David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
YO @LannyDavis I gave CBC a HUGE tip about Trump and his lawyer Cohen and they disabled it???
Go Figure
#TrudeauMustGo #nbpoli #cdnpoli #TrumpKnew #muellerinvestigation
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen providing 'critical information' to Russia probe
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David Amos
Methinks the Yankee lawyer
Lanny Davis should have returned my calls or answered my emails or at
the very least Google the following ASAP N'esy Pas?
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
Jan Anderson
Trump's lawyers, then and
now, don't even have a clue what he was and has been up to. They can't
get a slip of truth out of their client - their job is essentially to
ward of Mueller, and the free press.
Just look at Rudy, he makes things up - then learns things from the media - and changes his made up things to other made up things. None of them know anything. But Mueller knows. chuckle
Just look at Rudy, he makes things up - then learns things from the media - and changes his made up things to other made up things. None of them know anything. But Mueller knows. chuckle
Claire Bensen
@Jan Anderson
I don’t think Rudy is entirely clean in all of the NY real estate wheeling and dealing and tax evasion and loopholes and mob money. Not a lot of talk on this yet but I guess he is more invested than mere loyalty to his friend.
I don’t think Rudy is entirely clean in all of the NY real estate wheeling and dealing and tax evasion and loopholes and mob money. Not a lot of talk on this yet but I guess he is more invested than mere loyalty to his friend.
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David Amos
David Amos
@Claire Bensen "I don’t think
Rudy is entirely clean in all of the NY real estate wheeling and
dealing and tax evasion and loopholes and mob money"
Trust that Mueller and I know that may be the understatement of the year Check out the first 10 pages or so of this old file of mine
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
Trust that Mueller and I know that may be the understatement of the year Check out the first 10 pages or so of this old file of mine
https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER
Ashley Zacharias
How can Trump expect anyone to be loyal to him when he is loyal to no one?
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David Amos
@Ashley Zacharias Enjoy
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:51:14 -0400
Subject: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-xxx-xxxx) Why does he lie to me after all this time???
---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos
Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to xxxx@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-xxx-xxxx
---------- Original message ----------
From: David Amos
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 10:51:14 -0400
Subject: RE FATCA, NAFTA & TPP etc ATTN President Donald J. Trump I just got off the phone with your lawyer Mr Cohen (646-xxx-xxxx) Why does he lie to me after all this time???
---------- Original message ----------
From: Michael Cohen
Date: Tue, 14 Feb 2017 14:15:14 +0000
Subject: Automatic reply: RE FATCA ATTN Pierre-Luc.Dusseault I just
called and left a message for you
To: David Amos
Effective January 20, 2017, I have accepted the role as personal
counsel to President Donald J. Trump. All future emails should be
directed to xxxx@gmail.com and all future calls should be
directed to 646-xxx-xxxx
Mark Tynthof
@Trevor Greene No, it is not
a crime to "pay off blackmailers". However, it IS a crime to commit a
campaign finance violation by paying them hush money right before an
election. THAT is the issue, not the cheating on his family, regardless
of how beautiful you are.
David Amos
@David Amos I gave CBC a HUGE tip about Trump and his lawyer and they disabled it??? Go Figure
David Amos
@Mark Tynthof Do tell Have you ever bothered to Google the following yet?
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
Norman Brown
Trump has been washing Russian mob money for decades .
David Amos
@Norman Brown I have heard that before many times but saw no proof
Peter Steffler
Trump is on course to tell
4,000 li es by Christmas and in defending Trump, his apologists are
identifying Cohen as a perjurer. Best comedy going and it’s free.
David Amos
@Peter Steffler I know for a
fact Trump's lawyer Mikey Cohen lied to me 3 times before the FBI in
Beantown called me on behalf of the incoming US Attorney
Scott Telfer
I have to wonder how the Trump brand will fit in at the Hotel Leavenworth?
Richard Sharp
@Scott Telfer
So my bias is showing. I chuckle at your post but if you were talking about Trudeau. I'd see red. Because Trump is an obvious crook and Trudeau is a bloody saint!
So my bias is showing. I chuckle at your post but if you were talking about Trudeau. I'd see red. Because Trump is an obvious crook and Trudeau is a bloody saint!
Ian Smyth
@Richard Sharp you should be able to chuckle at jokes about either. it's comedy, it doesn't take that much thinking to get it.
David Amos
@Ian Smyth Welcome to the Circus
Dale Sullivan
Between Manafort and Cohen,
and with all the documentation and the money trails, there is plenty of
evidence pointing to the Trump family. Otherwise why is The Donald
trying so hard to shut down the investigation.
