The plot thickens. The federal government has used federal prosecutions under civil rights statutes where state criminal convictions have been thwarted (or simply not pursued). The State of NY certainly has a mighty sledgehammer to wield should Trump decide to get overly generous in the pardon give-away sweepstakes.
8
There’s no way NY DA Cy Vance is going to pursue Trump. He just gave a pass on criminal charges to Mayor Bill Deblasio on far worse campaign finance violations that were quite deliberate and referred from NY Elections commission for numerous crimes. Vance kicked it all to the curb and delivered a fine. Said the campaign laws were too vague to pursue De Blasio.
7
Ive read the CONSTITUTION and it clearly says that for a president to be impeached he has to be guilty of High crimes and Misdemeanors! Can someone tell me what he has done so far to warrant impeachment? About all I can see is putting people to work, reducing the welfare rolls, country stronger and more profitable! Thats not a High Crime or Misdemeanor that I know of! The left is a bunch of brain damaged loons for talking impeachment of this man if you ask me!
20
I am not a lawyer but I thought it was legal to pay your lawyer as much as he requested for legal advise so the Trump organization paying Cohen several hundred thousand dollars to arrange a payment to a person so they do not come out in public to harm ones reputation is not illegal from what all the lawyers on TV have said. Unless Cohen has recordings, something in writing or witnessed discussions telling Trump that what he was doing for Mr Trump was illegal then Trump can claim he got bad legal advise by an incompetent lawyer, Mr Cohen. Trump is not a lawyer and unless the advice Cohen was giving Trump was obviously illegal (i.e. setting up a robbery) then I do not see how Trump can be prosecuted. If Trump can be prosecuted for illegal actions of his lawyer, Mr Cohen, without being told by Mr Cohen that it was illegal then that basically puts any client of a lawyer at risk when lawyers knowingly break the law without informing their client. This is typical of the legal system. Lawyers and judges never want to take responsibility. When a judge makes a mistake in court with a decision as determined by an appeal then there is no penalty for that judge but only a change in the decision by a higher court. A lawyer once criticized his profession by stating it is the only profession in which the more lawyers there are in society then the more you need.
1
This is essentially political persecution of a non-crime going on here. Paying off a mistress is 1) not against the law, 2) not a campaign contribution 3) only against the law of Stormy Daniels or Karen Macdougal didn't declare the payment as income (which is on them, not Trump).
12
The ethics of the investigators is Nixionian. When Sessions is fired after the midterms the investigators will finally be investigated.
8
Sessions is a swamp plant.
4
Certainly a clear case of Russian collusion. The Mueller investigation is doing what it was intended: finding anything no matter how obscure to justify undoing the election.
8
@geezer117 So you have no defense of the crime that was committed, and no disenchanment with those who committed it. You're just mad at the guys who uncovered the crimes. That's pretty silly. If the police pull a guy over for speeding and see a bunch of coke on the seat they should probably ignore it, since they only pulled the guy over for speeding. And if they arrest the guy then you're mad at the cops, right? Criminals are criminals no matter how they're caught. Those who catch criminals for a living are the good guys.
25
Cheryl Mills gets immunity from Comey then provides zero information in return. Clinton’s campaign records payments to Steele as legal expenses. Yet no one is looking at that.
Cohen’s going to need irrefutable proof that he, as his lawyer, advised Trump payments to the National Enquirer may be a problem with campaign finance laws and they he was ordered by Trump to pay to avoid election damage. Otherwise there is nothing here.
That won’t stop democrats from spending the next 2 1/2 years investigating if they win the House. In any event Trump will not be run out of office. And if his policies continue to be so successful he’ll likely be re-elected as Clinton was.
13
Let me understand; Trump making a perfectly legitimate payment out of personal or corporate funds for an NDA is a potential felony. But Hillary’s campaign, OFA and the DNC funneling money through Perkins Coie to Fusion GPS for dirt from foreigners...no violation there. Right?
13
@Scott Most of us were brought up with the moral admonition, "Two wrongs don't make a right."
It seems that Trump supporters' parents were remiss.
Also, I think they missed out on, "The ends do not justify the means." This goes especially for the Republican Congress.
7
Sorry Scoot youa re assuming the NDA to benefit a campaign is a "perfectly legitimate payment" it's not.
11
@Scott It's just bluster before the midterms. There is nothing criminal about any of this.
3
it's only a felony because it's Trump, anybody else they wouldn't care.....
12
This is looking like a politically driven hunt for a crime, unless the Clinton Foundation and the pay to play, etc... is investigated as well.
9
Trumps personality may stink but Cohens ethics as attorney stinks even more. Number one, if no campaign funds were used to pay for the silence of the women, the FEC won't fine Trump. And in most all times, the FEC fines for exposure and there are no criminal charges.
The second thing is Cohen tried to couch his words to produce a conspiracy. But it was a conspiracy for something that isn't a crime. Cohen is an attorney, a wordsmith and knows how to wiggle the words to skew a plead. Certain media heads actually talk as though the money paid is a crime, to the media it is a fait accompli. It has yet to be produced that it was campaign money and the media is just producing propaganda.
What happened to the days that media people presented news and didn't try to bend the truth. Now we have Fox that leans right and the remainder lean left. At least once in a while you will have someone like CEO Jack Dorsey of Twitter that truthfully states their position -- most employees lean left.
3
The media is trying to destroy this country. All because a certain woman was supposed to be President. I will never stop supporting President Trump. The media and Washington higher ups and a former administration trying to take down a President.
9
If the money that was paid to Stephanie Clifford was meant to aid in Trump’s election then it is a violation of Federal campaign finance law. Cohen has plead guilty to the face that it was for that purpose thus it is a crime. And Cohen has implicated Trump as a co-conspirator in that crime.
13
@Steve Kay
It's comical that suddenly Michael Cohen's word is deemed credible.
6
@Steve Kay No, no it’s not. That is 100% incorrect.
6
@Steve Kay
So how do you prove it was solely to enhance election success? You cannot simply take the word of a guy who has pled guilty to a handful of tax evasion and false loan applications. I understand a Trump hater gets all fuzzy about this guy pleading guilty but he better have some solid proof because prosecutors know he’s not the best character for trustworthiness. Just on what we know now this is another leftist media boondoggle. And some ask why the accusation of fake news? One sided “news” stories are not accurate.
Why is this being resurrected? It's already been established that this $130,000.00 issue is not a violation of law. How many times are we going to play this overture, during the same performance?
11
Convict Trump people in state courts beyond the Trump pardon.
Does the Constitution protect the President from state conviction?
How does the President not approach impeachment if he is convicted of high crimes and misdemeanors in Federal court? Congress created those laws and the Judicial branch is supposed to determine if they were breached.
