[Maru]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

Youtube video

Here's the full interview. Great poker faces on the presenters.

Wow, talk about word vomit... I'm almost 11 minutes in and he's completely unrestrained. You'd think they were his besties ... I remember he used to say he had a good relationship with the media, and I guess really does have a deep desire to be liked by them and the public. But it's a huge character flaw when he is under investigation by the feds... at least his Twitter is locked to 280 chars and is rate-limited ... I can see politically that he maybe just sees this as connecting with his base... but Fox News is not necessarily his base, they're still the media...

Ty for the link

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by Maru

Wow, talk about word vomit... I'm almost 11 minutes in and he's completely unrestrained. You'd think they were his besties ... I remember he used to say he had a good relationship with the media, and I guess really does have a deep desire to be liked by them and the public. But it's a huge character flaw when he is under investigation by the feds... at least his Twitter is locked to 280 chars and is rate-limited ... I can see politically that he maybe just sees this as connecting with his base... but Fox News is not necessarily his base, they're still the media...

Ty for the link

I had to laugh when the presenter keep trying to wrap the interview while Donnie just keeps on going.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I had to laugh when the presenter keep trying to wrap the interview while Donnie just keeps on going.

I love the part where they told him, "I'm not your doctor Mr. President, but you should watch less CNN..." ...so much authority... (Granted, CNN is pretty terrible now)

[kirklancaster]

Originally Posted by Maru

Wow, talk about word vomit... I'm almost 11 minutes in and he's completely unrestrained. You'd think they were his besties ... I remember he used to say he had a good relationship with the media, and I guess really does have a deep desire to be liked by them and the public. But it's a huge character flaw when he is under investigation by the feds... at least his Twitter is locked to 280 chars and is rate-limited ... I can see politically that he maybe just sees this as connecting with his base... but Fox News is not necessarily his base, they're still the media...

Ty for the link

I sense a rather desperate desire to be more accepted and liked by the media and public in Trump too, Maru, and I think that may be one of the reasons why he - consciously or otherwise - seems to 'go on and on' in some interviews because he is using the occasion for Public-Relations purposes.

I also think that he feels less hostility from the Fox News crew.

A great and informative video by the way.

[arista]

(Granted, CNN is pretty terrible now)

Yes there is more news out there
than just anti Trump rhetoric

[Maru]

Originally Posted by arista

(Granted, CNN is pretty terrible now)

Yes there is more news out there
than just anti Trump rhetoric

Yes, and less hysterics

[GiRTh]

I think MSNBC are worse. At least CNN usually have a right wing point of view in debates, MSNBC rarely have any kind of opposing voice. The right winger usually gets shouted down but at least they have one.

The Morning Joe show for instance were really hammering Donnie after he attacked both on twitter about this time last year, as I recall. It was quite uncomfortable to watch at times.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I think MSNBC are worse. At least CNN usually have a right wing point of view in debates, MSNBC rarely have any kind of opposing voice. The right winger usually gets shouted down but at least they have one.

The Morning Joe show for instance were really hammering Donnie after he attacked both on twitter about this time last year, as I recall. It was quite uncomfortable to watch at times.

It probably depends on when people watch (I limit my time now). MSNBC is worse in primetime usually... but I remember when Joe Scarborough used to have his own show, along with Tucker Carlson and he always wore that babe-magnet bowtie

Cable news in general though is a dying breed imo. I don't really know many people here who watch national news anymore and the actual ratings all suck...funnily enough, we just got setup by a Nielsen rep to come to our house on Monday so we can be part of their ratings system... we asked and they also monitor Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast as well, which is pretty cool.

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I think MSNBC are worse. At least CNN usually have a right wing point of view in debates, MSNBC rarely have any kind of opposing voice. The right winger usually gets shouted down but at least they have one.

The Morning Joe show for instance were really hammering Donnie after he attacked both on twitter about this time last year, as I recall. It was quite uncomfortable to watch at times.

Just for some context; Joe and Mika took a lot of flack for having trump on their show whenever he wanted from the time he announced he was running up until election. These were fawning interviews when they were more pleased about access to a candidate than offering any real rebuttal to the stream of BS that flows naturally from his cheese puff coloured mouth.

Then when he won and he was actually an insane lunatic, they started criticising him, so they've overcompensating now. Joe Scarborough is an ex republican congressman, and Mika is a vacuous non entity living off the reputation of her father.

