New evidence the Stormy Daniels payment may have violated election law

Bezos the DNC and his Washington Post ^ | 3-12-18 | Philip Bump

[NoLibZone]

One short, newly revealed email from a Manhattan banker just made it much more likely that the $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election violated federal law.

NBC News on Friday reported that Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime ally and attorney, had used a Trump Organization email address as he worked to secure the payment to Daniels. Daniels alleges the money was paid to keep her from telling the media about a sexual relationship she had with Trump; Cohen and Trump continue to deny that relationship.

NBC received a copy of an email from banker at First Republic Bank that was sent to Cohen. Cohen then forwarded the email to his private Gmail account and, from there, to Daniels’s attorney.

Notice the email address. The banker emailed Cohen at mcohen@trumporg.com. Trumporg.com redirects to Trump.com. The domain is registered to the Trump Organization. It is, in other words, an email address that belongs to the Trump Organization — an asset of the company.

That means that federal election law was almost certainly violated.

We spoke with Lawrence Noble, senior director and general counsel at the Campaign Legal Center. He walked us through the danger zones for the Daniels payment in terms of what election law prohibits. At the time, it was not clear where the money had come from or how it got to Daniels. We lacked a number of details about how Daniels and Trump’s team, Cohen in particular, had interacted.

We have learned a lot since then. In addition to the email above, we have also seen the lawsuit filed by Daniels alleging the agreement to remain silent was never in effect because Trump failed to sign it. Included in that lawsuit is this element of the “factual background” to the matter at hand.

[DesertRhino]

Flipping a whore 100k is like me flipping a bum 50 cents to stay away from the front of the church the day of my daughter’s wedding.
El cheapo for peace and quiet.

[dowcaet]

Almost all of us who voted for Trump knew the man was not as clean as the wind driven snow in his private life. It’s hilarious seeing the media fall over themselves giving this whore her fifteen minutes and then some. TDS consumes them all on the left. Anybody with any accusation of the president will be given instant credibility by the left!

[DoughtyOne]

   Democrats float another anti-Trump impeachment balloon...

[hsmomx3]

Awww now, Hilly is just jealous!

[doug from upland]

My 2007 film, HILLARY! UNCENSORED, chronicles Hillary’s massive campaign finance fraud in her 2000 Senate race. 1.2 million in-kind donation not reported. She had filed on her behalf 3 false FEC reports. FEC made a deal with her to let her off the hook if the campaign paid a 35K fine and filed a proper report. The 4th report was still a fraud.

[mad_as_he$$]

Easy mistake!

[deport]

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/12/politics/stormy-daniels-payment-return/index.html

Stormy Daniels offers to return ‘hush agreement’ money to speak freely

Washington (CNN)Adult film actress Stormy Daniels is offering to return the $130,000
payment she received from President Donald Trump’s attorney in exchange for dissolving
a so-called “Hush Agreement.”

Last month, Michael Cohen said he paid $130,000 of his own money to Daniels, whose
real name is Stephanie Clifford, ahead of the 2016 election in exchange for her silence
regarding an alleged sexual encounter with Trump. Both Cohen and the White House have
denied any sexual encounter between the President and Clifford.

Clifford’s attorney, Michael Avenatti, sent Cohen a letter offering to wire $130,000 by
Friday to an account designated by the President. In exchange, the settlement agreement
between Clifford, Trump and Cohen’s company would be “deemed null and void in their entirety.”

[NEMDF]

Sounds like NBC news was doing the heavy lifting for this story.

Do you suppose NBC news is trying to figure out how the Russian dossier was tied to Hillary’s campaign at all?

I didn’t think so......

[Billyv]

Using this same argument the millions used by the Obama group to hide records of his past would also be a gross violation of the law.

But in my best William Jefferson Clinton voice “sex is a private matter and has no bearing on politics, what happens between consenting adults is no ones business but their own”

Trump usually is very aggressive in countersuing those that make claims against him, I’m sticking with the POTUS! MAGA!

[Forward the Light Brigade]

She will get rich off of this, The Democrats will make her millions if they think she can sink Trump. Shes a porn star after all—its about the buckos. The Democrats think all of his support is made up of hard core Bible thumpers who will dump him if they prove he is a “Sinner”. They do not know the Real Trumpocrats ! They have a real lesson coming to them in November 2018.

[Rusty0604]

Auntie Maxine says if Mueller can’t get Trump impeached, Stormy will. Of course she didn’t think the same way when Clinton had problems.

[butlerweave]

Maybe Stormy charges $130,000 to keep quiet ,Blackmail

[savedbygrace]

Campaign Legal Center is a Soros organization:

http://www.ifs.org/2010/05/21/hypocrisy-and-smears-typical-of-the-campaign-legal-center/

[Jim Noble]

Better put some ice on it.

Everybody lies about sex.

[doug from upland]

Name Position Party
Hunter, Caroline C.Caroline C. Hunter Chairman Republican
Weintraub, Ellen L.Ellen L. Weintraub Vice Chairman Democratic
Petersen, Matthew S.Matthew S. Petersen Commissioner Republican
Walther, Steven T.Steven T. Walther Commissioner Independent

[ssaftler]

Two words for Bozos and his bozos at the Compost:

ICED TEA

[Trump.Deplorable]

I know that

But the media is creating stories to go along with the Stormy Daniels “outrage”

Media doesn’t report the news, they create it

[DJ Taylor]

"This is NOT what is normally considered a “campaign contribution,” and interpreting that way is a huge stretch."

No, this is NOT a campaign contribution, this payment is as old as the oldest profession, as one doesn't necessarily pay the prostitute/porn star for the sex act, one pays the prostitute/porn star to go away once the sex act is complete.

Stormy has just violated the basic code of conduct for her profession and has revealed herself to be nothing more than a failed prostitute a common Democrat.

[Hawthorn]

>> how is a $130,000 payment like this any different from a $130,000 payment made from the Trump Organization or its lawyer for office supplies? <<

I think the legal status probably would not be different.

As I understand these issues, the legality or illegality depends not upon the use of the funds, but rather on the source of the funds.

For example, if you or I should give the Trump campaign $130K to buy office supplies, it would be illegal because we'd be exceeding the $2500 limit on individual contributions to a campaign.

[No Socialist]

The Clintons never paid off any of Bill’s Ho’s. They just terrorized and threatened them.

So They were all good as far as Dims concerned.