Cohen was asked to identify "the breaking point" at which he decided to start telling the truth.
"There are several factors," Cohen replied. "Helsinki, Charlottesville, watching the daily destruction of our civility to one another, putting up with silly things like this. It's really unbecoming of Congress."
He added, "I'm responsible for your silliness because I did the same thing that you're doing now for ten years. I protected Mr. Trump for ten years … I can only warn people, the more people that follow Mr. Trump, as I did blindly, are going to suffer the same consequences that I'm suffering."
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Helsinki: Trump公开表示相信俄国总统而不相信美国多个情报部门的结论。
美方甚至没有会谈记录。消息公开之后，你是前KGB的头你会怎么想？我的记录就是绝版也是唯一真理了，爱加什么加什么，爱怎么改怎么改。Trump彻底献忠心了。
Charlottesville：Trump拒绝明确否定始作俑者新纳粹团体，甚至用“fine people”来形容种族分子。
the daily destruction of our civility to one another：Trump似乎一直处于竞选状态，热衷于煽动敌对，分裂民众。仇恨犯罪飙升，选民两极化愈演愈烈。
unbecoming of congress: 用他自己回答Ohio州众议员Jim Jordan的话，
“I just find it interesting, sir, that between yourself and your colleagues, that not one question so far since I’m here has been asked about President Trump.”
“…, the American people don’t care about my taxes. They want to know what I know about Mr. Trump. And not one question (from Republican congressmen) so far has been asked about Mr. Trump.”
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Cohen said Americans should have believed Trump during his presidential campaign when he said he can “shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue” in New York City and get away with it.
“I want to be very clear. He’s not joking. He’s telling you the truth,” said Cohen. “You don’t know him. I do. I sat next to this man for ten years and I watched this back.”
“He’s sending out the message he can do what he wants,” said Cohen. “It is becoming his country and he’s becoming an autocrat.”
“Everybody’s job at the Trump organization was to protect Mr. Trump,” said Cohen. “Every day, most of us knew we were coming in and we were going to lie for him on something. That became the norm. That is exactly what is happening right now in this country and is happening here in government, sir.”
“Given my experience working for Mr Trump I fear that if he loses the election in 2020 that there will never be a peaceful transition of power, and this is why I agreed to appear before you today”
