The Trump Presidency – 2016

[BBT]

My guess is that Trump's team will say that they didn't know what Cohen was paying off, and that they reimbursed him because that's what businesses do. Claim ignorance, no collusion, nothing to see here. GOP will continue to ignore.

Or, some very bad news is about to drop and Trump's hoping this will cover up what ever that is. You know...standard protocol for the Trump White House.

[Logan]

It's admitting to one crime that they knew they had a 5% chance of successfully covering up by admitting to another that they think they may have a 6% chance of covering up.

[JPhillips]

So if I threaten to expose my sexy time with Trump can I still get a 130,000 pay off with no questions asked?

[Logan]

Donald J. Trump
‏
Verified account

@realDonaldTrump

Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are.....

...very common among celebrities and people of wealth. In this case it is in full force and effect and will be used in Arbitration for damages against Ms. Clifford (Daniels). The agreement was used to stop the false and extortionist accusations made by her about an affair,......

...despite already having signed a detailed letter admitting that there was no affair. Prior to its violation by Ms. Clifford and her attorney, this was a private agreement. Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll in this transaction.

With no exaggeration, I would pay $500 right now for the actual Trump-written version of these tweets instead of whoever wrote these.

I assume the "roll" was the only piece leftover from his own issuance.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Giuliani: Trump repaid Cohen $130K for payment to porn star

What exactly is Guliani's game here?

No idea. My best guess is that Giuliani is connected to some shady stuff with the 2016 campaign and he's using his new pulpit to throw everyone else under the bus in hopes that his part in everything gets passed over.

I have nothing to back that up other than it would make his actions make sense.

(And unlike most others in the Trump circle who have no political instincts, Giuliani has demonstrated political savvy in the past.)

[JPhillips]

It's possible that they are so concerned with what Mueller has that they're trying to clean up some past lies.

Also, shouldn't the list of people authorized to use the POTUS twitter account be public? It really is a national security issue.

[digamma]

I'm going to go with an exercise where i take what Trump says about Cohen entering into the NDA "through reimbursement" at face value.

Cohen is either or is just being made to look like the dumbest lawyer on the face of the earth.

I've worked with a lot of lawyers of different shapes and sizes. Ethics aside, I've never met one who would front a settlement payment in exchange for monthly payments.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

Giuliani: Trump repaid Cohen $130K for payment to porn star

What exactly is Guliani's game here?

I think the most coherent theory is that they (whomever that is) believed that this would eventually get out anyhow, so to portray it as exculpitory (that the money was not illegally sent from the campaign, nor for foundation) was a worthwhile angle.

It's a stretch, and it's absurd, but it's the only way I can piece together doing this as a logical move at any level.

[QuikSand]

Originally Posted by digamma

I've worked with a lot of lawyers of different shapes and sizes. Ethics aside, I've never met one who would front a settlement payment in exchange for monthly payments.

I am not in the profession, exactly. But the idea of accepting unorthodox responsibilities like this as part of the cost of being a key guy for a big shot like Trump? Presumably gets paid pretty soundly, lets him walk around town like a big deal, he probably can get laid a lot with your stories of how he rolls big, for a dumbass like Cohen this sort of Faustian bargain doesn't seem like much of a stretch.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Logan

With no exaggeration, I would pay $500 right now for the actual Trump-written version of these tweets instead of whoever wrote these.

I assume the "roll" was the only piece leftover from his own issuance.

That was so clearly written by a lawyer-Michael Cohen's been a friend for years, but you are calling him Mr. Cohen now?

[Thomkal]

And Rody's defense about Trump making the payment to try to save his marriage. :::rolls eyes:::

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by digamma

I've worked with a lot of lawyers of different shapes and sizes. Ethics aside, I've never met one who would front a settlement payment in exchange for monthly payments.

There's an issue with legal ethics there. Not the high-minded moral concept of ethics, but the particular set of rules that attorneys must follow as part of being members in good standing of the bar: http://www.nycourts.gov/rules/jointa...nduct-1200.pdf

A lot of those rules involve strict regulation of co-mingling of client funds with attorney funds, separate accounts for client funds, etc. See Rule 1.15 above for New York's take on the whole thing.

All of which is to say that an arrangement like the one implied by Giuliani might be permissible (I'm really not sure), but it would have to be structured in a pretty careful way. And something about Trump/Cohen just does not scream "careful" to me.

To get to Quik's point about this being part of the Faustian bargain--things like these ethical rules become a practical problem only if someone brings them to the bar's attention. Cohen could have been engaged in improper bookkeeping for years, and if his clients never complained and it never hurt a third party, there would be no reason for anyone to notice.