They have Kacie Hunt on their constantly who's only opinion is that both sides do it (which is false), they also have Peggy Noonan on there, who was Reagans speech writer, so MSNBC actually have quite a few right wingers on. Nicole Wallace in the afternoon, actually ran John McCains presidential campaign in 08'.

There isn't a whole lot that trump does that isn't worthy of criticism, because a corrupt lunatic. Having 2 sides on every issue actually dilutes debate when one side is plainly wrong.

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

Just for some context; Joe and Mika took a lot of flack for having trump on their show whenever he wanted from the time he announced he was running up until election. These were fawning interviews when they were more pleased about access to a candidate than offering any real rebuttal to the stream of BS that flows naturally from his cheese puff coloured mouth.

Then when he won and he was actually an insane lunatic, they started criticising him, so they've overcompensating now. Joe Scarborough is an ex republican congressman, and Mika is a vacuous non entity living off the reputation of her father.

They have Kacie Hunt on their constantly who's only opinion is that both sides do it (which is false), they also have Peggy Noonan on there, who was Reagans speech writer, so MSNBC actually have quite a few right wingers on. Nicole Wallace in the afternoon, actually ran John McCains presidential campaign in 08'.

There isn't a whole lot that trump does that isn't worthy of criticism, because a corrupt lunatic. Having 2 sides on every issue actually dilutes debate when one side is plainly wrong.

I've been watching these channels since before the election so I know that Joe and Mika love affair with Trump ended well before the election. I definitely recall Mika being quite disgusted by the Access Hollywood tapes.

As well as the talent you listed they also have Hugh Hewitt as a contributor who I know to be very right wing.

My point is in debates there is rarely a dissenting voice on MSNBC and I dont think its much of a debate if everyone is saying the same thing

[The Slim Reaper]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

I've been watching these channels since before the election so I know that Joe and Mika love affair with Trump ended well before the election. I definitely recall Mika being quite disgusted by the Access Hollywood tapes.

As well as the talent you listed they also have Hugh Hewitt as a contributor who I know to be very right wing.

My point is in debates there is rarely a dissenting voice on MSNBC and I dont think its much of a debate if everyone is saying the same thing

While I would generally agree with your debate point, what has trump actually done where there is a debate to be had? The tax giveaway is the only thing I can think of. Anything else?

[GiRTh]

Originally Posted by The Slim Reaper

While I would generally agree with your debate point, what has trump actually done where there is a debate to be had? The tax giveaway is the only thing I can think of. Anything else?

Off the top of my head, Healthcare but that's not the point I'm making.

I dont really see the point of having five people on a panel all making the same point and I regularly see that on MSNBC. On CNN they will at least have one person trying to make an opposing point. As I say, they usually get cut to ribbons, but I applaud their effort to have a more balanced debate even if ultimately, that effort fails.

[GiRTh]

The Morning Joe show is very anti Trump. More than most due to personal reasons probably.

I dont usually tune again in till Rachel Maddow or Lawrence O Donnell. Always watch him being a bit of a West Wing fan. ::

[GiRTh]

‘Boss, I Miss You So Much’: The Awkward Exile of Michael Cohen

Donald Trump’s self-described ‘fixer’ brooded about failing to get a White House post; now under criminal investigation, he has the president’s attention

In the 15 months since Donald Trump shut him out of a White House job, Michael Cohen, the president’s personal lawyer, has made a show of publicly dining with a vocal Trump critic, the billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

After lunch at Freds restaurant in New York in April 2017, a gossip item appeared in the New York Post. When they had breakfast at the Time Warner Center in November, paparazzi “somehow” showed up, Mr. Cuban said. “I think he does it to piss off Trump when Trump is ignoring him.”

The second meeting, reported by celebrity-news outlet TMZ, did catch Mr. Trump’s attention. He called Mr. Cohen to complain. The attorney sought to reassure him, according to a person familiar with the conversation. “No, boss, I had breakfast with him to set him straight. I told him he has to respect the office, to respect you,” Mr. Cohen said, according to this person.

“Boss, I miss you so much,” he said later in the conversation. “I wish I was down there with you. It’s really hard for me to be here.”

Federal prosecutors are investigating Mr. Cohen’s work for Mr. Trump, including his $130,000 pre-election payment to a former adult-film actress, as well as his taxi business and other personal dealings. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raided his premises earlier this month.

