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American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump
From the Pulitzer Prize–winning coauthor of American Prometheus, inspiration for the Oscar–winning sensation Oppenheimer, a biography of Roy Cohn—arguably the mastermind behind the current arc of American political life, including the ascent of Donald Trump.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the many dramas of American political life had one common Roy Cohn. In his twenties, the infamous young prosecutor sent Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair and burned 30,000 books by “communist” authors, becoming the baby-faced symbol of McCarthyism. By his thirties, Cohn, with a red scar that ran down his nose from a botched childhood operation, was known in New York City as the Mafia’s hired legal gun. In his forties, he partied with the glitterati at Studio 54 and became friends with Richard Nixon. In his fifties, Cohn was invited to Reagan’s Oval Office. Nancy Reagan called Cohn often for advice and gossip—indeed, Cohn had an almost insatiable interest in gossip, and much of his influence over the years derived from his transactional relationship with gossip columnists. Perhaps most significantly, he mentored the young Donald Trump. The real estate developer, whom Cohn called his “best friend,” phoned him a dozen times a day.
Cohn considered himself the one lawyer in town who could always escape the consequences. Indicted by the Feds on three occasions for bribery, perjury, extortion, and other white-collar crimes, he was acquitted every time. To achieve his ends, he did whatever it took. “If you need somebody to get vicious,” Trump once said, “hire Roy Cohn.”
Years after his death of AIDS in 1986, Cohn emerged as a central figure in Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1992 play, Angels in A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Cohn’s feistiness, his surly defiance—and, yes, his charm—were frequently flourished to conceal vast insecurities, particularly regarding his sexuality. As his friend Sidney Zion once wrote, “Roy lived in a closet that was the oddest in history—a closet with neon lights—but he maintained it fiercely.”
A streetfighter, self-promoting hustler, and scheming conman, Cohn was a nefarious actor in one unscrupulous tale after another. He was a true Zelig of the dark side.
From the 1950s to the 1980s, the many dramas of American political life had one common Roy Cohn. In his twenties, the infamous young prosecutor sent Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair and burned 30,000 books by “communist” authors, becoming the baby-faced symbol of McCarthyism. By his thirties, Cohn, with a red scar that ran down his nose from a botched childhood operation, was known in New York City as the Mafia’s hired legal gun. In his forties, he partied with the glitterati at Studio 54 and became friends with Richard Nixon. In his fifties, Cohn was invited to Reagan’s Oval Office. Nancy Reagan called Cohn often for advice and gossip—indeed, Cohn had an almost insatiable interest in gossip, and much of his influence over the years derived from his transactional relationship with gossip columnists. Perhaps most significantly, he mentored the young Donald Trump. The real estate developer, whom Cohn called his “best friend,” phoned him a dozen times a day.
Cohn considered himself the one lawyer in town who could always escape the consequences. Indicted by the Feds on three occasions for bribery, perjury, extortion, and other white-collar crimes, he was acquitted every time. To achieve his ends, he did whatever it took. “If you need somebody to get vicious,” Trump once said, “hire Roy Cohn.”
Years after his death of AIDS in 1986, Cohn emerged as a central figure in Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize–winning 1992 play, Angels in A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Cohn’s feistiness, his surly defiance—and, yes, his charm—were frequently flourished to conceal vast insecurities, particularly regarding his sexuality. As his friend Sidney Zion once wrote, “Roy lived in a closet that was the oddest in history—a closet with neon lights—but he maintained it fiercely.”
A streetfighter, self-promoting hustler, and scheming conman, Cohn was a nefarious actor in one unscrupulous tale after another. He was a true Zelig of the dark side.
16 pages, Audiobook
First published September 1, 2026
About the author
Kai Bird
12 books697 followersKai Bird is an American Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist, best known for his biographies of political figures. He has also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography, the Duff Cooper Prize, a Woodrow Wilson Center Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is a Contributing Editor of The Nation magazine.
Bird was born in 1951. His father was a U.S. Foreign Service officer, and he spent his childhood in Jerusalem, Beirut, Dhahran, Cairo and Bombay. He finished high school in 1969 at Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu, South India. He received his BA from Carleton College in 1973 and a M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University in 1975. Bird now lives in Miami Beach, Florida with his wife, Susan Goldmark, and their son, Joshua.
Bird was born in 1951. His father was a U.S. Foreign Service officer, and he spent his childhood in Jerusalem, Beirut, Dhahran, Cairo and Bombay. He finished high school in 1969 at Kodaikanal International School in Tamil Nadu, South India. He received his BA from Carleton College in 1973 and a M.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University in 1975. Bird now lives in Miami Beach, Florida with his wife, Susan Goldmark, and their son, Joshua.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
August 29, 2026
This is a major professional biography of a super bad dude who has been so influential in US politics and culture but often overlooked. The book is very standard on form and style but really digs into details in an engaging way. I appreciated the details and the gossipy tidbits. A bit long in the middle but mostly a hit.
September 5, 2026
There are many valid ways to fill in the sentence, "How can you vote for a guy who -------". "Is a convicted felon", "went bankrupt running a casino", "can't get from the beginning of a sentence to the end without getting lost", "used explicit racist rules for renting apartments" or "cheated on his pregnant wife with a porn star and then committed tax fraud to pay off the National Enquirer to squash the story", are all acceptable answers.
My favorite however is, "How can you vote for a guy who modeled his approach to life on the lessons he learned from Roy Cohn?"
Cohn was a high-profile lawyer from the early fifties to his death from AIDS in 1986. Cohn was evil. He was pathologically dishonest. He wallowed in corrupt dealmaking, tax fraud, suborning perjury, committing fraud and using unethical and illegal means to defend horrible people.
His first big case was convicting the Rosenbergs of treason and convincing the judge, probably through illegal ex-parte communications, to execute them. He then became chief counsel for Senator McCarthy during his infamous hearings. After that ended in disgrace, he moved back to New York City where he became counsel to most of the major mob guys in New York.
He became the go to guy to get things fixed in New York, and later in Washington. He bragged about never looking at a law book. He said the only book he needed was his rolodex. He was a master at leaking stories to the gossip columns.
He was charged three times with various fraud schemes and beat all three cases. Just before he died, he was disbarred for multiple thefts of funds from clients. He wrote off all of his living expenses to his office and fought off the IRS for over ten years. He died before they could get him.
Bird has written a fascinating and full biography. He chases down many of the details and is a good storyteller. He acknowledges that no one will ever uncover all of the payoffs, bribes, perjury and grift that Cohn engaged in. Cohn fascinated people. He collected celebrities like Babara Walters, Andy Warhol, and Norman Mailer.
Trump was a 27-year-old rich kid hustler who worked for his father when he met Cohn. They clicked immediately. Cohn taught him key lessons he never forgot. It you are attacked, attack back twice as hard, don't worry about the truth, never take notes or send memos, always accuse the other side of bad faith and corruptness, stall and delay any court proceeding, file lawsuits to get headlines, don't worry if the suits get dismissed a couple of years later, always borrow the money for a deal, don't spend your own money. Loyalty matters more than anything. Everyone has to be loyal to you. You don't have to be loyal to anyone. That is the gospel Roy Cohn taught Donald Trump.
Cohn had an amazing client list. He was deeply involved in the Nixon and Reagan campaigns. He was the one who dug up the dirt on Walter Mondale's VP candidate Geraldine Ferraro. He blackmailed the Ford Motor Company. He influenced who was appointed to judgeships in New York. He represented Studio 54 when it was the hippest place in New York. He represented George Steinbrenner on all of his city zoning problems.
Cohn was gay. He hid it completely early in his career when he was working with far-right conservatives. He was subject to very serious rumors when his relationship with another male lawyer became the center of the scandal that ended Joe McCarthy's career. By the 1970s, his sexuality was an open secret in NYC but he continued publicly to oppose gay rights legislation. He never admitted to his conservative friends and clients that he was routinely hosting and attending gay orgies with very young men and even underaged boys. He was a hypocrite at an amazing level.