Jane Miller
@Lou Parks
if so, why not let the probe play out and prove your innocence?
if so, why not let the probe play out and prove your innocence?
David Amos
@Jane Miller Thats what he is doing
Erin Wilson
Whoa! One of the best days ever! 'Night 'night Don Trump! Time's almost up!
David Amos
@Erin Wilson Dream on
Lou Bell
So Trump HATES whistleblowers ! Who'd a thunk !!!
David Amos
@Lou Bell Have you ever bothered to Google the following yet?
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
trump cohen david amos nafta fatca tpp
Lawrence Aaluuluuq (RedWhite)
Bob Woodward’s book "Fear" sold almost as many copies in 1 week as Donald Trump’s ‘Art of the Deal’ has in 30 years.
That being said, Bob Woodward actually wrote -his- book.
That being said, Bob Woodward actually wrote -his- book.
David Amos
@Lawrence Aaluuluuq (RedWhite) Trust that Bob Woodward knows exactly who I am and I write all of my own words
https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Methinks folks should recall Robert Reid of the RCMP He fought to keep
his job after blowing the whistle on corruption at the Canadian mission
in Hong Kong in the 1990s N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-consultants-hidden-camera-1.4832245
Wealthy would-be immigrants told to lie about their assets, intentions — even their identity
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Ashley Zacharias
Shocking that CBC can find
evidence of criminal activity so easily, but our police forces who are
paid to do so, find it an impossibly difficult task.
David Amos
@Ashley Zacharias Anyone recall the trials and tribulations of one RCMP whistle blower in particular?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/rcmp-whistle-blower-fighting-for-job-1.308926
CBC News · Posted: Jan 17, 2002 11:46 AM ET | Last Updated: January 17, 2002
"An RCMP officer is fighting to keep his job after blowing the whistle on alleged corruption at the Canadian mission in Hong Kong in the early 1990s.
Robert Reid is facing an RCMP adjudication board in Ottawa that began hearings on Monday.
Reid said he was acting in the interest of Canadians when he went public with allegations that Canada's mission in Hong Kong was selling phoney visas to the highest bidders.
He says his preliminary investigation uncovered evidence of a problem that he believed could compromise the country's immigration system. According to Reid, his superiors ignored his information.
"I went on stress leave over this situation and finally I became stressed to the point where I went public with my allegations in 1999," said Reid.
Reid was suspended with pay by the RCMP shortly after he went public. Another officer, Sergio Passen, took over the investigation and ultimately concluded that Reid's allegations were baseless." YEA RIGHT
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David Amos
@david mccaig I see you are busy burying the comments within top threads as per your MO
Al Vossen
Suggestion:
1. ship back anybody who is caught having done this - at their own expense. That includes their dependent families.
2. confiscate all their available assets to lower Canada's debt.. Houses, bank accounts, investments.
1. ship back anybody who is caught having done this - at their own expense. That includes their dependent families.
2. confiscate all their available assets to lower Canada's debt.. Houses, bank accounts, investments.
Lee Hall
@Al Vossen
<--- allegiance="" country.="" give="" have="" money="" more="" most="" p="" politicians="" than="" the="" their="" them="" to="" wealthy="" who="">--->
<--- allegiance="" country.="" give="" have="" money="" more="" most="" p="" politicians="" than="" the="" their="" them="" to="" wealthy="" who="">--->
David Amos
@Lee Hall I agree
James Smith
Complain and xenophobic will be your label
Corinne O'Connor
@John Goode
You call it a scam; I call it money laundering with the assistance of our government (Liberal, Conservative, or NDP and at the provincial level too).
You call it a scam; I call it money laundering with the assistance of our government (Liberal, Conservative, or NDP and at the provincial level too).
David Amos
@Corinne O'Connor Me Too
Chantal LeBouthi
Shouldn’t this be called
Organise crime
Organise crime
Monopoly Capital
@Chantal LeBouthi Nah, that is only reserved for Canadians who commit crime
David Amos
@Monopoly Capital Oh So True
Methinks the Corporate Media must remember the fun they and the RCMP had with me and the "Salisbury Sopranos" N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/christopher-tingley-family-salisbury-lawsuit-1.4240346
http://www.topix.com/forum/ca/moncton-area-nb/TNI9HUTBDGU5LOGKS/rcmp-post-video-evidence-on-youtube
Methinks the Corporate Media must remember the fun they and the RCMP had with me and the "Salisbury Sopranos" N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/christopher-tingley-family-salisbury-lawsuit-1.4240346
http://www.topix.com/forum/ca/moncton-area-nb/TNI9HUTBDGU5LOGKS/rcmp-post-video-evidence-on-youtube
John Goode
Things are slowly being
revealed as to why our politicians are always so pro immigration. They
claim it will improve economy. Yeah... who's economy would that be? PEI
is turnstile for this scam and so is Quebec.