1
If I was Trump and if this ends up in indictments, I would sell my NY assets and move my company somewhere else. In fact I would move everyone out of Trump tower, strip it to the bare walls, including plumbing and electrical and just leave it for the city to deal with. There is so much graft in this city for everything form getting a street paved or getting a permit, that this political targeting for prosecution needs to stop.
10
@dschwar It's called the politization(?) of the justice departments
3
Way too much smoke to not be fire somewhere...immunity deals are not made on a whim...there has to be significant information these people have that are getting immunity...I think Trump's world is about to cave and his supporters will be forced to change their "lock her up!" chant to "lock him up"...Trump is one crooked, disgusting human being...
17
@RSJ In this case immunity deals ARE made on a whim. As another example, see the immunity deals from the HRC investigation.
6
@RSJ LOVE Trump and will gladly vote for him again in 2020/ #MAGA
4
"Mr. Cohen issued phony monthly invoices for $35,000 “pursuant to retainer agreement.” IF Cohen issued phony invoices it appears that, if true, than that is his doing.
" New York State attorney general’s office has moved to open a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Cohen has violated state tax law" Again this is on Cohen.
"he paid Ms. Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, to buy her silence" Not a crime.
"did no legal work in connection with the matter, " Signing an NDA is a legal document.
"Michael D. Cohen’s hush money payment to an adult film actress" again not a crime
8
@verg So how were the payments to Perkins Coie recorded???
3
@verg
It is when you claim it as a "legal expense." It is not a legal expense. That's an expense you pay to an attorney for expertise on a legal matter. This is a bribe, or possibly extortion, or possibly a settlement, but NOT a "legal expense."
5
Another opponent's chess piece, Weisellberg, taken by the grand chess master Mueller. I am getting tired of winning with Sir Mueller.
1
@Uly lol but you are not winning, where is all this evidence of Russian collusion??
1
@Uly
I doubt I will ever tire of Mueller's wins.
5
So paying an attorney is illegal, if the AG doesn't like u.
4
George Washington: " I can not tell a lie. "
Donald Trump: " I can not tell the truth. "
Trump supporter: " I can not tell the difference. "
36
@aba
Democrat or Democratic Socialist (wtfti): Just give me your money, I'll say whatever you want to hear for it. The rich have all the money. I don't receive a fair wage. Everything is great as long as it agrees with my opinion. Its not illegal if me or my people do it.
And last but not least: aba et.al. loves coolaid (mixed by Obama, Bernie, and Hillary) and hates the US and especially the Constitution.
1
@aba Really? We can tell your politics that’s why we will be bring a Red frog in Sunami this November and re-electing TRUMP in 2020!!!
Person A: Illegal contributions/filings $2,000,000 results in a $350K fine by the FEC. No criminal charges even considered.
Person B: Claims of illegal contributions of < $300K results in calls for 'impeachment', 'calls to resign' and calls for criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions.
And those in power are just after the truth.
5
Not much confidence in Mr Vance, in addition to Ivanka and Don Jr, he neglected to charge Harvey Weinstein.
2
Clearly, this was never about Russian collusion...this was a coup to take down a duly elected president who is an outsider...If the Swamp gets away with this, imagine what they can do to each and everyone of us.
8
@IraqVet If so, I can't wait until they start to eat their own kind.
If Trump and Co have used a charity as a slush fund (currently the target of the NY state AG) and the payments to Cohen were misrepresented (not a retainer agreement as stated) isn't this enough to demand to see other evidence, e.g., tax returns for former years to determine if this kind of practice is habitual? Like, PLEASE, PLEASE can we see his tax returns? That's gotta be where the beef is.
7
The Trump Organization recorded the reimbursement of NDA's as a legal expenses. It is a legal expense. If I wanted to resign from a company and move to another company under good terms or maybe receive serverance. I needed to sign a NDA, a contract. No trashing the company, no claims against the company, and no confidendial information to anyone.
3
@Kim Farry Exactly. And Imagine the craziness if he USED campaign funds?
What's interesting about this is the confirmed news from WSJ and NBC regarding immunity for CFO Weisselberg who certainly knows where all the proverbial bodies are hidden.
DJT should never have run for office with all his potential RICO violations and shady business practices.
Now he gets to watch all his legal abuses come to light. Couldn't happen to a nicer person.
20
@ChristineMcM this is old news, he was granted immunity months ago to testify against Cohen.
1
@ChristineMcM Well, he can’t be indicted. Impeachment is political and while it is possible in the House if Dems take it, he’ll NEVER be convicted in the Senate without evidence of serious wrongdoing. These payments are not violations of the law. Even if they were, there’s no way we’re impeaching a President over something so minor as spending his own or corporate money on NDAs.
@ChristineMcM Everyone but dolts knew that months ago. Nothingburger.
1
Economy is doing great, Regulations are easing up. Consumer spending the best it's been for several decades. Unemployment at all time low. I could go on but I would just like to say that if Russia had anything to do with this... Thank You Russia!
6
@donfitness How patriotic of you.
(PS: It didn't.)
1
@donfitnessThis isn't the Russians, it's always been very corrupt DC insiders who still don't contol the streets....MAGA!
2
Ok..so you'll win this game by this crooked, asymmetrical application of abusive, weaponized justice. What kind of country do you think you'll win once this utter outrage has run it's course? What level of trust will you be able to count on...even among yourselves - and I'm referring to those of you rationalizing all this simply to satiate your hatred. You know deep down this if filthy to the core. Let alone the 50% of the rest of us who will NEVER forget this and NEVER support your statist agenda no matter what. Careful what you ask for. You will indeed reap what you sow I can assure you.
7
@Al Ok, I get why people don't like trumps personality because I don't like it either. But I would say most people don't see the big picture, that this was never about Russia. This was about people on the right and left who wanted Trump out and knowing how to use the might of the judicial powers to do it. If this is allowed to happen there is no turning back and the country will no longer be a Constitutional Republic. We will be no better than any other dictatorial country. Well maybe we will be different because people may still believe that the Republic is still intact.
3
No worries.........Rudy has it covered.
Funny how crooked Hilary was investigated for years by Republicans and nothing, zero charges. Compared to Donald Trump and his cronies so far I’d say lock them up! I’m sure there’s not a day that goes by that Trump doesn’t regret being president. Could’ve had a nice retirement Don, but you just can’t help it. Your whole life and family is turned inside out, and you all deserve every bit of it! Good luck and hope you’re sleeping well at night!
11
@Buck Roger, of course they found nothing look at who was investigating! The sad people that water her to win the election( Peter Struck) and ALL the rest of them! And none of them would have told the Republicans if there was something!
I am amazed that the lid on Weiner’s laptop emails has been kept locked down as long as it has.