This book is filled with good stories about bad behavior. Bird tries very hard to give a sense of what Cohn was like. He was an odd duck who prided himself on following no rules. He ran much of his legal practice from his bed. Bird also has a good feel for the corrupt NYC scene in which Cohn operated. The mob controlled all construction. Real estate abatements were up for sale. Everyone was on the take.
Bill T, my old law partner, used to say that the central flaw in the legal system was that it was premised on the idea that lawyers would be basically reasonable and ethical. If a lawyer was completely unreasonable and unethical, the system didn't work. Roy Cohn was a perfect example of that.
(Bonus How Things Change-
Cohn and Alan Dershowitz worked together on the Claus Von Bulow case. Dershowitz said that Cohn tried to cultivate him as a friend because it would help him with "Jewish liberal circles". )
My favorite however is, "How can you vote for a guy who modeled his approach to life on the lessons he learned from Roy Cohn?"
Cohn was a high-profile lawyer from the early fifties to his death from AIDS in 1986. Cohn was evil. He was pathologically dishonest. He wallowed in corrupt dealmaking, tax fraud, suborning perjury, committing fraud and using unethical and illegal means to defend horrible people.
His first big case was convicting the Rosenbergs of treason and convincing the judge, probably through illegal ex-parte communications, to execute them. He then became chief counsel for Senator McCarthy during his infamous hearings. After that ended in disgrace, he moved back to New York City where he became counsel to most of the major mob guys in New York.
He became the go to guy to get things fixed in New York, and later in Washington. He bragged about never looking at a law book. He said the only book he needed was his rolodex. He was a master at leaking stories to the gossip columns.
He was charged three times with various fraud schemes and beat all three cases. Just before he died, he was disbarred for multiple thefts of funds from clients. He wrote off all of his living expenses to his office and fought off the IRS for over ten years. He died before they could get him.
Bird has written a fascinating and full biography. He chases down many of the details and is a good storyteller. He acknowledges that no one will ever uncover all of the payoffs, bribes, perjury and grift that Cohn engaged in. Cohn fascinated people. He collected celebrities like Babara Walters, Andy Warhol, and Norman Mailer.
Trump was a 27-year-old rich kid hustler who worked for his father when he met Cohn. They clicked immediately. Cohn taught him key lessons he never forgot. It you are attacked, attack back twice as hard, don't worry about the truth, never take notes or send memos, always accuse the other side of bad faith and corruptness, stall and delay any court proceeding, file lawsuits to get headlines, don't worry if the suits get dismissed a couple of years later, always borrow the money for a deal, don't spend your own money. Loyalty matters more than anything. Everyone has to be loyal to you. You don't have to be loyal to anyone. That is the gospel Roy Cohn taught Donald Trump.
Cohn had an amazing client list. He was deeply involved in the Nixon and Reagan campaigns. He was the one who dug up the dirt on Walter Mondale's VP candidate Geraldine Ferraro. He blackmailed the Ford Motor Company. He influenced who was appointed to judgeships in New York. He represented Studio 54 when it was the hippest place in New York. He represented George Steinbrenner on all of his city zoning problems.
Cohn was gay. He hid it completely early in his career when he was working with far-right conservatives. He was subject to very serious rumors when his relationship with another male lawyer became the center of the scandal that ended Joe McCarthy's career. By the 1970s, his sexuality was an open secret in NYC but he continued publicly to oppose gay rights legislation. He never admitted to his conservative friends and clients that he was routinely hosting and attending gay orgies with very young men and even underaged boys. He was a hypocrite at an amazing level.
This book is filled with good stories about bad behavior. Bird tries very hard to give a sense of what Cohn was like. He was an odd duck who prided himself on following no rules. He ran much of his legal practice from his bed. Bird also has a good feel for the corrupt NYC scene in which Cohn operated. The mob controlled all construction. Real estate abatements were up for sale. Everyone was on the take.
Bill T, my old law partner, used to say that the central flaw in the legal system was that it was premised on the idea that lawyers would be basically reasonable and ethical. If a lawyer was completely unreasonable and unethical, the system didn't work. Roy Cohn was a perfect example of that.
(Bonus How Things Change-
Cohn and Alan Dershowitz worked together on the Claus Von Bulow case. Dershowitz said that Cohn tried to cultivate him as a friend because it would help him with "Jewish liberal circles". )
September 16, 2026
It is no accident that this new biography of Roy Cohn is appearing in 2026, halfway through the second term of Donald Trump’s presidency. Cohn mentored Trump and passed skills and attitudes on to him. The authors also maintains that his kind of swagger, contempt for the law, and narcissism paved the way for the political success of someone like Trump.
Roy Cohn is best known for his collaboration with Sen. Joseph McCarthy in his witch hunt for Communist sympathizers, particularly in the government civil service and later in the army. Yet Cohn was fired from his position with the HUAC while still in his twenties. He had achieved notoriety and rode the wave of that identity into a legal career marked by a consistent flouting of the law. He bribed judges, stiffed creditors, and spouted anti-gay rhetoric.
Yet Cohn, a gay man with a voracious appetite for kinky sex, was considered a go-to choice if you were in need of a divorce lawyer. He valued the deal above all. His saving grace in the celebrity world of New York was a capacity for friendship and loyalty. People like William F. Buckley, Cy Newhouse, and Barbara Walters valued his friendship. Plenty of people saw him as evil personified, but others loved being in his company and in his good graces.
It must be noted that the gay community of New York despised Cohn. He refused to acknowledge that he was gay and even was a notable gay basher. When he contracted AIDS in the ‘80s, he denied it and passed off his illness as cancer. Ultimately the truth became known.
What to make of all this? Why is he worth this carefully researched book? His approach to life is nearly personified in Donald Trump. Some New Yorkers looked past his illegal behavior to accept the charming man who could inevitably “fix” things These people were also accepting a compromised ethical life. Most of such celebrities owed something to Roy Cohn. He had contacts everywhere, and a certain kind of person embraced him – either ignoring or remaining ignorant of his activities.
Was this fun to read? It is well written, and it offers a peek into the world that gave rise to Trump and MAGA. As such it intrigued me, and the journey was indeed dark.
Roy Cohn is best known for his collaboration with Sen. Joseph McCarthy in his witch hunt for Communist sympathizers, particularly in the government civil service and later in the army. Yet Cohn was fired from his position with the HUAC while still in his twenties. He had achieved notoriety and rode the wave of that identity into a legal career marked by a consistent flouting of the law. He bribed judges, stiffed creditors, and spouted anti-gay rhetoric.
Yet Cohn, a gay man with a voracious appetite for kinky sex, was considered a go-to choice if you were in need of a divorce lawyer. He valued the deal above all. His saving grace in the celebrity world of New York was a capacity for friendship and loyalty. People like William F. Buckley, Cy Newhouse, and Barbara Walters valued his friendship. Plenty of people saw him as evil personified, but others loved being in his company and in his good graces.
It must be noted that the gay community of New York despised Cohn. He refused to acknowledge that he was gay and even was a notable gay basher. When he contracted AIDS in the ‘80s, he denied it and passed off his illness as cancer. Ultimately the truth became known.
What to make of all this? Why is he worth this carefully researched book? His approach to life is nearly personified in Donald Trump. Some New Yorkers looked past his illegal behavior to accept the charming man who could inevitably “fix” things These people were also accepting a compromised ethical life. Most of such celebrities owed something to Roy Cohn. He had contacts everywhere, and a certain kind of person embraced him – either ignoring or remaining ignorant of his activities.
Was this fun to read? It is well written, and it offers a peek into the world that gave rise to Trump and MAGA. As such it intrigued me, and the journey was indeed dark.
September 4, 2026
The title could have been, “The Donald Trump Playbook”. We are living the true lesson of the quote, “ The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good PEOPLE to do nothing.”