David Amos
@John Goode YUP
Dary Moed
If this can be so easily exposed, just imagine the depth of corruption that actually exists.
David Amos
@Dary Moed I don't have to imagine
David Amos
@Dary Moed Trust
thateverybody knows I am on the ballot again and that I spoke about
softwood and dairy farmers versus NAFTA and TPP with the Chamber of
Commerce folks in FUNDY again this month.
Methinks many politicians are familiar with this story that appeared in the Kings County Record June 22, 2004 N'ey Pas?
The Unconventional Candidate
By Gisele McKnight
"FUNDY—He has a pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket, a chain on his wallet, a beard at least a foot long, 60 motorcycles and a cell phone that rings to the tune of "Yankee Doodle."
Meet the latest addition to the Fundy ballot—David Amos. The independent candidate lives in Milton, Massachusetts with his wife and two children, but his place of residence does not stop him from running for office in Canada."
"Amos, 52, is running for political office because of his dissatisfaction with politicians. "I've become aware of much corruption involving our two countries," he said. "The only way to fix corruption is in the political forum."
"What he's fighting for is the discussion of issues – tainted blood, the exploitation of the Maritimes' gas and oil reserves and NAFTA, to name a few.
"The political issues in the Maritimes involve the three Fs – fishing, farming and forestry, but they forget foreign issues," he said. "I'm death on NAFTA, the back room deals and free trade. I say chuck it (NAFTA) out the window.
NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement which allows an easier flow of goods between Canada, the United States and Mexico."
Randy Lehey
The liberals and their
politicians are complicit in all of this. They push for greater and
greater immigration, they develop and implement these joke systems and
laws, then they allow foreigners to freely abuse them so long as they
get their million dollar kick backs all while these people buy up
Canadian property and then rent it to real Canadians at breakneck cost.
The liberals and their politicians are not pro-Canada, they are pro-China and pro-selling-out-Canada.
The liberals and their politicians are not pro-Canada, they are pro-China and pro-selling-out-Canada.
Renota Y Schultz
@Randy Lehey -- actually,
Brian Mulroney (aka the Conservatives) introduced it in 1986 & there
was a lot of controversy about it.
- https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1570&context=jil
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_Canada
- https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1570&context=jil
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_Canada
David Amos
@Renota Y Schultz Methinks
the political parties all have the same agenda and the victims are the
folks they purportedly serve and protect N'esy Pas?
Dwight Williams
They're just catching this
now. Under the previous federal programme this went on for decades. And
now we have places in larger Canadian cities where our own kids can no
longer afford housing because these 'people' will pay prime dollars fora
shack.
Makes the blood boil.
Makes the blood boil.
David Amos
@Dwight Williams "Makes the blood boil."
High Time
High Time
chelsea sinclair
Since Trudeau became pm, foreign donations to the Trudeau Foundation increased tenfold.
Bert Law
@James Rielly
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/money-began-to-rain-on-trudeau-foundation-once-justin-took-over-liberals-analysis-shows/amp
I just copied the first “hit” from search.
There are thousands of other examples.
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/money-began-to-rain-on-trudeau-foundation-once-justin-took-over-liberals-analysis-shows/amp
I just copied the first “hit” from search.
There are thousands of other examples.
David Amos
@Bert Law Interesting
Steve Fortin
Great. People getting into our country by illegal means. Fine upstanding citizens they will make.
David Amos
@Steve Fortin Welcome to the Circus
https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Does this liberal lawyer David Heurtel expect to be reelected?
"he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here"
"he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-program-civil-servants-1.4830231
David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
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"One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions
their assets were corruptly obtained His boss instructed him to be more
lenient because corruption existed in Quebec too"
Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/quebec-immigrant-investor-program-civil-servants-1.4830231
Rich investors granted Canadian residency despite fake documents and dubious assets, ex-officials say
Special immigration track meant to lure wealthy to Quebec sees most end up in B.C., Ontario
· Radio-Canada · Posted: Sep 20, 2018 5:00 AM ET
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Commenting is now closed for this story.
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David Amos
"One former bureaucrat
recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly
obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because
corruption existed in Quebec too.'
Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?
Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?
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David Amos
I wonder if this liberal lawyer expects to be reelected again.
"Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel told reporters in March that he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here," he said
mo bennett
only in quebec, you say? pity! and, go figure!!
David Amos
@mo bennett Naw Methinks if
you had bothered to read the article you would have noticed that the
questionable people moved to BC etc N'esy Pas?
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David Amos
@mo bennett YO MO How many of our comments do ya think CBC will block today?
mo bennett
@David Amos u tryin' out for Sid's job?
