Although the forward from Michael Cohen’s book has sent #GoldenShowersTrump and #UrineTroubleTrump trending on Twitter, you’d likely have no idea why from reading FoxNews.com’s article about it.
As I wrote for Crooks and Liars earlier, Cohen released a free download of the forward of his upcoming tell-all about Trump today. Cohen teased that the book would reveal Trump engaging in golden showers and colluding with Russia. The forward, a page-turner in and of itself, states:
Trump had colluded with the Russians, but not in the sophisticated ways imagined by his detractors. I also knew that the Mueller investigation was not a witch-hunt. Trump had cheated in the election, with Russian connivance, as you will discover in these pages, because doing anything—and I mean anything—to “win” has always been his business model and way of life. Trump had also continued to pursue a major real estate deal in Moscow during the campaign. He attempted to insinuate himself into the world of President Vladimir Putin and his coterie of corrupt billionaire oligarchs. I know because I personally ran that deal and kept Trump and his children closely informed of all updates, even as the candidate blatantly lied to the American people saying, “there’s no Russian collusion, I have no dealings with Russia…there’s no Russia.”
…
From golden showers in a sex club in Vegas, to tax fraud, to deals with corrupt officials from the former Soviet Union, to catch and kill conspiracies to silence Trump’s clandestine lovers, I wasn’t just a witness to the president’s rise—I was an active and eager participant.
In its article about the book, Fox included that first paragraph, albeit 8 paragraphs into the 13-paragraph article. While I suppose the network deserves credit for mentioning it at all, given how its pundits have relentlessly called the Mueller investigation a "witch hunt," it’s media malpractice not to feature likely evidence otherwise coming from a guy who knows and may well have receipts.
But “golden showers?” Nada. Ditto for tax fraud and Trump's "clandestine lovers."
As disgusting as a “golden shower” seems to me, if there are two consenting adults, I’m fine with whatever floats Trump’s boat, so to speak. But given that the much-maligned Steele dossier also mentions a golden shower – well, that gives the dossier a bit more credibility. In case you’ve forgotten, Steele reported that Trump hired prostitutes to perform golden showers on the bed of a Moscow hotel room where the Obamas had stayed. Such petty vindictiveness sounds just like something Trump would do.
But the only hint of a golden shower or tax fraud or misstresses in the FoxNews.com article was this:
The book, which is set to be released in September, makes several provocative and salacious claims about his time as Trump's go-to fixer and lawyer before he pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations over hush payments made to women during the 2016 election who alleged having affairs with the then-GOP candidate.
I suspect that sooner or later, Fox is going to have to start talking about golden showers and Russia collusion a lot more than it would like. Probably tax fraud and mistresses, too.
Sad!
You can pre-order Cohen’s book and download the free forward here.
(Cohen image via screen grab)
@ Ellen: thanks in advance for reading it on my behalf. I wouldn’t be at all surprised were the author to be “suicided” before it comes out, however.
The Fusion GPS opposition research on Donald Trump was initiated by the American Free Beacon, a Far Far Right propaganda outfit. Their thinking was that Trump was a secret liberal and a “Hollywood” or “New York” guy they couldn’t trust. Their hope was for Ted Cruz to prevail. When Trump’s schoolyard bullying succeeded in intimidating the other candidates out of the 2016 race and even cowed Cruz, the Beacon quietly retreated. Fusion GPS was left with a LOT of material they’d compiled but nobody to give it to. Fusion then reached out to some Clinton donors and offered what they had, saying they needed more funding to complete their work.. The donors agreed to give some money to Fusion to finish up and get whatever they had. This final bit of work included the Steele dossier, which apparently included a lot of the same stuff Michael Cohen is readily admitting to here.
I note that Hillary Clinton herself never paid for Fusion GPS, and you’re correct to note that none of their work was ever actually used by the Clinton campaign.
A few years ago, the GOP and Trump were clutching their pearls about allowing pregnant women to enter the country on the grounds that they were coming to have an American child.
If memory does not fail me, the Steele dossier was actually commissioned by Trump’s GOP rivals. When he won the nomination, somebody told the Dems about it. They may or may not have pursued the matter but I do recall that Hillary’s campaign did NOT use it at all. For one, Steele himself had raised some doubts about the credibility of some of the rumours. For two, sleaze was not the Dem style.