It is obvious that Comey’s presser, which he was judge, jury and prosecuting attorney was not to hurt Hillary but to protect her. He was informed by the NYPD just prior to his press conference that the NYPD was to announce and issue arrest warrants. He had no choice. ( BTW only 3,000 of the 650,000 plus emails were looked at by Inspector Closeau and his agents.)
He and other principals in the DOJ were desperate to stop Trump so why would he hurt Hillary Where is common sense?
This must have been a n open secret in the NYPD and those who had connections to them. Are you telling me that no journalist or media outlet in super “sophisticated” NYC didn’t have a whiff of this stink?
(BTW according to one NYPD detective involved in the Weiner’s emails said, and I paraphrase, “I am a family man and what we found on the laptop cannot stand.”)
6
Finally! Russian collusion has been proved! Great work SDNY and Team Mueller! America paid for it afterall!
2
Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., is a flawed prosecutor who has, himself, been involved in corruption, including receiving large payments from lawyers for those he did not prosecute when he had every reason to do so, including Weinstein and the Trumps, as well as bringing abusive prosecutions to benefit other powerful people even though involving massive perjury known to and suborned by him and his Executive Assistants and other serious prosecutorial misconduct His proceeding now, even though apparently justified, as previously, will get him the publicity that he seeks but will not address the fact that he is unfit for office.
25
@Gerard C If any of that were actually true—he could NOT be the assigned prosecutor due to conflicts of interest. Slander is a nasty thing and you should stop it now. Desperation is ugly.
EVERY possible avenue should be used to prosecute trump for his crooked behavior. He is without doubt the worst of the worst in our government and besmirches the Office of the President on a daily basis.
Mr VANCE, if there is credible evidence, move forward please FOR THE NATION.
6
@dve commenter pyaing hush money is not illegal, it happens every day in American politics.
1
@dve commenter Every possible avenue i.e. suspend the US Constitution as long as we get rid of Trump!!!!11 In fact lets have NY State Government declare that the Federal Governement is illegitimate and take it all over!
1
I hope this puts Trump and his children in the jail. He can't pardon himself out of this.
12
It's unfortunate how the Dems are willing to tear our country and the constitution apart just to get at Trump. The DNC pays for a phony Russian dossier on Trump, a special counsel is brought in to look into what crime exactly? No one knows. But apparently Mueller's given a team of lawyers, unlimited time and money and no limitation at all as to what he can go after. He's threatening every Trump associate with jail time unless they turn on him. Can you imagine if this somehow happened to Obama or Hillary? The press would be going ballistic. But since it's Trump, they're popping champagne bottles. The left in this country is entirely results oriented. They don't care about the law, the constitution, or anything else other than getting what they want through any means necessary.
8
@Dan Klein Civil War is coming if they succeed.
1
Trump should in one phone call pardon everyone except the rats and backstabbers, and in the other call fire everyone else. Mueller could go door to door throughout the United States and indict someone in almost every house for the things that have come out so far. No Russia collusion. Trump money paid for non-disclosure agreements was personal, legal, and done before he was President. There will be no impeachment, but it will continue to fill the daily news cycle because the lying media hates Trump for calling them liars.
This is the Democrat strategy for winning the mid-terms.
4
If the states don't start to prosecute Trump for his crimes, then what Mueller does is almost irrelevant considering the Republicans in Congress have already proven they have no intention of removing Trump from office.
Trump will just pardon himself for federal crimes, and Congress will turn a blind eye to it.
Vote blue in November. 74 days.
4
Attention NY - vote for Zephyr Teachout for attorney general
She will go after Trump on emoluments, tax evasion and money laundering crimes. She can mine his tax returns for decades of violations
11
@Deirdre Deidre I will vote for Zeph if she goes after HRC and Sharpton too. Glass houses.....
4
@Deirdre...Why are you so against Trump. We finally have a president that is actually working for the American people and has accomplished some great things in his first year and a half? Record stock market increasing EVERYONE'S 401K and IRA retirement plans. Black and Latino unemployment at lowest ever in our history. Lowest female unemployment in over 65 years. Over 4 million jobs created including over 400,000 manufacturing jobs. U.S. Steel is making a big comeback opening 5 or 6 new plants very soon. Securing our southern border lessening the number of illegals andn drugs entering the USA! Rebuilding our seriously depleted military. Finally fix the Veterans Administration improving healthcare for our veterans. Defeating ISIS. These are just some of what Trump has accomplished. If you are against these then you have a lot in common with our enemies!
4
It's about time for the states in which the Trump Organization does business to ramp up their own investigations of suspect dealings. There must be no way for the grifter to weasel out of responsibility.
8
"A state investigation would center on how the company accounted for its reimbursement to Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 he paid to the actress, Stephanie Clifford, who has said she had an affair with President Trump, the officials said."
* * *
"Federal prosecutors have said the reimbursement payments were for sham legal invoices in connection with a nonexistent retainer agreement."
As someone who practiced law in New York for several years, the cover story for the $130,000 payment is comical. For many years, New York has required attorneys to provide virtually all potential clients with a detailed retainer agreement. The agreement makes clear the duties and obligations of the lawyer and the client for the term of the engagement.
Charging the client for preparing the retainer agreement would be unethical at a minimum. And to suggest that it would even be *possible* for a lawyer to devote $130,000 worth of billable hours on a retainer agreement is ludicrous.
16
The FEC has ruled that campaign money cannot be used to pay personnel expenses a candidate might pay if he or she was not a candidate, even if it enhances the candidate’s chance of winning election. On a recent talk show, former FEC chairman Bradley Smith said, “There’s all kind of reasons why he may want to make these expenditures even if the allegations made by Stormy Daniels are untrue. Just for family harmony or commercial viability over the long term. Historically, the FEC has said these things are not campaign contributions. When the FEC wrote the regulation that says what constitutes campaign expenditures and what constitutes personal use, it rejected specifically the idea that a campaign expenditure was anything related to a campaign, and instead says it has to be something that exists only because of the campaign and solely for that reason.”
So Trump did not have the option of using campaign money to cover up extramarital affairs. He had to pay out of his own pocket. The New York Times reported that “Court papers in the federal case against [Michael] Cohen said he ultimately received $420,000 from the Trump Organization to reimburse him for his $130,000 payment to [Stormy Daniels]. That is because the Trump Organization included money to cover his taxes on the $130,000, a bonus for him and reimbursement for other campaign expenses.” This makes it clear that Cohen did not intend the $130,000 as a campaign donation. It was part of his retainer fee.
8
The timing of the payment to Ms. Clifford—years after the alleged affair, but right before the election—indicate that the presidential campaign was the primary impetus for the transaction. Good luck proving otherwise.
9
@Gilbert Mom still not a crime, as proven in court cases by EDWARDS and Hart
@Gilbert Mom do you mean like the timing of Bill Clinton and Loretta lynch on the tarmac to talk about grandkids?
