In our story this week on Trump and his traumas we omitted one simple question: Will Michael Cohen flip? With documents and records plucked from his hotel room, home and office, will Trump’s loyal attorney agree to cooperate with special counsel Mueller and toss his boss under the bus?
That’s a huge question and so much depends on the extent to which the bank fraud and campaign finance violations against him are applied. Will he fold under the pressure from these charges and the possibility of facing a long prison term?
Trump is betting he won’t wilt and will continue to be a “stand up” guy, as he has been through many years of defending his client, to the point of forking over hush money to accusers such as Stormy Daniels, though Trump says she’s lying about her affair with him.
Even the most loyal of associates often cop a plea when looking at many years behind bars. To date, Cohen has not been charged with any crime, but it’s hard to believe that the special counsel would launch a raid and grab Cohen’s personal papers if there wasn’t a likelihood of finding incriminating evidence.
In the same way bets are being made on what name the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will name their newborn son, some gamblers are placing bets on whether Cohen will flip.
When Trump was asked by a reporter if he would pardon Cohen, he snapped back that it was a “stupid question.” But that remains a gambit and a proposal he could make to Cohen now or if he is convicted. The same question arose weeks ago about pardons for Paul Manafort and Michael Flynn. And don’t forget Trump about a year ago pardoned former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who had been convicted of contempt of court for his hardline tactics and crackdown on illegal immigrants.
But Arpaio’s wrongdoing was a misdemeanor. Cohen may be hit with a more serious charge and sentence.
Even so, a Trump pardon is not out of the question, and we know that Trump will do anything to save face as special counsel Mueller proceeds with his “witch hunt,” as Trump calls the investigation, to see if there’s any collusion between his presidential campaign in 2016 and the Russians.
Former FBI Director James Comey has surrendered his memos, albeit blackened with redactions, and Cohen may go along with the prosecution and decide not to take a “bullet” for his longtime friend. It would be wonderful to see Cohen flip because that would put us a step closer to our goal. So it’s time for Cohen to flip, which we insist on as we holler Make America Great Again: Trump Must Go!