September 7, 2026
Such an awful human being. This book was very well researched and written. I am naive and shocked how a person can sink to this depth of depravity — and how his “ways” were taught and still are being practiced.
September 12, 2026
Bird wrote this with pure unfettered hate in his heart and I have to respect it.
September 7, 2026
Chilling. Now I really am worried about my country
September 8, 2026
So much to say for this, firstly it is just an invigorating read. Well researched and put together beautifully, what I expected of Bird. The story was just so much more interesting and engaging than I initially anticipated. Sure he has left his lasting impact on the American establishment and politics of the today but it was not clear if the true impact and orbit he was able to create. And how flawed the man was. A top read of 2026.
September 22, 2026
An extremely well documented biography about one of the most corrupt and sinister men in America, Roy Cohn. From Cohn's public shaming and disgust towards the gay community although gay himself, to the in- your-face legal corruption, and the how-on-earth friendships. This certainly reveals the "birth" of Trump's "trumpism". I guess being powerful, wealthy, and well connected is FAR BETTER than having morally integrity for some. Shame on Barbara Walters. Now time to rewatch ANGELS IN AMERICA.
September 5, 2026
Excellent biography of one of the most controversial persons ever to appear on the American political and business scenes. The title clearly expresses the authors' opinion regarding Cohn. I agree with them in large measure but not entirely.
September 10, 2026
This is a very well-written and well-researched biography about a character and period of history well worth knowing. It suffers, however, from two major handicaps:
1) The author clearly doesn't like his subject, and thus never fully gets on top of why others did. By the end of the McCarthy section, I had such a despicable-to-evil view of Cohn that I almost quit reading. But then, in came these quotes about how many people liked him - Barbara Walters, Si Newhouse - and by Studio 54, I was ready to understand him as a more complex person than I'd at first thought. But the author never really gets to the bottom of Cohn's contradictions or psychology; rather, he sticks ot the thesis that Cohn's a terrible guy and lets all those quotes from people who iked him rest in the imagination as either dupes or scoundrels themselves.
2) The book positions itself unnecessarily around anti-Trumpism. The general tone is "We all know Trump is the worst, and Cohn is why" and it's so unnecessary / undermines the objectivity of the whole thing. Agree or not, forcing the narrative into an assumed (not even well-explicated - just assumed) anti-Trump view weakens the whole book and left me rolling my eyes.
On a more general note, it also could have used more context-building - Cohn was privy to so many interesting places and periods; the details didn't bring it to life to the extent one might hope. And the time allocation was decidedly skewed - too much ink given to rumors of gay hotel orgies, whiel his illness and death were raced through at a sprint.
Overall, I'm left with the impression of a very good writer trying to make the book as marketable as possible by feeding into Trump loathing, keeping page count down, and creating an arch-villain we'll all devour. Far be it from me to criticize wanting a bestseller, but the result is a biography that's less than it could be.
1) The author clearly doesn't like his subject, and thus never fully gets on top of why others did. By the end of the McCarthy section, I had such a despicable-to-evil view of Cohn that I almost quit reading. But then, in came these quotes about how many people liked him - Barbara Walters, Si Newhouse - and by Studio 54, I was ready to understand him as a more complex person than I'd at first thought. But the author never really gets to the bottom of Cohn's contradictions or psychology; rather, he sticks ot the thesis that Cohn's a terrible guy and lets all those quotes from people who iked him rest in the imagination as either dupes or scoundrels themselves.
2) The book positions itself unnecessarily around anti-Trumpism. The general tone is "We all know Trump is the worst, and Cohn is why" and it's so unnecessary / undermines the objectivity of the whole thing. Agree or not, forcing the narrative into an assumed (not even well-explicated - just assumed) anti-Trump view weakens the whole book and left me rolling my eyes.
On a more general note, it also could have used more context-building - Cohn was privy to so many interesting places and periods; the details didn't bring it to life to the extent one might hope. And the time allocation was decidedly skewed - too much ink given to rumors of gay hotel orgies, whiel his illness and death were raced through at a sprint.
Overall, I'm left with the impression of a very good writer trying to make the book as marketable as possible by feeding into Trump loathing, keeping page count down, and creating an arch-villain we'll all devour. Far be it from me to criticize wanting a bestseller, but the result is a biography that's less than it could be.
September 29, 2026
One thing is certain, when you read a biography written by Kai Bird, and assisted by Susan Goldmark you will experience a deeply researched, insightful, and well sourced product. Among Bird’s biographies AMERICAN PROMETHEUS: THE TRIUMPH OF ROBERT J. OPPENHEIMER, THE OUTLIER: THE UNFINISHED PRESIDENCY OF JIMMY CARTER, and THE COLOR OF TRUTH: McGEORGE BUNDY, WILLIAM BUNDY, BROTHERS IN ARMS stand out. All are superb works of history as is his latest effort tackling one of the most despicable and impactful figures of the post-war era in American history – Roy Cohn. Bird’s latest book is entitled AMERICAN SCOUNDREL: ROY COHN’S DARK JOURNEY FROM JOSEPH McCARTHY TO DONALD TRUMP, a monograph that presents a blueprint in understanding the actions and strategies employed by President Trump as Roy Cohn served as Trump’s role model for decades, in addition to educating him in the art of fear and loyalty.
Roy Cohn may have passed away in 1986, but he has forced himself into our contemporary world from the grave due to his influence on Trump. The current occupant of the White House (or what is left of it) always viewed Cohn as his mentor adopting his approach to opponents or what he perceived to be his enemies. How many times have we heard him utter; “Where’s my Roy Cohn” when things did not go his way? Over the last year it seems that Trump may have finally found his Roy Cohn in the presence of his Attorney-General and former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, who like Cohn does not seem to mind obfuscating, outright lying, dissembling, breaking the law, and disregarding the Constitution in carrying out the wishes of his client in the White House.
In a sense Cohn has forced himself into American history through the body and mind of Donald J. Trump. Fintan O’Toole’s commentary pertaining to Bird’s biography in a recent New York Review of Books article, “Devils in America” is emblematic of what we experience on a daily basis. O’Toole writes; “There is something eerie about the thoroughness of Trump’s mimicry of Cohn’s way of dealing with the world: lie relentlessly, refuse to pay small bills, respond to all criticism with smears and threats, claim all defeats as triumphs, sue everybody all the time, weaponize the law and, when you can, the entire justice system, learn from the Mafia, use the phone to avoid leaving a paper trail, always present your highly privileged self as a victim of the elites, divide the world into allies to be used and enemies to be abused, into the winners who must be flattered and the losers who are there to be exploited in every imaginable way.”
Cohn was a menacing post-World War II lawyer who served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin who tortured the American people with his bogus campaign against communists in the government for over four years. Later he would become the lawyer for a young real estate developer who sought to make a name for himself in Manhattan named Donald Trump who spent a great deal of time deflecting allegations of discrimination against prospective Black tenants. Bird’s book describes the evolution of how Cohn’s guile, paranoia, and shamelessness guided the McCarthy hearings which rubbed off on Trump and later impacted American society in such a detrimental way. The book further encompasses Cohn’s tactics as a lawyer, his client base which included the five mob families in New York, numerous celebrity types apart from Donald Trump, his personal life which had strong elements of debauchery, and his political and personal contacts which he would manipulate to achieve his goals.
If there was one coda that Cohn lived by according to Kim Phillip-Fein writing in the October 2026 edition of The Atlantic; “Cohn and Trump had the same attitude toward the law: It was not a system of rules, but a way of getting what you wanted.” Bird spends a great deal of time describing how Cohn got what he wanted by using threats, bribery, creating false realities, bullying, delaying outcomes are among his modus operandi. One might ask why would a person develop into such a nasty individual with such repulsive traits. In Cohn’s case it is clear that his father Al Cohn, a New York State judge whose political cronies were very powerful and his influence could allow him to take care of any important issue. Cohn would learn from his father by observing his- courtroom and being exposed to his contacts. Cohn’s mother Dora placed him on a pedestal and ingrained in him a certain hedonism that carried through his entire life.