Jean-Richard Pelland
Our citizenship should not be
for sale and we should not overlook dishonesty in applications for
citizenship or residency. Integrity ought to count for something.
David Amos
@Jean-Richard Pelland "Integrity ought to count for something."
If it doesn't then nothing counts
If it doesn't then nothing counts
David Amos
@Jean-Richard Pelland "Integrity ought to count for something"
Apparently not
Apparently not
Joseph Mediano
Oh the irony. Quebec, which
wanted to ditch Canada, is now getting rich selling Canadian citizenship
and watching the applicants immediately leave Quebec for other
provinces to deal with. But let's not rock that boat.
David Amos
@Joseph Mediano "Oh the irony"
Methinks its far worse than merely ironic N'esy Pas?
Methinks its far worse than merely ironic N'esy Pas?
Ken MacDonald
Money talks, ethics walk.
David Amos
@Ken MacDonald Oh So True
James Carpenter
@Ken MacDonald
I mentioned in a post a week ago about people in their 40's who don't speak English driving HumVees and CBC banned it...
I mentioned in a post a week ago about people in their 40's who don't speak English driving HumVees and CBC banned it...
David Amos
@James Carpenter You should the ones of mine that they blocked
David Amos
@David Amos Methinks therein lies the rub N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@Ken MacDonald "One former
bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets
were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next
time because corruption existed in Quebec too.'
Do ya think the RCMP read that yet?
Do ya think the RCMP read that yet?
Glen Acanthus
But of course..."a special
Quebec program". Are you surprised? Why not? Considering the liberals
are letting in vast numbers of undocumented people anyway this comes as
no shock at all.
David Amos
@Glen Acanthus Check out PEI
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-pnp-entrepreneur-program-closed-1.4820072
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-pnp-entrepreneur-program-closed-1.4820072
David Amos
@David Amos At least PEI finally understood the meaning of the term ethical conduct after awhile
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-pnp-entrepreneur-program-closed-1.4820072
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-pnp-entrepreneur-program-closed-1.4820072
Mark Oliver
The only difference between
these people and the ones crossing the boarder in up-state New York is
these ones flew here in first class.
David Amos
@Mark Oliver I agree
Chris MacKenzie
Somebody's back is being scratched. All levels government in Canada as well as Quebec have questionable ethics.
David Amos
@Chris MacKenzie YUP
Andrew Szollos
This is only a surprise to the uninformed and blissfully ignorant.
Sadly, Canada is not open for business, it is up for sale.
Sadly, Canada is not open for business, it is up for sale.
David Amos
@Andrew Szollos YUP
Andrew Hebda (NS)
Citizenship should not be for sale IMHO
David Amos
@Andrew Hebda (NS) True
Abe Buckingham
@David Amos It really is
though. Unless you're coming in for marriage or as a refugee the point
system is strongly weighted in favor of the highly educated and wealthy.
We don't let people who are poor or middle class in even from our
closest allies.
David Amos
@Abe Buckingham Tell that nonsense to the 30 thousand or so who illegally walked across our border with the USA last year
Chris Johnson
Liberals fail again.
Bruce Chatwin
@Chris Johnson
The program existed under the Conservatives too.
The program existed under the Conservatives too.
David Amos
@Bruce Chatwin YUP
bill barber
The program needs to be stopped immediately.
David Amos
@bill barber I agree
Joseph Cluster
Go into partnership with a
resident to buy a company in Canada - one gets an address-an open door
to immigrate for education/purchasing real estate. More sponsorship with
simple signatures of an hired employee. Just examples of what happens
all the timed perfectly acceptable.
David Amos
@Joseph Cluster Perfectly acceptable to whom?
Mike Mayers
Find out who these people are and revoke their residency
David Amos
@Mike Mayers Methinks many are already Canadians N'esy Pas?
Joseph Cluster
Forged documents, look the
other way, wink, wink, Quebec, "be more lenient next time because
corruption existed- investigating corruption and collusion in Quebec's
construction industry."
Seriously they have to stop this train of thought in Quebec.
Seriously they have to stop this train of thought in Quebec.
David Amos
@Joseph Cluster Methinks its the Feds who make them Canadian citizens N'esy Pas?
David Barry Cooper
The word corruption is synonymous with Quebec and has been since the Duplessis era of the '30's.
David Amos
@David Barry Cooper Methinks its the Feds who make the questionable people Canadian citizens N'esy Pas?
Richard Hirschfield
Right out of the Mulroney
playbook as when he sold citizenship to wealthy residents of Hong Kong
for $250,000 before the China regained control.
David Amos
@Richard Hirschfield Methinks the liberals did it too N'esy Pas?
