US still 'haunted' by 'scoundrel' who mentored Trump: historian

A still from Where’s My Roy Cohn? by Matt Tyrnauer, an official selection of U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Ap/REX/Shuttersock

An author and historian told MS NOW that the "scoundrel and sinner" who mentored President Donald Trump is still "haunting" the U.S., arguing that he represents the through-line from one of the country's worst moments to the present crisis.

Kai Bird appeared on the Tuesday edition of MS NOW's State of Play, promoting his new biography, American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump, detailing the life and influence of lawyer Roy Cohn. Cohn first rose to infamy by assisting Sen. Joseph McCarthy in carrying out his "Red Scare" witch hunt against alleged communists, and later became a key mentor to a young Donald Trump after becoming his lawyer, purportedly seeing potential in him decades prior to his becoming president.

"I like to quote H.L.Mencken, the political humoristwho once said, 'what a dullworld this place would be forus honest men if it were notfor the sinners,'" Bird said. "And Roy Cohnwas a sinner and a scoundrelwho met Donald Trump in Octoberof 1973, and he molded him intobecoming, I would argue, theworst and also the mostconsequential president ofrecent decades."

Among the characteristics of Trump attributed to the influence of Cohn are his preference for loyalty above all else and his determination to never admit defeat under any circumstances.

"He taught him,as you listed his rules: Attack,attack, attack; Don'ttell me what the law is, tell me who the judge is. Youknow his playbook is now Donald Trump's playbook," Bird added.

He argued later in the interview that the long shadow of Cohn over Trump has created a scenario in which rampant corruption is corroding the public's trust in democracy, making them more "cynical" in the face of a system that seems to have no rules. He also argued that Cohn represents a clear line connecting one of America's low points — the Red Scare — to the last decade of Trumpism, and it is a connection that must be reckoned with.

"At the time when Ibecame a historian severaldecades ago, I studied theMcCarthy era, and I thoughtthis was a low point in ourhistory, something that,however, we'd gotten past," Bird said. "ButI no longer believe that. Therewere thousands of victims ofmccarthyism in 1954, but thereare many more thousands today.And we have another witch hunt.And there's a direct linebetween mccarthyism and the last decade of Trumpism, andthe connection is Roy Cohn, andhe's very much haunting us fromhis grave."

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