And the sound of rats deserting a sinking ship was heard throughout the land... The CFO of the Trump Organization has now been granted immunity to testify. Ditto for Mr Pecker. Who will be next? Jarvanka?? Melania??? So long, SS Trump!!! GRUSTNYY!!!!!!
6
Trump regularly steals, cons, lies, breaks the law and then hires attorneys to find legal loopholes that enable him to avoid responsibility. We understand the spirit of the law, don't we? When Trump solicits contributions to his Foundation and then uses the contributions to pay his personal legal fees (and buy a 6 ft portrait of himself), some law must have been broken, right? Trump lies multiple times a day - but I guess it doesn't count because he isn't "under oath."
I actually think that Judge Judy would do a better job of sorting through all of this nonsense. Lets get her on the case(s)! And, since it is no longer possible to assume that we all understand the basis of good conduct and "upstanding moral character," I guess we now have to spell it out. These days, even that seems to have loopholes.
7
This inquiry has strayed so far away from the original reason for it, alleged collusion by Trump and Russia to meddle in the 2016 election. If the same magnifying glass were placed on the Clinton campaign-- such as its passing a large amount of campaign money to pay for the Steele dossier through the campaign's lawyer and falsely reporting it as "legal expenses" -- there'd be charges from that alone. But there are no feds probing the Democrats' sins. This continues to be a politically-motivated investigation meant to oust a duly-elected, moderate right wing Republican President from office, and now turned over to prosecutors in New York, the world's bastion of far-left socialist progressives. You can imagine the spittle dripping from their mouths.
9
@Scott,
So by your logic, if a $1 million dollars and a dead body were discovered in the remains of a suspected arson fire, the police would have no right to investigate the source of the money or who the dead person was because it “strayed too far” from the original investigation? Think back to the Clinton Whitewater investigation. Nothing came of Whitewater but Ken Starr & Co. sure latched on to the Lewinsky deal didn’t they? Same here, except I suspect that there will be a removal of an elected official or two plus associated advisors and perhaps a couple of company executives once all the crimes are uncovered.
16
@Old Liberal you're logic is flawed here because it's ok when the Republicans do it. It was only good when the Dems were being investigated. And also, you forgot to mention the pardons after all the removals and convictions.
Sadly, Fox news has convinced a large portion of the us that this is the new norm.
With Weissleberg's immunity, I see a Goodfellas jail scene with Trump, Cohen, and the kids all cooking dinner with Manafort or Flynn at the stove.
I should have it done up in velvet and sell it on etsy.
7
I always suspected that Trump would fall to tax evasion rather than Russian conspiracy charges. That's why we never saw his tax returns.
17
@Alan Trump has been audited by the IRS every year since at least 2002. So since he's not in jail, I'd expect there were no issues. And he has a whole tax team to back him up.
"That's why we never saw his tax returns" - What? So, you're astute enough to look at his tax returns and thereby determine that he evaded taxes? I think that the IRS is a bit more qualified than anybody in determining tax evasion.
1
It is upsetting to think that during his entire 2016 campaign, many media outlets reported on the most outrageous things that Donald Trump said and did. He never articulated exactly what his policy views were or any type of platform other than building a wall to be paid for by Mexico. It was a circus you couldn't turn away from.
Other candidate's policy views and positions did not get the same amount of attention. Trump became the Republican candidate, not because of his qualifications, but because of the show he put on.
I would have liked to hear about his business dealings and foundation issues during the campaign. I guess it wasn't interesting enough until a porn star and playboy model were in the mix.
9
@Jane K Spot on Jane, the Media got DJT elected. Ha! he should thank them, he coulnd't have done it without them.
3
Ok, this is not rocket science...
Subpoena DJT's tax returns and this whole nightmare of a presidency is over.
Wasn't every legendary mobster ultimately brought down by TAX EVASION?
15
@JM Sure. They need only a reason to subpoena them. And that reason would be...?
@JM Yes and I think "Boss Tweed" too
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_M._Tweed
@JM Trump has been audited every year since at least 2002...check your CNN sources. No imprisonment yet, so I'd bet his taxes are pretty clean. And I'm not even a rocket scientist!
1
In first reading this article, I thought that perhaps you gave Ms. Clifford some respect by not referring to her occupation while discussing more impactful issues. Sadly, I was mistaken. You folks can't seem to humanize this woman. You are complicit in denigrating the argument down to its lowest connotation. Labeling her as a 'porn star' calls her personal conduct into question. I know nothing of her character, either on screen or off, but by constantly reminding us that she performs a role on film, you degrade her and the argument. It is equivalent to labeling Tom Hanks a gangster because he was featured in a movie about gangsters. Continuing with this double standard should be an affront to everyone, especially women.
3
@Blueinred nah, I think it needs to be pointed out that even a women of low class and has a lot more class than the current president.
It's like if they said someone was not as strong as Superman. That someone could still be very strong. But if they said someone was not as strong as Homer Simpson's boss Mr Burns, then you'd know that person was very weak.
She doesn't play a role on film. She sells her body just like a common street walker.
Just heard on the radio that Weisselberg is getting immunity. Bet Trump is really scared now. Whatever Weisselberg testifies to can be used in federal and NY state courts against Trump & Co. Can't wait to read Trump's take on the "sellout" by his & his dad's longtime accountant.
28
@Just Me "getting" he got it months ago.
The payments were made in 2017. Unless they were accrued in 2016, taxes haven't been filed yet for these payments. With extensions, C Corps are due Oct 15 and S Corps and the many flavors of partnerships are due Sep 15.
If they were accrued in 2016 (I would have), then we can talk about tax fraud at the Federal and State level.
Pleading guilty to a non cime is astounding. It's not illegal nor does it fall into campaign finance laws.
5
@Mie Too That was simply a part of the quid pro quo. There is one in every plea agreement. It would be great to believe we lived in a country with sufficient checks and balances that it would be impossible for the government to buy a confession from one individual in order to build a case against another without laying down a single piece of evidence in court. But we don't.
4
I'm just glad Hillary didn't win or she, Chelsea and everyone connected to her and her charity would be investigated like this and Trump would have gone off in the distance.
Oh, wait, democrats don't investigate democrats. Never mind.
9
@Josh It is amazing how Hillary is always brought up when anything about Trump's "misdeeds" are discussed and its always a partisan issue. I have been a lifelong Republican
and have no love for Hillary but get over her. She isn't president and we all know Trump is guilty of many crimes.
He is a very sorry excuse for a president.
15
@AT It's simply a way to measure what's really important to democrats: bringing down this president by any means necessary while completely ignoring blatant corruption by any of their own people. It's revealing.
Yes, poor Dons troubles are Hilary's fault. Election is over , move on. The his is about trumps inherent criminality, which was well known before the minions elected him.
