I’ve been trying to digest the daylong testimony given by Donald Trump’s former lawyer, his former “fixer,” his former confidant.

I’m not sure where to start. I guess anywhere is as good a place as any to begin pondering.

I’ll start with this: Michael Cohen said during his lengthy opening statement that the man for whom he worked for a decade never — in Cohen’s presence — uttered a single word or sentence that wondered about how he could do good for the country.

That was among the most instructive and edifying assessments of the president that I’ve ever heard. It also rings so very true to my ears.

I have said ever since Trump declared his candidacy for the presidency that his entire professional life has been geared toward one goal: self-enrichment. Cohen’s assertion that Trump has never spoken out loud about how he could make the country a better place seems to affirm the view that Trump’s sole focus is on his brand, his reputation, his own self-worth.

That’s how he has ran his business. It is how he has rolled ever since his father staked him all those millions to start building his empire. In my view, it is how he has governed.

Of course I cannot speak to what the president says in private. I certainly have heard what he has said publicly. He speaks about the trade deals he intends to broker to help preserve Americans jobs. He talks about treaties he denigrates as being cobbled together by fools who ran the government before him.

The view that Cohen expressed today, though, about Trump’s overarching motivation for doing anything is aimed at helping his brand sounds so, shall I say, Trump-like.

I am posting this brief item while former Donald Trump lawyer and friend Michael Cohen is talking to the House Government Oversight Committee.

What I’ve heard today gives me three items to take away. So far . . .

• Cohen told committee members that he has “lied, but I am not a liar.” Actually, by definition Cohen is a liar. He lied to Congress, he pleaded guilty to the felony and will serve some time in prison beginning in May. Liars lie. You cannot assert that you are not a liar after you have lied.
• Committee member Carolyn Maloney’s questioning of Cohen included continual references from her to the witness as “Michael.” The Democratic lawmaker kept referring to him by his first name, which I consider to be highly unusual and unbecoming. It speaks of a certain disrespect for the proceeding, which is delivering a blistering account by Cohen of his relationship with the president of the United States. The “Michael” reference needs to end.
• Cohen’s 30-minute opening statement contained at least three direct apologies to the House and Senate for his lying to both bodies. He has atoned for his indiscretion. He has admitted to wrongdoing. Still, committee Republicans keep repeating what Cohen himself has said. They are trying to restate the obvious, which is something that Cohen has already stated. Get off it, GOP members!

It will continue for the rest of the week as Cohen reveals to the world what he believes to be the truth about the president of the United States.

This is what I call gripping public affairs programming.

I’ll have more to say as this saga continues.