Questioning Michael Cohen

Donald Trump’s former lawyer was questioned by the House Oversight Committee on Feb. 27

Amy Inkrott / News Editor / The USD Vista

Every morning, students from across the country stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Together, they recite the words, “One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” This pledge reflects the sense of loyalty and patriotism held by many Americans. 

However, recent political events have divided the country across party lines. The election of Donald Trump in 2016 inflamed tensions between members of the Republican and Democratic parties as allegations of Russian collusion and interference have plagued the United States. 

Sophomore political science major Garrett Paulus is concerned about the recent polarization within American politics and the possibility of Russian collusion. 

“American democracy is very messy and kind of out of control,” Paulus said. “I think that our democracy is not in the best place right now with Trump in the White House. It is scary to think that our election was influenced by Russian interference and I think that is a huge threat to our democracy. He has created a situation in which democracy is extremely important to rely on.”

Shortly after the 2016 election, Robert Mueller was appointed as special council to investigate claims of Russian interference. Throughout the past two years, the Russia investigation has resulted in over 30 guilty pleas, including those from Russian officials and Trump’s associates. Among those individuals is Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. 

In December of 2018, Cohen pled guilty to lying to Congress about Trump’s connection to a Moscow real estate venture during the 2016 elections in his previous testimony. Cohen, however, claims that this attempted deception was at the direction of President Trump. 

On Feb. 27, Cohen was scheduled to publicly testify before the House Oversight Committee, Congress’s investigative body. Sitting before the panel of congressmen and women, Cohen provided details about Trump’s business practices and influences within the 2016 election. 

In his opening statement, Cohen displayed a check from Trump, reimbursing him for the $35,000 of hush money paid to porn star, Stormy Daniels. The check was signed after Trump came to the Office of the Presidency. This issue was covered extensively in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election and the following months.

As the hearing continued, Cohen repeatedly highlighted inaccuracies within Trump’s public statements. The former lawyer explained that Trump did know about the 2016 meeting between Donald Trump, Jr. and a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower regarding information on Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton. Cohen also implicated the chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg. The former lawyer further commented on Trump’s behavior both in and out of the White House. He referenced various occasions on which Trump made racist and threatening remarks.

However, Cohen’s revelations were not surprising to senior political science major Alberto Rodriguez. 

“I believe this speaks directly to the issue that news is on a 24-hour cycle, and the market is being oversaturated with ‘Get Trump’ media that is becoming exhausting to those who are not that interested,” Rodriguez said. “The news rhetoric is further polarizing both sides of the political spectrum by constantly covering the same news coverage.” 

The hearing highlighted the intense divide between the two political parties. North Carolina Republican senator Mark Meadows was aggressive in his questioning of Cohen. However, his use of Lynne Patton, a black woman from the Trump Organization, to counteract Cohen’s claims sparked accusations of racism from the left. The Democratic senator from Michigan, Rashida Tlaib, was quick to rebuke Meadows saying the use of Patton as a prop was racist itself. Other senators looked to attack Cohen’s credibility, highlighting his status as a disbarred lawyer. 

Considering these tensions, Rodriguez does not anticipate any decrease in polarization in the near future. 

“It is my belief, that this will not end until either the Democrats are successful in impeaching the President or beating him in 2020,” Rodriguez said. “My biggest fear, however, is that all of this political tension will only cause more suffering to the American people and stunt any productive legislation from being passed.”

Since the public hearing, Cohen met privately with the Oversight Committee. However, it is unlikely that the public will learn about the content of these meetings. Democratic members have expressed an interest in questioning other members of the Trump Organization and well as the president’s own family. In the upcoming months, Democratic members of Congress will continue to investigate the Trump Administration for allegations of Russian collusion and crimes committed while in the White House.