With Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, we immediately find ourselves immersed in the atmosphere of a television series about the troubled circles of New York, where experts in schemes and unobservant jurists make juicy deals.
Alongside porn actress Stormy Daniels, the 57-year-old man is the key witness in the billionaire’s trial at the Manhattan court where he arrived on Monday without speaking.
The New Yorker with salt-and-pepper hair could also appear in a film by Martin Scorsese, who knows so well how to depict the machismo of the powerful, the oaths of allegiance, the porosity between the underworld and the elected officials.
Like the director of Taxi DriverMichael Cohen became interested in the famous yellow taxis, investing with his Ukrainian wife in licenses which at one time were worth a fortune.
And like the driver played by Robert de Niro, shouting in front of his mirror “You talkin’ to me? “, the lawyer has a dry and sharp tone, against a background of a Long Island accent.
“Who’s saying it?” » he once snapped at a CNN journalist, abruptly cutting her off about polls unfavorable to his employer.
“Pitbull”
For a long time, Mr. Cohen was a loyal supporter of Donald Trump, going so far as to be presented ironically as the sixth child of the real estate mogul. He then confides that he is ready to take a bullet in the big boss’s place.
“If anyone does something that Trump doesn’t like,” he said on television in 2011, “I’m going to grab you, grab you by the collar, and I’m not going to let go until I’m done.” “.
Hence the nickname “pitbull” attached to this lover of beautiful cars and the opulent condominiums of the Trump Organization where he invested, even convincing his parents and in-laws to imitate him.
For an annual salary of US$500,000, the lawyer takes care of the dirty work. Like threatening journalists who are interested in the dark sides of the billionaire turned reality TV star.
Or even pay $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, in exchange for her silence about an alleged sexual relationship with her mentor. Such confidentiality clauses have become a virtual trademark for Mr. Cohen, who has thus protected other moguls in the hot seat.
From Queens… to the 5e Avenue
But before the gilded halls of Manhattan, Mr. Cohen experienced a less rosy warehouse district in Queens.
According to a ProPublica investigation, “many people who crossed paths with Cohen when he worked in Queens or Brooklyn were disciplined, disbarred, charged or convicted of crimes.”
In fact, his early career evokes the fictional character of Saul Goodman, the boastful, insignificant and semi-crooked lawyer from the series breaking Bad And Better Call Saulto which we compare it.
In the United States, some lawyers are nicknamed “ambulance chasers” because of their speed in offering their services to victims of all kinds. Michael Cohen is one.
In a case that the opportunist Saul would not have denied, he one day defends a woman involved in an insurance scam based on a bogus road accident.
Made at the same time, his personal investments evoke those of Donald Trump, even if they date back to before their meeting: the lawyer makes investments in real estate, casino cruises, a nightclub. He also dabbles in politics.
Like Saul, Michael Cohen knows how to take the paralegal path, use intimidation tactics, and avoid a trial by spending money.
The lawyer had previously attended the Thomas Cooley Law School in the state of Michigan, which has the reputation of being the worst in the United States. The boss of the first firm that employed him was accused of fraud.
Turnaround
And yet. From the man who makes problems disappear, Michael Cohen will suddenly become Donald Trump’s No. 1 problem during his presidential term.
This turning point, in 2018, was precipitated by the famous investigation by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into Russian interference. His office searched by FBI sleuths, targeted by multiple accusations of fraud, the lawyer feels “let down” by his mentor.
Sentenced to three years in prison, a sentence he is serving mainly confined at home, Michael Cohen says he is ready to cooperate with prosecutors. A turnaround that culminates with the current trial in Manhattan. For Donald Trump, his former confidant is nothing more than a “liar” and a “snitch”.