In a book proposal in which he described himself as Donald Trump’s “family fit-it guy,” the president’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, promised publishers he would reveal insights into Trump, his wife Melania, and family that only he would know because of their lengthy relationship.
His tentative title was: Trump Revolution: From The Tower to The White House, Understanding Donald J. Trump.
“Positioned partially as a rebuttal to Michael Wolff’s massively popular White House exposé Fire and Fury, Cohen’s proposal posits that few people outside Trump’s family understand the president besides him,” the Daily Beast reported in February.
It now appears Trump’s scandal-ridden lawyer was documenting his bosses dealings all along and was in a position to know about the backroom deals and shady dealings, even as he promised publishers he would put Trump in a favorable light.
“No issue was too big, too sticky or too oddball for me to tackle,” Cohen wrote in the proposal circulated early in 2018. “I saw it all, handled it all. And still do.”
Now actually Cohen is no longer is Trump’s go-to personal lawyer and fixer, and there will be no book.
EXCLUSIVE: Michael Cohen's book on the "Trump Revolution" and his experiences serving as the Trump “family fix-it guy” gets scrapped amid legal woes, @swin24 and @maxwelltani report https://t.co/zonLsRkkip
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 24, 2018
His life, career, and relationship with Trump have changed dramatically in the wake of revelations about the $130,000 payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels, (who is now suing him), exposure of the millions he made offering companies and countries a connection to Trump and the mounting investigations by the FBI, Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and others, into his business practices, Russian contacts, and legal affairs.
Cohen actually had a deal for the book but now it is canceled, indefinitely.
SCOOP: Trump lawyer @MichaelCohen212 indefinitely postpones lucrative book deal amid growing legal mess over Stormy Daniels payment; Cohen offered half-million dollar advance for book on working as “fixer” for Trump by conservative imprint of Hachette more NOW @FoxBusiness
— Charles Gasparino (@CGasparino) May 24, 2018
It is unclear if Cohen pulled out of the deal or if Center Street, the conservative imprint of the Hachette Book Group, backed out.
Michael Cohen’s book deal falls apart after his partner agrees to cooperate with prosecutors https://t.co/WSUUNWyNlz
— Raw Story (@RawStory) May 24, 2018
It’s a shame because Cohen promised that even as he whitewashed Trump, he would also explain him.
The proposal promised to explain “Trump’s erratic tendencies,” reported The Daily Beast, “saying the president is just a wily strategist who pretends to be crazy to create ‘an incredibly effective smoke machine,’ fooling even formerly close allies like ousted White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.”
“There truly is a method to his madness, to quote that old saw, and people who think otherwise can quickly get buried,” Cohen wrote to publishers. “Steve Bannon comes to mind, but there are plenty of others who are now six-feet under due to this basic miscalculation. I’ll also be talking about this in some detail.”
Among the topics Cohen teased would be covered in his book was his involvement in the Russia meddling in the 2016 election; chapters on Melania and the Trump children; his defamation lawsuit with BuzzFeed; and of course, his dealings with adult actress Stormy Daniels.
Daniel’s manager Gina Rodriguez in February, when word of Cohen’s proposal first surfaced, cited it as a violation of the adult film actress’s confidentiality agreement which was one reason she would now be free to tell her story to the public.
Daniel’s lawyer Michael Avenatti, who has butted heads with Cohen and Trump for months, finally found something they could agree on: He should kill the book.
“It’s never a good idea for a guy who is under criminal investigation to be writing a book,” said Avenatti, “about the very topics for which he’s being investigated.”
“How stupid could you be?” quipped Avenatti.
For a smart guy, it is turning out Cohen could be quite stupid.
Whatever happens to him legally, his reputation has been permanently blackened by his avarice in trying to cash in on his connection to Trump, even as he claimed to still be serving his longtime boss.
Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen may have committed a crime in violation of the Foreign Agent's Registration Act by failing to report work for Ukraine booking meeting with Trump. #TrumpCorruption https://t.co/q2cjzFdx3G via @TPM
— J Whitfield Larrabee (@jwlarrabee) May 24, 2018
Cohen has been shown, it appears, to be an untrustworthy liar, a double-dealer and the kind of lawyer that makes comparisons to sharks appropriate.
Maybe he will someday write a book but it may well be something he completes while in prison where he is likely to have a lot of free time.