Looming over all of this is an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller into whether associates of Mr. Trump, including Mr. Cohen, colluded with Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election. Mr. Cohen and the White House have denied any collusion.

Prosecutors may not find evidence of wrongdoing by either man. Mr. Trump and his lawyers nonetheless are now grappling with the question of how the president’s self-described “fixer” may respond if charged and presented with the choice of turning on his boss or facing prison time.

Mr. Cohen has memorably said he would “take a bullet” for the president. But in a sign of Mr. Cohen’s state of mind, he has in recent months privately groused about being excluded from White House posts he believed he deserved, according to people familiar with his thinking. He has struggled to get Mr. Trump’s attention. And two new business engagements he started during that time that could have profited from his Washington connections have instead languished.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that a longtime Trump legal adviser had warned the president that Mr. Cohen would likely cooperate if charged. Since then, Mr. Trump called Mr. Cohen “a fine person with a wonderful family” on Twitter and expressed confidence he would stand strong.

“Most people will flip if the Government lets them out of trouble, even if…it means lying or making up stories,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Sorry, I don’t see Michael doing that despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!”

Mr. Cohen declined to be interviewed and provided a two-word response to a list of questions sent by email: “Completely inaccurate.” He didn’t respond to a request to elaborate.

The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The recent actions have represented a remarkable turnabout for Mr. Cohen since the November 2016 election of Mr. Trump, whose presidential aspirations he had been encouraging for years.

Mr. Cohen had no official role in Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign but informally advised him and served as a surrogate on TV. Behind the scenes, he tried to kill damaging stories about Mr. Trump, including reaching out to discourage women who had spoken negatively about the candidate, according to several of the women. He also paid for the silence of Stephanie Clifford, the former porn star known as Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had a 2006 sexual encounter with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cohen and the White House have denied any sexual encounter took place.

In the months before the election, when Mr. Trump reshuffled his campaign for a third time and named Steve Bannon as campaign chief, Mr. Cohen told associates he had expected to be tapped for the role, according to people familiar with the matter. He also told people at the time he expected to be named White House chief of staff, people familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Trump decided that bringing Mr. Cohen inside the White House carried too many risks, according to people familiar with the discussions. Mr. Trump privately has described Mr. Cohen as a “bull in a china shop,” who when brought in to fix a problem sometimes breaks more china, according to a person close to the president.

On Jan. 5, 2017, two weeks before the inauguration, Mr. Cohen, camped in his cluttered office on the 26th floor of Trump Tower, a few doors away from the president-elect, still didn’t know what his future role would be.

Mr. Cohen juggled two phones with the backdrop of mixed martial-arts paraphernalia in his office. Mr. Trump “doesn’t operate with timelines,” Mr. Cohen explained to a reporter. Then he corrected himself: “I am not a timeline item,” he said. “He knows that an hour before he leaves, if he calls me and says, ‘I need you in D.C.,’ I’ll be there.”

About a week later, Mr. Cohen had grown more frustrated. He still hadn’t solidified his role. “I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to do, whether I need to stay here for a while or go to D.C.,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s crazy we’re talking about this three, four days before which everybody starts heading down and I have no idea.”

Mr. Cohen said he believed he might become Mr. Trump’s personal attorney, which he said would keep their communications confidential. “My sole purpose is to protect him and the family from anyone and anything,” he said in the January interview.

The conversation occurred less than three months after his deal with Ms. Clifford—then not publicly known—in which Mr. Cohen has said he used his home-equity line to finance an agreement in which she promised not to discuss her allegation of a 2006 sexual encounter.

Federal investigators are now probing whether the payment violated campaign-finance or other laws. Mr. Cohen has denied wrongdoing.

In a Fox News interview Thursday, Mr. Trump said of the Cohen investigation: “I’ve been told I’m not involved.” He added of his longtime lawyer: “From what I can tell, he did nothing wrong.”

Since the recent raids, which were approved by a federal judge, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump have argued that the government punctured attorney-client privilege in its seizure of his records.

From Fixer to Suspect: Michael Cohen's Life Outside Trump's Orbit

The president's personal attorney, left behind in New York while his patron entered the White House, has faced business and legal challenges in the intervening months.

