Editorial: Trump uses dangerous language. America doesn’t need a ‘Godfather-in-chief’

President Donald Trump’s former fixer Michael Cohen testified before the House Oversight Committee last week. Whether he told the truth this time we cannot say. That will become clearer as more evidence emerges. What we can say is that Cohen’s testimony contained at least one true assessment: America does not have a president but a mob boss. Trump’s leadership is couched in the vocabulary of intimidation of organized crime. Mob bosses rarely get their hands dirty, at least not the ones portrayed in movies and television like Vito Corleone and Tony Soprano. They have lieutenants and underlings for that sort of thing. They choose their words carefully so the intent is clear even if the literal meaning is muddy. It was a chilling moment when Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., asked Cohen why he fears for his and his family’s safety. “What do you think (the president) can do to you?” she asked. “A lot. And it’s not just him. It’s those people that follow him and his rhetoric,” Cohen replied.