| Notes |
By 1980, Roy Cohn was one of the most powerful lawyers and fixers in New York City. His clients included the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, Donald Trump, and Rupert Murdoch. The New York Post, controlled by Murdoch, went all in for Reagan, including working to split the liberal vote by boosting Independent candidate John Anderson—who caused a perennially blue state to flip to Reagan 46-44.
Simultaneously, Roy Cohn was in “almost daily” communications with William Casey, Reagan’s campaign manager—and Knight of Malta—who became CIA Director. It was Casey who orchestrated a deal with the Ayatollah and Israeli government to funnel arms to Iran—if Iran would hold off on releasing the hostages until after Reagan was inaugurated. |