Robert Brannen
@David Amos
A co-operative effort of a Conservative federal government and a Liberal government in 1986.
A co-operative effort of a Conservative federal government and a Liberal government in 1986.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen providing 'critical information' to Russia probe
Longtime insider reportedly met several times, for several hours, with investigators
Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, said Thursday he is providing "critical information" as part special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and possible co-ordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Cohen, who pleaded guilty to campaign finance and other charges last month, said he is providing the information to prosecutors without a co-operation agreement.
Cohen pleaded guilty in August to eight federal charges and said Trump directed him to arrange payments before the 2016 election to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model who had both alleged they had affairs with Trump. It was the first time any Trump associate implicated Trump himself in a crime, though whether — or when — a president can be prosecuted remains a matter of legal dispute.
The National
Trump says flipping should be illegal, as Trump's friend flips
Twitter miscue
On Thursday night, Cohen tweeted: "Good for @MichaelCohen212 for providing critical information to the #MuellerInvestigation without a cooperation agreement. No one should question his integrity, veracity or loyalty to his family and country over @POTUS @realDonaldTrump."
The tweet was deleted almost immediately and was later reposted by his attorney, Lanny Davis, who said he wrote the tweet for Cohen and asked him to tweet it because he has a "much larger following." Davis said he was delayed posting the tweet on his own account, so Cohen tweeted it first.
Good for @michaelcohen212 in providing critical information to the #muellerinvestigation without a cooperation agreement. No one should question his honesty, veracity or loyalty to his #family and #country over @potus @realdonaldtrump
my Tweet sent to @MichaelCohen212 and I asked him to re-send to his followers-Good for @michaelcohen212 in providing critical information to the #muellerinvestigation without a cooperation agreement. Don’t question his honesty, veracity or loyalty to his #family, #country
FYI - I wrote a Tweet congratulating @MichaelCohen212 and sent text to him to Tweet to his much larger following - but was delayed posting myself so he posted first. All take a breath. I don’t control or have access to Mr. Cohen’s Twitter account. He is my client and my friend.
ABC News reported earlier Thursday that Cohen has met several times — for several hours — with investigators from the special counsel's office.
The television network, citing sources familiar with the matter, said he was questioned about Trump's dealings with Russia, including whether members of the Trump campaign worked with Russians to try to influence the outcome of the election.
Manafort also co-operating
Davis had asserted last month that his client could tell the special counsel that Trump had prior knowledge of a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer, Trump's son-in-law and Trump's eldest son, who had been told in emails that it was part of a Russian government effort to help his father's campaign.
But Davis later walked back the assertions, saying he could not independently confirm the claims that Cohen witnessed Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., telling his father about the Trump Tower meeting beforehand.
The president has continued a very public battle against the Mueller investigation, repeatedly calling it a politically motivated and "rigged witch hunt." He has said he is going to declassify secret documents in the Russia investigation, an extraordinary move that he says will show that the investigation was tainted from the start by bias in the Justice Department and FBI.
Wealthy would-be immigrants told to lie about their assets, intentions — even their identity
Hidden cameras capture advisers giving out questionable guidance to people seeking Canadian visas
LATEST UPDATES:
- This story has been updated to correct and clarify some details.
The investigation revealed that immigration advisers have counselled clients to do things such as change their name, shift funds to accounts in the Caribbean and not declare them to tax authorities or immigration agents.
"We have a lot of clients who have a lot of assets who do this," said one consultant at one of the biggest firms in the industry in a conversation captured on hidden camera.
The revelations pose troubling questions for the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), a special immigration track under which foreigners with at least $2 million in assets can get Canadian residency for themselves and their family if they agree to loan $1.2 million to the Quebec government.
Last year alone, more than 5,000 people obtained permanent residency through the program. Typically, two-thirds of those accepted each year come from mainland China. However, most successful applicants through the Quebec program don't actually settle in the province.
'Mr. Chen'
Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête went undercover at the offices of five immigration consultancies and law firms in Hong Kong, the city where, up until last year, all Chinese QIIP applications were handled. Four other firms were called by phone. All these firms help candidates with their applications before they send them to the government.
A Hong Kong chef was hired to pose as "Mr. Chen," a supposed businessman whose $10-million fortune came from suspicious sources. Mr. Chen told the firms he made his money operating a plastic-bag factory, but some of the paperwork to prove this had been destroyed in a fire. He also said he ran a pawnshop that dealt only in cash and charged high interest rates and that he hadn't declared a chunk of his assets to Chinese tax authorities.
"We've helped clients with even greyer areas," said an agent at Globevisa, one of the biggest immigrant-investor consultancies in the world.
