So Trump stiffs his contractors and thinks not paying taxes makes him smart.
Meanwhile, his lawyer takes on clients for rates charged by a palm reader on a boardwalk, and pays hush money out of his own pocket.
This is like the Fifth Avenue version of the Odd Couple.
This is literally a scene out of Breaking Bad.
As best I can tell, the whole “pay some nominal sum to invoke attorney-client privilege” is bullshit. $10 can’t invoke ACP if the attorney is not actually rendering legal advice, and if the attorney is rendering legal advice, the $10 isn’t actually necessary.
Cohen really is a real-world Saul Goodman.
You’re right about the privilege, but I think it’s an insult to Saul Goodman, who is slimy yet not actually a bad lawyer when he believes in his cause. 
Cohen reminds me of a washed-up, evil wannabe-Fonzie. Every time I see him, I half expect to see him stuffed into an undersized leather jacket.
I think we just saw him *jump the shark *too.
You’re right: Barry Zuckercorn is a much better comparison.
If only we could get Ron Howard to narrate the antics of this entire administration.
On the other hand, Cohen does seem to have the “you don’t need a criminal lawyer; you need a criminal lawyer” part down pat.
He doesn’t remind me at all of the sixty year old police detective in Illuminatus!
For those who are interested, there’s a very good summary of the case to date up at Popehat. My main takeaway is that Cohen is a very bad lawyer.
Ohhhh, yes!! He quite outdid himself in court today!!
That’s hilarious. 
I was pretty sure I couldn’t be the only person who noticed the similarities, but I hadn’t seen the side-by-side comparison before. Perfect!
Bets on how long it takes Trump to claim that Otero should recuse himself because he’s Hispanic?
So, is Hannity’s statement that he never paid Cohen, never retained him, and wasn’t ever his client, sufficient to nullify any claim of attorney-client privilege?
Oh, the shark got him, but spit him out. But it was too late, the shark died.
Yes.
I thought this was an interesting tidbit, courtesy of Atlantic reporter Natasha Bertrand:
Professional courtesy.
No. Josh Marshall, TPM Prime: [INDENT][INDENT][INDENT] All this said, Hannity says that he “assumed these conversations were confidential.” He clearly wants them to remain so. That’s the key point.
Lawyers will tell you that no payment or formal representation agreement is required to create a lawyer-client relationship which produces the privilege. That’s not standard. But it’s not required. [/INDENT][/INDENT][/INDENT] Making Sense of Hannity’s Weird Evasions - TPM – Talking Points Memo
That can’t be the key point. Confidentiality can’t be a one-sided thing. At the very least, surely the lawyer has to know that the other guy expects confidentiality, and there has to be some opportunity for the lawyer to say “I’m not willing to assume that”. And we call that process of the lawyer knowing that confidentiality is expected, and accepting, becoming a client.
I’m having a hard time developing an interest in the relationship between Hannity and Cohen. So Hannity is an occasional client of Cohen’s. What of it? What impact can this have on the investigations being done by either the SDNY or by Mueller? It’s mildly amusing that a dirtbag lawyer has two scumbag clients, but beyond that I’m not seeing what all the fuss is about.
I’m curious–no more at this point–about whether Hannity has personal scandals that tie him up with Trump, and if that’s influenced his, er, “journalism” about the presidency.
My guess is that he’s more than an occasional client. I don’t know how much this affects the Mueller investigation, but I suspect it’s an indication Hannity is tied up in something shady, if not downright illegal. I hope this revelation will shake loose enough dirt that Hannity will end up being chased off the air. I also hope enough information will come to light to make it obvious to everyone how much Fox is just a propaganda operation, and they’ll quickly hemmorage advertisers and audience.
Also, I want a pony.
In the meantime, I’m enjoying the pointing and laughing.
