The man who showed Donald Trump how to exploit power and instill fear
By Robert O'Harrow Jr. and Shawn Boburg (excerpted from the Washington Post)
They came together by chance one night at Le Club, a hangout for
Manhattan's rich and famous. Trump introduced himself to
Cohn, who was sitting at a nearby table, and sought advice: How should he and
his father respond to Justice Department allegations that their company had
systematically discriminated against black people seeking housing?
"My view is tell them to go to hell," Cohn said, "and fight the thing in
court."
It was October 1973 and the start of one of the most influential relationships
of Trump's career. Cohn soon represented Trump in legal battles, counseled him
about his marriage and introduced Trump to New York power brokers, money men
and socialites.
In Tony
Kushner's Angels In America,
Roy Cohn is the embodiment of evil.** And indeed, he was looked upon as the
most unscrupulous lawyer in America. But power brokers appreciated his almost
unlimited drive and determination to avenge his clients at whatever the cost.
The client's innocence or guilt meant nothing to Cohn but the winning.
Cohn was homosexual, but referred to himself as a heterosexual man who just happened to have sex with men. Was this an aspect of Cohn's that has convinced Trump to go lightly on gays? Possibly, more likely is the point that Trump is an opportunist willing to go lightly on gays since he thinks they have "no clout". and therefore aren't worth the political capital. He calls Obergefell "irrelevant" because he sincerely believes that same-sex marriage is a distraction from the real issues of money and power.
At one point in his life, Donald Trump said he had no heroes. He said that Cohn was only his lawyer. The mixture of unscrupulous cunning and bombast, however, had to be bestowed upon Trump somewhere in his life. During the campaign, we saw a man who attacked, counterattacked ... and never apologized.
Broken Promises for Broken Spirits
Gosh, remember those "Hillary for Prison" t-shirts people were wearing at Trump rallies?
From Crooks and Liars:
We can now add "lock her up" to the list of promises that he has broken before he ever takes office. The wall has now become a fence. Obamacare is not going to be fully repealed. Trump's plan to put tax and tariffs on foreign goods has not been mentioned since election day. Trump's plan to deport 11 million immigrants, became a plan to deport 2-3 million immigrants, to now no mass deportations, according to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Instead of draining the swamp of the special interests, Trump is staffing his administration with special interests.
And whoever thought that the man who railed against Hillary Clinton's secrecy problem would ever keep literally everything behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of the public (ahem, we mean nasty press of course).
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