"We have seven passports. These are all legal. Two are European identities, others are Caribbean — there are five. Those are simply to get an identity in case you have to flee or if you want to hide your assets," said the consultant, who didn't know she was being recorded.
"You change your name to Bruce Lee. You can use this Bruce Lee identity to hold this. They won't be able to check," the agent said.
She claimed clients could use this scheme if they failed background checks.
Watch the immigration adviser counsel "Mr. Chen" on hidden camera:
The National
Globevisa consultant
"No ... consultant wants to take on a case which is problematic and which has a high risk of failure," the firm said.
'This is bad'
At another firm, the Hong Kong offices of Harvey Law Group, founded by Canadian Jean-François Harvey, a representative tells Mr. Chen that "it's normal" to not declare all assets.
"You want to disclose the minimum possible, right? Right. OK, yes, it's possible," she said on hidden camera:
CBC News
HLG consultant
She suggested acquiring status in a Caribbean jurisdiction so that Mr. Chen could camouflage part of his wealth — not only from Quebec's immigration officers but also from Chinese tax authorities.
"[The] Caribbean passport also gives him a new TIN number — so a tax identity number. So that could be useful for him, too," she said on hidden camera.
"One of the Caribbean [countries] does not have a treaty with China. So you get a new tax identity, but you don't need to declare to [the] Chinese government all those assets."
When Radio-Canada showed the footage of his employee explaining ways to get around the rules to Harvey, he expressed shock and dismay.
But Harvey said that any potential client would have met with a lawyer after initially dealing with the employee. The lawyer would catch the problems with Mr. Chen's file at that point, he said.
After seeing the hidden-camera footage, Harvey fired the employee caught on video, she told Radio-Canada.
Integrity concerns
Several firms approached by Mr. Chen advised him not to declare some assets of questionable origin.
But that goes against the rules of the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, which requires applicants to list all their assets — and ostensibly rejects candidates whose wealth may not be legitimately sourced.
"If they ask you, it's best if you don't answer so honestly. Don't tell them so plainly you don't plan to stay there," the Globevisa consultant advised.
All but one of the consultants told Mr. Chen he could settle elsewhere in Canada, but that he should not disclose this intention to Canadian immigration authorities.
Quebec immigration lawyer Hugue Langlais said Radio-Canada's hidden-camera footage shows the Quebec government should end the QIIP.
"I'm a little uncomfortable to see that we have a program with major shortcomings that are known in the industry," he said.
"I think the federal government did the right thing in 2014 in shutting down its program. I think the Quebec government should think about doing the same thing."
Read more about immigration programs for wealthy investors:
Corrections
- A previous version of this story mistakenly said that Jean-François Harvey, the head of Harvey Law Group, told Radio-Canada that he fired the employee caught on hidden camera. In fact, it was the employee herself who told Radio-Canada she was fired. The previous version also said a Globevisa consultant claimed clients had previously used the false-identity scheme to pass security checks. In fact, she said they could use the scheme if they failed background checks.Sep 21, 2018 11:07 AM ET
Rich investors granted Canadian residency despite fake documents and dubious assets, ex-officials say
Special immigration track meant to lure wealthy to Quebec sees most end up in B.C., Ontario
Some rich foreigners seeking Canadian
residency under a special Quebec program for wealthy investors couldn't
point to the province on a map, while others submitted fake documents or
disguised their assets — yet many of them were still accepted for
immigration, former civil servants say.
The officials, charged with administering the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), say they were sometimes pressured into ignoring signs that applicants' fortunes were founded on corruption or other ill-gotten gains.
"It's a program that has lots of gaps, that permits people with dubious or even illicit business to launder money through the program and to buy themselves citizenship inexpensively," said one former immigration officer.
Numerous current and former civil servants in Quebec spoke to Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête on condition of anonymity, revealing what they see as major flaws in an immigration program that has granted permanent residency to tens of thousands of people since it began in 1986.
QIIP applicants must have at least $2 million in assets and agree to loan $1.2 million of that to the Quebec government interest-free for five years. The government invests the money and uses the interest to provide grants to small- and medium-sized businesses.
"We were under a lot of pressure to approve applicants in order to meet annual financial targets," said one ex-bureaucrat.
The federal government used to have a similar immigration track for rich investors seeking to settle in Canada, but shut it down in 2014 due to concerns about its effectiveness.
The Quebec version still accepts 1,900 people a year, plus their family members, with two-thirds coming from mainland China. Last year alone, more than 5,000 people obtained their permanent residency through the program.
All of the applications from China would've pass through Quebec's immigration office in Hong Kong, until it closed last year. The office was overwhelmed by the workload, with staff working 60 to 70 hours a week to keep up, according to the former officials who spoke to Enquête.