Michael Cohen wires $130,000 to a lawyer for adult film star Stephanie Clifford to obtain her silence about an alleged sexual encounter with Donald Trump in 2006.Mr. Trump is elected president. Mr. Cohen, who encouraged him to run for years, isn't tapped for a White House job.Mr. Cohen says he will leave the Trump Organization to become Mr. Trump's personal attorney.At Mr. Trump’s inaugural festivities, Mr. Cohen and his guests don't receive the VIP treatment. Mr. Cohen enters into an agreement to drum up business for Midlothian, Va.-based startup 4C Health Solutions, which aims to help government agencies and companies detect questionable or fraudulent billing. Mr. Cohen is named national deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.Law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs announces a “strategic alliance” with Mr. Cohen in which he will maintain his solo practice and his most important client, Mr. Trump, but get paid to refer business to the firm. The Wall Street Journal reveals Mr. Cohen’s payment to Ms. Clifford. Subsequent articles show he formed a Delaware limited liability company to act as a conduit for the payment and that his bank filed a suspicious activity report over the transaction. An arbitrator in California grants Mr. Cohen’s request for a temporary restraining order preventing Ms. Clifford from discussing her alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump and nondisclosure agreement.Ms. Clifford sues Mr. Trump and Essential Consultants​ LLC, Mr. Cohen's Delaware company,​ to extricate herself from the “hush agreement” Mr. Cohen negotiated. The Federal Bureau of Investigation raids Mr. Cohen’s law office, apartment and hotel room, using a search warrant that authorizes seizure of records relating to the payment to Ms. Clifford, Mr. Cohen’s taxi business and other matters. Squire Patton Boggs cuts ties with Mr. Cohen.Longtime Trump attorney Jay Goldberg warns the president in a phone call that Mr. Cohen is likely to turn against him to avoid prison time if faced with criminal charges. Mr. Trump tweets that he has faith Mr. Cohen won’t flip, “despite the horrible Witch Hunt and the dishonest media!” A former federal judge is appointed to review materials seized from Mr. Cohen for possible attorney-client privilege. Mr. Trump tells Fox News, “I’ve been told I’m not involved” in the Cohen investigation.
Mr. Cohen has long surrounded himself with the trappings of wealth. In the Long Island enclave where he grew up, prep-school classmates recall him being part of a crowd of kids who flaunted family money and wore flashy brands. Mr. Cohen drove to law school in a Jaguar, two of his law school classmates recall.

Mr. Cohen, who as a teenager frequented Brooklyn’s ethnic Russian neighborhoods and married into a Ukrainian family, cultivated a rough-and-tumble, streetwise image.

Gregory Ehrlich invited Mr. Cohen to his wedding and was amused to hear he bragged to another guest that he belonged to the Russian mob. Mr. Ehrlich, who is now estranged from Mr. Cohen, said he doesn’t believe his former friend had any such ties.

Mr. Cohen joined the Trump Organization in 2007, after years of practicing law and doing business deals on his own, holding the title of Mr. Trump’s special counsel.

Mr. Trump didn’t always demonstrate respect for his employee. After saying he’d attend Mr. Cohen’s son’s bar mitzvah in 2012, Mr. Trump was late, and the blessings were delayed, according to an attendee.

After Mr. Trump arrived, he gave a speech, telling guests he hadn’t planned to come, but he relented after Mr. Cohen had repeatedly called him, his secretary and his children begging him to appear, the attendee said. The guests laughed because “everyone knew it was very realistic-sounding,” the attendee added.

Mr. Cohen found himself on the outside during the presidential transition, said a person close to Mr. Trump. He tried to find a role for himself by building bridges between Mr. Trump and the business community, but never got traction, this person said.

During the inaugural festivities, Mr. Cohen and his guests weren’t given priority access, the person said, noting that the hurt was visible on Mr. Cohen’s face: “He was always just at the edges.”

Now on his own, Mr. Cohen has had mixed success in business since Mr. Trump went to Washington. He re-established a solo legal practice, taking space on the 23rd floor of a skyscraper in Rockefeller Center, in the law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs, less than half a mile from his old office at Trump Tower.

Under a “strategic alliance” with Squire Patton Boggs, Mr. Cohen received an annual fee of $500,000 from the firm for business development, according to court documents and a firm spokesman. His agreement with the firm also entitled him to a percentage of the fees the firm received from the five clients he referred, according to court documents.

