Now we’re getting to the good part
I have read Michael Cohen’s bestselling tell-all book, “Disloyal.” There were moments throughout where I felt he went way too easy on Donald Trump’s children, and on himself. But it read like a thriller, and I couldn’t put it down. Before the release of “Disloyal,” Cohen gave damning testimony before Congress.
Elections have consequences. After Democrats took the House in 2018, they dove headfirst into Trump’s web of lies. During questioning in February 2019, Michael Cohen provided the first insider testimony, as part of a plea deal. Since then, the dominoes keep falling. Still, it’s worth looking back, specifically, at tenacious House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s glorious questioning of Michael Cohen on insurance fraud.
AOC’s questioning is largely considered the catalyst for the New York Attorney General Letitia James’s investigation into Trump Organization. AOC’s impressive high-speed probe of all aspects of the alleged fraud resulted in Cohen making clear and damning statements, all in under five minutes. It’s worth re-watching here. Be sure to pay attention to the reactions of people behind Cohen. AOC gives a master class in succinct, pointed inquiry.
This week, we came full circle to Michael Cohen’s testimony. NYAG James filed a massive civil suit against Trump, his organization, and his children who ran it. The civil suit filed on September 21, 2022, asks for $250 million in damages as a starting point. That amount is expected to increase, perhaps exponentially, as the evidence is revealed. James is also making criminal referrals to the IRS, the DOJ, and the SDNY.
To give just an inkling of what the evidence will reveal, the lawsuit points to many easily provable fraudulent declarations by Trump. For example, Trump claimed one Trump Tower apartment was 30,000 square feet, while it was only 10,000 square feet. If ever there was an easy to disprove claim, this is it. Just like Trump thinks he can declassify documents with his mind, he thinks he can defy physics. Get your popcorn, this is going to be huge.
Chicago native Lorraine Evanoff earned her degree in French from DePaul University then became a Certified Financial Manager. She worked as a finance exec in film production for seven years in Paris, then in Silicon Valley during the dot-com era, and later for various Hollywood production companies, notably as CFO of National Lampoon. She is currently living in Los Angeles with her husband.