Michael Cohen, the former Donald Trump lawyer has testified for the prosecution in Trump’s hush money criminal trial. If he is believed Trump will be convicted, if not he will be acquitted. I am no fan of Cohen’s. He was just one player of many who degraded themselves in pursuit of power, finding justification in the opportunity that Trump represented. What I think of Cohen and Trump doesn’t matter, you will all have your own thoughts and for me to tell you more will be distracting. In any event what I think of these tragic characters has nothing to do what is going on in the courtroom.

Cohen is a Dead Man Walking.

The tension in that courtroom is thick and real and frightening. For Trump’s followers Cohen’s testimony is unforgivable. He has broken the vow of loyalty that binds all who corrupt themselves in pursuit of power. And for many vengeance will be justified. From this day forward Cohen is a marked man. There will never be a day when he is not in jeopardy. It was for Cohen an act of redemption, a measurable consequential atonement for the wrongs he has done. What makes it even more remarkable is that Cohen knows his life is at risk. He must be terrified but he has testified under oath. It is an astonishing act of bravery. For most of us the news coverage of his testimony is antiseptic, read in the comfort of our own homes, incapable of capturing the hatred and the loathing and the lust for power these men shared. It is incapable of shedding sustained light on the darkness of their deceit and the crimes they committed. We just get flashes, news flashes and then we move on. But make no mistake Michael Cohen’s life will never be the same again.

I have stood feet away from a Dead Man Walking. It was October 4, 1984

Cohen is a Dead Man Walking.