The
provincial government allotted seven hours to screen each
application — including verifying that applicants had come by their
fortunes honestly. But as one former immigration officer said: "It takes
time to do proper due diligence, and we didn't have it."
Officials' suspicions could be raised by any number of things, including copycat submissions.
"The applicants were all heads of sales, then became assistant managers," the ex-bureaucrat said. "The first time you have an applicant like that, you tell yourself, 'Why not.' Then you get 10, 20, 30 more from the same immigration consultant. It raises serious doubts about their back story."
In the early 2000s, the Quebec government hired an outside firm to help vet applications. It was found that more than 65 per cent of them contained forged documentation.
And according to data obtained under Quebec's access-to-information law, from 2013 to 2017, a total of 1,783 immigrant investor applications were rejected by the province's officers in Hong Kong due to faked documents.
But even as dodgy candidates were flagged, immigration officers say they felt pressure to overlook many applications with apparent shortcomings.
One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because corruption existed in Quebec too.
Another civil servant said they were told by a senior official at Quebec's Immigration Ministry not to dig too deep into each applicant's background. Some immigration staff bowed to those pressures and accepted more applicants, the people interviewed by Enquête said, while others refused.
In a statement, Quebec's Immigration Ministry said its vetting process is effective at maintaining the integrity of the immigrant-investor program. It said applicants and their assets are examined multiple times: by financial institutions that help recruit them, by governmental financial analysts, and by immigration personnel. Finally, FINTRAC, the federal financial intelligence agency, verifies the funds that successful applicants lend to the Quebec government.
The province also says the program has had important economic benefits, allowing for $695 million in grants to small- and medium-sized businesses since 2000 — which it says has translated into tens of thousands of jobs.
But those numbers may be overly rosy.
Grants from the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program are limited to a maximum of 10 per cent of a business's expansion or modernization project. Nevertheless, Investment Quebec, the provincial agency that administers the grants, counts all the jobs created or saved by the expansion projects it supports — meaning the employment gains seem to be inflated by a factor of 10.
Investment Quebec maintains it's a standard method of calculating and it doesn't deem every one of those jobs to stem from its grants.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of QIIP is that while it's meant to draw wealthy investors to la belle province, the vast majority who have taken up residency in Canada under the program settle in other provinces.
As part of the process, applicants have to sign two forms declaring their intention to reside in Quebec.
But once in Canada, the law allows anyone to move freely. Data reported earlier this year by Global News shows that 85 per cent of Quebec's immigrant investors — since the program began in 1986 — have ended up in British Columbia and Ontario. Only 10 per cent remained in Quebec.
"We knew they weren't coming to Quebec and we also knew they weren't going to learn French," said one of the former bureaucrats who helped run the program.
Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel told reporters in March that he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here," he said.
Other provinces aren't so keen to welcome Quebec's immigrants, though, and to bear the costs of providing health care and education. Freedom-of-information records obtained by Enquête show the B.C. government complained to Quebec several times in 2015 and 2016
Former federal immigration minister Chris Alexander, who served in Stephen Harper's last government, said he brought up the issue with his Quebec counterparts, and while they "recognized there were problems, they weren't ready to move forward with any changes."
Quebec has since taken steps to retain more of its immigrant investors, Heurtel said, including prioritizing applicants from francophone countries and sending out videos and brochures promoting living in Quebec.
But that hasn't been enough to alter how the program's critics see things.
"The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is a scam from start to finish. I think that everyone who's involved in the program knows that," said Ian Young, the Vancouver correspondent for Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper and a seasoned observer of immigration patterns from China to Canada.
"I think that includes policy-makers, the people who facilitate it and the immigrants themselves."
The officials, charged with administering the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP), say they were sometimes pressured into ignoring signs that applicants' fortunes were founded on corruption or other ill-gotten gains.
"It's a program that has lots of gaps, that permits people with dubious or even illicit business to launder money through the program and to buy themselves citizenship inexpensively," said one former immigration officer.
Numerous current and former civil servants in Quebec spoke to Radio-Canada's investigative program Enquête on condition of anonymity, revealing what they see as major flaws in an immigration program that has granted permanent residency to tens of thousands of people since it began in 1986.
QIIP applicants must have at least $2 million in assets and agree to loan $1.2 million of that to the Quebec government interest-free for five years. The government invests the money and uses the interest to provide grants to small- and medium-sized businesses.
"We were under a lot of pressure to approve applicants in order to meet annual financial targets," said one ex-bureaucrat.
Staff were overwhelmed
The federal government used to have a similar immigration track for rich investors seeking to settle in Canada, but shut it down in 2014 due to concerns about its effectiveness.