[stevew]

Cohen went to literally the worst law school in the US. Not surprising he is a moron.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

And Rody's defense about Trump making the payment to try to save his marriage. :::rolls eyes:::

I take that as a Kinsley gaffe. If Trump's sexy time is public knowledge Melania might walk away. Save the marriage was just another way to say, maintain plausible deniability for Trump's free fucking lifestyle.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by stevew

Cohen went to literally the worst law school in the US. Not surprising he is a moron.

Trump U. Law?

[digamma]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

There's an issue with legal ethics there. Not the high-minded moral concept of ethics, but the particular set of rules that attorneys must follow as part of being members in good standing of the bar: http://www.nycourts.gov/rules/jointa...nduct-1200.pdf

A lot of those rules involve strict regulation of co-mingling of client funds with attorney funds, separate accounts for client funds, etc. See Rule 1.15 above for New York's take on the whole thing.

All of which is to say that an arrangement like the one implied by Giuliani might be permissible (I'm really not sure), but it would have to be structured in a pretty careful way. And something about Trump/Cohen just does not scream "careful" to me.

To get to Quik's point about this being part of the Faustian bargain--things like these ethical rules become a practical problem only if someone brings them to the bar's attention. Cohen could have been engaged in improper bookkeeping for years, and if his clients never complained and it never hurt a third party, there would be no reason for anyone to notice.

Thanks for looking this up. It's exactly why I put "Ethics aside" in my post. I was just too lazy to do the leg work.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

And Rody's defense about Trump making the payment to try to save his marriage. :::roles eyes:::

Fixed

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Logan

Fixed

Yeah they really need to get some spellchecker/proofreaders too

[Logan]

I'm just now realizing that Trump is saying Cohen paid her $130K because she was trying to extort him about a sexual encounter that didn't happen.

[digamma]

Here's another gem from the Rudy interview:

“Jared is a fine man but men are … disposable,” Giuliani said, with an unsettling laugh. “But a fine woman like Ivanka, come on.”

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Logan

I'm just now realizing that Trump is saying Cohen paid her $130K because she was trying to extort him about a sexual encounter that didn't happen.

And somehow Cohen knew it was false without ever discussing it with Trump.

[albionmoonlight]

A co-worker just came up with another reason that President Trump may have been paying Cohen back in installments. Federal law requires banks to file reports recording transactions of $10,000 or more.

Trump/Cohen may have structured the payments to stay just under $10,000 to minimize the paper trail.

That's actually illegal: Structuring - Wikipedia

[Logan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

A co-worker just came up with another reason that President Trump may have been paying Cohen back in installments. Federal law requires banks to file reports recording transactions of $10,000 or more.

Trump/Cohen may have structured the payments to stay just under $10,000 to minimize the paper trail.

That's actually illegal: Structuring - Wikipedia

Think they already said the reimbursements came in $35K installments.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Logan

Think they already said the reimbursements came in $35K installments.

Cool. Check one federal financial crime off the list.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Cool. Check one federal financial crime off the list.

Not so fast my friend. Even if it wasn't to avoid reporting requirements, attempts to disguise the intended use of funds can still be illegal under the USA PATRIOT Act.

[Thomkal]

So it looks the Feds were tapping Cohen's phones leading up to the raid of his offices:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...m_npd_nn_fb_ma

looks like Trump is going to find out just how strong this "broken" justice system can be

[Thomkal]

Today is the National Day of Prayer which is something Trump needs a lot of right now.

[bronconick]

OhNoSheTwitnt‏ @OhNoSheTwitnt









Rudy Giuliani married his cousin. Trump wants to date his daughter. Pence calls his wife “Mother”. This is the shittiest episode of Game of Thrones I’ve ever seen.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by bronconick

OhNoSheTwitnt‏ @OhNoSheTwitnt









Rudy Giuliani married his cousin. Trump wants to date his daughter. Pence calls his wife “Mother”. This is the shittiest episode of Game of Thrones I’ve ever seen.

There isnt even a wall yet.

[albionmoonlight]

FWIW, as much as I enjoy speculating about the legal troubles as an intellectual matter, I do think that--as practical reality--Trump gets in as much or as little trouble as Congress gets him in.

Now, lots of the people around Trump will end up going down (in part b/c Trump will push them down to save himself). But I think that the man himself is safe.

[Thomkal]

House Chaplain rescinds his resignation:

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/38...ds-resignation

[JPhillips]

The writers for this show are out of control.

[Ben E Lou]

Meanwhile....

Originally Posted by JPhillips

‘Cocaine Mitch’: Blankenship Releases New Ad Vowing To ‘Ditch’ McConnell – Talking Points Memo

Scroll down and watch Don Blankenship's ad attacking Cocaine Mitch McConnell. Everything about the ad is amazing.

..this guy has another ad wherein he decries Swamp Captain Mitch McConnell's help for "China People."

