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As ‘Access Hollywood’ Tape Surfaced, Michael Cohen Changed Tune on Paying Stormy Daniels
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 16, 2018 | Joe Palazzolo, Nicole Hong, Rebecca Davis O’Brien and Rebecca Ballhaus

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 NBC’s “Access Hollywood,” Mr. Cohen, then Mr. Trump’s 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. Attorney’s office declined to comment.

Mr. Cohen, who served as Mr. Trump’s 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 ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: dumcumpster; gumcuzzling; michaelcohen; mudmonster; spermydaniels; splootydaniels; stormydaniels; trump; trumpmudmonster; trumpthemudmonster

1 posted on 08/17/2018 3:23:02 AM PDT by reaganaut1
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To: reaganaut1

Yawn


2 posted on 08/17/2018 3:24:44 AM PDT by nikos1121
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To: reaganaut1

Who was Cohen really working for?

Was it the DNC, Obama or Hillary?


3 posted on 08/17/2018 3:30:52 AM PDT by Blue House Sue
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To: reaganaut1

Oh my, when the Omarosa story falls flat, look who they’re wheeling out again, eh?


4 posted on 08/17/2018 3:31:59 AM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966)
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To: reaganaut1

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.


5 posted on 08/17/2018 3:39:45 AM PDT by Moonman62 (Give a man a fish and he'll be a Democrat. Teach a man to fish and he'll be a responsible citizen.)
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To: reaganaut1

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.


6 posted on 08/17/2018 3:44:45 AM PDT by Regulator
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To: reaganaut1

So we’re back to this, are we?


7 posted on 08/17/2018 3:45:41 AM PDT by Arm_Bears (Hey, Rocky--Watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat!)
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To: nikos1121
Yawn

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

8 posted on 08/17/2018 3:51:56 AM PDT by niteowl77
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To: nikos1121

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.


9 posted on 08/17/2018 3:59:24 AM PDT by Blennos
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To: Blue House Sue

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.


10 posted on 08/17/2018 5:12:14 AM PDT by frank ballenger (End noncitizen & illegals voting & leftist media news censorship or we're finished.)
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To: reaganaut1
So, was Stormy Daniels with Donald Trump or is Donald covering for his son Donald Trump? (jr)
11 posted on 08/17/2018 5:18:45 AM PDT by usual suspect
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To: reaganaut1

Women throw themselves at billionaires. Who knew?


12 posted on 08/17/2018 5:29:07 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (<img src="http://i.imgur.com/WukZwJP.gif" width=400><p> zXSEP5Z, xnKL3lW, XywCCJd, hGhstl4.)
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To: reaganaut1

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.


13 posted on 08/17/2018 6:07:52 AM PDT by july4thfreedomfoundation (Washington is NOT a swamp.....It's a cesspool!)
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To: reaganaut1

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.


14 posted on 08/17/2018 6:16:32 AM PDT by NonValueAdded (#DeplorableMe #BitterClinger #HillNO! #cishet #MyPresident #MAGA #Winning #covfefe)
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To: reaganaut1
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.

As far as I know, there is no limit on the amount an individual can spend on their own campaign.

15 posted on 08/17/2018 6:28:38 AM PDT by etcb
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To: reaganaut1

I’ve 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/isn’t a racist fantasy.


16 posted on 08/17/2018 6:40:17 AM PDT by Savage Rider
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To: OttawaFreeper
Within days, Stormy Daniels, whose given name is Stephanie Clifford, signed a nondisclosure agreement that provided her $130,000 for her silence.

That's a whole lotta "gum cuzzling".

Enough to give Spermy terminal lockjaw...

17 posted on 08/17/2018 11:27:00 AM PDT by kiryandil (Never pick a fight with an angry beehive)
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To: reaganaut1

Stormy Daniels? Wan’t she in the news a while back?


18 posted on 08/17/2018 11:33:15 AM PDT by Rebelbase (Consensus isn't science.)
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To: reaganaut1

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.


19 posted on 08/17/2018 3:39:27 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: reaganaut1

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.


20 posted on 08/17/2018 3:45:45 PM PDT by Kickass Conservative (The way Liberals carry on about Deportation, you would think "Mexico" was Spanish for "Auschwitz".)
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