Lanny Davis, a Clinton confidant now representing President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, has asked the internet to crowdfund his efforts, opening a GoFundMe page for a Michael Cohen “truth fund.”
Cohen reportedly bought a $ 6.7 million apartment in New York back in April, even as his office was being raided by the FBI and federal authorities were going after him over hush money payments allegedly made to two women who claimed to have had affairs with Trump. Today, however, he is “out of resources” and needs America’s help to pay his lawyer.
Davis made that case on the TV circuit on Wednesday, hitting up every network from MSNBC and CNN to Fox News for his proverbial fifteen minutes of fame. Cohen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to eight federal charges, including tax evasion and making illegal campaign contributions. It is unclear what he received in return.
Cohen “suffered a tragic and difficult experience for his family,” Davis said on Wednesday morning, appearing on Megyn Kelly’s NBC show. He urged people to donate to the legal defense fund so Cohen could “continue to tell the truth” about President Trump.
Kelly’s audience did not seem amused, greeting the pitch with laughter and boos.
“I would say the reaction of your audience may be they are not as interested in getting the truth out about Donald Trump as many other people in the country,” Davis deadpanned.
The GoFundMe page was a bit more specific about the money’s purpose: To pay Davis.
“Michael decided to put his family and his country first. Now Michael needs your financial help – to pay his legal fees,” the page says. Though slow to get off the ground, the pitch appears to have worked, and the Cohen appeal has raised more than $ 120,000 in just 20 hours.
Lanny Davis has created a GoFundMe page for **Michael Cohen**. In 8 hours, it has already raised $ 17,000. I don't think it's a mystery who is donating. US politics are a complete, enduring mess https://t.co/dQ0RRwy1Lh
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) August 22, 2018
Davis, who became friends with Hillary Clinton at Yale Law School and worked as a spokesman and special counsel for President Bill Clinton in 1996-98, is clearly enjoying his newfound fame as attorney for the man the media and Democrats are all but openly hoping will somehow bring down Trump.
He may not fully understand how the internet works, however. The domain name he used in the original fundraising pitch, MichaelCohenTruth.com, redirect to Trump’s 2020 campaign page – suggesting that someone snapped up the address before Davis could actually register it.
It remains to be seen if Davis will manage to out-raise the notorious former FBI agent Peter Strzok, who racked up nearly $ 450,000 in the nine days since his firing on August 13.
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