There is a bizarre report in The Daily Beast that former Trump Counsel Michael Cohen is laying down an Ultimatum for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.: indict Trump or I’m leaving you. Cohen warned that, if Bragg does not use the current grand jury to indict Trump, he will no longer cooperate. It is a curious threat since he could be called before a grand jury and would have to invoke the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination to refuse further testimony.
The grand jury is reportedly due to disband in roughly a week.
Bragg is under a huge amount of pressure after he reportedly balked at the basis for charging Trump. The two lead prosecutors then resigned and Bragg found himself hammered by the left for failing to prosecute. He then seemed to suggest that he is still evaluating the case.
Now Cohen is adding to that pressure in a curious way by suggesting that he might not cooperate if another grand jury is called.
This is only the latest transformation of Cohen. He achieved infamy as a legal thug who threatened critics of Donald Trump. He was ultimately disbarred and was convicted for his criminal conduct. He expressed bitterness at not being given a pardon and then asked why he is “the only one” going to prison. After pleading guilty, he later appeared to rescind his guilty plea.
He then reinvented himself as an anti-Trump figure and showed the same blind rage in railing against Trump.
The use of the Daily Beast for his latest threat was ironic since Cohen previously threatened one of its writers on behalf of Trump.
Cohen said that, if Bragg does not pull the trigger, he will walk:
“I spent countless hours, over 15 sessions—including three while incarcerated. I provided thousands of documents, which coupled with my testimony, would have been a valid basis for an indictment and charge,. The fact that they have not done so despite all of this… I’m not interested in any further investment of my time.”
Of course, the “interest” of Michael Cohen in a future grand jury is less important than his appearance. He can be subpoenaed to appear. He can certainly invoke the Fifth Amendment but his disinterest is not likely to weigh heavily on the minds of prosecutors.
If Cohen is suggesting that he might change his testimony or become a hostile witness, that would also be a tad difficult. He is already on the record and under oath. Unless he wants a return to prison, he will have to testify in a truthful fashion, even if he is given immunity to testify.
Cohen may also be called to appear at the trial of the Trump Organization’s former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, who was indicted last summer for criminal tax fraud.
In other words, Michael Cohen’s latest reinvention is unlikely to succeed.
Prosecutors who use their office against political opponents are criminals and must be held accountable for betraying the public’s trust. Democrats at all levels are the enemy of American, and her citizens.
By name recognition, Donald Trump must be the most famous politician in America.
Once again you have the walls are closing in on Trump crowd springing into action. The lumps on their heads from slamming it into a wall outnumber the flat spots. One can only attribute such actions to a presence of slowness on the uptake. One would think that just like a looser in a bar bet they would just quietly cry into their beer but they just continue to beg “Hit me again. Hit me again.”
I usually try to stay on topic. But today is a reason for celebration!! CNN+ out of business in less than a month. And P.O.S Chris Wallace is out of a JOB!!
What? You won a bet?
Just a gentleman’s bet. My next prediction is that IDIOT Stelter will be gone before the mid terms.
Discovery cutting their losses.
I like Stelter.
That explains a lot!!!
Jeff,
Too each his own.
” Enjoy ” him now. While you can. If my prediction is true, you and the 5 other people who watch will deeply disappointed.
Has-Beens; Michael Cohen, Michael Avenatti, Keith Davidson …
Lump them in with: Jeffrey Epstein, Howard K. Stern, Ron Jeremy, …
They’ve had their 15 minutes of fame.
Stormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormy_Daniels%E2%80%93Donald_Trump_scandal
OT
And in other news…
Barack Obama supports teaching sex education to kindergartners:
Cohen has plenty of time to “waste”…..Prosecutors drive hard bargains….Perps like Cohen either accept them or go to Prison and stay there a while.
With this ultimatum he is useless as a Witness for the Prosecution.
Cohen is either smart like a Fox or just showing what a poor lawyer he really was.
Rule Two of Lawyering is to remember the Client did the Crime and does the Time…..Rule One is get your Fee up front.
He is doing Time which speaks for itself.
Nothing is more powerful than the truth.
The truth never lies.
The truth never changes.
No matter how much the world changes, or the people around us change, the truth never does.
Truth is that Trump is a “carnival snake charmer.” Turley said so. Word.
President Trump’s 2016 victory shocked those who are out to destroy the Republic, The Constitution and the Union of States. Without any evidence these mentally corrupt individuals presumed the President Trump is tyrannical, racist, homophobic, islamophobic and misogynistic among numerous other derogatory unfounded adjectives. These pathetic individuals can not accept the fact that their ideal 2016 President,(hillary clinton) conceded, gave up, quit without a fight.
These individuals suffer from what is known as Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS)
Suffers of TDS, can not accept the fact that everyone must be self reliant, self responsible, productive and prosperous members of society. The root cause of TDS is severe and massively repressed inner pain. TDS suffers can not even admit to themselves that they have any problems. These people (suffers of TDS) literally beg for the almighty state to take care of them.
