Congressman Cohen comments on impeachment, taxes and marijuana

Cohen’s lecture was part of SGA’s “Legislative Luncheon†series, and the congressman, a University of Memphis law school alumnus, addressed students just five days after introducing five articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Cohen was supported last Wednesday by three co-sponsors and five other Democratic members of Congress.

“I suspect that there are a couple of people in here that like Trump, but I got to tell you the truth,†Cohen said at the event. “He’s one of the worst human beings you could ever imagine ... You know the seven deadly sins? Think about Trump — pride, arrogance, greed, gluttony, envy, lust, sloth — he’s got them all.â€Â 

Cohen said he first decided to bring forth the articles of impeachment after witnessing Klansmen and Neo-Nazis marching with torches in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“I’m Jewish, and my district is predominantly African-American,†Cohen said during the luncheon. “And even if my district wasn’t predominantly African-American, I think I would have been repelled by what I saw. But it hit me particularly at home. Then Trump comes out and says, ‘Well there were good people on both sides.’ There were not good people on both sides. Not at all. And that’s the day I decided I’d had enough of it.â€

Cohen said since last week’s announcement, three individuals were reported to capitol police for making threats toward the congressman. Some said he “should have some molten lead in his head,†while another said he “should take a walk off a short pier into an oven,†Cohen said. 

“The response we’ve got on social media, tweets, Facebook, phone calls to my office in Washington and Memphis, have been the most repulsive, vile, crude and ignorant disgusting commentary I’ve ever experienced,†Cohen said at the event. “It’s unbelievable, and mostly they express themselves in short four-letter words. Sometimes it’s three letters with periods with between them. They like that abbreviation.â€Â 

Less threatening criticism of Cohen’s call for impeachment has come from White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and Michael Ahrens, a spokesperson for the Republican National Convention. In a statement, Sanders said it was “disappointing that extremists in Congress still refuse to accept the president’s decisive victory†since last year’s election. Ahrens said House Democrats have decided to support a “baseless radical effort that the vast majority of Americans disagree with.â€Â 

Cohen said he considers it “patriotic†and “the right thing to do.â€

“If it was extreme or radical, it wouldn’t be in the Constitution,†Cohen said. “The power of impeachment is there to curtail the activities of extreme or radical presidents … I lived through the Nixon-days, watched him on television … He did the same stuff. It’s Nixon part two.â€Â 

Cohen also took the time at the event to criticize the new Senate Republican tax bill, calling it “the most outrageous bill I’ve seen in my life.â€

“The estate tax … will be repealed in six years,†Cohen said at the luncheon. “That means that the richest people in this country’s heirs will never pay any estate tax. It will cost the treasury hundreds of billions of dollars. The Trumps will benefit in the billion-dollar category. So will the Koch brothers in multi-billion-dollar category, and that’s not needed for tax reform or tax fairness.â€

Cohen also said he felt Attorney General Jeff Sessions “lied, lied, lied, lied†before the judiciary committee last week. The congressman asked Sessions about voter ID laws and marijuana legalization. 

“When you put DEA agents and justice department officials to work on people who are selling marijuana; you are taking them away from people who are selling meth, crack, cocaine and heroin — opioids,†Cohen said at the event.

Cohen said the country’s laws have “come a long way†with 29 states legalizing medicinal marijuana, but that Sessions thinks marijuana is a gateway drug and “as soon as you smoke, you’re gonna try to find that syringe and get that heroin high.â€

“People who use heroin or meth and crack and cocaine, too … sometimes they resort to crimes to get their drugs because they’re addicted and they commit burglaries or robberies or murders,†Cohen said during the lecture. “I don’t know about y’all, but I’ve never seen anybody go out and kill to get some money to buy a joint.â€

In terms of Cohen’s articles of impeachment, he said he is “happy we did it,†even after standing up to Democratic Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi who “didn’t want it to happen,†but who Cohen “thinks the world of.â€Â 

“If I don’t come forward as a Democrat who has a good district that’s in favor of impeachment, how can I expect [Republicans] to ever come forward?†Cohen said at the event. “So you got to take the first step.â€