Posted on 08/17/2018 3:23:02 AM PDT by reaganaut1
Michael Cohen initially balked at the idea of buying the silence of a former adult-film star who says she had sex with Donald Trump, but he did an about-face after a video of Mr. Trump talking about groping women became public in October 2016.
A day after the recording surfaced of outtakes of Mr. Trump speaking to a host of NBCs Access Hollywood, Mr. Cohen, then Mr. Trumps senior counsel, told a representative for the performer that he was open to a deal, according to a person familiar with the conversation.
Within days, Stormy Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, signed a nondisclosure agreement that provided her $130,000 for her silence. Mr. Cohen had resisted paying Ms. Clifford when it was floated in September 2016, the person said.
Federal prosecutors in New York view the Access Hollywood tape as a trigger that spurred Mr. Cohen to bury potentially damaging information about his boss, as they investigate whether the payment amounted to an illegal, in-kind contribution or an expenditure that should have been disclosed by the campaign, people familiar with the matter said.
A spokesman for the Manhattan U.S. Attorneys office declined to comment.
Mr. Cohen, who served as Mr. Trumps personal attorney after leaving the Trump Organization, is under investigation for potential violations of campaign-finance laws, as well as possible tax fraud, bank fraud and illegal lobbying, The Wall Street Journal has previously reported.
A campaign-finance charge would require prosecutors to prove the payment to Ms. Clifford was meant to help Mr. Trump prevail in the coming presidential election. Individual political contributions are capped at $5,400 per election cycle, and corporations are barred from giving directly to candidates.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
Yawn
Who was Cohen really working for?
Was it the DNC, Obama or Hillary?
Oh my, when the Omarosa story falls flat, look who they’re wheeling out again, eh?
Federal prosecutors in New York view the Access Hollywood tape as a trigger that spurred Mr. Cohen to bury potentially damaging information about his boss,
...
Not information, false claims.
When do the federal prosecutors file charges on Clifford for extortion?
It’s not nearly as far fetched as in kind campaign contributions, which is absurd.
So we’re back to this, are we?
It took four WSJ writers literally minutes sweating over their computers to enable an editor to put his/her/its/zits nose to the grindstone by glancing at it before forwarding it to more people. What is more, there are people who are "familiar with the matter," and they even have viewpoints and mention investigations and stuff... and things, too. Stuff and things! There's even a spokesman somewhere who declines to comment about something. As if that isn't enough, they even reference something the WSJ itself had previously reported! That is pretty dang authoritative in my opinion!
If that isn't quality journalism, then what is? Nossir, that is Lou Grant-quality stuff right there, and it had me on the edge of my chair.
Mr. niteowl77
Yawn indeed. I don’t care a whit about Trump’s personal life. I only care about his policies. And these I support with my vote and my money.
Does Trump have anyone he can trust? Maybe that’s why his daughter is nearby.
He can’t even say to his lawyer, here is the strategy I want you to pursue without knowing he is being secretly recorded, bugged by intelligence agencies, and is talking to a traitor who will have a book deal if he proves to his publisher he can say enough salacious slander true or false against Trump.
Women throw themselves at billionaires. Who knew?
The president didn’t talk about “groping women,” WSJ.
He correctly said that there are women out there who throw themselves at wealthy and famous men, and would allow these men to do anything they want to them, including grabbing their you know what.
BFD. The media was in a tizzy, this (w)itch was making noise, 130k money is get lost money. If there was anything to her story, wouldn’t the payoff be much higher? Of course it would.
As far as I know, there is no limit on the amount an individual can spend on their own campaign.
Ive already forgotten about Cohen. He is way behind all these denizens who are losing or about to lose their security clearances. Anyone heard from Omarosa Who this morning? Brennan Outrage is smothering her Trump is/isnt a racist fantasy.
That's a whole lotta "gum cuzzling".
Enough to give Spermy terminal lockjaw...
Stormy Daniels? Wan’t she in the news a while back?
Did Jeb or GWB have a role in seeing to it that the Access Hollywood tape found its way to the mainstream media? Trump is talking to a member of the Bush family on the tape.
Of course a private conversation with another Male where you are Taped “talking” about groping Celebrity Groupies who let you do it is exactly the same as actually groping Women who would be offended by it.
When Vernon Jordan, Bill Clinton’s close personal friend and Golf partner was asked about what he and the President talked about on the Course, his one word response was “PUSSY”.
There was never a follow up question regarding who’s Pussy they were talking about, but I’ll bet the Rent that it wasn’t Hillary’s.
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