The unraveling of Michael Cohen is happening as we speak, watch, listen. And, this could be a big part of the undoing of Donald Trump.
The release of the tape with Trump and Cohen discussing a payoff to a woman Trump apparently attempted to have sex with (I eagerly await not hearing about the details on that one) seems to have hit a cord with Trump. Separating children from their parents, screwing over American workers and farmers, embarrassing the nation at international meetings, didn’t Phase Trump much. But the Cohen tape seemed to lead to Trump avoiding the press and hunkering down.
Then, we hear that Cohen claims that Trump knew in advance of the key 2016 Trump Tower meeting. That puts Trump right in the middle of the collaboration, collusion, conspiracy, or whatever you want to call it, to involve foreign resources in his election campaign. A guy can go to jail for that.
From CNN:
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, claims that then-candidate Trump knew in advance about the June 2016 meeting in Trump Tower in which Russians were expected to offer his campaign dirt on Hillary Clinton, sources with knowledge tell CNN. Cohen is willing to make that assertion to special counsel Robert Mueller, the sources said.
Cohen’s claim would contradict repeated denials by Trump, Donald Trump Jr., their lawyers and other administration officials who have said that the President knew nothing about the Trump Tower meeting until he was approached about it by The New York Times in July 2017.
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Lanny Davis is accusing Trump team of putting this out there.
Can someone explain why Trump is leaking this story to CNN, or why Lanny is lying about Trump?
It looks like the Trump team probably released this info on the meeting. Trump’s team is worried that Cohen is going to roll (there would be zero surprise if he has already started talks on it) and they are busy trying to throw him under the bus as a result. By putting this out there first they have taken a major negotiating card out of Cohen’s hand. Perhaps what they don’t know is whether or not Cohen actually has evidence to prove it. If he does then he still has a strong hand to play on this and Trump’s team has stupidly given Mueller some strong evidence of Trump’s collusion as a result. No one has ever accused the Trump legal team of being particularly smart.
Alien’s theory is certainly possible. Maddow is pushing it.
It might be too mulit dimensional for the Trump gang.
Another possibility is someone on the Trump team leaking for no particularly good reason, or to hurt Trump.
Also, as closed as the special prosecutor has been, there comes a time in every investigation where a leak is opportune. If that is what is happening, then perhaps the train is coming into the station.
Yes I did hear this on Maddow’s show last night – should have noted that – my bad. I like the idea of someone on Trump’s team doing it – especially for no reason. Like I said no one has ever accused them of being particularly smart, see Giuliani . The lot of them make for a perfect case study on the Dunning–Kruger effect There is also the possibility that someone in the FBI released it – this is all from evidence they gathered after all , and Trump, along with the TPers in Congress are certainly doing their best to undermine the FBI. It’s not like some agents haven’t done so in the past.
Shame! Shame! The fake news Washington Post is using facts to undermine the credibility of “your favorite President!” (And so is The New York Times.)
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/25/us/politics/trump-michael-cohen-recording.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/fact-checker/wp/2018/07/26/once-again-fake-news-decried-by-trump-turns-out-to-be-true/?utm_term=.abe8583e2c21
Trump is immersed in shit and the more he squirms the deeper he sinks. He doesn’t seem to have any good options and when he opens his mouth or sends his tweets he makes things worse. He enchants his base by playing tough and showing attitude, regardless of the consequences, one of which is inadvertently providing evidence for obstruction of justice.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/26/us/politics/trump-tweets-mueller-obstruction.html
His lawyers are getting paid for doing something, so they’re doing something, and in the process they’re contradicting Trump and exposing his lies.
Thus far the focus on Cohen has been on the women and the payoffs and the possibility of illegal campaign contributions. The real problems will start if, as seems likely,
he starts talking about Trump’s businesses, his business associates, and his financing.
Told you it was collusion, MikeN. Remember that nice man Mr Bannon?
You are all fucked. It’s just a matter of time.
A Democratic takeover of the House could be disastrous for Trump, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the one-on-one meeting with Putin started with a “thank you” and continued with a request to “do it again.” Republican inaction on securing the voting system would seem to indicate that Republicans are okay with Russian hacks that benefit them, but this hardly constitutes proof. Likewise, Cohen’s remark, by itself, doesn’t amount to proof. It needs credible corroboration. That may already exist or it may be forthcoming – e.g. Manafort could have said something to Rick Gates, who’s now cooperating with Mueller – but, if there is proof that will stand up in court, we don’t know it yet. The other crimes Trump’s being investigated for are easier to prove and there’s a trail of tangible evidence.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/michael-cohen-trump-tower-meeting/566246/