DBTV8040000H - Ditch Mitch on Vimeo

[BBT]

Hysteria over Jade Helm exercise in Texas was fueled by Russians, former CIA director says | The Texas Tribune

A former director of the CIA and NSA said Wednesday that hysteria in Texas over a 2015 U.S. military training exercise called Jade Helm was fueled by Russians wanting to dominate “the information space,” and that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to send the Texas State Guard to monitor the operation gave them proof of the power of such misinformation campaigns.

Michael Hayden, speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe podcast, chalked up peoples’ fear over Jade Helm 15 to “Russian bots and the American alt-right media [that] convinced many Texans [Jade Helm] was an Obama plan to round up political dissidents.”

Abbott ordered the State Guard to monitor the federal exercise soon after news broke of the operation. Hayden said that move gave Russians the go-ahead to continue — and possibly expand — their efforts to spread fear.

“At that point, I’m figuring the Russians are saying, ‘We can go big time,’” Hayden said of Abbott's response. “At that point, I think they made the decision, ‘We’re going to play in the electoral process.’”

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Meanwhile......this guy has another ad wherein he decries Swamp Captain Mitch McConnell's help for "China People."

DBTV8040000H - Ditch Mitch on Vimeo

I'm pretty sure he's a character in a Cohen brothers film.

[BBT]

Something to keep an eye on. Also makes me wonder if Kim knows this is going on and is partly offering peace to get rid of the American presence.

Trump Orders Pentagon to Consider Reducing U.S. Forces in South Korea - The New York Times

During that period, tensions flared between the White House and the Pentagon because Mr. Trump’s aides believed the military was dragging its feet in providing the president with options for a limited strike on North Korea.

Now, officials said, the situation was reversed: The Pentagon worries that Mr. Trump will push too swiftly to demilitarize.

[BBT]

DOLA:

May want to slow down on that Nobel Peace Prize Nomination:

North Korea calls U.S. claims about upcoming summit "misleading" - CBS News

But the North's statement on Sunday seemed to be aimed at strengthening Kim's position going into his meeting with Mr. Trump. Pyongyang claims Kim himself is the driver of the current situation.

"The U.S. is deliberately provoking the DPRK at the time when the situation on the Korean Peninsula is moving toward peace and reconciliation," the spokesman was quoted as saying. DPRK is short for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's formal name.

[Ben E Lou]

To the great people of West Virginia we have, together, a really great chance to keep making a big difference. Problem is, Don Blankenship, currently running for Senate, can’t win the General Election in your State...No way! Remember Alabama. Vote Rep. Jenkins or A.G. Morrisey!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 7, 2018

If Team Blankenship has time to crank out a new ad today, what crazy nickname will he now use for Trump?

[PilotMan]

No way trump knows how to use commas. No way. #fakenews

[Thomkal]

Yes yes people of WV remember that the person Trump supported in Alabama (eventually) ended up losing to a Democrat. Remember that very well and then go ahead and vote for Blankeship.

[Ben E Lou]

'I am Trumpier than Trump, and this morning proves it.'

https://www.votedonblankenship.com/s...t-Trumps-Tweet

[JPhillips]

I would have thought that a guy that was so negligent that he went to jail for killing coal miners wouldn't have a shot, but I guess that guy might get @35% of the GOP primary vote.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

'I am Trumpier than Trump, and this morning proves it.'

https://www.votedonblankenship.com/s...t-Trumps-Tweet

WV is still a very heavy Trump state. Possibly the most Trump supporting state in the country. The GOP primary is going to be a shitshow of everyone trying to prove they're more Trump than the other guys.

[JPhillips]

The NRA is about to elect a President that armed Hezbollah.

This shouldn't be hard for the gun control folks.

[jct32]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

The NRA is about to elect a President that armed Hezbollah.

This shouldn't be hard for the gun control folks.

People just listen to who they should vote for.

Example: Trump

[Thomkal]

Well it was looking like a nice positive achievement for Melania Trump but...

First Lady Melania Trump's cyberbullying pamphlet is near exact copy of Obama-era FTC report

[Thomkal]

The AG for New York Eric Schneidermann, a rising star in the Democratic Party thanks in large part to his trials against Trump has crashed and burned:

Eric Schneiderman, Accused by 4 Women, Quits as New York Attorney General

I'm sure Donald will tweet about it soon, but those around him already have:

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-wa...physical-abuse

[Thomkal]

To no one's surprise Trump pulls the US out the Iran Nuclear Deal:

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-ne...eal/index.html

[jeff061]

I'm sure he based it on something other than knee jerk campaign rallying cries. His base is sure showing them Dems!!! At all costs.

[PilotMan]

Originally Posted by Thomkal

To no one's surprise Trump pulls the US out the Iran Nuclear Deal:

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-ne...eal/index.html

Thanks Obama. Whatever happens with Iran from here on out, it's totally Obama's fault.