Trump calls Michael Cohen payouts a ‘simple private transaction,’ denies they were campaign contribu

Except there are multiple witnesses that say he did it for that very reason.

 

I can wait for him to leave office. I actually think that's best.
We can just gather them up and "LOCK HIM UP" in 2020.

 

Not a crime. Obama offered hush money to his G-=d Damn America Pastor. No charges.

Congress has paid out hush money two hundred and fifty times, and didn't even pay it with their own money. No charges.

John Edwards paid out hush money and the DOJ tilted at this same windmill, no convictions.

Weird how the Left screams all about settled law, until they want to launch malicious prosecutions. I suspect that the New AG, once he is confirmed will rid the DOJ and FBI and the US Attorney ranks of these corrupt Bad Apples.

 

Yes, that is true. That would have been Cohen's responsibility, though any fine would go against the campaign.

 

This is fun to watch.
Lets hear your next one.

 

I would guess you are counting on the phrase "out of pocket.' If so you need to familiarize yourself on the common universal meaning of that phrase.

 

No, the problem is that Cohen made the original payment which is way over his limit. That is the campaign violation.
Trump's problem is he told him to do it. That, so far, makes him an unindicted coconspirator.

 

Multiple? I know of only one his that ones credibility is garbage he would never hold up under cross examination

 

and ones again you are assuming and speculating it was a campaign expenditure without a shred of evidence it was

 

If you mean made to influence the election. The answer is of course there is. There is Cohen's testimony and Pecker's testimony as well as the phone call.
I don't know what Trump's accountant told them, but my guess is something similar or they wouldn't have given him immunity.
Then of course there is all the stuff from Cohen's office.
No, they nailed it or they never would have named Trump.

 

In the agreement, AMI admitted that it paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 to stop her from disclosing an alleged affair with Trump, out of concern her story would negatively affect Trump’s chances of winning the White House. It appears the illegal arrangement was the brainchild of David Pecker, AMI’s chief executive and a former confidant of the president.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics...nquirer-immunity-deal-david-pecker-trump.html



https://sc.cnbcfm.com/applications/...n_media_inc_ami_non-prosecution_agreement.pdf

Since this time the WSJ and NBC have reported the person in the room was Trump. Not that it matters.

 

Ron, ron, ron, please read post #603. You got nothing, this is why the story died hours later.

 

It's not an illegal act, sooo

 

Of course it is.
What is the maximum contribution Cohen could make?

 

If your talking about Edwards-much different.
You know how you can tell Edwards wasn't doing it to effect the campaign? He was still paying while he withdrew. That's probably the only thing that saved him.
Nope. Spanky is a felon now. He just hasn't been indicted - yet.

 

If that makes you feel better cool, the rest of the world has moved on.

 

What has been overlooked by the left is that these NDA discussions started in 2014. That's way before PRESIDENT TRUMP ( I luv saying that! ) announced / filed to run. NOT a crime. Besides, former FEC chairman Brad Smith has publicly reviewed in detail the law, and why no crime has been committed. You won't find anyone on the left that can articulate an argument on point based on the existing law.

 

Is that why Cohen pled guilty? Sheesh.

 

You evidently do not realize that there are numerous ways a person can spend his own money on his campaign. He can take bills out of his wallet and mail cash. He can write a check on his personal banking account. He can transfer stock through his broker. He can tell his corporation's accounting department to pay this invoice, pay anything that comes in from XX after checking its accuracy, or pay any invoice from this car company or this TV station, or direct his lawyer to pay off this or that contract (which would include any non-disclosure agreement), or settle this or that suit. Or he could expect his accounting department or lawyer to make their own decision based on their general understanding. In the latter case the lawyer would make the payment and naturally and commonly expect reimbursement from the candidate (in addition to the retainer fee and related expenses).

One thing a candidate cannot do ever -- and this has nothing to do with election finance laws or regulations -- is direct someone/anyone to make a contribution to his campaign.

This makes this whole scenario a sham. This is probably why the SDNY in their sentencing recommendations did not say any of Cohen's actions in this matter were illegal, and why they grouped Cohen's two guilty pleas on campaign financing and the six charged counts (having nothing, as in zero, to do with anything Trump) together for a single catch-all sentence.

 

All on Cohen, of course.

If he said "lawyer, please rob my campaign finances to pay this extortion", then probably yes. But he would have simply told him to settle the blackmail. For anyone to suggest - if they are, which I doubt - that Trump told him to pay the woman off in any way illegally would be beyond irrational. $150,000 to Trump is like $50 to the rest of us.

For Trump to instruct his lawyer to pay off a blackmailer was probably inadvisable, but nothing more.

 

No. He pled guilty to non-crimes to beg for mercy and throw the SDNY a bone to get them to go easy on his real non-Trump crimes.

 

I agree fully with your sentiment. But Trump never paid blackmail. He paid for a non-disclosure agreement. The blackmail part arose when Daniels wanted to break the NDA so she could disclose "juicy stuff" and threatened to do just that, and also sued Trump for a faulty invalid NDA to get away with breaking the NDA. She lost that suit and the judge ordered her to pay about half of Trump's legal expenses in fighting the suit that got thrown out by the judge. Trump did not pay her a dime in this case.