Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on the implications of Michael Cohen accusing Donald Trump of lying about his lack of prior notice of the meeting at Trump Tower with Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton. Cohen’s allegations present an obvious risk not only to Trump but himself. What is most striking is that Cohen is alleging that specific people were in the room during Trump’s briefing and his approval of the meeting. That is an unnecessary risk to take if you are lying about the meeting as opposed to alleging a one-on-one conversation with Trump. Thus far, no one has corroborated his story while the Trump team is alleging proof that the critical tape has been altered.
Here is the column: Continue reading “Cohen Is Done But Not Finished In His M.A.D. Legal Strategy”
Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on the calls for the impeachment of Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. While the key sponsors have indicated that they may be willing to delay this effort, many continue to advocate for a vote on articles of impeachment. 
Below is my column in the Hill newspaper on release of the first Cohen tape and rumored seizure of many more such tapes by federal prosecutors. I have previously stated that the secret taping of Donald Trump was, in my view, flagrantly dishonest and disloyal in dealings with a client. While the American Bar Association relaxed the rule against secret taping from being per se unethical, few lawyers would contemplate what Cohen did to his client. Indeed, New York is a jurisdiction that looks with disfavor on such taping as a routine matter. Unless done for some clear societal benefit, it is a serious potential unethical act. Michael Cohen continues to be an embarrassment to the profession in his low level of legal judgment and even lower professional standards of conduct.
Michael Cohen is reportedly ready to give Special Counsel Robert Mueller key testimony contradicting not only President Donald Trump but the sworn testimony of his son, Donald Trump Jr. He will reportedly say that Trump was aware of the planned meeting with the Russians in Trump Tower. Such testimony may also contradict Cohen’s own statements, which would make a deal all the most essential with Mueller. Cohen’s lawyer Lanny Davis has announced that “Cohen is trying to reset his life . . . This is a turn for him. It’s a new resolve to tell the truth no matter what, even if it endangers him.” It certainly could be dangerous if it contradicts sworn testimony or statement to investigators 
We earlier discussed the dropping of the highly dubious charges brought against Stormy Daniels in Columbus, Ohio. The arresting officials insisted that they were at the Sirens strip club on an undercover mission entirely separate from the appearance of Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels. Emails now appear to contradict that account — raising not only the question of selective enforcement but political bias. There is also the question of the false statements allegedly made to investigators. 
Many civil libertarians long objected to the reliance on local policy on money and property seized in drug stops and raids. 
Eric Stagno, 34, insisted that he was only enjoying Planet Fitness’s policy of being a “Judgment Free Zone” . . . when he walked around naked and started doing exercises on the yoga mats.
Below is my column in The Hill newspaper on the lingering questions left from the Strzok testimony. While it may seem like a thousand years after Helsinki and the Cohen tape, the testimony of Strzok was shaped by highly dubious instructions from the FBI not to answer core questions. It is highly doubtful that a majority of these refusals would be upheld under judicial review — starting with the first question asked of Strzok.
In a moment reminiscent of the 
There is a bizarre criminal case in South Miami where Bryan Deneumostier, 33, has been arrested after filming and posting men tricked into having sex with him under the pretense that he was a bored housewife. Deneumostier allegedly ran the site for four years where gay men would pay to watch straight men tricked into having sex with him. The charges in the case may surprise you.
Florida gas station store owner Mehedeun Hasan, 22, is facing a charge of attempted murder after shooting Rennie Defor, Jr. as he was trying to steal beer worth $36. It is another example of the common law rule that you cannot protect property with potentially lethal force.
MGM Resorts International has gone to an extraordinary point to forum shop for more sympathetic judges: it is actually 
Jose Nahun Lopez-Cruz, 24, appears to follow a rather flexible view of the criminal code. When police approached him while illegally parking, Lopez-Cruz introduced them to his 15-year-old wife but assured the officers that “It’s OK, she is gonna be 16 soon.” It didn’t. He was charged with sexual assault of a child.
In one of the most troubling orders issued by a court in years, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter issued an 
The one thing that you can say about Leonard Richards, 75, is that he is not your ordinary politician. Where politicians often run on putting people into jail on a tough-on-crime platform, Richards started with himself and is currently serving a life sentence in a Minnesota prison. While that would bar him from running for a state office, he can run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. Amy Klobuchar.