Readers React: We shouldn’t need Michael Cohen to show us how bad of a president Trump is

To the editor: Michael Cohen’s damning public testimony in Congress Wednesday revealed “shocking” behavior by President Trump — but sadly, we are not shocked.

Trump himself has brazenly put his dishonesty and unfitness for office on full display for years. As bad as the fact that he was elected is, Trump’s presidency will end, either by failing to win reelection or through impeachment and removal from office.

The far more important question is, why do about 80% of Republicans still support Trump no matter how many outrages he commits or how much corruption and incompetence we suffer in his administration? What has happened to Republican values? Long-term, these are the questions that must be answered.

Exactly what could explain the adoration by millions of people of such an inconceivably bad leader? Can we rise up from Trumpism?

John von Szeliski, Santa Ana

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To the editor: Too bad the Academy Awards are over. Based on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing involving Cohen, an additional category should have been added: most disgusting theatrics by a political party.

We had visual effects in the form of a poster proclaiming Cohen’s pants were on fire; we had a pit bull member of Congress, who has been accused of lying about allegations of abuse while he was a college wrestling coach, excoriating a witness for lying; we had another Republican bring out a silent African American women to prove conclusively that Trump isn’t a racist; and we had other Republicans complaining about this hearing wasting their valuable time, apparently suffering from amnesia over their years-long Benghazi investigation.

All in all, it was very entertaining and at the same time very disgusting.

Carl Falletta, Yorba Linda

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To the editor: Granted, it’s no easy task to determine the truth when two proven liars’ representations differ dramatically.

But given Trump’s mounting accumulation of documented prevarications, one can safely conclude this much: The most reliable indication that Cohen has lied would be when Trump says Cohen has told the truth.

Greg Gilbert, Burney, Calif.

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