It is the fault of the TDS suffers that the United States is now in debit for over $31,000,000,000,000.00 that can never be repaid.
The major cesspool of TDS suffers is main stream media, actor who assume to be “journalist”, who in fact make Joseph Goebbels, their “saint” proud of his vile achievements.
The United States did have four good years 2016 – 2020, thanks to President Trump. The United States was becoming productive and prosperous. The current regime in their insanity did ruin this progress.
Jonathan: Why is it that Michael Cohen is suddenly the heavy in this case? Yes, Cohen was a “legal thug” as you say. But he was Trump’s trusted consigliere and confident. He carried out Trump’s orders loyally. He knows all about Trump’s criminal enterprise. Cohen is the principal witness in the NY case against Trump. He provided testimony and “thousands of documents” to support the case against Trump. In prosecution docs Cohen is referred to as “The Fixer”. No doubt Cohen is the key to prosecuting Trump and is frustrated by the DA’s inaction.
Former prosecutors Mark Pomerantz and Carey Dunne resigned in protest over NY DA Bragg’s refusal so far to file criminal charges. Pomerantz is no light weight. He successfully prosecuted John Gotti. In his resignation letter Pomerantz said: “I and others have advised you that we we have evidence sufficient to establish Mr. Trump’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and we believe that the prosecution would prevail if charges were brought”. Former DA Cy Vance concluded the same saying there was sufficient evidence to “seek an indictment of Mr. Trump and other defendants as soon as reasonably possible”.
It is not true, as you claim, that Bragg is only being “hammered by the left” to prosecute Trump. Most New Yorkers are frustrated by Bragg’s inaction. Prosecutors take an oath of office. To faithfully enforce the applicable laws and to do so with transparency, accountability and candor. So far Bragg has failed in all his obligations. I think this column is your attempt to undercut Cohen’s credibility to justify Bragg’s apparent decision to let the terms of the grand jury to run out and make it next to impossible to prosecute Trump later. Why in the world would you want Trump to skate?–unless you are, despite your protestations to the contrary, a Trumpster!
Bragg is by all accounts a very progressive prosecutor. Being the one to convict Trump and send him to jail would be a huge win for him and his political allies. Even bringing a prosecution and losing would likely be seen as a positive by his political allies. So his seeming decision not to proceed suggests to me that there is no case whatsoever. Is there some other reason that anyone has asserted?
You are absolutely 💯 % RIGHT
Do you honestly beleive that Bragg dropped a viable prosecutable case ?
As you note Bragg took an oath of office – that includes not prosecuting people for non-existant crimes – no matter how hated they are by left wing nuts.
It would be my guess that if Bragg could make up a fake crime that he thought he could get a jury in NYC to convict on – he would.
That BTW is an incredibly low bar.
A rational person would conclude that absolutely nothing can be found that even in the pretend world of the left where mean tweets are violence and crimes can be prosecuted.
Cohen was guilty of lying of a scheme to game NYC taxi medallions – that had nothing to do with Trump.
Whether you grasp it or not – Cohen was CLEALY not part of any Trump inner circle – Trump stopped taking his phone calls after the election.
If as you say Cohen was his consigleire and knows where all the bodies are buried – Trump would have protected Cohen.
You left wing nuts live in the land of delusion.
Over and over you are smacked upside the head with the reality that the crimes and misconduct of Trump that you manufacture in your heads – is just not true in reality.
Hunter Biden’s laptop is real. Hillary Clintons bathroom basement email server is real, the repeated and assorted misconduct of those out to get trump is all real.
But the allegations against trump have time and again proven false.
Cohen can rant however he pleases.
@Dennis McIntyre,
Cohen was a bag man. Not a consigliere.
If he had anything of value… they would have used it.
As to charging Trump. Again if they had anything… he would have been charged. Pomerantz and Dunne walking is due to their inability to build a case. Meaning that anything that they had on Trump wouldn’t be enough to win at trial. Or enough to actually charge him.
(e.g. Cohen’s testimony with no way to verify or validate it.) Or anything that they found fell into a gray area.
You’re making an assumption or presumption of Trump’s guilt. Yet we live in a country where the presumption is of innocence. So the bar is set and clearly Bragg believes that the evidence being proffered to his team is not enough to charge / indict Trump.
Clearly that’s not good enough.
Therefore you denounce anyone who doesn’t agree with your point of view as being a ‘Trumpster’.
Unfortunately that’s not the case. Turley for example is not a Trumpster, yet he disagrees with your viewpoint/opinion.
This would suggest that you suffer from TDS. Please get help.
-G
Gumby says about Dennis:
“This would suggest that you suffer from TDS. Please get help.”
If you are going to accuse Dennis of hating Trump simply for wanting the law to be impartially enforced, then I’m simply going to accuse you of hating brown-skin people for wanting to limit their immigration at the Mexican border.
Fair enough? Oh, yes, get help.
Huh?????
@Jeff
You seem to also suffer from TDS.
Dennis is not taking a middle of the road position.
I actually am.
Dennis is presenting his opinion that Bragg is pro Trump when that’s not the case.
