LEGAL/MICHAEL COHEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Trump lawyer / fixer / organizer of Playboy model (alleged) mistress payoffs Michael Cohen graces the cover of the National Enquirer this week, pictured looking hangdog and droopy under the headline ‘PAYOFFS & THREATS EXPOSED: TRUMP FIXER’S SECRETS & LIES!’ It’s a particularly uncomfortable display, given that the Enquirer is owned by a close Trump pal, David Pecker, who rarely publishes anything negative about Trump and his cohort, and engages in egregious ‘catch and kill’ practices — that is shielding the President by paying for exclusive rights to troublesome stories the paper never runs… The Enquirer cover sends a signal that Cohen, whose office and home were recently raided by federal investigators, is out of the President’s good graces. That’s bad news for Cohen, a faithful Trump lackey despite the President’s general disrespect and mockery of him. Cohen is, to put it mildly, not a smart man, and not a particularly good lawyer. It seems likely that he breached the basic ethics and rules of his profession (and that he isn’t even clear on what those ethics and rules might be); it’s very possible he has committed serious crimes and could face jail time.”
–Jill Filipovic, “Michael Cohen is learning the brutal truth about Trump,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, May 2, 2018 8:32 am