Bird’s portrait is a complete one encompassing Cohn’s childhood including his education in the classroom and outside. Cohn soon learned how to ingratiate himself with important people and become their friends. These contacts included mob figures, media moguls, and other influential types who controlled Tammany Hall and the Democratic Party in the 1960s, 70’s, and into the 80s. This allowed Cohn leeway to represent clients be they John Gotti, Donald Trump, Generoso Pope, Frank Costello once he graduated from Columbia Law School in 1947.
When one thinks of Cohn’s early career it usually begins with his work for John McGohey involving the Alger Hiss case dealing with Whitiker Chambers. Once McGohey was elevated to the federal bench Cohn became an assistant to Irving Saypol who was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Cohn would make a name for himself playing fast and loose with prosecutorial standards. His most important case involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Interestingly, Judge Kaufmann who heard the case gained his seat on the federal bench because of Cohn’s father. During the trial Cohn and Kaufmann communicated with each other, which if not illegal was unethical. Cohn did everything he could to obtain a conviction once again violating judicial ethics and due process guarantees. After obtaining convictions and the execution of the Rosenbergs Cohn was offered a position in the Justice Department as Special Assistant for Internal Security. He used that position to go after Owen Lattimore, a Chinese scholar and a special envoy to China under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Once Chiang Kai-Shek was defeated in 1949 the who lost China debate was in full force and Cohn would take advantage of it. All that mattered to him was winning and letting the world know about it. This approach to the law led him to become the Chief Counsel to Joseph McCarthy, in effect he became McCarthy’s Rasputin. According to Bird, the higher Cohn rose, the brasher he became.
Bird’s coverage of the McCarthy era is detailed, insightful, and lays out the strategies the Wisconsin Senator employed which were mostly based on Cohn’s advice. The use of hearing transcripts, newspaper reports, and primary sources allows the reader to experience the “Red Scare” perpetrated by McCarthy and Cohn and how low they would go in order to achieve their agenda. According to Bird, for McCarthy it was in part a personal vendetta against his own insecurities and a desire to destroy the State Department and later the Eisenhower administration. Bird suggests that McCarthy wanted to run for president in 1956 therefore he had to discredit Eisenhower.
One of the most important aspects of the period developed by Bird is his analysis of President Eisenhower’s behavior toward the McCarthy hearings. As Cohn went after the Voice of America and the U.S. Information Agency libraries in Europe trying to prove that they had been infiltrated by Communists, and the Eisenhower administration did nothing. McCarthy and company went after former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, a close friend, McCarthy went after John J. McCloy, Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, banker, and diplomat, and Eisenhower did nothing. It is clear that the President was not equipped to understand the deep paranoia and insecurities awakened by Joe McCarthy and its impact on American society.
As Bird relates details of McCarthy’s inquisition, he explains how quickly the country became divided between those who saw McCarthy as a “crude, brutal demagogue and those who saw him as a god-like savior.” Bird points out correctly comparing the bedrock MAGA supporters of Donald Trump consisting of those who distrusted urban elites, college professors, immigrants, diplomats, and Blacks whose instinct were isolationist and nativist to those who supported McCarthy. Bird will rehash the relationship of David Shine and Roy Cohn, its relationship to McCarthy’s personal quest against the US Army and Eisenhower, and how it finally brought down McCarthy.
The McCarthy hearings served as a wonderful education for Cohn. He admired McCarthy’s guts and the fact he was afraid of nothing. Further, Cohn learned about the use of power and to have a thick skin, to figure out an opponent’s weaknesses and engender fear but also how to achieve revenge.
Bird follows Cohn’s post-McCarthy career in detail including attempts by the government to indict him. Cohn would apply the legal tactics that epitomizes his approach to the law and the federal government that allowed him to prevent any successful prosecution of him and of course his clients. Cohn was the epitome of self-dealing, a main strategy to develop his wealth and avoid taxation. He used his law firm, companies he controlled, and shell companies to pay for his expenses and lifestyle. All tactics that Donald Trump would emulate.
The Trump-Cohn relationship is explored and nothing new is uncovered. Bird discusses how the federal government went after Trump Management in the 1970s for refusing to rent to blacks, the purchase of the Commodore Hotel and its refurbishment, the transition of Bonwit Teller into Trump Tower, Trump’s divorces, and other legal issues which Cohn acted as the go between with the Mob, New York City Government, construction unions as well as taking care of Trump’s legal needs. According to Martin Pengelly in his September 1, 2026, review in The Guardian; “ Everything brutal about Trump, in business and politics, he probably learned from Cohen. How to profit from ties to organized crime? Check. How to stay a step ahead of the law? Check. How to lie remorselessly and never admit wrong or defeat? Check.” According to Bird, Cohn never billed Trump for his services. He was enamored with Trump as he was enamored with David Schine during the 1950s. It is clear if Cohn liked you he could be wonderful, if he didn’t he would try and destroy you.
Bird includes fascinating chapters that delve into FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s relationship with Cohn and the director’s own sexual proclivities. The chapter on Studio 54 provides an eye opening characterization of Cohn’s private life and those celebrities who participated in the raucous drug and sexual experiences that took place in New York in the 1980s. The chapter entitled “Predator” provides examples of his sexual appetite. Other chapters delve into Cohn’s private life, being diagnosed with AIDS, and the impact that Cohn still has on our politics and society.
In the realm of politics Cohn became the role model for Roger Stone who became the master of dirty tricks. Cohn employed tactics like arranging for John Anderson to appear on the 1980 New York State presidential ballot which allowed Ronald Reagan to carry the state. In the election of 1984, he employed his mob connections to dig up dirt on John Zaccaro, the husband of Walter Mondale’s Vice Presidential running mate Geraldine Ferraro. Cohn’s impact on American political history was very consequential.
Roy Cohn’s life was out of control at times, though Bird presents a warm person who would do positive things for his friends and certain relatives. However, his pseudo-sociopathic tendencies would repeatedly win out fostering a hedonistic lifestyle which centered around winning at any cost be it committing perjury, bribing anyone who could change his reality of truth, threatening people, making up facts to fit his own narrative, act as a hypocrite when it came to sexuality, and acting as a bastard when he needed to, which was a good part of the time. He was a deeply disturbed individual who left a negative legacy and impact on history apart from helping to educate a clone in Donald J. Trump. Tutoring Trump may have been the most impactful thing he provided in his legacy. Cohn’s disdain for the American Judiciary and narcissistic politics can be seen every day in Trump’s behavior. In all areas Bird captures the essence of his subject and his monograph explains a great deal about the character Cohn was and Trump is today.
Roy Cohn may have passed away in 1986, but he has forced himself into our contemporary world from the grave due to his influence on Trump. The current occupant of the White House (or what is left of it) always viewed Cohn as his mentor adopting his approach to opponents or what he perceived to be his enemies. How many times have we heard him utter; “Where’s my Roy Cohn” when things did not go his way? Over the last year it seems that Trump may have finally found his Roy Cohn in the presence of his Attorney-General and former personal lawyer, Todd Blanche, who like Cohn does not seem to mind obfuscating, outright lying, dissembling, breaking the law, and disregarding the Constitution in carrying out the wishes of his client in the White House.
In a sense Cohn has forced himself into American history through the body and mind of Donald J. Trump. Fintan O’Toole’s commentary pertaining to Bird’s biography in a recent New York Review of Books article, “Devils in America” is emblematic of what we experience on a daily basis. O’Toole writes; “There is something eerie about the thoroughness of Trump’s mimicry of Cohn’s way of dealing with the world: lie relentlessly, refuse to pay small bills, respond to all criticism with smears and threats, claim all defeats as triumphs, sue everybody all the time, weaponize the law and, when you can, the entire justice system, learn from the Mafia, use the phone to avoid leaving a paper trail, always present your highly privileged self as a victim of the elites, divide the world into allies to be used and enemies to be abused, into the winners who must be flattered and the losers who are there to be exploited in every imaginable way.”