His work for the firm appeared to be anchored in Washington, D.C. He was recruited by Edward Newberry, a top lobbyist in D.C. and global managing partner at the firm, said a person familiar with the matter. A firm spokesman declined to make Mr. Newberry available for comment.

Some firm partners opposed the alliance, because they weren’t privy to the terms of the agreement and feared Mr. Cohen’s reputation would jeopardize that of Squire Patton Boggs, people familiar with the matter said.

Asked for comment, a firm spokesman referred the Journal to a recent court filing by prosecutors opposing Mr. Cohen’s challenge to the search warrants executed against his property. The filing says Mr. Cohen “maintained complete independence” from the firm, used a separate computer server and had an office that locked with a key the law firm didn’t have.

Earlier this month, on the day of the FBI raid, Squire Patton Boggs said it was ending its relationship with Mr. Cohen, “mutually and in accordance with the terms of the agreement.”

Mr. Cohen also went into business with 4C Health Solutions, a Midlothian, Va.-based startup that works with governments and companies to help them detect questionable or fraudulent billing.

A consulting agreement reviewed by the Journal entitles Mr. Cohen to a 5% commission on contracts he delivers for the company, as well as the possibility of earning equity. The company told the Journal last year that it was in the hunt for large federal contracts, but more recently it has focused on states and the private sector, said Chief Executive David Adams.

Mr. Adams said Mr. Cohen has advised 4C on capital structure and introduced executives to potential clients, but the company has “paid zero dollars to Mr. Cohen,” because he hasn’t brought in any business.

The company last year said Mr. Cohen would join the board but later reversed itself to avoid unwanted attention, according to Tommy Thompson, the former Republican Wisconsin governor, who is chairman of 4C’s board.

Mr. Cohen, asked about the consulting agreement in January, said in an email he was “confused as to how or why you question my involvement in a startup company.”

It is unclear what work, if any, Mr. Cohen performed for Mr. Trump since the election. There is no known record of his involvement in legal matters for the president since the start of the Trump administration.

In the Jan. 5, 2017, interview, Mr. Cohen said: “Let’s just say I have no shortage of work. It encompasses all aspects of his life from his business to the personal,” adding: “It’s private between Mr. Trump and myself unless it’s made public because of a lawsuit or a news story.”

Mr. Trump said Thursday on Fox News that Mr. Cohen has done “a tiny, tiny little fraction” of his legal work, including “this crazy Stormy Daniels deal he represented me on.”

Mr. Cohen was one of Mr. Trump’s fiercest defenders last year, on Twitter and elsewhere. On May 24, he urged followers to retweet “if every morning you wake up and thank the Lord that @POTUS @realDonaldTrump won the election! I do…”

On Monday President Trump called the raids at the office of his lawyer, Michael Cohen, a "disgrace" and a "witch hunt" and discussed the possibility of firing special counsel Robert Mueller. Photo: Getty.
Privately, Mr. Cohen already had begun complaining to associates, both about being left in New York and about Mr. Trump’s then-failure to repay him for the $130,000 he had drawn off his home-equity line to pay Ms. Clifford, people familiar with the matter say.

Mr. Cohen even was contemplating “defecting” from Mr. Trump, according to a person familiar with these conversations. Mr. Cohen stopped complaining about Mr. Trump not repaying him around mid-2017, according to another person familiar with the situation. Mr. Cohen has said he wasn’t repaid by the Trump Organization or Mr. Trump’s campaign, but has declined to answer questions about whether Mr. Trump himself repaid him.

In the weeks since the FBI raid, Mr. Cohen has been out on the town, smoking cigars with friends and frequenting tony restaurants such as Nobu in midtown, in what some who know him interpret as an attempt to show he isn’t frightened of what the investigation will bring.

‘Boss, I Miss You So Much’: The Awkward Exile of Michael Cohen

[Maru]

Judge agrees to delay Stormy Daniels' lawsuit against Trump
https://www.yahoo.com/news/judge-agr...-politics.html

Yay...

[Tom4784]

Beginning of the end for Trump thankfully.

[arista]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Beginning of the end for Trump thankfully.

No it was 2006.


No one gives a FECK now.

[bots]

Originally Posted by arista

No it was 2006.


No one gives a FECK now.

people give a big FECK now, that's why it's in the news

[arista]

Originally Posted by bitontheslide

people give a big FECK now, that's why it's in the news

You miss the point it was in 2006
nothing to do with 2018
except her taking the Fecking Cash , first time


Its in the news now because of new lawyer Rudy

She wants a new tv show?


