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FBI raids Michael Cohen's office


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Spoiler

 

Michael Cohen, President Trump's former personal attorney, is discussing a possible guilty plea with federal prosecutors in Manhattan in connection with tax fraud and banking-related matters, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell NBC News.

Those sources stress no deal has been reached but do say the potential deal could be reached as early as today.

The plea could have significant implications for Trump, who has blasted Cohen ever since his former fixer and his attorney, old Clinton hand Lanny Davis, began signaling this summer that Cohen might cooperate with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.

When reached by NBC, Davis said he cannot comment on advice of counsel since there is an ongoing investigation. Cohen has previously denied wrongdoing.

 

The Cohen probe is being led by the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, but any cooperation agreement would likely extend to other federal investigations.

Cohen, who once bragged he'd take a bullet for Trump, hinted in July that may have changed. "I put family and country first," he told ABC.

In addition to bank and tax fraud questions arising from Cohen's taxi business, federal prosecutors are looking into whether the hush-money payments Cohen arranged with women who claimed they had sexual encounters with Trump amount to violations of campaign finance law.

FBI agents raided Cohen’s office and hotel room in April and seized documents and electronics. According to people with knowledge of the search warrant, agents were looking for information related to a $130,000 transaction between Cohen and adult film star Stormy Daniels, who allegedly had an affair with Trump more than a decade ago, as well as information about a reported payment of $150,000 to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who also says she had an affair with Trump, and information about the “Access Hollywood” tape in which Trump was heard making vulgar boasts about women.

The FBI has also monitored his phone calls with a pen register, meaning that the incoming and outgoing phone numbers were recorded but not the content of the calls.

 

In July, Davis released a phone conversation that Cohen secretly recorded in which Trump mentions “cash” in relation to a possible payment involving McDougal.

Made two months before the presidential election, the tape appears to show Cohen, who was Trump's personal attorney at the time, discussing "how to set the whole thing up with funding." At one point, Trump appears to ask "what financing?" and seems to ask "pay with cash?"

 

Cohen appears to then say "No, no, no, no, no, no, I got ..." before Trump is heard saying, or asking, "check," and then the recording abruptly ends. Although the exact wording on the tape is unclear at times, it does make it clear that Trump was aware of the model's allegation of the affair and the plans to pay to ensure her silence.

Several major companies say Cohen contacted them after Trump’s upset victory in the 2016 president election promising access to the new administration. An official with the pharmaceutical company Novartis said the company signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with Cohen, and AT&T also said it has met with Cohen. AT&T confirmed in an email to employees saying it had hired “several consultants” in early 2017 to help it “understand” the incoming administration.

Both Novartis and AT&T said they had been contacted by Mueller’s investigators.

Cohen, 51, was a vice president of the Trump Organization when he left the company in May. A former personal injury lawyer, he began working for the company in 2007 after helping Trump win a fight with the board at his condominium tower near the United Nations. He also owns numerous taxi medallions, which allow drivers to operate yellow cabs in New York.

He became known for taking aggressive action to defend Trump’s interests.

 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/ex-trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-discussing-plea-deal-prosecutors-n902571

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Where were you when the president's attorney surrendered to FBI?

 

Supposedly he pleads guilty to campaign finance violations so gonna be a bit difficult for Trump to say it's nothing to do with him. But he will.

The deal will include a big fine and jail time.

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*Checks clock, scowls*

Man, this hurry up and wait business is killing me! I'm guessing the earliest we might have news on how the plea deal went down is 4:30pm their time.

I can't believe Trump isn't tweeting like a ferret on crystal meth right now! If any television stations are playing to broadcast his rally tonight, it would be wise to set up a delay in case they need to bleep stuff out.

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36 minutes ago, Cartmann99 said:

tweeting like a ferret on crystal meth

:pb_lol: :pb_lol: :pb_lol:

This should be nominated as a new post count title!

In fact I'm going to do it right now!

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Whooo-boy. Oh my sweetest Rufus... this is yuge y'all.

(This is a thread that was still being added to when I posted this)

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CNN: "Cohen admits he violated campaign finance laws in relation to Stormy Daniels payment at direction of Trump."

Shit is getting real y'all.

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Was just posting to ask if pleading guilty to paying off the porn star *at the direction of the candidate* makes Trump impeacheable, when I heard MSNBC start talking about "unendited co-conspirator"   Woo hoo! 

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More details:

Does this mean they can go after the presidunce now? Pretty please?

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16 minutes ago, SilverBeach said:

CNN: "Cohen admits he violated campaign finance laws in relation to Stormy Daniels payment at direction of Trump."

Shit is getting real y'all.

Queue The Talking Heads ‘Life in Wartime 

Edited by onekidanddone
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So, Cohen's sentencing is December 12th?

Spoiler

giphy.gif

 

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I shudder to think of what the Tangerine Toddler is going to do to deflect, between this and Pavel's conviction. I'm hoping the "nuclear button" is kept hidden tonight. His handlers should give him these instead:

20180822_toddler2.PNG

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3 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

 

When I was a little kid my dad had a phrase ‘That’s nice dear’. It meant he had enough of my begging for something or throwing a tantrum because I didn’t get what I wanted. When he said that he was done listening to my crap. Answer was no case closed.  

So I say to Dana ‘That’s nice dear’.

 

 

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And to think that we haven’t seen the video Omarosa is releasing yet...

That meltdown is going to be one of epic proportions. 

 

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