Cohn was a menacing post-World War II lawyer who served as chief counsel to Senator Joseph McCarthy from Wisconsin who tortured the American people with his bogus campaign against communists in the government for over four years. Later he would become the lawyer for a young real estate developer who sought to make a name for himself in Manhattan named Donald Trump who spent a great deal of time deflecting allegations of discrimination against prospective Black tenants. Bird’s book describes the evolution of how Cohn’s guile, paranoia, and shamelessness guided the McCarthy hearings which rubbed off on Trump and later impacted American society in such a detrimental way. The book further encompasses Cohn’s tactics as a lawyer, his client base which included the five mob families in New York, numerous celebrity types apart from Donald Trump, his personal life which had strong elements of debauchery, and his political and personal contacts which he would manipulate to achieve his goals.
If there was one coda that Cohn lived by according to Kim Phillip-Fein writing in the October 2026 edition of The Atlantic; “Cohn and Trump had the same attitude toward the law: It was not a system of rules, but a way of getting what you wanted.” Bird spends a great deal of time describing how Cohn got what he wanted by using threats, bribery, creating false realities, bullying, delaying outcomes are among his modus operandi. One might ask why would a person develop into such a nasty individual with such repulsive traits. In Cohn’s case it is clear that his father Al Cohn, a New York State judge whose political cronies were very powerful and his influence could allow him to take care of any important issue. Cohn would learn from his father by observing his- courtroom and being exposed to his contacts. Cohn’s mother Dora placed him on a pedestal and ingrained in him a certain hedonism that carried through his entire life.
Bird’s portrait is a complete one encompassing Cohn’s childhood including his education in the classroom and outside. Cohn soon learned how to ingratiate himself with important people and become their friends. These contacts included mob figures, media moguls, and other influential types who controlled Tammany Hall and the Democratic Party in the 1960s, 70’s, and into the 80s. This allowed Cohn leeway to represent clients be they John Gotti, Donald Trump, Generoso Pope, Frank Costello once he graduated from Columbia Law School in 1947.
When one thinks of Cohn’s early career it usually begins with his work for John McGohey involving the Alger Hiss case dealing with Whitiker Chambers. Once McGohey was elevated to the federal bench Cohn became an assistant to Irving Saypol who was United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Cohn would make a name for himself playing fast and loose with prosecutorial standards. His most important case involved Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Interestingly, Judge Kaufmann who heard the case gained his seat on the federal bench because of Cohn’s father. During the trial Cohn and Kaufmann communicated with each other, which if not illegal was unethical. Cohn did everything he could to obtain a conviction once again violating judicial ethics and due process guarantees. After obtaining convictions and the execution of the Rosenbergs Cohn was offered a position in the Justice Department as Special Assistant for Internal Security. He used that position to go after Owen Lattimore, a Chinese scholar and a special envoy to China under Franklin D. Roosevelt. Once Chiang Kai-Shek was defeated in 1949 the who lost China debate was in full force and Cohn would take advantage of it. All that mattered to him was winning and letting the world know about it. This approach to the law led him to become the Chief Counsel to Joseph McCarthy, in effect he became McCarthy’s Rasputin. According to Bird, the higher Cohn rose, the brasher he became.
Bird’s coverage of the McCarthy era is detailed, insightful, and lays out the strategies the Wisconsin Senator employed which were mostly based on Cohn’s advice. The use of hearing transcripts, newspaper reports, and primary sources allows the reader to experience the “Red Scare” perpetrated by McCarthy and Cohn and how low they would go in order to achieve their agenda. According to Bird, for McCarthy it was in part a personal vendetta against his own insecurities and a desire to destroy the State Department and later the Eisenhower administration. Bird suggests that McCarthy wanted to run for president in 1956 therefore he had to discredit Eisenhower.
One of the most important aspects of the period developed by Bird is his analysis of President Eisenhower’s behavior toward the McCarthy hearings. As Cohn went after the Voice of America and the U.S. Information Agency libraries in Europe trying to prove that they had been infiltrated by Communists, and the Eisenhower administration did nothing. McCarthy and company went after former Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State General George C. Marshall, a close friend, McCarthy went after John J. McCloy, Assistant Secretary of War during World War II, banker, and diplomat, and Eisenhower did nothing. It is clear that the President was not equipped to understand the deep paranoia and insecurities awakened by Joe McCarthy and its impact on American society.
As Bird relates details of McCarthy’s inquisition, he explains how quickly the country became divided between those who saw McCarthy as a “crude, brutal demagogue and those who saw him as a god-like savior.” Bird points out correctly comparing the bedrock MAGA supporters of Donald Trump consisting of those who distrusted urban elites, college professors, immigrants, diplomats, and Blacks whose instinct were isolationist and nativist to those who supported McCarthy. Bird will rehash the relationship of David Shine and Roy Cohn, its relationship to McCarthy’s personal quest against the US Army and Eisenhower, and how it finally brought down McCarthy.
The McCarthy hearings served as a wonderful education for Cohn. He admired McCarthy’s guts and the fact he was afraid of nothing. Further, Cohn learned about the use of power and to have a thick skin, to figure out an opponent’s weaknesses and engender fear but also how to achieve revenge.
Bird follows Cohn’s post-McCarthy career in detail including attempts by the government to indict him. Cohn would apply the legal tactics that epitomizes his approach to the law and the federal government that allowed him to prevent any successful prosecution of him and of course his clients. Cohn was the epitome of self-dealing, a main strategy to develop his wealth and avoid taxation. He used his law firm, companies he controlled, and shell companies to pay for his expenses and lifestyle. All tactics that Donald Trump would emulate.
The Trump-Cohn relationship is explored and nothing new is uncovered. Bird discusses how the federal government went after Trump Management in the 1970s for refusing to rent to blacks, the purchase of the Commodore Hotel and its refurbishment, the transition of Bonwit Teller into Trump Tower, Trump’s divorces, and other legal issues which Cohn acted as the go between with the Mob, New York City Government, construction unions as well as taking care of Trump’s legal needs. According to Martin Pengelly in his September 1, 2026, review in The Guardian; “ Everything brutal about Trump, in business and politics, he probably learned from Cohen. How to profit from ties to organized crime? Check. How to stay a step ahead of the law? Check. How to lie remorselessly and never admit wrong or defeat? Check.” According to Bird, Cohn never billed Trump for his services. He was enamored with Trump as he was enamored with David Schine during the 1950s. It is clear if Cohn liked you he could be wonderful, if he didn’t he would try and destroy you.
Bird includes fascinating chapters that delve into FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover’s relationship with Cohn and the director’s own sexual proclivities. The chapter on Studio 54 provides an eye opening characterization of Cohn’s private life and those celebrities who participated in the raucous drug and sexual experiences that took place in New York in the 1980s. The chapter entitled “Predator” provides examples of his sexual appetite. Other chapters delve into Cohn’s private life, being diagnosed with AIDS, and the impact that Cohn still has on our politics and society.
In the realm of politics Cohn became the role model for Roger Stone who became the master of dirty tricks. Cohn employed tactics like arranging for John Anderson to appear on the 1980 New York State presidential ballot which allowed Ronald Reagan to carry the state. In the election of 1984, he employed his mob connections to dig up dirt on John Zaccaro, the husband of Walter Mondale’s Vice Presidential running mate Geraldine Ferraro. Cohn’s impact on American political history was very consequential.