As I read the comments here I am struck with the frivolity with which so many commenters ignore the facts behind Cohen's guilty pleas (although that is not the main point of the article).
1. Money was paid to a porn star in order to influence the presidential election.
2. The payments were not reported. That is a felony.
3. The guilty plea included the statement that Cohen acted at Trump's behest.
Whether Trump gets in trouble for possible violations of New York state laws remains to be seen.
19
@Jon Orloff
If the expense were included in marketing and explained, maybe.
But obscured by layers of deception, not so much.
1
@Jon Orloff - NDAs are not a crime. Period. Campaign commercials are paid for in order to "influence the presidential election." By your definition, political campaigns are illegal (except DemoRAT campaigns, of course).
1
@Jon Orloff You misread, and I'll address point 3 first: The statement that Cohen acted at Trumps behest does not exist anywhere in the case record. It exists only in the cloud of chatter surrounding the issue. In fact, not one other person is named in the indictment. Now, the so-called fact in point 1 is not in evidence, and for fact 2 to be true, 1 must be true. You are being misled.
4
Who are they? The government officials? Who are they? Give us a name! We are making a list and unlike some people that protest by burning cars and beating up old people who have on Trump hats WE have a skill set that will bring the change and outcomes that we want. So we need Names!
1
Something tells me that state court is where the real game could be played.
10
Yup. The non-pardonable game!
1
Here is a question that I haven't seen discussed. Both Cohen and Manafort are guilty of federal income tax evasion charges. Why wouldn't similar NYS income tax evasion charges also be applicable? Is NYS pursuing this? Being found guilty of such NYS charges are serious and couldn't be pardoned by Trump in order to buy their silence.
16
@P_lock: good point. fed and state taxes are linked pretty much on all states. I wonder if Manafort has to declare income in other states? hmmm could be more trouble !
3
I am a business valuator specializing in intangible assets.
The Trump Organization has a brand "TRUMP" that they need to protect.
Whatever legal expenses they incur to "protect the brand" should be legitimate.
Why would an expense specifically to protect the "brand" be anything other than a legal expense to the company????
SOMETIMES LOGIC IS GOOD TO EMPLOY.
7
@Eric Jordan The problem is, the payoffs were not made to protect the Trump brand. They were made to influence an election. Unless you believe that it's just a coincidence that the payments were made days before the election. In which case, I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.
19
@Eric Jordan There aren't going to be any charges because they are legitimate expenses for the reason you say among others. But it is not the purpose of these "releases" to say what they actually intend to undertake, these stories are intended only to "influence the upcoming elections". In fact, depending on who is involved, their placement might be part of an actual "conspiracy to defraud the United States".
1
@Eric Jordan
Sometimes it might be wise to consult a lawyer -- even a Canadian one.
1
It's sad to see the number of comments here excusing or rationalizing the corruption of Donald Trump. His supporters have gone from shouts of "Lock Her Up!" to Americans who reject The Rule of Law.
31
I've been told that fanaticism (trump cult) is a reaction to a deep doubt of one's own beliefs. fanaticism or radicalism is an other-targeted, visceral, emotional response to an inner insecurity.
11
@ChristopherM Au contrair; Hillary was excused for crimes that warrant time in prison and for which people frequently do spend time in prison, before we even begin to discuss her obstruction of justice.
With Trump, they are making up crimes and hounding his cohorts into guilty pleas for things which either are not crimes at all or which are normally dealt with via a civil fine and pretending like he actually did something wrong. Its a pretty bid stretch to say paying off the porn stars was 'influencing an election' and even if it was, that is the candidates main job. He used his own money.
The NY AG is saying an accounting entry may be illegal? Sounds like a tax question to me. Which would normally not be handled by the AG.
In short, a government which chooses which laws it will enforce against whom based on political considerations is corrupt to its core.
You should be ashamed to pretend otherwise.
7
@ChristopherM In order for you to fairly say that people are excusing of rationalizing some sort of "corruption", you must know what corruption is. So do tell what, exactly, is it that Donald Trump had done that is "corrupt"?
1
The average American may not understand campaign finance laws, but they know in their guts that paying a gold digger to go away isn't illegal.
16
@Maria Correcoogo The payments were not made to make a gold digger go away. They were made to influence an election, and it is a felony to spend money to influence an election if you don't report it.
21
@Jon Orloff They were made to protect his marriage or to protect his family. Now the law has to prove intent to make it a crime.
Do they know in their guts that if it's not illegal, and it's not wrong, there's no real reason to lie and conceal?
1
Trump paid for an NDA. This is done everyday in America. How could it possibly be a felony?
11
@CountryClubRepublican Because it was done to influence an election. All campaign related expenditures must be reported as such and follow legal guidelines. Use of illegal means to attain the office of President is an impeachable offense.
38
It's an unreported campaign contribution.
4
@DRTmunich They payments were to protect his marriage an family. If he claims that is why he made the payments then I wasn't to influence the campaign. Now the DA has to prove why he made the payments
Yes! Pile it on.
Impeachment - eyes always on the prize.
3
We all know this is being done so Trump cant pardon himself if convicted. But he wont be. Get a life.
Mr McCord -
It is only necessary to bring unpardonable state lawsuits because we are in what should be the unimaginable situation of having a president guilty of all sorts of financial and other crimes who unfortunately has the power and the motivation to pardon himself and all of his cronies (and offspring). The life-getting should be directed at those (like yourself?) who voted for him or who sit in the House and Senate and remain silent about POTUS’ behavior.
6
If you have ever watched Lucile Ball
In her chocolate factory downfall
Then you well understand
The panic that’s at hand
For Donald Trump’s crumbling brand
14
Now that the Trump CFO flipped, who will be next? Keith Schiller? Rhona Graff?
5
Did Cy Vance not get a hefty donation towards his campaign?Too bad he didn't act sooner where Harvey Weinstein was concerned.
2
Sooooo....we have a liberal DA in one of the most liberal cities using resources to investigate the possibility of a misdemeanor or two against the employees of the president....makes for nice headlines, but the truth is that, in different circumstances, this wouldn't make off a jr investigators desk just because of caseload and proper priorities.
But....it's not political....
11
@Old Guy
NYC may be home to "liberal" thinking individuals, however, the US Attorney for the Southern District, the NYC District Attorney's Office, and the Courts, both Federal and City are anything but "liberal". FYI, there are plenty of prisons in NY, filled to the brim with criminals. At one time, NYC had 40,000 police officers. There is nothing liberal about the NYPD. This is not about being liberal or conservative. This is about the law. Most people obey the law, while others scoff at it.
18
Sooooo... a Trump supporter is OK with tax evasion and other felonies.
6
Well, this will set off another round of frantic conversations between Donald and Junior, trying to work out yet another cover story, just like they did for the June 9th Trump Tower meeting. Instead of Hope Hicks, we’ll be treated to Rudy, positively agog again, blurting out jumbled nonsensical lies and enough truth to catch the attention of every investigator everywhere. I certainly hope Rudy faces some ethics charges.
