Michael Cohen once threatened The Onion for making fun of Trump: ‘Your actions do not go without consequence’

Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer who is currently mired in scandal, sent a cease and desist letter to the satirical publication The Onion back in 2013 after it published an article mocking the then-real estate mogul.

In an article published this Monday, The Onion revealed the contents of the 2013 letter, in which Cohen said: “The article is an absolutely disgusting piece that lacks any place in journalism; even in your Onion.”

Cohen added that the “commentary goes way beyond defamation and, if not immediately removed, I will take all actions necessary to ensure your actions do not go without consequence.”

“Guide yourself accordingly,” he warned.

The article Cohen objected to was titled, “When You’re Feeling Low, Just Remember I’ll Be Dead In About 15 Or 20 Years,” and was written in the satirical voice of Trump.

Cohen demanded that the publication remove the article and issue Trump an apology.

The Onion’s article published Monday still had a satirical tone to it:

Unfortunately, [Cohen’s letter] must have been improperly sorted by one of the Malaysian children who work in our mailroom, and was only discovered crumpled up under a pile of journalism awards in a remote corner of our offices last week. We read the email, and given Mr. Trump’s ascension to the presidency since its writing, we want to apologize for the delay and would be delighted to meet with Mr. Cohen in person—at the White House, perhaps?

But in a tweet this from this Monday, Cohen suggested that the letter isn’t authentic.

“Maybe all of you #haters #trolls missed the memo by @TheOnion is a news ‘SATIRE’ Organization. That means … it’s not real! #GetALife,” Cohen tweeted.

David Ford, who is The Onion’s communications coordinator, confirmed in a tweet on the same day that Cohen’s letter is indeed real.

“I can confirm the email itself is the real deal,” he tweeted “From Michael Cohen to our press email address in 2013.”

Either way, satire becomes reality one way or another in the era of Trump.

Featured image via screen grab/YouTube

 

Sky Palma

Before launching DeadState back in 2012, Sky Palma has been blogging about politics, social issues and religion for over a decade. He lives in Los Angeles and also enjoys Brazilian jiu jitsu, chess, music and art.