On Tuesday's Amanpour & Co. on PBS and CNN International, host Christiane Amanpour gave former Senator William Cohen -- a liberal Republican from Maine -- an unchallenged forum to bash President Donald Trump and spread misinformation against Republicans.
Recalling some of former National Security Advisor John Bolton's criticisms of President Trump, Amanpour introduced Cohen, noting that he had served as President Bill Clinton's Secretary of Defense after leaving the Senate, and began by posing:
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Let me ask you because there's some really hair-raising stories by John Bolton about his time as National Security Advisor, whether it's about President Trump allegedly seeking help in his reelection from, you know, the Chinese president -- whether it's about potentially criminalizing dissent at home. … What do you see and what do you expect if there was to be a second Trump administration?
Cohen began by absurdly declaring that the U.S. would no longer be a "democracy" if Trump were reelected, and that the country would move toward "tyranny" in a Trump second term: "If that were to take place, then I think we would not recognize America as a democracy. I think President Trump is taking us down the road to tyranny, to one-man rule."
After suggesting that Trump would model himself after notorious dictators in other countries, he added:
COHEN: And so if you take away an obligation to run for reelection, now he has absolute authority to do whatever he wants because he feels he's not even bound by the law. So I see a very dictatorial, absolutist type rule in the country, And, again, I don't think we'll be a democracy at that point.
Amanpour accepted his over the top predictions as she began her followup: "Okay, so that is really dramatic. You don't think America will be a democracy -- he's leading us down the road to tyranny, one-man rule -- is what you've just said."
As she asked if America's institutions would be able to restrain President Trump, she suggested that the protesters who were driven from Lafayette Square were all "peaceful" in spite of reports that some were attacking park police.
In one of his responses, Cohen falsely claimed that President Trump had defended the Minneapolis police officer who was responsible for the death of George Floyd as he complained about Trump's criticism of the NFL's Colin Kaepernick for his kneeling protests: "And he supports somebody who puts a knee on the neck of George Floyd. So I think there has to be a reckoning."
As he concluded his rant toward the end of the interview, Cohen predicted that Republicans would "suppress the vote" and incorrectly claimed that Kentucky only had one polling place for the entire state when it held primaries earlier in the day:
COHEN: I don't think it will be fair. I think the Republicans will do everything in their power to suppress the vote. We're seeing it take place now. It's taking place today in Kentucky. They have one polling place for the whole state. This is ludicrous. And we're seeing them shut down from 100 polling places to four or five in other states, so that's number one,
In fact, the city of Louisville used just one large polling place in response to problems in dealing with the pandemic.
Without ever noting that Cohen was always one of the Senate's more liberal Republicans, Amanpour concluded the interview by reminding viewers of his history of being a Republican: "Well, Secretary William Cohen, you've certainly put us on notice. Remember, I'm just going to say it again -- you are a Republican talking about this Republican administration and this Republican President."
Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the Tuesday, June 23, Amanpour & Co. on PBS and CNN International;
Amanpour & Co.
6/23/2020
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Let me ask you because there's some really hair-raising stories by John Bolton about his time as National Security Advisor, whether it's about President Trump allegedly seeking help in his reelection from, you know, the Chinese president -- whether it's about potentially criminalizing dissent at home. What do you -- I guess, you know, you've been on the cutting edge of foreign policy for so long. What do you see and what do you expect if there was to be a second Trump administration?
FORMER SENATOR WILLIAM COHEN (R-ME): If that were to take place, then I think we would not recognize America as a democracy. I think President Trump is taking us down the road to tyranny, to one-man rule, to try and replicate what he sees as a positive in Moscow with President Putin or in Turkey with President Erdogan or over in China or North Korea. I think he wants to have one-man rule, and it's not the rule of law but just the opposite. It's the law of rule where only he can make decisions. And he said quite publicly on multiple occasions, "I'm above the law -- the law doesn't apply to me -- I'm the chief law enforcement officer -- I am the commander in chief -- nothing I do is illegal because I do it."
And so if you take away an obligation to run for reelection, now he has absolute authority to do whatever he wants because he feels he's not even bound by the law. So I see a very dictatorial, absolutist type rule in the country, And, again, I don't think we'll be a democracy at that point.
AMANPOUR: Okay, so that is really dramatic. You don't think America will be a democracy -- he's leading us down the road to tyranny, one-man rule -- is what you've just said. I guess I want to ask you -- but I almost know the answer -- are the institutions in America not strong enough to prevent that? But that, of course, comes in the wake of the Attorney General, you know, firing a U.S. attorney in New York. It comes in the wake of these, you know, Republican Senate basically all the time dancing to President Trump's tune. But is there a limit that you think that the institution will no longer tolerate? For instance, the military stood up and said no to what was happening -- you know, you remember, of course, with the photo op and the clearing the peaceful protesters from outside the White House.
(…)
COHEN: I think we've got to come to a reckoning. We talk about the Confederate flag coming down. Some of his supporters have had three flags -- the American flag, the Confederate flag, and the Nazi flag. And I don't hear him condemning those who put the Swastika on their arms. All I heard him say was there were good people in that group of neo-fascists -- neo-Nazis. There are no good neo-Nazis.
And yet he continues to give them comfort and support by not criticizing them as opposed to looking at black people and saying they're all thugs -- "they're all thugs and criminals and Colin Kaepernick should be thrown out of the country or locked up and never again play football" for taking a knee for justice. And he supports somebody who puts a knee on the neck of George Floyd. So I think there has to be a reckoning.
(…)
AMANPOUR: Do you believe that this is going to go ahead fine -- that there's going to be an election -- because clearly everything that you've just been passionately calling for could presumably only happen in a change of administration?
COHEN: I don't think it will be fair. I think the Republicans will do everything in their power to suppress the vote. We're seeing it take place now. It's taking place today in Kentucky. They have one polling place for the whole state. This is ludicrous. And we're seeing them shut down from 100 polling places to four or five in other states, so that's number one,
Number two, the President is out degrading the notion of paper -- write-in ballots. And so they've had to go out there and stand in line during the COVID crisis as long as necessary -- eight hours, 10 hours, it doesn't matter. ."And if you're writing in your ballots, they're automatically, in my judgment, they're fraudulent."
So I think he's already calling into question the authenticity or the legitimacy of the vote before it's even taken. And so I think he's putting in the soil -- he's seeding the soil with these poisonous weeds to say, "No matter what happens, I'm going to declare this election invalid -- I'm going to stay here till we have a recount -- I'm going to force a recount." I don't think he'll accept the results assuming that he loses. And, again, that's a big assumption because I think they'll do everything they can to suppress the vote in those states in those areas where minorities are strongest.
AMANPOUR: Well, Secretary William Cohen, you've certainly put us on notice. Remember, I'm just going to say it again -- you are a Republican talking about this Republican administration and this Republican President.
