Problem for tRump, and Mikey, is that a pardon doesnât remove jeopardy for New York crimes, unless itâs issued after the trial starts, when jeopardy has attached. (New York Democrats were trying to remove that wrinkle, but I didnât hear whether they did before the end of the session last month.)
Cohen puts Family first.
Then country.
After those come his wife and kids.
And then America.
Trumpâs a distant fifth.
âTrump has made it clear that he takes a liberal view towards executive clemency âŚâ
Nice analysis, Allegra, but I really donât think âliberalâ is the word youâre looking for there.
Cohen himself probably hasnât decided. Heâs shouting now, but itâs still aimed at an audience of one.
He did it because it gives him the option to cooperate. His former lawyers could not have gone down that road, because their loyalties were divided between Trump and Cohen. The change in lawyers does not mean that Cohen HAS flipped, it means he now COULD flip.
âTrump has made it clear that he takes a liberal view towards executive clemency,â
Trump has made it clear that he takes a self interested view towards executive clemency,
Fixed that for yaâŚ
Trump never learned that loyalty is a two-way street. He demands complete loyalty but his loyalty to others only extends to what they can do for him next and he considers the idea of reciprocating loyalty to be a con he tells people so theyâll be dumb enough to trust him. The moment it benefits him to throw you under the bus, youâll be under it; which is why the only people who will work for him are his children and schemers like Cohen.
Avenatti had Cohen pegged from the start. Cohen is not a mob wiseguy who would take a bullet for Trump. He is instead a small time fixer scrambling for a buck.
I think his fancy suits and sunglasses fit somewhere in between Family and Trump.
As a child of the '60âs I have vivid memories of the mob hit (on live television) of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby. I think Cohen is younger than I am, but Iâm reasonably sure that heâs aware of it as well.
He might want to reconsider the wandering around Manhattan in full view of everyone.
Full disclosureâI donât remember seeing it on live TV. I just remember seeing countless photos of it later.
Theory on Cohen - when that article came out a few months back detailing his anguish at being rejected by Trump for a WH post, a lot of people expressed sympathy for him. In addition, when he had the infamous âsmoke out by the courthouseâ that was a symbol of mob solidarity and sympathy behind Cohen (it was also a helpful suggestion that he should think of his âfamilyâ before he thought of Trump).
As a result of these events and his growing legal troubles, Cohen has decided to rebrand himself as the sympathetic mobster lieutenant, just following orders and getting screwed over for his loyalty. He is going to flip in style.
[quote=âkhyber900, post:12, topic:74304â]
Cohen has decided to rebrand himself as the sympathetic mobster lieutenant, just following orders and getting screwed over for his loyalty. He is going to flip in style.
[/quote]Maybe Tom Arnold will buy the movie rights - or already has.
Derpfellas.
Trying to reel in Trump on pay to play pardons! LOCK THEM ALL UP
The consensus seems to be that Cohen is in fact planning to cooperate with the New York prosecutors investigating his business dealings, or that he is angling for a presidential pardon by signaling to his former boss that his allegiance is conditional.
Unless Iâm missing something it seems like a binary choice so consensus around the two possible answers seems⌠logical and entirely expected. 
Iâll believe it when I see it. Could be just the ploy to get Trump to open his wallet and pay for MCâs defense, no?
Meaning anyone still closely aligned to him has either
A. totally misunderstood the relationship and the man.
B. Still think they can game him to get exactly what they want.
So far, it has taken two adversaries in two different countries to use option B. productively.
Everyone else seems to still be on option A.
Mikey âBig Cigarsâ Cohen will soon sleep with the fishes.
Or be in a hospital with his hair falling out and neutropenia, regretting that cup of tea he accepted while on a visit to the Russian embassy to discuss asylum.
Either or.
[quote=âbboerner, post:15, topic:74304â]
Unless Iâm missing something it seems like a binary choice so consensus around the two possible answers seems⌠logical and entirely expected.
[/quote]The consensus seems to be that itâs either night or day.
However ⌠it could be morning or evening - but there seems to be no consensus on that.
Most remarkable how everyone around Trump is as small as he is.