Mark Herrmann, a former partner at a leading international law firm, has had enough of certain recurring figures in American public life.
At the top of his list is Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former lawyer, who Herrmann describes as a consistent presence regardless of which side he is on.
Herrmann’s view of Cohen is blunt and unsparing: “Cohen was an incompetent, a thug, and a criminal who mindlessly supported Trump.”
Cohen famously turned on Trump, becoming a vocal critic, and was embraced by those opposed to the former president during that period of outspoken opposition.
But Cohen’s political journey did not stop there, as Herrmann notes he has since reversed course yet again and returned to supporting Trump.
“He’s now an incompetent, a thug, and a criminal who again licks Donald Trump’s boots,” Herrmann writes, expressing frustration that the media continues to amplify Cohen’s shifting allegiances.
George Santos, the disgraced former congressman, also features on Herrmann’s list of figures he would rather see disappear from public discourse entirely.
Herrmann acknowledges that Santos warranted coverage while serving in Congress, but argues that his departure from office should mean a departure from headlines as well.
Anthony Scaramucci, known widely as The Mooch, earns a mention for serving as White House Communications Director for just ten days in 2017, a record for the shortest tenure in that role.
Herrmann is equally dismissive of Rudy Giuliani, who once served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and was named Time’s Person of the Year, but has since been disbarred and hit with massive defamation judgments.
Giuliani filed for bankruptcy, yet even that process ended in failure after a judge threw out the case, describing Giuliani as a “recalcitrant debtor” who could not meet the basic obligations of the proceedings.
Herrmann captures the absurdity pointedly: “Not being able to go bankrupt is like not being able to quit your job.”
The column reflects a broader sense of fatigue among observers who feel that discredited or minor political figures continue to command disproportionate media attention long after their relevance has passed.