Trump is a chronic liar. If you can’t see that for yourself, I can’t help you; I can only pity you.
Was Obama a liar at times? Possibly.
Possibly? Damn, you set yourself
up with the easiest of questions that would show you to be somewhat objective and you still blew it. At times? Of course.
The cherry on top was your finish:
If you can’t see that for yourself, I can’t help you; I can only pity you.
That’s what TDS has done to you. That’s not even pity worthy. 😆
Small minds talk about people. Intelligent people talk about ideas.
Tony Veggieballs chimmed in. Veggieballs says there no meat on the table and no sperm in the halls of justice.
I laughed this morning when I saw an article sharing thoughts from Michael Cohen. Seriously? He has shown us who he is more than once and i found it highly amusing. And then I read this. It made me feel good to know that someone with a brain felt the same and with specific detail.