Trump’s ex-lawyer testifies before Congress
Michael Cohen hearing: A criminal administration, a reactionary opposition
By
Patrick Martin
28 February 2019
Wednesday’s seven-hour nationally televised hearing, in which former Trump lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen appeared before the House Oversight Committee, was a degrading demonstration of the reactionary character of both the pro-Trump and anti-Trump factions within the ruling class and the state.
While the members of the Republican minority in the House abased themselves as stooges for Trump, the majority Democrats wallowed in scandal-mongering, primarily over sex, in order to evade any struggle against Trump’s authoritarian and militarist policies.
The hearing clearly showed through the testimony of Cohen, who worked for 10 years as Trump’s legal enforcer, that Donald Trump conducts his business enterprise, the Trump Organization, like a Mafia gangster, a revelation that should surprise no one.
Cohen himself acknowledged that he had threatened people “hundreds” of times on Trump’s behalf. His targets included newspaper reporters, rival business figures, people to whom Trump owed money, politicians and many others. One of his principal activities was hushing up scandals involving Trump’s business and private life, in many cases by buying off those who might publicly complain or threatening to bankrupt them with punitive lawsuits.
Cohen played a key role as the bag man in Trump’s efforts to block attempts by his political opponents to use sex scandals to demolish his election campaign. He brokered the efforts of the National Enquirer tabloid, owned by Trump crony David Pecker, to purchase for $120,000, and then suppress, the tell-all account of one Trump paramour, former Playboy playmate Karen…