Michael Cohen is the far-left media's darling. And Trump did not stage a coup.
By Gary Abernathy
Far-left media loves ‘star witness’ Michael Cohen
It was astounding to witness the far-left (formerly mainstream) media bestow Michael Cohen with a level of undeserved credibility as Cohen testified against Donald Trump in the New York witch hunt trying to nail Trump for the way he recorded payments.
A New York Times headline insisted that Cohen’s first day on the stand had been “steady.” The Times and others somberly reported that Cohen’s testimony had directly connected Trump to the payments.
Here’s an example of the detail of breathless reporting, from The Washington Post:
During a sidebar break, Michael Cohen took a deep breath in the witness chair and thanked a court officer for offering him water.
We’re being told that because… ?
What Cohen, New York DA Alvin Bragg and most of the far-left (formerly mainstream) media is alleging is that there is an illegal aspect – only to be found in New York law – to the way the payments were recorded.
Let’s be clear. If it was Tuesday morning, and you knew that it was Tuesday morning, and every calendar you could find said it was Tuesday morning, and your favorite TV show that only airs on Tuesday mornings was on TV, and your daughter who only calls on Tuesday mornings had called you, and your Social Security check that only arrives the second Tuesday of every month had just arrived in your bank account, and then Michael Cohen told you it was Tuesday morning, you would be wise to seriously doubt that it was Tuesday morning, and it would be a safe bet that all those other things actually happened on the wrong day.
Cohen is the most documented lying human being alive today. Not in a Washington Post “let’s accuse Donald Trump of lying 30,000 times because we can’t stand him” type of way. No, Cohen is a “I’ve admitted to lying under oath multiple times” type of liar.
And yet, this is the person labeled the “star witness” against Trump.
All the cases brought against Trump, whether state or federal, are politically motivated, even if there is some modicum of merit to be found in some of the charges. But the New York case takes first place in the weaponization of justice. If the verdict on this evidence is anything other than acquittal, it will be proof that it is impossible for Trump to get a fair trial.
What Trump did was wrong, but he did not stage a coup
It continues to be said in some circles that Donald Trump attempted to stage a coup back in 2020 and early 2021, or that if he is not elected in November he may try to stage a coup again.
It would be a better world if we could first dispense with the notion that what Trump did, or that what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, constituted a coup.
First, a coup, by definition, is an effort, usually supported by military muscle, to overthrow one regime and replace it with another regime. In other words, you do not stage a coup against yourself. Donald Trump was still president on Jan. 6, 2021. He was not trying to throw himself out of office. Therefore, he was not trying to stage a coup.
I tweeted on this topic recently by pointing out how misguided Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan was for recently asking, hypothetically, “How about if the president orders the military to stage a coup?” I said, “Why would a president stage a coup? To throw himself out? Do people understand what a coup is?”
Someone responded, "A coup may involve a refusal to transfer power. A refusal to transfer power could be considered a form of political coup if it involves an attempt to subvert democratic processes unlawfully." They put quotes around the comment as though they were citing someone, but they didn’t say who. Nevertheless, it remains a nonsensical assertion.
Think it through. You’re the president. You’ve been defeated in the election, but you don’t want to give up the presidency. So you … do what? Refuse to leave the Oval Office? Sitting in the Oval Office doesn’t make you president. Declare that you’re still the president? Still doesn’t do the trick.
Back in 2020/2021, none of the military leaders came close to supporting the notion that Trump would remain as president, which is one big reason that even if he wanted to, Trump was never going to even pretend to remain president.
But suppose you get the military on your side. Suppose you go on television with the Joint Chiefs of Staff standing behind you and you declare that you’re still the president.
Still doesn’t work. The current president’s term ends on noon of Jan. 20 of the year following the election. That’s it. When the clock strikes noon, you are no longer president, unless you’ve been re-elected. Otherwise, at noon, all the power and authority of the presidency is no longer yours. It just happens, with or without anyone’s participation or acquiescence. So if the military keeps obeying orders from someone who is no longer president, then the military is breaking the law.
