Episode 33 - Roy Cohn

Hello fans! This week’s episode tells the dark tale of Roy Cohn – a shadowy lawyer who appeared in two of the most controversial eras in American politics: McCarthyism and Trumpism. Central to getting the Rosenbergs executed, Cohn became an attack dog during the anti-communist witch hunts of Senator Joe McCarthy. As a defense lawyer in New York City, Cohn then helped gangsters literally get away with murder. In the 1970s, Cohn then took a young real estate developer, Donald Trump, under his wing and taught him to never apologise, never admit defeat, always attack, and do whatever you can to control the narrative. We’re joined by Christopher Elias, professor of history and author of the book Gossip Men: J. Edgar Hoover, Joe McCarthy, Roy Cohn, and the Politics of Insinuation, who helps us understand the man who bridged the world of the legal and the illegal, and who left a lasting impression on American society in his wake. Remember to like and subscribe!