No one trusts her
Former Hoker porn star.

[bots]

Originally Posted by arista

You miss the point it was in 2006
nothing to do with 2018
except her taking the Fecking Cash , first time


Its in the news now because of new lawyer Rudy

She wants a new tv show?


No one trusts her
Former Hoker porn star.

what he did was illegal, so it is a very big deal. He paid her to shut her up during his election campaign, that is very relevant NOW. I think it's you that is missing the point

[arista]

[Donald Trump reimbursed his personal lawyer for a $130,000 payment used to keep
porn star Stormy Daniels quiet before the 2016 election, the President's new attorney Rudy Giuliani has said.]

video
https://news.sky.com/story/rudy-giul...niels-11356513

[arista]

Also more important matters of Iran
and North Korea Summit - matter more than that FORMER HOOKER

[Maru]

I'm so sick and tired of hearing about Stormy Daniels and Daniel's sex life. Really. If he did something illegal, he should be held accountable, absolutely... but I think these sorts of illegal activities go on in campaigns all the time and yet we never see people held accountable. So this is just going to stretch on forever, but I'm not so sure it they will end up with much...

I think Mueller's investigation too may even be made a bit more complicated with all these media/insiders who are privy to details there. These other lawsuits/investigations too seem to be coming into conflict... covering similar ground/issues of corruption ... and so even if the result is fair, then it may look like these investigation(s) have been corrupted, just because of all the leaks and overlapping of witnesses, etc. It doesn't help that Comey is throwing the FBI under the bus when he sold out...

Anyway, when I read he picked up Giuliani as his lawyer, I thought oh this should be good... I do like how outspoken/clear he is with his thoughts, and he is quite knowledgeable on the law (in general)... but I think he enjoys the spotlight too much, similar to Comey, and is prone to contradicting himself or others when the cameras are pointed at him... he absolutely loves the spotlight and wants to be portrayed as a bold attack dog... which I connected that selection with Anthony Scaramucci... you know, the guy who lasted 60 seconds as Trump's press secretary...

The other problem, which I think effects how the public will view any sort of guilty verdict... Donald Trump does treat his lawyers like they're an extension of his PR... and conversely, you've seen people who are tied to the investigations, their lawyers going on the media and spilling their tea...

Just today, they were asking Sarah Huckabee Sanders why Trump's press team didn't know what his lawyer (Giuliani) was going to say on live TV... and she basically said, um, we're not responsible for legal strategy... except, I would disagree, these lawyers are operating as PR.

Stormy Daniel's lawyer has been on several news outlets, basically as a panelist, consulting on news beyond** ... they're trying to make him look bad... and Trump's lawyers have been on the attack as well attempting to counter this PR campaign... so that might be why he took on Giuliani I guess, because he's a bit of an attack dog. I still think it's politically risky when the lawyer is contradicting statements made by their client... and he's not particularly loyal when he's been crossed either.

** How Stormy Daniels’ Lawyer Is Outfoxing Trump
https://www.politico.com/magazine/st...g-trump-217702

Even though it is annoying to keep hearing about Donald Trump's sex life, it's inevitable this will keep on, so I think something we'll have to get used to... because this is not going to go away... not when there are so many sycophants on both sides trying to get their 15 minutes of glory/fame to raise their own profile, make money off of interviews, etc... it pays to be a "disruptor"... on either side of the political spectrum.

[GiRTh]

Sounds like they're throwing Cohen under the bus.

Apparently, Guiliani and Donnie consulted before the Hannity and Fox and Friends interviews so it looks like this is a strategy not a gaff. I cant think of any other end to this than to distance themselves from Cohen. So then it becomes a case of Cohen flipping and talking to the investigators. That is one hell of a chance to take so lets see how it goes.

[Maru]

Originally Posted by GiRTh

Sounds like they're throwing Cohen under the bus.

Apparently, Guiliani and Donnie consulted before the Hannity and Fox and Friends interviews so it looks like this is a strategy not a gaff. I cant think of any other end to this than to distance themselves from Cohen. So then it becomes a case of Cohen flipping and talking to the investigators. That is one hell of a chance to take so lets see how it goes.

