David Leonhardt: More of that, please

The Michael Cohen show wasn’t pretty. But it is what the country needs. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, February 28, 2019 [NYTimes.com/David-Leonhardt »]( [Op-Ed Columnist] Op-Ed Columnist The Michael Cohen hearing wasn’t pretty. It was often, as my colleague [Michelle Cottle]( writes, a “dreary spectacle.” The behavior of many Republican House members — who acted like public-relations flacks for President Trump — was especially untoward. And Cohen is no hero. Yet the hearing was what the country needed. I hope we see many more such hearings in the coming months. In particular, I hope we see House Democrats use their majority to try to get at the truth of Trump’s behavior. Hearings like yesterday’s move us closer to understanding that truth. They make clear which allegations and rumors involving Trump are false. Cohen seemed to debunk several, including apparently false stories involving a physical altercation in an elevator and a meeting in Prague during the 2016 campaign. “Michael Cohen is knocking down various crazy anti-Trump stories: Prague, money laundering, love child, abortion, elevator tape, other tapes, more,” [Byron York]( of The Washington Examiner wrote yesterday. “This, after Republicans spent all their time attacking his credibility.” But Cohen also suggested that other wild stories about the president are true. In Cohen’s telling, Trump — while in the Oval Office — helped orchestrate the cover-up of his affair with a porn star. Cohen also said that Trump was given to racist rants; knew in advance that WikiLeaks had stolen Democratic emails; seemed to know about a Trump Tower meeting with Russians; misrepresented his wealth; and was the subject of a mysterious additional federal investigation by prosecutors in New York. So, Democrats, it’s time for more hearings — into Trump’s tax returns, Russia, the campaign-finance cover-up and much more. And, Republicans, it’s time to rediscover the quaint notion of separation of powers. You’re not supposed to act as the president’s fixers. “I did the same thing that you’re doing now, for 10 years,” Cohen told House Republicans yesterday. “I protected Mr. Trump for 10 years.” It didn’t work out well for Cohen. Elsewhere … Cohen’s testimony “laid a genuine predicate and justification for more legitimate congressional oversight,” Lawfare’s [Susan Hennessey]( says on the latest episode of the “Rational Security” podcast. “This is the first hearing, not the last.” “Cohen’s testimony may not all prove correct,” [David Frum]( writes in The Atlantic. “But all of it is plausible — and not a word of it has been contradicted, let alone refuted,” he writes. Slate’s [Ben Mathis-Lilley]( makes a qualified case for treating Cohen’s testimony with skepticism, noting an apparent contradiction about a business deal Trump was pursuing in Russia during the 2016 campaign. The president’s use of indirect language to create “circumstances in which his fixer knew what to do without directly telling him,” [Noah Feldman]( writes in Bloomberg Opinion, “makes it exceedingly difficult to convict him in a Senate trial that would follow impeachment in the House of Representatives.” On the latest episode of [“The Argument” podcast]( we dissect the Cohen hearing — as well as Bernie Sanders’s candidacy. (A new [Morning Consult poll]( shows Sanders with the support of 27 percent of Democratic voters, well ahead of everyone else but Joe Biden.) This week’s episode ends with a movie recommendation from Ross Douthat: “Cold War.” ADVERTISEMENT If you enjoy this newsletter, forward it to friends! They can [sign up for themselves here]( — and they don’t need to be a Times subscriber. The newsletter is published every weekday, with help from my colleague Ian Prasad Philbrick. David’s Morning NYT Read [After the Trump-Kim Failure]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF The President was right to walk rather than accept a bad deal, but look out ahead. The Latest Episode of ‘The Argument’ [Will Michael Cohen’s Testimony Doom Trump?]( And is Bernie Sanders the 2020 Democratic frontrunner? The Full Opinion Report [Regrets, Michael Cohen Has a Few]( By MICHELLE COTTLE He said working for Donald Trump was “intoxicating.” We’re all feeling hung over. [‘He Is a Racist, He Is a Con Man, and He Is a Cheat’]( By NICHOLAS KRISTOF Nixon was bad, but nothing compared to Michael Cohen’s portrayal of “gangster” Trump. [Trump’s a Guy Who’s Tough to Defend]( By GAIL COLLINS They’ve got better things to do in Dripping Springs. [Republicans Sink Further Into Trump’s Cesspool]( By PETER WEHNER What they left out of their questioning of Michael Cohen says more about the degradation of my former party than anything they said. [How Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Won the Cohen Hearing]( By CAROLINE FREDRICKSON Too many representatives chose to bloviate instead of interrogate — except for one. [What We Have Learned From Cohen So Far]( By NOAH BOOKBINDER Republicans can attack his credibility, but his charges are specific, persuasive and backed by strong evidence. [Can a Horrible Boss Be a Great Leader?]( By BRET STEPHENS Amy Klobuchar needs to make amends for her behavior. [Why R.B.G. Matters]( By LINDA GREENHOUSE A new decision on women and the draft underscores her consequential role in shaping the law on sex equality. [The Brilliant Uncertainty of the Grateful Dead’s ‘Dark Star’]( By JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN Fifty years ago, the band recorded the most entrancing version of its most hypnotic composition. [Israel’s Election Shows How Dead the Two-State Solution Really Is]( By SHMUEL ROSNER Even the center-left candidate isn’t talking about a viable Palestinian state. [Hashtags for War Between India and Pakistan]( By FATIMA BHUTTO Social media has been taken over by warmongers in the nuclear-armed neighbors. [We Need Better Answers on Nutrition]( By JOON YUN, DAVID A. KESSLER AND DAN GLICKMAN The U.S. is overdue to establish an institute devoted to research on the top cause of poor health. [In Chicago, History-Making Didn’t Have to Be So Hard]( By KIM BELLWARE Ranked-choice voting in the mayoral election would have significantly smoothed the decision-making process for overwhelmed voters. [Backup Plan Is Needed to Prevent Venezuelan Famine]( By DOROTHY KRONICK Sanctions on the country’s oil export will further damage a collapsed economy, increasing the risk of starvation. [Netanyahu Stoops to Survive]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The Israeli prime minister enters into an alliance with a radical right-wing party to save his political career. [Michael Cohen’s Testimony About Trump]( Readers discuss a dramatic hearing in which Mr. Cohen expressed regret for his actions on behalf of the president and was harshly attacked by Republicans. ADVERTISEMENT FEEDBACK and HELP If you have thoughts about this newsletter, email me at [leonhardt@nytimes.com](mailto:leonhardt@nytimes.com?subject=David%20Leonhardt%20Newsletter%20Feedback). If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other non-journalistic issues, you can visit our [Help Page]( or [contact The Times](. 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