Like or Hate Trump… the fact that he hasn’t been charged is that there isn’t enough if any evidence to substantiate a charge.
And yes, you need help too.
-G
No, Gumby, you need help. You suffer from Dennis Derangement Syndrome.
Uh oh. you did it Gumby. You broke JS. All that comes out is jibberish
JeffSilberman, I’m sure you meant to say limit their illegal immigration at the Mexican border. I’m sure it was just an innocent oversight on your part to leave out the word illegal.
Lolololol holy shit dude. Pom and dunn were fired. Their case was dog shit. If they had a case they dont get fired ….which was because they were obsessed with bagging trump with no actual case. “Right side of history” is for media consumption …not someone who is fair with a legit case
Show me the man is frowned upon. Furthermore Michael cohen was supposed to share this all with sdny as part of his plea there. Odd how they weren’t interested. Instead a bunch of anti trump nutters in Manhattan da were.
He came out of retirement for no fee to investigate someone with no crime up front. That shows it is political targeting
Isn’t it something, Brabon is president, but Trump gets all the attention. There use to be a saying, any publicity is good publicity.
Fool pleads to a felony charge he’s not guilty of and now wants to wax expertly on criminal law. Hutzpah doesn’t descibe that attitude; dumb does.
The greatest damage Cohen has done to Trump is the fact that Trump hired him.
It is one of the most egregious errors of judgement Trump has demonstrated.
Michael Cohen, Michael Avenatti, Keith Davidson were all about Stormy D.
That’s what happens when your Wallet $$$ thinks with your Dick.
YOU LOOSE BABY!
Why does anyone even care what this loser fool thinks? This should be a non-story.
I thought indictment’s were sent down because of evidence not because of threats from disbarred lawyers??
Good one, Margot!
I always look for what a person does not say.
Cohen is a lawyer. Self professed expert on the evidence. Yet he never cites a crime.
It would certainly generate some legal fees and bring forth personalities galore but Donald Trump is among the most investigated human beings on the planet. Amazing how stupid some people think the public is. It would be a more interesting trial to watch than the Depp thing but not on the OJ level. Now if it’s true grand juries will indict a ham sandwich this must be one of those dinners Newsom has at French Laundry. How can they resist?
As we used to say back in middle school, “Is that a threat or a promise?”
I am not sure this is even a threat. The loss of Cohen means nothing.
I can comprehend Cohen’s anger at the criminal justice system because his real crime is simply knowing Trump (political persecution)* Had Cohen not known Trump he would still be an attorney plying his trade = there’s lots of sleazy successful attorneys out there, trade doesn’t have a negative reputation for no, no reason.
*To those that cry “campaign finance crime” let’s look forensically into every sitting Congressperson’s campaign finances, Current POTUS and former candidates too and see how many, it would be few, are “without sin.” Laws are equal, their application is unequal, especially if you are a repub.
These sociopaths cannot accept that their time in front of the camera is over.
They will say or do anything for a little attention.
That sociopath went to prison in part because of a campaign finance crime that he committed with another sociopath: Trump — paying off Stormy Daniels, an illegal campaign contribution for which Trump reimbursed him plus a huge bonus.
Except that part about a campaign finance crime.
You’re wrong yet again: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/michael-cohen-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court-eight-counts-including-criminal-tax
Not that you’ll admit it. You never do.
Despite your link, you’re mistaken. Cohen’s jail sentence has little, if anything, to do with why he ended up in jail.
Typical left wing nut nonsense.
Cohen plead guilty to 8 things.
Only one of which had anything to do with Trump.
That one thing – the Danials payoff – is not actually a crime.
I would suggest refreshing your memory with the John Edwards case.
Several FEC commissions are on the records saying the edwartds situation nor Trump were violations of election laws.
Edwards was actually worse – because Edwards used donor money to pay off his mistress while his wife was dying of cancer.
It was NOT an illegal campaign contribution – it was an expenditure not a contribution.
I would further ask you if paying people off to hide dirt is a crime – then wouldn’t manufacturing dirt also be a crime ?
The fact is none of this is criminal.
Your desire to kn ow something private does NOT translate into a right to know.
Unless Trump was paying Daniels to keep silent about something that was illegal – there is no crime.
But I would guess you have never signed a non-disclosure before.
The courts disagree with you. Cohen was charged with a campaign finance law violation, he pleaded guilty to it, and a judge accepted his guilty plea: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/michael-cohen-pleads-guilty-manhattan-federal-court-eight-counts-including-criminal-tax
You can say it once and say it for a second time, but that doesn’t make your link prove what I think you are trying to prove. If he had been arrested for jaywalking, that might also have ended up in the same place.
The fact remains that Cohen was indicted for a campaign finance crime, he pleaded guilty to it, a judge accepted that guilty plea, and Trump reimbursed Cohen — plus a huge bonus — for Cohen’s large illegal campaign contribution.
Fine. If Cohen were indicted for jaywalking, you would include that and intimate that he was jailed for jaywalking. Fine. That is precisely what someone is accusing you of, deception.