It's a good PR strategy if they want to discredit him. They probably know what they can or can't defend in court, so they're taking a risk... but it's possible Cohen is in on this "strategy" and has decided that for his own good it's best to step aside and may be part of the overall political/legal strategy...

Anyway, this is another take...

Here's What You Need To Know About Giuliani Spilling The Beans On Trump Paying Cohen To Pay Off Stormy Daniels
https://www.dailywire.com/news/30215...ng-ben-shapiro

So, either Rudy Giuliani screwed the pooch, or he saved Michael Cohen and the president. There’s not much in-between.

Last night, on Hannity, Giuliani made several claims. First, he claimed that Cohen’s payoff to Stormy Daniels had nothing to do with the election campaign — it was just a normal guy’s-lawyer-paying-off-the-porn-star-he-screwed-a-decade-ago arrangement, unfortunately timed for a month before the election. Second, he claimed that Trump had repaid Cohen in installments, presumably through his monthly retainer. Third, he claimed that Trump didn’t know why he was reimbursing Cohen — it had just been an “expense.”

If all of Giuliani’s contentions were true, then both Cohen and Trump would be off the hook legally. There are two campaign finance issues that the Stormy Daniels payment implicates:

1. In-Kind Contributions. The rule is that in-kind contributions in campaigns are limited to $2,700. So if Cohen “gave” Trump $130,000 by paying off Daniels in order to help Trump’s campaign, then he violated campaign finance law. Cohen’s case would be (a) the payment had nothing to do with the election; or (b) Trump reimbursed him, and there are no limits to giving to yourself during a campaign. While Trump reimbursing Cohen would alleviate the in-kind contribution limit issue, it wouldn’t fully alleviate it — it’s illegal to give a loan to a campaign in excessive amounts as well.
   
2. Contribution Reporting. If this was Trump giving money to his own campaign via Cohen, he had to report it. He didn’t report it to the FEC. Rudy’s defense, therefore, is that Trump was just handing Cohen cash, as he often did.

Why would Giuliani put Trump into this position? Why not leave Cohen out there to hang? Before these comments, Cohen was the only one in legal jeopardy; now Trump has some legal issues to worry about, too. This may mean that Trump was attempting to use Giuliani to convey to Cohen that help was on its way, and not to turn on Trump in the larger FBI investigation.

So, what does all of this mean for Trump? Not much, unless the FBI has gathered information showing that Trump saw the Cohen payoff as a campaign issue. If they have evidence that he did, then he could be caught up in the campaign finance issue. Cohen will likely remain under investigation regardless of Giuliani’s revelations, since loans to campaigns can also exceed finance regulations.

Politically, this doesn’t mean much for Trump either. Everyone with half a brain assumed Trump was lying when he said he didn’t pay off Daniels. Trump lies frequently and fluidly. That’s not a justification for his lying. That’s a fact. And it is also a fact that most Americans have already priced in Trump’s dishonesty. Trump’s garbage with women in his personal life, and he always has been. He’s dishonest about his personal life, and he always has been. He should be condemned for that. But there’s no groundshift in anyone’s judgment about Trump based on the Stormy Daniels affair.

Culturally, this marks yet another odd moment for the conservative right that cannot stand cognitive dissonance. It’s one thing to say you like Trump’s policy and say that he is a rotten scoundrel with regard to women — that’s honest. It’s another thing to deny that he’s a rotten scoundrel with women by imitating the worst arguments of the Left circa 1998: “Everyone lies about sex! It’s just his personal life!” In that realm, the soul-suck of the conservative movement continues apace.

I've lost count of how many legal investigations are going on with regards to Trump. Where exactly does he figure into these corruption charges, i.e. his direct involvement... because he's supposedly guilty depending on the angle, and the Daniel's legal team are sure he's guilty of something here... just a matter of playing Connect the Dots...

It's like he has multiple personality disorder. He is either a mob boss (i.e. highly connected criminal mastermind), a nefarious white collar criminal who just bends rules or a walking dumpster fire of cluelessness... I'm not sure which he is supposed to be now, because the arguments are beginning to contradict themselves. He certainly hangs around very colorful characters, so I guess easy to make any one of those assertions... but it does appear as though they're trying very hard here to paint him in a nefarious light, any way they possibly can, hoping that one of those assertions will eventually stick... who knows... both sides honestly boggle my mind as to their overall strategy... Daniel's has already "won", in a sense, because it's boosted her celebrity profile and made her into a household name...