Junior probably ordered a Rosetta Stone in Russian and is thinking about life in exile.
13
Rudy will be lucky if he retains his bar license. Certainly his reputation, such as it is, is tanked.
2
Hey, "It's just about sex". Remember that? He survived impeachment and went on to become the rock star that he is today. So chill and enjoy your Trump tax break. Or #RESIST and return your pay raise and tax break.
4
This "tax reform" has actually raised the tax liability in our household.
15
@NowYouKnow
No amount of $$ is worth the degradation of The United States of America.
I won't chill for measly pennies.
@NowYouKnow: That's all that matters, right? Cutting taxes; avoiding paying your share. Who cares about degrading America in the eyes of the world, stoking racial and religious hatred, continual lying and criminality, and frankly outright stupidity in the world's highest office, as long as you can pay a few dollars less.
4
Dangerously comical are the attempts to take down this president.
It was never about Russia, always about a technicality they could trip him up on.
Trump is bucking the wants and desires of media mass hysteria, fringe political minorities and entrenched swamp bureaucrats.
Thank you President Trump for standing up to them. You alone hold the irreversible flood back with your finger in the dike.
9
@mike
Against state law? We're talking about a Federal election, not a state election. Can you see the chaos if every state could have their own set of laws for Federal elections?
That's why we have the FEC to handle Federal elections. The NY AG's are way overstepping their authority,
3
@mike
I think you are missing the whole picture here. NYS is pursuing this and also I believe NYS income tax evasion charges with Manafort because they broke the law. Also with Trump suggesting all along that he would grant them pardons neither would cooperate with DOJ investigators regarding the Russian investigation. The NYS charges provide the leverage that Trump can't overcome that investigators need to get Manafort and Cohen to talk. What I don't understand is if Trump is innocent and has nothing to hide why he is considering pardoning these two to keep them from cooperating and also refusing to be interviewed by Mueller (as Clinton was interviewed by Starr) so he can complete the investigation.
21
@mike
I don't know about a dike. Trump definitely has his finger up the pulse of his loyal supporters.
2
Mr. Trump cannot pardon anyone (or himself) who has been convicted of a crime in New York State. In addition, the state has nothing to prevent it from indicting Trump.
16
@John
WHy not?
@John No, nothing to stop the state at all. All they need is a provable case that a crime has been committed. So what, exactly, is the charge going to be?
2
https://nowthisnews.com/videos/politics/lindsey-graham-makes-the-case-fo...
@Linda Probably should listen to the whole thing.....Trump did this before office.....Clinton did this while in office. Pour another cold brew...Trump will be here for a loooooong time
3
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist David Cay Johnston, author of "The Making of Donald Trump," recently wrote about the many New York State statutes under which the Trump organization could be tried in this matter, and why it's important to do so. Read his excellent analysis here:
https://www.dcreport.org/2018/08/22/new-york-prosecutors-can-go-after-tr...
37
The Trump Organization is a money laundering tax avoidance scheme pretending to be a branding company
Lock them all up and change the laws for LLCs in real estate because the scam is pervasive
108
Somebody should consider charges against the incompetent Manhattan DA who brings and prosecutes charges against innocent people and who fails to bring charges against obvious criminals who donate to his campaign, like Harvey Weinstein.
9
Might be, could be..... what a stench! Let’s look into tax payer funded hush money that congress uses. Not someone legal right to a non disclosure.
9
@Marco I noticed that there are no rebuttals to your comment (5 hrs after you posted it). Dems - "Oh yeah, forgot that happened...that's much worse than Trump paying hush-money out of his own pocket; that definitely should be illegal! Can't make any hay out of this, so I'll just move on to the next comment..."
1
I'll bet that winning the election doesn't look so fantastic now. If you have dirty laundry don't do an open house party. How many millions in taxes have trump, his family, his organizations, his attorneys, his cohorts kept from the federal & state governments? We the people have essentially supported these people for decades. It is time they pay for their crimes against the people of this country. If Jeff Sessions gives in & opens investigations into Clinton & those damn emails, I hope he plays fair & starts investigating not just the adversaries of trump but representatives & senators to look for their crimes against the people. Evidently our elected officials think taxpayer money is free for their use & we won't care.
12
Wow....now we’re going to use selective prosecution to start targeting and locking people up associated with our political enemies based on how they accounted for “hush money”? Only people more concerned about this than the President and his associates ought to be any Democrat who might seek the Presidency from this point on, their families, and anyone they’ve ever worked with over the last 20 years or so. Using the “Mueller standard”, all we need is a fake crime (anything will do, really) to kick off the next special counsel, which will be pointed at said Democrat and it’s off to the races. 100% certainty they’ll find something. To anyone who disagrees with this.....wouldn’t you want to know what they are hiding?
10
What has taken you guys so long to figure this out?
6
The Godfather-in-Chief has been spreading a miasma of corruption and criminality all around him for decades now. But maybe the arc of the moral universe does in fact eventually bend toward justice - these are promising signs.
30
What took so long?
Go NY State! There has GOT to be some dirt on DJT in the state of NY...what a poor excuse for a human being, let alone a business professional...mobster. Where are those state tax returns?
14
Please, please go ahead.
6
Perhaps this little bit of business will give investigators reason to request Trump's tax returns...and let's get all of them -- Don Sr.. Donny Jr., Eric, Ivanka, Jared...time to lock up the entire corrupt family affair.
24
at this rate, Trump may need a go fund me page.
9
Cohen has a go fund me page now.
Just think: Trump has committed state level felonies in every state of the union. By the time everyone's finished extracting him, he'll have more frequent flyer miles than all the astronauts combined! What I want to know is which state has the most draconian prison system, do any still have chain gangs? Will he be making license plates? Doing laundry? Yelling out "shakin' the bush, boss!"? He goes thru life in solitary already so that wouldn't prove to be an odious burden for him, as long as there's mirrors he can talk to. As I've said before, I believe Gitmo is just perfect for him, his clan, his entourage and cohort of flying monkeys. He can improvise knuckle tats of his famous last name, kinda like Jake and Elwood.
I once did some construction work at Greenhaven Prison, upstate NY, and found it to be the most bleak, god forsaken place I've ever been, and that includes my service during 'Nam. I could live with the knowledge he's going there for 10+ years and move on to help the nation heal.
22
And now as the attempt at a bloodless coup gains momentum the time is coming...
9
Cy Vance is a late arrival to the party. Wasn't he investigating the Trump SoHo scam a few years ago? And didn't the investigation go away? (Something about a large campaign contribution...)
3
@Kathleen Warnock
Yeah how long did it take him to look into Harvey Weinstein. No donations to Vance's re-election campaign no doubt. All credibility is lost Cy. You can thank your Daddy for your job.