Roy Cohn’s life was out of control at times, though Bird presents a warm person who would do positive things for his friends and certain relatives. However, his pseudo-sociopathic tendencies would repeatedly win out fostering a hedonistic lifestyle which centered around winning at any cost be it committing perjury, bribing anyone who could change his reality of truth, threatening people, making up facts to fit his own narrative, act as a hypocrite when it came to sexuality, and acting as a bastard when he needed to, which was a good part of the time. He was a deeply disturbed individual who left a negative legacy and impact on history apart from helping to educate a clone in Donald J. Trump. Tutoring Trump may have been the most impactful thing he provided in his legacy. Cohn’s disdain for the American Judiciary and narcissistic politics can be seen every day in Trump’s behavior. In all areas Bird captures the essence of his subject and his monograph explains a great deal about the character Cohn was and Trump is today.
September 23, 2026
I now know where the orange menace learned about dastardly deeds such as not paying his bills. I've considered Roy Cohn to be a rat for decades. This book merely substantiates my opinion.
Well written. Some disturbing (to me) information.
Well written. Some disturbing (to me) information.
September 14, 2026
Did I enjoy this? No.
Did I learn things? Yes.
Did I like anything I learned? No.
It is well researched and important history. It is very name and date heavy. Some sections flowed very well as a non-fiction narrative and others were boring. Felt like there were a couple of tangents, but overall well done. Just suuuuuper unenjoyable. Kind of a chore to finish, to be honest.
Did I learn things? Yes.
Did I like anything I learned? No.
It is well researched and important history. It is very name and date heavy. Some sections flowed very well as a non-fiction narrative and others were boring. Felt like there were a couple of tangents, but overall well done. Just suuuuuper unenjoyable. Kind of a chore to finish, to be honest.
September 13, 2026
An outstanding book about a truly evil man.
September 7, 2026
There are clues to how flawed individuals get that way.
Of the three "client segments" (McCarthy Hearings, the Mafia, and Donald Trump), I found the Trump history most enlightening -- two users using each other. Cohn's McCarthy history gave me more detail and understanding of the tragedy and why it's relevant now. The mob segment was just more evidence of Cohn's moral void.
Cohn is a window into the lawlessness of our present Executive Branch. I confess, as I listened on Audible, I had the guilty twinges felt when indulging in a crime podcast.
Of the three "client segments" (McCarthy Hearings, the Mafia, and Donald Trump), I found the Trump history most enlightening -- two users using each other. Cohn's McCarthy history gave me more detail and understanding of the tragedy and why it's relevant now. The mob segment was just more evidence of Cohn's moral void.
Cohn is a window into the lawlessness of our present Executive Branch. I confess, as I listened on Audible, I had the guilty twinges felt when indulging in a crime podcast.
October 4, 2026
Wow this was another hard book to read but so important and ultimately helped me to feel less crazy and so much more informed in the political landscape of 2026.
I had heard the name Roy Cohn but couldn't have told you specific facts about him prior to reading this book. His life was long and impactful, but did he ever truly use his power, money, or charisma for good? Or did he ruthless seek to serve himself, to avoid following the rules, to prop up his friends, to destroy his enemies? I think it is hard to say that a life is all good or all bad, and I did appreciate that there were times that author Kai Bird talked about what Cohn did for his "friends." Yet ultimately, for Cohn, friendship seemed to be a series of transactions and trading of favors, manipulations or downright tricks. In story after story, in Roy's own words, through the decades, Cohn sought power for himself, pleasure for himself, all to the detriment of whoever or whatever was in his way. The history of getting out of lawsuits by counter-suing, deflecting, denying, outright lying—loud and long—then throwing money at the problem felt shockingly familiar, yet Cohn started behaving this way in the early to mid-1900s. Obviously this book clearly drew a line between the influence of Cohn and the rise Donald Trump, but even without that knowledge from the subtitle, Cohn's own words from his early years ring with the words our president routinely uses.
I had to listen to this in small bits at a time because it was terribly depressing, at times horrifically graphic, and yet important to understand the history that brought us to life today. When we are unwilling to look at how we arrived somewhere, how we will ever learn for the future? If only this book could be a cautionary tale; rather it is ominous and depressing, even though I do feel glad to understand things better now. Perhaps it isn't too late for us to learn from the legacy of Cohn. I sure hope not.
I listened to this audiobook for Sharon McMahon's bookclub and I look forward to hearing from the author during our meeting. I'm excited to hear what he has to say about how he sees the future, knowing this history.
I had heard the name Roy Cohn but couldn't have told you specific facts about him prior to reading this book. His life was long and impactful, but did he ever truly use his power, money, or charisma for good? Or did he ruthless seek to serve himself, to avoid following the rules, to prop up his friends, to destroy his enemies? I think it is hard to say that a life is all good or all bad, and I did appreciate that there were times that author Kai Bird talked about what Cohn did for his "friends." Yet ultimately, for Cohn, friendship seemed to be a series of transactions and trading of favors, manipulations or downright tricks. In story after story, in Roy's own words, through the decades, Cohn sought power for himself, pleasure for himself, all to the detriment of whoever or whatever was in his way. The history of getting out of lawsuits by counter-suing, deflecting, denying, outright lying—loud and long—then throwing money at the problem felt shockingly familiar, yet Cohn started behaving this way in the early to mid-1900s. Obviously this book clearly drew a line between the influence of Cohn and the rise Donald Trump, but even without that knowledge from the subtitle, Cohn's own words from his early years ring with the words our president routinely uses.
I had to listen to this in small bits at a time because it was terribly depressing, at times horrifically graphic, and yet important to understand the history that brought us to life today. When we are unwilling to look at how we arrived somewhere, how we will ever learn for the future? If only this book could be a cautionary tale; rather it is ominous and depressing, even though I do feel glad to understand things better now. Perhaps it isn't too late for us to learn from the legacy of Cohn. I sure hope not.
I listened to this audiobook for Sharon McMahon's bookclub and I look forward to hearing from the author during our meeting. I'm excited to hear what he has to say about how he sees the future, knowing this history.
October 4, 2026
The narration was outstanding, and the research was incredible. It’s a fascinating book about a lousy human who left an imprint on this country that we are dealing with today.
Five stars — but spending that much time inside the world of corruption, and disregard of the justice system left me feeling like I needed a shower.
Five stars — but spending that much time inside the world of corruption, and disregard of the justice system left me feeling like I needed a shower.
September 27, 2026
5 stars for the writing. I read this for a bookclub. There were times I had to skim because I did not want to fill my mind with Cohn’s salacious life. He was as is depicted on his panel of the aids quilt “bully, coward, victim”
September 17, 2026
4.5 stars for a book I found riveting, well-researched, and all too pertinent for today. This is not a book for people who like Trump, Roy Cohn's protege, as the author draws parallels and underscores the similarities in the epilogue. But that is definitely not me, and I appreciated where much of the scary inheritance that we live under today came from.
We are taken from Roy Cohn's youth, the apple of his unappealing-sounding mother's eye and his judge father to his last days, dying of AIDS and denying it to the end. There are chapters on the McCarthy relationship and hearings, his conduct after that era, his influential friends, ties to the mob, Studio 54 days, Donald Trump, his closeted gay life and much more.
I found it a compelling read and extremely interesting. He was not an admirable human being, but it is a nuanced portrait.
We are taken from Roy Cohn's youth, the apple of his unappealing-sounding mother's eye and his judge father to his last days, dying of AIDS and denying it to the end. There are chapters on the McCarthy relationship and hearings, his conduct after that era, his influential friends, ties to the mob, Studio 54 days, Donald Trump, his closeted gay life and much more.
I found it a compelling read and extremely interesting. He was not an admirable human being, but it is a nuanced portrait.
September 21, 2026
5 stars, not because I enjoyed it, but because of the impact it left on me. I'll be talking about this for ages: the absolute fuckery Roy Cohn lived by, and how long it took anyone to stop him. His protégé, Donald Trump, learned from the best.
I'm still waiting for the right words to write a proper review. Until then, consider this your nudge to read it and take note, so we can band together and keep another cult of personality from doing this kind of harm again.