Yes, if – as unlikely as it is – all the military leaders take your side, you might be able to stay in the White House. You might even be able to conduct military actions if the generals are willing to do your bidding, and if other officers and soldiers down the line all lose their minds and decide to play along. But you’re still not the president. You’re just a misguided private citizen with military officers abdicating their duties and going rogue.
It could be a nightmare, but it still wouldn’t qualify as a coup. Whoever won the election would still be sworn-in as the legitimate president on Jan. 20 – even if it had to take place in a secure location, like a broom closet in Peoria. Doesn’t matter.
Coups happen in countries where the leaders are determined by who the military decides to support. In the U.S., by contrast, you cannot remain president beyond the expiration of the term to which you were elected. You could pretend to be president. You could throw some weight around to the extent that military leaders facilitated it for a while. But you would not actually be holding onto the presidency, which is what would be required for it to be a coup.
Call it an assault on democratic processes. Call it un-American. Call it an unconstitutional power grab. Call it all the vile and disgusting things it would be. No argument. Just don’t call it a coup.
Is Caitlin Clark’s record comparable to Pete Maravich’s?
I’m going to say what a lot of people seem afraid to say about Caitlin Clark. She’s a good women’s basketball player. I doubt she’ll be a WNBA superstar.
I understand why people were excited about her. She helped bring attention to women’s college basketball. But to call her “college basketball’s all-time leading scorer” is a stretch.
Yes, she technically scored more points than Pete Maravich, who has held the college scoring crown for more than 50 years. But Clark didn’t score her points playing the game against bigger, faster, stronger men. If Caitlin Clark had played against NCAA Division 1 men’s competition, how many points would she have scored? Not too many. On the other hand, if Maravich had played against women college players, how many more points would he have scored? A lot.
The comparison is apples and oranges. Caitlin Clark is the all-time scoring champion in women’s college basketball. Pete Maravich remains the all-time scoring champion in men’s college basketball. Can’t we leave it at that?
As of this writing, Clark is off to a rocky start in her pro career. She didn’t shoot well in the pre-season, and her official regular season debut saw her shoot 5-15 with 10 turnovers. That’s not good.
She’s an undersized guard. But she’s quick, has a quick release on her shot, and she’ll have some good games. And who knows, she might surprise me. But she’s going to have a tougher time against the bigger, quicker, stronger players she’ll be facing every night in the WNBA.
I had never watched a complete women’s basketball game on television, college or pro. But because of Clark, I watched the NCAA women’s championship game, and I watched her debut in the WNBA. I’ll probably watch more women’s basketball going forward. So, mission accomplished.
Caitlin Clark is a very good player. Time will tell whether she makes a great professional. But either way, she brought positive attention to women’s basketball, both college and professional. That’s good for all the females playing basketball and other sports.
Naturally, in this world of ours, it’s being claimed that she gets all this attention because she’s white. Maybe she gets all this attention because she scored more points than anyone in college basketball history, even if comparisons to male players are inaccurate. Best of luck to her.
Associated Press and Artificial Intelligence: Drip, drip, drip
The Associated Press recently announced “guidance” on the use of Artificial Intelligence in its news reporting. I have a suggestion: No use.
Instead, the AP is utilizing AI for translation services, the creation of news summaries, and some headline-writing “suggestions.”
Drip, drip, drip. It’s sad that the AP and other news organizations are opening the door to a monster that will end up replacing countless human beings. AI is a destructive creation that will turn on its creator — and already has. Every time I read someone touting the benefits of AI I have to laugh. We’re whistling in the dark – right past the graveyard.
I have to admit that this made me laugh
As a former newspaper editor, I could relate to this…
Thanks to retired AP reporter Paul Stevens for sharing that on his “Connecting” newsletter.
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