The past may cast a “dark” shadow over President Trump’s future.
(Baonghean) - Donald Trump's dissolute lifestyle made him rich, famous and eventually created the personality that helped him reach the US Presidential seat.
But now, the "clash" between the White House owner's future and his sensational and flamboyant past could become Trump's Achilles' heel.
Complicated hearing
If you look at Trump’s past, it’s hardly surprising that his current presidency is being closely tied to the legal “theater,” which has involved a number of big names, including a porn star, a Playboy model, lawyers accused of ethical violations, and a mysterious figure in the entertainment industry.
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| President Trump (right) and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen - whose home and office were recently searched by the FBI. Photo: Internet |
The tabloid stories added to the suspense at a court hearing on April 16 in New York, which was seen as the first step in a legal battle with potentially serious consequences for Mr. Trump, after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) raided the office of Michael Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer.
Attending the procedural hearing in a light pink outfit, adult film actress Stormy Daniels had a brief exchange with the media and criticized lawyer Cohen outside the court, asserting that this person has for many years put himself "above the law" and "publicly admitted to being the troublemaker for Mr. Trump".
In an equally shocking development, Fox News host Sean Hannity was also revealed at the trial to be Cohen's secret client, adding further mystery and ambiguity to an already complicated story.
However, a source familiar with the situation said there was no formal attorney-client relationship between the two. Hannity occasionally called Cohen and asked him legal questions, but the attorney did not receive any money for those services.
Still, the news that the US president and his biggest media supporter share a lawyer who is now in trouble with the law has spread some skepticism in the courtroom.
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| Actress Stormy Daniels speaks to the press after the Cohen hearing, standing next to her personal lawyer Michael Avenatti. Photo AP.jpg |
Even the editor of the Daily Beast, John Avon, commented: "It's the kind of situation that would be thrown out of a novel if it were in the script because it's so absurd."
The identity of another Cohen client hardly makes the scandal any less pungent. CNN reported last week that Cohen facilitated a $1.6 million payment in 2017 to a former Playboy model who was reportedly pregnant with the child of top Republican donor Elliott Broidy.
Trump's Danger
But frankly, such tabloid drama cannot overshadow the danger that Trump is facing. That is what might explain the Oval Office owner’s public fury over the latest raid: the Cohen affair could mark a dangerous moment of intersection between his scandal-ridden past and his current presidency.
That's partly because, without the $130,000 Cohen paid to keep Daniels quiet about his alleged affair with Trump, the Cohen raid and recent hearing would never have happened.
It's unclear exactly what the notoriously tough prosecutors in the Southern District of New York were targeting, but the payment could amount to a campaign finance violation.
Michael Avenatti - Daniels' lawyer, is considered a seasoned media manipulator - "playing" President Trump at his game, launching sensational moments and taking advantage of the legal system to put his client's case into the media stream.
“The president has trusted Mr. Cohen as a fixer for years, he trusts him with his deepest secrets. And I think the time is coming when you reap what you sow.”
Ironically, the tabloid “law of the jungle” that Trump has thrived on for years now has the potential to come back to bite him.
After all, the current US President has used newspapers to turn himself into a New York City extraordinaire, making sure his ego, skyscrapers, love affairs and Manhattan nightlife adventures fill the gossip columns for decades.
It paved the way to fame on a top reality TV show, made him a national celebrity and led him to the biggest prize of all: the White House.
Trump’s biography was written in the ink of New York newspapers. For example, a headline in the New York Post in the 1990s—“The Best Sex I Ever Had”—quoted Marla Maples, who would become Trump’s second wife.
Or like the New York Daily News, which usually likes to make things difficult for Donald Trump, in 1999 "predicted" his future with the headline: "Donald tells the world: I want to be president"...
Yet, so far, revelations about Trump's "glorious" past, such as the "Access Hollywood" tape recording the moment he bragged about groping women, or the controversial comments "dug up" from Howard Stern's radio channel, have done little to harm him.
During the 2016 campaign, they also helped him cement his image as a Republican who overcame all political stereotypes and was popular with voters in neglected areas who hated elites.
But the bridge to Trump's past that the FBI built to deal with Cohen could be a big challenge for the US President.
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| Michael Cohen - Mr. Trump's personal lawyer, just had his home and office searched by the FBI. Photo AP |
The Cohen raid increasingly looks like a legal front, separate from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, one that may not be affected in the slightest by Trump’s efforts to thwart the special counsel.
Prosecutors say they have been investigating Cohen for months for alleged criminal violations in his personal business dealings. Given that his biggest client is Trump, this is clearly bad news for the president.
The FBI has issued a search warrant looking for evidence of bank fraud, wire fraud and campaign finance violations, CNN sources told CNN.
They are also gathering information about any payments allegedly made to “silence” women who claim to have had affairs with Trump years ago.
It is unclear at this time whether the documents and communications the FBI has obtained include any discussions between Trump and Cohen about the US President's past legal troubles, or whether there is any criminal case to be aware of.
But in a worrying development for Trump, Stephen Ryan, a lawyer for Cohen, said Trump Organization documents were taken by spies.
They could provide prosecutors with a window into Trump's past business dealings, as well as the Trump family's financial troubles, as Cohen has long been seen as a trusted fixer and emissary for the billionaire real estate mogul./.
