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Being indicted isn't Donald Trump's problem. Impeachment might be.
CNN Politics ^ | August 22, 2018 | Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large

Posted on 08/22/2018 8:09:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet

In the wake of an absolutely stunning 60 minutes of revelations on Tuesday afternoon, you might have been tempted to wonder whether President Donald Trump was in real legal jeopardy.

After all, his one-time personal lawyer Michael Cohen testified as part of a plea agreement in New York City that then-candidate Trump had "directed" and "coordinated" his efforts to hide payments discussed in the run-up to the 2016 election to two women -- porn star Stormy Daniels and ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal -- in an effort to keep their allegations of extramarital affairs with Trump out of the press. (In Daniels' case, a $130,000 payment was made, which Trump then reimbursed Cohen for, according to his lawyer.)

That is a violation of campaign finance laws, one of the eight charges that Cohen pleaded guilty to on Tuesday. And so, if Cohen admitted he broke the law and testified that he did it at the direction of the President then, well, isn't Trump in deep trouble?

Probably not. And the reason is that special counsel Robert Mueller's office has apparently signaled to the President's legal team that they will abide by longstanding Justice Department regulations that stipulate that a sitting President can't be indicted. "All they get to do is write a report," Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told CNN's Dana Bash in May. "They can't indict. At least they acknowledged that to us after some battling, they acknowledged that to us."

On Tuesday night, a source close to the White House told Fox News' John Roberts, "Remember, the President cannot be indicted."

To be clear: There is a debate in the legal community about the prohibition on indicting a sitting president, but it seems unlikely Mueller would push for an indictment as a direct result of his investigation....

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Government; Politics
KEYWORDS: clickbait; cnnfakenews; donaldtrump; fakenews; fakenewscnn; impeachment; trump
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Maybe a guy this far up in the journalistic food chain might understand the process, but you know that the twenty and thirty-somethings who do the bulk of the work sure don't. Why would the Democrats impeach if they regain the House. There just aren't near enough votes in the Senate to convict. This isn't Richard Nixon.
1 posted on 08/22/2018 8:09:03 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

More CNN wet dreams.....


2 posted on 08/22/2018 8:10:52 AM PDT by caver
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

BTW can we all agree that Drudge is an enemy of this president?


3 posted on 08/22/2018 8:11:03 AM PDT by Williams (Stop tolerating the intolerant.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Once again, the media/dems reveal their stripes. They lament “if only we could have had that dirt during the campaign, we could have destroyed our adversary!”. It’s so transparent. They feel they have a RIGHT to dirt on republicans, and a RIGHT to hide actual democrat crimes from the public. Non-disclosure agreements and settlements are as American as apple pie - like it or not, they are legal.


4 posted on 08/22/2018 8:12:44 AM PDT by monkeybrau
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

> “Why would the Democrats impeach if they regain the House. There just aren’t near enough votes in the Senate to convict.”

Why should anyone think democrats would use logic and reason in their deliberations?


5 posted on 08/22/2018 8:13:00 AM PDT by Hostage (Article V (Proud Member of the Deranged Q Fringe))
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

There just aren’t near enough votes in the Senate to convict.
!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m not betting on that.....


6 posted on 08/22/2018 8:13:14 AM PDT by Lurkinanloomin (Natural Born Citizen Means Born Here of Citizen Parents__Know Islam, No Peace - No Islam, Know Peace)
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To: Williams

I dunno. I haven’t been to Drudge for a couple of years.


7 posted on 08/22/2018 8:13:34 AM PDT by cuban leaf (The US will not survive the obama presidency. The world may not either.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

8 posted on 08/22/2018 8:15:37 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why would the Democrats impeach if they regain the House. There just aren't near enough votes in the Senate to convict. This isn't Richard Nixon.

My good sir, you grossly underestimate the petty vindictiveness of the political Left. Clinton got impeached, but not removed, and so they MUST impeach a Republican, whether or not he is removed. Removal is simply the cherry on top... it isn't required.

(Watch China's national leadership sometime, when they respond to any perceived slight. The best way to predict what they will do is to ask what an angry 6 year old girl would do. See the recent tariff tiff.)

9 posted on 08/22/2018 8:15:56 AM PDT by Teacher317 (We have now sunk to a depth at which restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men)
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To: Lurkinanloomin

Name me one Republican besides McCain that would even possibly vote to convict. Remember: Flake is gone as of January.


10 posted on 08/22/2018 8:16:32 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet (You cannot invade the mainland US. There'd be a rifle behind every blade of grass.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This article seems to benefit the Democrat 2018 campaign. Has CNN reported their contribution to the FEC?


11 posted on 08/22/2018 8:16:44 AM PDT by rightwingcrazy
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To: Teacher317

They’ll do it as revenge for it being done to Slick. There weren’t Senate votes to convict then either!


12 posted on 08/22/2018 8:17:15 AM PDT by Reily
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
That is a violation of campaign finance laws

Which would be a problem for Cohen, not Trump. Any lawyer that is directed to commit a crime is a buffoon and should be employed by no one.

But to the obvious question, did The DonaldTM actually direct Cohen to break the law? I would posit that no, he did not. If he did, Cohen would be duty bound to deny such direction.

13 posted on 08/22/2018 8:17:19 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Even if they win the House, they ain't going to be anywhere near 290 seats.

Nor 67 seats in the Senate.

Whole impeachment thing is just their delusional fantasy, nothing more.

14 posted on 08/22/2018 8:17:20 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why would the Democrats impeach if they regain the House. There just aren't near enough votes in the Senate to convict. This isn't Richard Nixon.

You are assuming the RINO's in the Senate would stand with the president. I'm not sure we can count on that.
15 posted on 08/22/2018 8:17:38 AM PDT by slumber1 (Islam delenda est)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Campaign finance laws ... you mean like those there is video of guys bragging the Clintons and DNC violated?


16 posted on 08/22/2018 8:18:01 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
"Name me one Republican besides McCain that would even possibly vote to convict. Remember: Flake is gone as of January."

McCain's probably 'gone' by January too, if we're being honest.

17 posted on 08/22/2018 8:19:16 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This talk of impeachment is the only thing that might rally the GOP base to go out and vote in the midterms.

The MSM has gone completely insane. Nobody will get impeached over a minor campaign finance violation even if there is one. Trump will just have to pay a fine.


18 posted on 08/22/2018 8:20:44 AM PDT by Helicondelta (Deplorable)
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To: caver

More CNN wet dreams.....

****************

They are fixated on impeachment and their outright hatred of the president. But the American people are focused on the economy, prosperity, national security and controlling immigration.

Those who obsess on the wrong things are generally left behind. Keep it up CNN!


19 posted on 08/22/2018 8:21:58 AM PDT by Starboard
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

“Why would the Democrats impeach if they regain the House.”

They want to make it morally equivalent to the Republicans impeaching Clinton.


20 posted on 08/22/2018 8:23:08 AM PDT by alternatives? (Why have an army if there are no borders?)
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