The Quebec version still accepts 1,900 people a year, plus their family members, with two-thirds coming from mainland China. Last year alone, more than 5,000 people obtained their permanent residency through the program.
All of the applications from China would've pass through Quebec's immigration office in Hong Kong, until it closed last year. The office was overwhelmed by the workload, with staff working 60 to 70 hours a week to keep up, according to the former officials who spoke to Enquête.
Officials' suspicions could be raised by any number of things, including copycat submissions.
"The applicants were all heads of sales, then became assistant managers," the ex-bureaucrat said. "The first time you have an applicant like that, you tell yourself, 'Why not.' Then you get 10, 20, 30 more from the same immigration consultant. It raises serious doubts about their back story."
In the early 2000s, the Quebec government hired an outside firm to help vet applications. It was found that more than 65 per cent of them contained forged documentation.
And according to data obtained under Quebec's access-to-information law, from 2013 to 2017, a total of 1,783 immigrant investor applications were rejected by the province's officers in Hong Kong due to faked documents.
'Really shocked me'
But even as dodgy candidates were flagged, immigration officers say they felt pressure to overlook many applications with apparent shortcomings.
One former bureaucrat recalled rejecting a candidate on suspicions their assets were corruptly obtained. His boss instructed him to be more lenient next time because corruption existed in Quebec too.
We knew they weren't coming to Quebec and we also knew they weren't going to learn French.- Former immigration officialAround the same time, the Charbonneau Commission was investigating corruption and collusion in Quebec's construction industry. "It really shocked me to hear that," he said.
Another civil servant said they were told by a senior official at Quebec's Immigration Ministry not to dig too deep into each applicant's background. Some immigration staff bowed to those pressures and accepted more applicants, the people interviewed by Enquête said, while others refused.
Government claims credit for job creation
In a statement, Quebec's Immigration Ministry said its vetting process is effective at maintaining the integrity of the immigrant-investor program. It said applicants and their assets are examined multiple times: by financial institutions that help recruit them, by governmental financial analysts, and by immigration personnel. Finally, FINTRAC, the federal financial intelligence agency, verifies the funds that successful applicants lend to the Quebec government.
The province also says the program has had important economic benefits, allowing for $695 million in grants to small- and medium-sized businesses since 2000 — which it says has translated into tens of thousands of jobs.
Grants from the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program are limited to a maximum of 10 per cent of a business's expansion or modernization project. Nevertheless, Investment Quebec, the provincial agency that administers the grants, counts all the jobs created or saved by the expansion projects it supports — meaning the employment gains seem to be inflated by a factor of 10.
Investment Quebec maintains it's a standard method of calculating and it doesn't deem every one of those jobs to stem from its grants.
Westward bound
Perhaps the most controversial aspect of QIIP is that while it's meant to draw wealthy investors to la belle province, the vast majority who have taken up residency in Canada under the program settle in other provinces.
As part of the process, applicants have to sign two forms declaring their intention to reside in Quebec.
But once in Canada, the law allows anyone to move freely. Data reported earlier this year by Global News shows that 85 per cent of Quebec's immigrant investors — since the program began in 1986 — have ended up in British Columbia and Ontario. Only 10 per cent remained in Quebec.
The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is a scam from start to finish. I think that everyone who's involved in the program knows that.- Ian Young, newspaper columnist"We're way off our immigration targets under this program," said Suzanne Ethier, who served as Quebec's associate deputy minister of immigration from 2005 to 2006.
"We knew they weren't coming to Quebec and we also knew they weren't going to learn French," said one of the former bureaucrats who helped run the program.
Quebec Immigration Minister David Heurtel told reporters in March that he wasn't fazed by this tendency. "Even if an immigrant investor goes elsewhere in Canada, their money stays here," he said.
Other provinces aren't so keen to welcome Quebec's immigrants, though, and to bear the costs of providing health care and education. Freedom-of-information records obtained by Enquête show the B.C. government complained to Quebec several times in 2015 and 2016
Former federal immigration minister Chris Alexander, who served in Stephen Harper's last government, said he brought up the issue with his Quebec counterparts, and while they "recognized there were problems, they weren't ready to move forward with any changes."
Quebec has since taken steps to retain more of its immigrant investors, Heurtel said, including prioritizing applicants from francophone countries and sending out videos and brochures promoting living in Quebec.
But that hasn't been enough to alter how the program's critics see things.
"The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is a scam from start to finish. I think that everyone who's involved in the program knows that," said Ian Young, the Vancouver correspondent for Hong Kong's South China Morning Post newspaper and a seasoned observer of immigration patterns from China to Canada.
"I think that includes policy-makers, the people who facilitate it and the immigrants themselves."
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