I'm still waiting for the right words to write a proper review. Until then, consider this your nudge to read it and take note, so we can band together and keep another cult of personality from doing this kind of harm again.
September 21, 2026
Ugh!!! Well written history of a slime ball.
September 8, 2026
I gave this five stars not because of enjoyment but because of importance. This book explains so much about our current political mess. What a horrible human being who did lasting harm. This recent history is vital for people today to know about.
September 2, 2026
I finished this book today and I am restarting this book today.
September 25, 2026
One wishes that Roy Cohn wasn’t a figure worth writing a biography about. That Columbia Law would have corrected or rejected the young scoundrel. That the Southern District of New York would have noted his moral bankruptcy and never hired him as a prosecutor. That McCarthy never gained such a foothold over America with a message of suspicion and hate, much less that Roy Cohn should be the mastermind behind the needless destruction of hundreds, maybe thousands of lives during the early 1950s.
I wish Barbara Walters and seemingly half of New York hadn’t seen fit to hang out with the scoundrel, to go to his parties and orgies. The life of Si Newhouse seems paradigmatic. Newhouse in 1955 had a stable life as a career publisher, until his friendship with Cohn threw his life into turmoil. “He enjoyed being around Roy precisely because he was full of gossip and social energy.” And then, “Under Roy’s influence, Si’s marriage began to fall apart.” The guy had three children, but Cohn always thought he could live a more “glamorous” life. Cohn managed the divorce proceedings, naturally. I’m sure Si’s first wife was unable to get a fair share of the wealth she was owed.
That’s partly what happened to all of us. We love the gossip, we’re charmed by scoundrels, and we like the idea that a tough guy might be working on our side, taking out those who are in our way.
In American life, it’s always “the establishment.” McCarthy drew support by attacking the State Department, a bastion of the old Washington, DC “power elite.” The center of that power elite in those days was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the McCarthy machine, powered by Cohn, very nearly took this figure down, too. All by spreading rumors that the US armed forces were full of communists.
Why is that story significant? Because what Cohn and McCarthy left undone, Donald J. Trump and various MAGA agents have done, and done, and done. The “establishment,” America’s “power elite,” have been eviscerated, forced to “bend the knee” in so many and various ways, and the tactics have all been Cohn’s. Sue everyone, all the time. Defend yourself by attacking. Demonize whoever — communists, liberals, the entitled upper class, and appeal again and again to your defense of the working class, never minding that that’s a con game. Meanwhile, steal the money, make deals with the mob, and make a mockery of any tax agencies that try to get in your way.
The bare facts of scoundrelism are not all that interesting. One quickly tires of contemplating the scoundrel’s mentality. They seek power and prestige because they have a black hole of anxiety and fear where a stable sense of self is supposed to go. Gross, but understandable. No, what makes all this absolutely fascinating, and puzzling, really, is why it works. Why McCarthy was so successful. Why Cohn was so successful. Why did one of the supposedly better US Attorneys, Robert Morgenthau, fail to convict Cohn in trial, not one, but three times? Why did people see that he was a vicious attack dog of a person, yet still like him? Why does Trump to this day have so many people admiring him?
Part of it is the attraction to glamour, and part of it is the sense that a bully is a useful weapon, on your side. Part of it is the longstanding aversion to establishment circles of power elite in our country. Still, though, part of it is mysterious, or else sheer idiocy. Barbara Walters certainly comes off as an idiot when, in the 1970s, she penned a note to Cohn that read, “how sweet a man you are (you really are), how very dear you are to me.… I thought this past weekend of all the years we’ve known each other—how the friendship and trust have only grown, and most of all, how much I enjoy your company.”
Then again, Cohn was loyal — to Walters. That Cohn had deprived and hurt countless other women, like Suzy Kaufmann, by pushing aggressively for divorce papers that would benefit their ex-husbands, must have been known to Walters, but she didn’t care. So maybe Walters wasn’t an idiot, but just a person with little to no empathy, or who successfully empathized only with Cohn’s circle of friends, and blocked out all the people he harmed.
However it works, it works. What this book lacks is some kind of game plan for fighting back against scoundrelism. I suppose at this point we have to wait for the zeitgeist to swing the other way. For the moral release of the 2010s and 2020s to experience a reactionary period of new moral awakening. Realizing once again, as in 1954, that hurting each other gets us no where. That the promises of the scoundrel amount to nothing, nothing. They never pay their bills! They’ll say anything in the spur of the moment. They’ll claim over and over again that they are the sole and major force for good in society, and that they, we, are beset by enemies, enemies, enemies. We have to read American Scoundrel, we have to generate pamphlets, bulleted lists, curriculum designs, to help inoculate ourselves from being ruled by scoundrels again.
But one grows gloomy at the thought. It seems like suckers are born every minute, and the worst scoundrels always have a new and bigger grift to take our wealth and set us against each other instead of attacking them. Time will tell, I suppose.
I wish Barbara Walters and seemingly half of New York hadn’t seen fit to hang out with the scoundrel, to go to his parties and orgies. The life of Si Newhouse seems paradigmatic. Newhouse in 1955 had a stable life as a career publisher, until his friendship with Cohn threw his life into turmoil. “He enjoyed being around Roy precisely because he was full of gossip and social energy.” And then, “Under Roy’s influence, Si’s marriage began to fall apart.” The guy had three children, but Cohn always thought he could live a more “glamorous” life. Cohn managed the divorce proceedings, naturally. I’m sure Si’s first wife was unable to get a fair share of the wealth she was owed.
That’s partly what happened to all of us. We love the gossip, we’re charmed by scoundrels, and we like the idea that a tough guy might be working on our side, taking out those who are in our way.
In American life, it’s always “the establishment.” McCarthy drew support by attacking the State Department, a bastion of the old Washington, DC “power elite.” The center of that power elite in those days was President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the McCarthy machine, powered by Cohn, very nearly took this figure down, too. All by spreading rumors that the US armed forces were full of communists.
Why is that story significant? Because what Cohn and McCarthy left undone, Donald J. Trump and various MAGA agents have done, and done, and done. The “establishment,” America’s “power elite,” have been eviscerated, forced to “bend the knee” in so many and various ways, and the tactics have all been Cohn’s. Sue everyone, all the time. Defend yourself by attacking. Demonize whoever — communists, liberals, the entitled upper class, and appeal again and again to your defense of the working class, never minding that that’s a con game. Meanwhile, steal the money, make deals with the mob, and make a mockery of any tax agencies that try to get in your way.
The bare facts of scoundrelism are not all that interesting. One quickly tires of contemplating the scoundrel’s mentality. They seek power and prestige because they have a black hole of anxiety and fear where a stable sense of self is supposed to go. Gross, but understandable. No, what makes all this absolutely fascinating, and puzzling, really, is why it works. Why McCarthy was so successful. Why Cohn was so successful. Why did one of the supposedly better US Attorneys, Robert Morgenthau, fail to convict Cohn in trial, not one, but three times? Why did people see that he was a vicious attack dog of a person, yet still like him? Why does Trump to this day have so many people admiring him?
Part of it is the attraction to glamour, and part of it is the sense that a bully is a useful weapon, on your side. Part of it is the longstanding aversion to establishment circles of power elite in our country. Still, though, part of it is mysterious, or else sheer idiocy. Barbara Walters certainly comes off as an idiot when, in the 1970s, she penned a note to Cohn that read, “how sweet a man you are (you really are), how very dear you are to me.… I thought this past weekend of all the years we’ve known each other—how the friendship and trust have only grown, and most of all, how much I enjoy your company.”
Then again, Cohn was loyal — to Walters. That Cohn had deprived and hurt countless other women, like Suzy Kaufmann, by pushing aggressively for divorce papers that would benefit their ex-husbands, must have been known to Walters, but she didn’t care. So maybe Walters wasn’t an idiot, but just a person with little to no empathy, or who successfully empathized only with Cohn’s circle of friends, and blocked out all the people he harmed.
