David Graham at the Atlantic compares the dilemma we face in whether to believe Lev Parnas with the Michael Cohen situation. We all knew Cohen was basically a cheap hood. But when he testified, it seemed clear that while he was working very hard to get a better deal, he felt personally betrayed by Trump whom he had worshipped for years.
But he showed up with documents. And his testimony has substantially turned out to be true.
Graham notes something else that I don’t think we should forget. Donald Trump is surrounded by thugs and he has been from the beginning.
Parnas is like Cohen in another way: Each was once a part of the Trump circle, and the president and his defenders now dismiss him as a liar and scoundrel. And as with Cohen, the defense is troubling even if true. If Cohen and Parnas are such obvious villains, how is it that they came to be close to the president, putatively working as part of his legal teams? The same question applies to any number of other criminals, con men, and charlatans we’ve come to know over the past four years as Trump associates. The fact that he is surrounded by such people says a great deal about either his judgment or his probity. (Probably both.)
How can it be that the president constantly finds himself in the company of these shady people? Well, if you want something shady done you need shady people to do it.