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Friday, July 27, 2018

More on the Cohen "News"

The country had 4.1% GDP growth in the second quarter, the fastest growth for a quarter since four years ago and the fastest growth for a 12 month period since before Obama became president.  So what is the media focusing on?  First, as predicted, we're getting 101 million stories on the claim that Michael Cohen is going to testify that President Trump knew about the meeting in Trump Tower between his son and some others from the campaign and a Russian lawyer in 2016.  Second, the media is freaking out because Ronan Farrow is publishing an expose that accuses the head of CBS of sexual harassment.

Think about that.  The news that affects Americans is being buried under a parochial sex harassment story and a nothing burger.

Let's start with Moonves of CBS.  The idea that it's newsworthy that the head of CBS is accused of being a slimeball is surprising.  He's part of the old boys network.  Are we to be surprised if it turns out that he used his position to make sexual conquests.  Maybe someone should try to remember how long the cliché of the "casting couch" was a favorite in the entertainment industry.  These self-entitled people are nothing new.

Then there's the Cohen "story".  CNN is having a mental breakdown about the story and so is MSNBC.  But remember this:  we've known all about the meeting for over half a year.  It was attended by Trump's son, son-in-law and then campaign manager.  The consensus was that it did not show any collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russians.  Trump denied to the media knowing about the meeting.  If it were to turn out that Trump did know, it still wouldn't be collusion.  It wouldn't be any evidence of collusion.  It would only mean Trump lied to the media.  And, of course, no other presidents have ever lied to the media.  "If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor" and so on.

I doubt that Cohen is telling the truth here.  If he is telling the truth, it would mean that something like eight other people are all consistently lying and all telling the same lie.  It doesn't work like that.  Cohen is simply trying to peddle a story that might get him off the hook for some of the things he did in connection with his taxi company problems.  Cohen's problem, however, is that even if he can convince the special prosecutor that he is telling the truth, it won't make any difference in the collusion investigation.

 

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