However it works, it works. What this book lacks is some kind of game plan for fighting back against scoundrelism. I suppose at this point we have to wait for the zeitgeist to swing the other way. For the moral release of the 2010s and 2020s to experience a reactionary period of new moral awakening. Realizing once again, as in 1954, that hurting each other gets us no where. That the promises of the scoundrel amount to nothing, nothing. They never pay their bills! They’ll say anything in the spur of the moment. They’ll claim over and over again that they are the sole and major force for good in society, and that they, we, are beset by enemies, enemies, enemies. We have to read American Scoundrel, we have to generate pamphlets, bulleted lists, curriculum designs, to help inoculate ourselves from being ruled by scoundrels again.
But one grows gloomy at the thought. It seems like suckers are born every minute, and the worst scoundrels always have a new and bigger grift to take our wealth and set us against each other instead of attacking them. Time will tell, I suppose.
September 29, 2026
Prometheus steals fire to enlighten the world. A scoundrel steals fire to light his cigar—and then blames someone else for the smoke. That distinction is the perfect lens for Kai Bird and Susan Goldmark’s American Scoundrel, a riveting, deeply unsettling portrait of Roy Cohn and the trail of smoke he left across American public life.
The comparison with Bird’s earlier American Prometheus is irresistible. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Roy Cohn had little in common beyond Jewish backgrounds, formidable intelligence, and a capacity for self-invention, yet both emerge as extraordinarily complex, three-dimensional figures. Oppenheimer’s transgression was Promethean: he helped seize the fire of the atom, then wrestled with its moral consequences and suffered under the machinery of the state. Cohn’s rebellion was of another order—transactional, self-serving, and corrosive. He did not bring fire to humanity; he used it to light the next cigar, fill the room with smoke, and make everyone argue about who struck the match.
The difference between the books’ coauthors is also worth noting. Martin J. Sherwin, the historian who began the decades-long Oppenheimer project, supplied the archival foundation and historical depth that Kai Bird helped shape into a Pulitzer Prize-winning life. Here, Bird works with Susan Goldmark, his wife and longtime research partner, whose contribution helps produce an equally layered but very different biography: less tragedy on a mythic scale than an anatomy of influence, appetite, grievance, and impunity. The result is not a cardboard villain but a man of contradictions—brilliant and bullying, loyal to friends and destructive to institutions, socially magnetic and morally vacant.
The epilogue is especially effective because it refuses to let Cohn’s death clear the air. His private burial and crowded public memorial preserve the image he cultivated—“lawyer and patriot,” loyal friend, feared fixer—even as disbarment, AIDS, and the IRS’s eventual recovery of his long-evaded taxes expose the fraud beneath it. His cultural afterlife, from the AIDS Memorial Quilt’s devastating “Bully, coward, victim” to Angels in America and countless screen caricatures, turns him into something larger than biography: a symbol of American shamelessness.
Most disturbing is the book’s argument that Cohn’s methods survived him. Attack the judge rather than answer the law. Admit nothing. Deny everything. Repeat the charge. Exploit delay, gossip, spectacle, and grievance. Through Donald Trump, the cigar was passed on, and the smoke escaped the back room to settle over national politics. Bird and Goldmark show that Cohn’s real legacy was not a philosophy but a method—a way of bending institutions until aggression looked like strength and consequences seemed optional.
American Scoundrel is exhaustively researched, vivid, and unnervingly timely. It pairs naturally with American Prometheus, but as a dark inversion: one biography asks what happens when a brilliant man gives humanity a terrible fire and confronts the cost; the other asks what happens when a brilliant man treats the fire as his private lighter and leaves the rest of us choking on the smoke.
The comparison with Bird’s earlier American Prometheus is irresistible. J. Robert Oppenheimer and Roy Cohn had little in common beyond Jewish backgrounds, formidable intelligence, and a capacity for self-invention, yet both emerge as extraordinarily complex, three-dimensional figures. Oppenheimer’s transgression was Promethean: he helped seize the fire of the atom, then wrestled with its moral consequences and suffered under the machinery of the state. Cohn’s rebellion was of another order—transactional, self-serving, and corrosive. He did not bring fire to humanity; he used it to light the next cigar, fill the room with smoke, and make everyone argue about who struck the match.
The difference between the books’ coauthors is also worth noting. Martin J. Sherwin, the historian who began the decades-long Oppenheimer project, supplied the archival foundation and historical depth that Kai Bird helped shape into a Pulitzer Prize-winning life. Here, Bird works with Susan Goldmark, his wife and longtime research partner, whose contribution helps produce an equally layered but very different biography: less tragedy on a mythic scale than an anatomy of influence, appetite, grievance, and impunity. The result is not a cardboard villain but a man of contradictions—brilliant and bullying, loyal to friends and destructive to institutions, socially magnetic and morally vacant.
The epilogue is especially effective because it refuses to let Cohn’s death clear the air. His private burial and crowded public memorial preserve the image he cultivated—“lawyer and patriot,” loyal friend, feared fixer—even as disbarment, AIDS, and the IRS’s eventual recovery of his long-evaded taxes expose the fraud beneath it. His cultural afterlife, from the AIDS Memorial Quilt’s devastating “Bully, coward, victim” to Angels in America and countless screen caricatures, turns him into something larger than biography: a symbol of American shamelessness.
Most disturbing is the book’s argument that Cohn’s methods survived him. Attack the judge rather than answer the law. Admit nothing. Deny everything. Repeat the charge. Exploit delay, gossip, spectacle, and grievance. Through Donald Trump, the cigar was passed on, and the smoke escaped the back room to settle over national politics. Bird and Goldmark show that Cohn’s real legacy was not a philosophy but a method—a way of bending institutions until aggression looked like strength and consequences seemed optional.
American Scoundrel is exhaustively researched, vivid, and unnervingly timely. It pairs naturally with American Prometheus, but as a dark inversion: one biography asks what happens when a brilliant man gives humanity a terrible fire and confronts the cost; the other asks what happens when a brilliant man treats the fire as his private lighter and leaves the rest of us choking on the smoke.
September 27, 2026
This biography is detailed and well-researched. Heading to a thesaurus and finding synonyms for unscrupulous, sinister, hypocrite and resentful would not be adequate enough to describe Roy Cohn's negative qualities. Yet, his many connections and "friends" praised his loyalty to them, claiming he was misunderstood and a sweet and charming individual. Cohn's mentoring influence on Donald Trump attests to his guiding principles that Trump embodies: never settle or surrender, never apologize, have no regrets, never admit defeat, ignore the rules and do what you want, don't worry about truth and make up the story, delay, delay, delay and attack, rat out anybody else rather than taking responsibility. Also, don't pay your bills. As Roy Cohn changed history, so does Donald Trump.
October 5, 2026
Another excellent offering from Mr. Bird and Ms. Goldmark. Lots of varied info and insight in less that 400 pages of text. Well done.
I know a lot more about an influential , yet utterly despicable person. Still debating if I should have spent the time on it. I thought, and knew, Mr. Cohn was a bad dude, but I had no clue how abborant he was.
Not going to penalize the authors and the work they put in due to the subject, however.
I know a lot more about an influential , yet utterly despicable person. Still debating if I should have spent the time on it. I thought, and knew, Mr. Cohn was a bad dude, but I had no clue how abborant he was.
Not going to penalize the authors and the work they put in due to the subject, however.
October 4, 2026
So much ground covered - the Hiss case, the Rosenbergs, the Army-McCarthy hearings, organized crime, 70s NYC, Donald Trump, the rise of Reagan, AIDS - and somehow you stay with this incredibly reprehensible character and never lose sight of his humanity. As good as "American Prometheus."
Read
October 5, 2026Fascinating, horrifying, couldn’t stop listening to the audiobook and was extremely glad when it was over. Incredibly insightful given our current administration and the state of the nation but also makes it that much more depressing. Not sure how to rate it so I won’t.
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