Trump’s character laid startlingly bare
Congressional hearings in the US can be dramatic events, and never more so than when the veracity and ethics of a president are in question. The evidence from Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, did not disappoint. Much has been said about the president’s character, both before he was elected and since. But it has never been said in such terms by someone so close and on prime-time television.
Mr Cohen was not the most trustworthy or reliable witness because he perjured himself at a previous hearing and faces jail. Yet his testimony yesterday was so startling that it is hard to imagine it will not have some impact on Mr Trump’s standing and possibly his future in the Oval Office. One of Mr Cohen’s allegations suggests the president committed a felony by reimbursing him for paying $130,000 in hush money to the porn star Stormy Daniels, with whom Mr Trump had a brief relationship. Mr Cohen disclosed the existence of a cheque for $35,000, signed by Mr Trump, to repay him, in violation of campaign finance laws.
While his description of the president as a bigot, racist and a cheat might be shrugged off by the White House as the bitter recriminations of a proven liar, Congress will want to test this apparent evidence of criminal activity with Democrats saying it is sufficient to consider impeachment proceedings.
Republicans on the committee did their best to besmirch Mr Cohen and undermine his credibility. Given his propensity to lie and a history of tax evasion, why should he be believed now? Much of it sounded plausible in view of what we know about Mr Trump’s character but a lot was hearsay. It was like watching a godfather’s consigliere turning on his former boss. Indeed, Mr Cohen likened the threats he had faced to stop him giving evidence as the “actions of a mobster”.
However, there were inconsistencies. Mr Cohen agreed that Mr Trump might have colluded with the Russians in order to win the presidency “at all costs”. Yet in his testimony he said Mr Trump had never expected to win the Republican nomination, let alone the White House and that his principal aim had been to enhance the Trump brand for financial reasons. The next instalment in this drama is a report by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into alleged Russian interference in the election. But will any of this change American minds about Mr Trump?