4
@Margo Channing
And the voters of New York.
Glad to hear prosecutors are starting to wake up. Trump is the walking embodiment of corruption. How could his organization be anything other than corrupt from top to bottom?
76
The "Organization" has a history of shady dealings. I recall that they had to be shamed into making a contribution to the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation long after they had very publicly made a statement that they would donate.
19
Oops.
I've confused the Trump Organization with the Trump Foundation. The "Foundation" is allegedly a charitable organization.
How long has it taken to audit mr. Chumps own tax records. Since he was first running for office, in response to why he would not disclose his tax records, he responded that he would do so after they had been audited. So now what is the hold-up?
27
The President, of all people, really should be a law-abiding citizen. There should not be even a whiff of corruption from that office. And yet, here we are with the most corrupt president in our entire history. Trump makes Nixon look honest. Trump makes Harding look like a boy scout. As Goldwater said, and I'm loosely quoting here, "Mr. Trump, it's time to go."
39
@lynchburglady
Trump and his team have likely violated each and every one of the "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" offenses listed in the Constitution as valid causes for impeachment.
This is over-achievement. I suspect that the framers imagined that violating a single one of the listed offenses could be sufficient grounds. Filling in all of the boxes suggests that Trump is trying to hard.
(I now have to re-consider my previous satisfaction that my two great-aunts voted to block Nixon from moving into the Dakota building. This now seems harsh.)
1
Could Cy Vance stop?
His focus is always on the wrong thing. Donald Trump is a sitting President who is currently battling the Justice Department and an independent council of the highest caliber.
Cy Vance has an over incarceration problem that is plaguing his constituents, ones he campaigned frequently in Harlem for, a police sexual assault unit who's only problem is that it doesn't prosecute sexual assault, and a city of eight million and growing to keep safe.
Take care of your job. Just your job. Let Robert Mueller take care of his.
2
Even if Robert Mueller does his job, NOTHING is likely to be of consequence in the cesspool of Washington, where Congress is unlikely to act. If Manhattan or the State of New York are able to successfully convict Trump allies and the Trump organization of wrong doing, the People may find the momentum needed to drive Trump from office.
Does anyone doubt that Robert Mueller's report will show obstruction of justice by the President? We witnessed it in open communications by Trump.
The public puts too much faith in this Congress, despite the evidence that, under GOP leadership, they show increasing disregard for the health of our democracy. While things might be better under the leadership of Democrats, with or without Trump, we still face the dire consequences of corporate influence in American policy.
6
Curtis Sumpter--Indict, convict, and imprison this family criminal enterprise. I don't care how you do it, Cy. Save us all from the enduring consequences of the last corrupted election.
13
@Curtis Sumpter, he can and must walk and chew gum at the same time. Any big city DA's office has a responsibility to go after white collar and street crime. NYC has historically very low street crime. The fact Vance received a campaign contribution from Trump when Ivanka and Don Jr. faced criminal liability stinks to high heaven. If Vance wants to ensure that his integrity is intact, he cannot give passes to campaign contributors.
4
This is why Trump is freaking out over this whole investigation. If anyone with subpoena power actually starts looking into his company's finances, god knows what financial chicanery they're going to find.
We've all learned over the past two years how little regard Trump has for honesty, rules or the law. It's implausible to believe that same spirit doesn't permeate his business.
28
I would bet that Mueller's next step is to bring charges against Kushner and Don Jr. arising out of 1) this Trump Org situation, 2) the Trump Foundation situation, and/or 3) the infamous Trump Tower meeting. The question will be whether POTUS is willing to let these two men, only in their 30s and fathers to many of his grandchildren, go to jail for helping him. If it were anyone else (like Michael Flynn), the answer would be clear--of course, he would not let them go to jail for his sake. Not so clear with POTUS.
Will be interesting!!!
14
@Sheila Walsh I suspect he will let them go to jail, family or not.
1
I feel ire towards the previous DA's from the southern district for allowing Trump's gangster behavior to crescendo over the last 40 years without any pushback. He didn't just bring out this behavior for the presidency. He's always been a gangster and hung out with gangsters.
21
@Beverly Burke and i really feel ire that the NYPD's press conference was derailed by Comey about what was found on Wieners laptop prior to the election. BTW it is obvious Comey’s swooping down in front of the cameras as DA, judge and jury so quickly after he was informed there was going to be a press conference and arrest warrants issued was to protect Hillary not hurt her. ( fact Comey and his agents looked at 3,000 on Wiener’s computer out of 650,000. The NYPD looked ta a lot more and what they found sickened them. As one NYPD detective said and I paraphrase “ I am a family man and what I saw cannot stand”.
2
So the thing I love the most about this article, has to be the photo of Trump at the White House 'ceremony,' by Gabriella Demczuk. I vote for it as the new official presidential photo for the 45th President of the United States. And the fact that it was shot by a woman is a double whammy. Good work, Gabriella, you should get the Pulitzer for it.
32
This is fabulous, and exactly what I'd hoped would happen. A majority of us voters knew that tRump was a criminal, way back before he ran for president. WE could see through him, but his kool-aid drinkers will never concede. They must all be as unstable as he is.
55
@ChesBay
Trump's a criminal because his attorney allocated funds on his own taxes improperly? Then I guess all Cohen's clients are criminals in your eyes.
2
@ChesBay
I'm sorry...who is drinking the kool-aid here?
Those of us that voted for Trump knew what we were getting. A crass New Yorker that spoke from the heart and had a reputation for getting things accomplished. Many of us were tired of the professional politician that never had a private sector job...never created anything for anyone else that didn't involve the government.
And given the choice of candidates, it was Trump or the Clinton machine. It wasn't a tough call.
Trump is being handed a death by a thousand cuts of accusation and innuendo by opponents that won't accept the election results.
Remember when the media and pundits were all in a tizzy whether Trump and his supporters would accept the outcome of the election? They were worried about the wrong group....
4
@ josh, trumps a criminal because he has been evading taxes his entire life. He is surrounded by criminals because he likes criminals.
1
Great photo of Trump. That face...could he look any more unhappy or stressed out?
10
We’ll take whatever we can get, but it would be cool if New York at least helped Mueller bring down that homegrown disgrace. And better to leave Cyrus Vance out of it. His hands got really dirty when he let the Trump kids off scott-free. When was his office so kind to poor kids?
16
With Trump and Putin in control of the executive branch of the federal government, the states MUST get to work immediately nailing down the myriad felonies of the Trump Crime Family, including those of his private foundation and the web of bribery and blackmail that paved the way to his election. While Florida will continue to shield the criminal in the White House, New York must step up. Politically, prosecutors in NY may be on the defensive as to why they have never prosecuted Trump before on his mob ties, bid rigging and employment practices. Trump's "thugs" such as Paul Manafort must be charged in state courts, as well, if we're ever to document Trump's treasonous alliance with the Kremlin.
