Posted on 12/10/2018 7:14:43 AM PST by ETL
President Trump on Monday denied the hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election were campaign contributions, instead calling them a "simple private transaction.”
“So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,” Trump tweeted.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, recently admitted in a plea deal to violating federal campaign finance laws by arranging payments to Daniels and McDougal on Trump's behalf, according to the plea. Prosecutors on Friday released a sentencing memo calling for Cohen to a “substantial term of imprisonment” for the president’s former fixer.
On Monday, Trump took aim at Cohen, saying that if a mistake was made and it was considered a contribution, the “liability” should be with the lawyer.
“Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced,” Trump tweeted. “WITCH HUNT!”
Meanwhile, an expert campaign finance lawyer said in an interview published Monday that he is not impressed with the Department of Justice's evidence that effectively links Trump to campaign finance violations after the recent release of the Cohen sentencing memo.
Dan Backer, the lawyer, told Forbes that there appears to be no evidence to corroborate the DOJ’s apparent assertion of any illegality on Trump's part.
Backer, a veteran campaign counsel, said it is common practice for high-profile individuals and companies to take part in these kinds of payment arrangements. He said Trump is a brand, he has carried out similar payments for years and these so-called "hush-buys" will likely continue.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Cohen paid Stormy in October 2016. Not sure if you are talking about different ‘payouts’.
The Democrats in the House will impeach the president, but that is as far as it will go.
Senators from both parties will huff and puff, but a two-thirds majority will not be achieved. I would be surprised if simple majority is achieved.
Be prepared for some political theater, but nothing more.
Also, when President Trump leaves office in 2-6 years, expect an avalanche of presidential pardons, along with massive declassification of documents, causing political mayhem for the scum and villainy in D.C.
I am for it. Lets get them all on the record.
“Also, when President Trump leaves office in 2-6 years, expect an avalanche of presidential pardons, along with massive declassification of documents, causing political mayhem for the scum and villainy in D.C.”
This would be “burning the house down.” And if D.C. will not, in the end, accept the people’s choice and insist on it’s permanent ruling position, then I hope Trump does “burn the house down” on his way out.
$17 Million of taxpayer money. Stolen from taxpayers.
There is no there there on this... at worst there is a technocratic “crime” of failing to report...
The left salivating over this is nonsensical.
Please, please go for the impeachment dems... please, go for it... you will lose the house, and any shot at the White House is done as well....
Stupidity... where’s the collusion?
The problem they have is we the Trump supporting people will never accept anyone else as being legitimate, no matter which side of the aisle wins.
- -
Damn right.
More lies & distortion of the truth by The Shadow Government .....the one, we ‘little people’ are all expected to ignore as a non-existent fantasy of ‘conspiracy theorists’.
The vast Shadow Government has yet to ceed power to the duly elected President of the United States,....
......Daily, the BS CIA MSM floods the American People with BSCIA Operation Mockingbird disinformation. Blatantly, propagandizing the dumbed-down population in their seditious war against Constitutionally vested authority....
....The CIA has installed Presidents all over the world,......this time, we elected one of our own.
And, they have broken many federal statutes to reverse the expressed will of the People.
President Trump consistently stays on offense.
I love this man and am so grateful for ALL that he as done for us in his short time in office.
There are those who want EVERYTHING done, like impatient children, but I’ll stick with him because he knows WHEN and HOW to do things.
Ok, your old fashioned.....WHO DO YOU WORK FOR? Do your paychecks originate from Langley, VA? Just asking......
Good grief, such a reach. It’s not even a real cause of action, but a mere theory. You’d have to establish that and then prove a set of facts. Against a US President? Whoa, that’s a whole lotta hate for just a few paragraphs.
It seems to me that the taxpayer funded hush fund used by Congressional members is just as much a violation of campaign laws, since the purpose of it is to keep any sexual abuse/harassment claims secret, in order to prevent those claims from becoming known, and adversely affecting their political careers, and chances of re-election.
An agreement he never even signed I might add. That's why Daniels tried to get the agreement reversed, claiming it wasn't legal.
“”President Trump on Monday denied the hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal in the weeks leading up to the 2016 election were campaign contributions, instead calling them a “simple private transaction.””
I leave and I keep coming back to the wording in this thread - why on earth is money PAID to shut someone up referred to as “campaign contributions?” Do they mean to say “PAID FROM CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS?” Was this dame running a campaign for something and just raising money?
I understand that Cohen played games and went to great extremes classifying what the payment was for - did he classify it as “CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS” - if so, to whom?
No wonder things are so messed up in this country. No one speaks or writes anymore so a normal person (I used to be one) can make sense of what they’re seeing or hearing.
After John Edwards was indicted, FEC auditors determined that the hush money he received from wealthy
donors to cover up a torrid affair did not need to be reported in the campaign's financial disclosure reports,
his campaign's chief financial officer testified.
After three weeks of salacious testimony about Edwards' affair with mistress Rielle Hunter and the nearly $1 million
collected to keep it quiet, Edwards' lawyers kicked off their defense focusing on the much less steamy intricacies
of campaign finance law.
After reviewing the campaign's financials for four years, the FEC determined last month that money Edwards' aides
collected from wealthy donors Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron were "not campaign contribution[s],"
Lora Haggard, Edwards' 2008 chief financial officer, said........ (Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Tucker covered this really good last night (which is why it puzzles me he was so anti-Trump in that interview, as he seems to carry water for him otherwise)
Getting a haircut expensed to the campaign should also be disclosed as it gives and advantage to the candidate. They are stretching the definitions here.
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