32
Big Text--My bet is that only New York will do that. Every red state is being run by criminals who are bankrupting their treasuries, polluting their environments, ruining their schools, and health care, subverting the vote, and are no better than tRump. All of those mobsters need to go, as well. What are you citizens waiting for? Are you better off now, than you were BEFORE Republicans took over your lives? In most cases, the answer is NO.
20
I'm sure this is just the tip of the iceberg, and I'm hopeful that justice will be served and that these crooks will go to jail. The head crook, of course, is Don Trump who is not above the law.
40
Well, this is the same prosecutor that looked the other way when Trump's children were into some shady deals of their own and also could not find a reason to charge Harvey Weinstein with criminal activity. I'll believe criminal charges will be filed for the big shots involved when I actually see it.
5
Aren't these same "two officials familiar with the matter" who had said Trump will be found a foul of emoluments clause on Day 1 and will be voted out under the 25 th amendment ?
6
Just in time. Rudy is talking about how Trump isn't going to pardon people -- for now.
Trump can act like a dictator as he abuses his federal authority and counts on toady Republicans in Congress to never impeach him for any of his Putin or Porno actress or Play Boy bunny crimes, but he has zero control over State authorities.
The State of New York might be what saves us.
42
Hurrah! Speaking of Al Capone, they got him on tax violations too. Hit the grifters where it hurts, in the wallet!
50
Even Trump supporters are saying that pardoning his associates would be crossing a line. I wonder if Trump is listening, since they are the only audience he actually cares about.
14
In which State did Paul Manafort reside during the time period when he perpetrated his criminal tax fraud, and does that State have income tax, and if so who is that State's criminal prosecuting authority? That person needs to be reviewing the Manafort trial record.
19
Ordinarily, using a state charge to double up on a federal charge might seem like overkill, not quite double jeopardy but the targeting of some disliked person for extra punishment.
But in this and related matters, it seems justified by Trump's suggestions that he might pardon everyone including himself of any federal crimes and convictions. No President before has been so extreme in thumbing his nose at laws and norms. Such extreme abuse of the pardon power seems to warrant using whatever laws are available to address misbehavior of Trump and his associates.
Similarly it seems justifiable for the state to review tax returns - of Cohen, Trump and anyone else associated. He couldn't pardon them or himself of state tax crimes, and we'd finally get a look at Trump's returns which, unlike those of all other Presidents, he has refused to disclose.
31
Obama and Hillary. Hillary and Obama. The Trump supporters mantra.
1
This is how so many (perhaps the majority of) wealthy elites and their lawyers operate--and many members of congress are in on it all because money is everything to them. It would take many decades to clean out half the corruption that has taken hold at the federal and state levels of government. In Michigan, finally, 5 officials were charged on Wednesday because they refused to protect the public in Flint and numerous people died from the tainted water. My bet is that they get off--after all they have sufficient money to hire the best lawyers.
9
@MyOwnWoman: Ummm, for what it's worth, I'm not sure Jay Sekulow and Rudy Giuliani exactly qualify as two of "the best lawyers." ;-)
8
@MyOwnWoman
I, for one, wouldn't even mind a hike in my federal income tax to pursue the slime in the swamp for decades. For example, it would be infinitely satisfying to see the creepy crawlies, who enabled the costly the opioid epidemic actually punished for their crimes instead I'm sure they are all protected under that impregnable rock fortress against law, order and morals, the corporation.
7
"It’s a misdemeanor for a person or company to make a false entry in a business record or cause one to be made, with intent to defraud. It becomes a felony if it is done to commit or conceal another crime."
It appears this falls into the felony category since the payments were for concealment of illegal unclaimed contributions to sway voters right before the election aka "campaign finance violations".
46
Isn't putting Cyrus Vance, Jr. in charge of investigating the Trump Organization like putting the proverbial fox in charge of the hen house?
After the evidence that Vance had against Ivanka and Jared Kushner he did nothing. Vance then accepted a large donation for his campaign from the Kushner's, via their lawyer. Giving it back does not count, as Vance only returned it because he got caught.
Isn't there a more ethical attorney that can be assigned to investigate the Trump Organization.
72
Trump cannot pardon any entity from state level charges and convictions. And the case, if and when filed by the Manhattan D.A. will drag on for over two years by when President Trump would have become citizen Trump. The whole world will cheer as he is charged and convicted on his organization's improprieties.
97
Michael Cohen’s plea seems to only scratch the surface of the dark depths of corruption in the president’s organization. These un-named persons will soon be known and will reveal a wider net of a conspiracy to defraud American voters.
The president’s past history of fraudulent financial and business dealings didn’t just stop when he became the Republican party’s presidential nominee or stop at the White House door when he was elected.
The dishonesty of this president and his family members continues apace. It doesn't matter if the president's crimes are state or federal, and contrary to what Republicans believe, he is NOT above the law.
106
Trump likely has been paying personal expenses out of his corporate entities. He has a history of doing so through his charitable foundation. There appear to be enough grounds for NY State to go through his tax returns with a fine tooth comb.
154
@RAD61: Imagine the largest crowd ever gathered on the mall in DC. Imagine millions of people shouting out, in unison, in one magnificent voice "LOCK HIM UP!".
21
Join the criminal party, Trump Organization !
Everyone connected to the criminal Trump Administration is going to prison -don't miss out !
What a destructive national disgrace Donald Trump is.
Everything he touches turn to excrement.
124
Not a time to celebrate, we’re all in this together and the economic impact is going to hurt a lot of people. I hope the correction comes in the form of a 50 state thrashing at the voting booth and he/they’re prosecuted after the election
57
This is ages overdue. Anyone who has followed Donald's career knows he's a treasure trove of ill gotten gains. He got away with it for so long that he really did think he was untouchable. Wrong again Donald.
2020--from the White House to the Big House-- the Trump crime family.
20
@Socrates: "Donald, this is the life we have chosen. It's business, not personal".
4
Trump and Cohen acted in collusion to defraud the American voters and if this were anybody else charges would already have been filed.
The DA's office needs to proceed and file those charges as nobody is above the law, especially Trump.
117
@BTO
I agree. I am so looking forward to the photos of Donald Trump in an orange jumpsuit. The smartest thing he could do would be to shut up and resign.
6
@BTO Wrong! HRC, USGOV, colluded (are colluding) to defraud the American voters to interfere, and then target for removal a duly elected President.
8
@BTO -- 'Collusion to defraud the American Voters', really? Exactly HOW were voters "Defrauded."
btw, a DA. any DA or State's Attorney has zero jurisdiction over federal elections, so a DA can't 'proceed' on anything.
1