Anyone can Google the following N'esy Pas? Trump Cohen Morneau Amos NAFTA FATCA TPP

https://twitter.com/DavidRayAmos/with_replies 




David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos 
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
My Last 2 comments were as follows

This is not "Fake News"

Methinks anyone can Google the following words N'esy Pas?

 trump cohen morneau amos nafta fatca tpp




David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos 
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others

and the proof of the pudding

Methinks when some Yankee wiseguy checks out the about the first 10 pages of this old file the light will dawn on Marblehead N'esy Pas?

https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER





David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos 
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
Methinks in the Triple Header against Trump CBC deleted a lot of comments out of the gate to protect Trudeau the Younger but in the end they began to allow some to be published N'esy Pas?

http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/anyone-can-google-following-nesy-pas.html

#TrumpKnew #TrudeauMustGo  #nbpoli  #cdnpoli


https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cohen-trump-manafort-pardons-1.4794307




Despite the prospect of prison time, Cohen would not accept a pardon from Trump if offered, his lawyer Lanny Davis predicted.





David Raymond Amos‏ @DavidRayAmos 
Replying to @DavidRayAmos @Kathryn98967631 and 49 others
Anyone can Google the following N'esy Pas?

Trump Cohen Morneau Amos NAFTA FATCA TPP

http://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2018/08/anyone-can-google-following-nesy-pas.html

#TrumpKnew #TrudeauMustGo  #nbpoli  #cdnpoli

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/trump-lawyer-cohen-plea-deal-1.4793381

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to U.S. President Donald Trump, leaves federal court after reaching a plea agreement in New York on Tuesday. (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)

Michael Cohen says he paid hush money to women at Trump's direction

Trump ignored questions about Cohen as he boarded Air Force One for a campaign visit to West Virginia

The Associated Press · Posted: Aug 21, 2018 2:34 PM ET

1328 Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.

 
Jeffrey Wayne

Trump should resign.

Tonight.

Lou Parks

@Tow Hill

None of this logically matters,
regardless what the mass media say,
regardless what Cohen says.

Logically, this has nothing to do with the U.S. presidency.
It's a private matter in Trump's private life

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David Amos

@Lou Parks "It's a private matter in Trump's private life"

Methinks you know as well as I that my concerns with Trump and his lawyers are far from private matters. Anyone can Google the following words N'esy Pas?

trump cohen morneau amos nafta fatca tpp

 
Lieschen Mueller

Anyone surprised that both Trump and Cohen are as dirty as they come? Lock them up!!

John Dirlik

@Lou Parks
"nothing to do with the U.S. presidency. "

I agree. There is something grotesquely perverse about an America that is outraged over a president's petty sexual misconducts, but does not bat an eye when he (like both Bush and Obama did) destroys countries and slaughters countless innocent civilians.

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David Amos

@Lieschen Mueller Methinks you should have checked my work last week instead of criticizing my form of Chiac N'esy Pas?

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David Amos

@John Dirlik Methinks you don't understand my doings with Cohen AFTER he became the White House Counsel N'esy Pas?

 
Jonathan Lemon

Looks like this "nothing-burger" has some meat to it after all.

Trump and his supporters can go crawl under their rocks again.

Lou Parks

@Jonathan Lemon

> Looks like this "nothing-burger" has some meat to it after all.

Nope.
None of this matters.
None of this has anything to do with the presidency.

Lieschen Mueller

@Lou Parks

Just because you keep barking the same tune, does not make it true. And that holds true with both your attitude towards politics and your "scientific" ignorance.

David Amos

@Lieschen Mueller Methinks the same could be said of you as well N'esy Pas?

 
Ian MacDonald

Trump for prison 2019

David Amos

@Ian MacDonald Methinks everybody knows I am no fan of Trump but he has done nothing that warrants prison time despite your wishes N'esy Pas?

 
will morgan

Same old Canadian Conservative supporters defending Trump.

John Reekie

@will morgan

Most of them aren't Canadian they're Russian.

David Amos

@will morgan Methinks everybody knows I battle Conservatives and Liberals on a daily basis and the last thing I am doing is defending Trump. However in my humble opinion everyone should stick to the truth and keep their unjustified opinions to themselves to avoid embarrassment N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@John Reekie Yea Right

 
Charles Griffin

Well.....I'm shocked.

Wait a minute, no I'm not.

David Amos

@Charles Griffin Me Too

 
Ralph Smyth

Fixer guilty.
National Security Advisor guilty
Campaign Manager guilty.
Assistant Deputy Campaign Manager guilty.
Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor guilty.
Fake POTUS guilty.

David Amos

@Ralph Smyth "Fake POTUS guilty."

NOPE Methinks The Donald Dude who oversees the Circus commonly known as the US Congress was duly elected and found guilty of nothing N'esy Pas?

 
Ralph Smyth

Xmas came early today.

Lou Parks

@Ralph Smyth

You shouldn't welcome *irrational* attacks.
One day they could be targeted against something you support

James Carpenter

@Lou Parks

Think so comrade?

David Amos

@Ralph Smyth Welcome to the Circus

 
Al Millar

What Kind of miss-truths will the Donald express at tonight's rally . How can any person face the public with all this evidence of illegal activities involving him ?

Lou Parks

@Al Millar

> with all this evidence of illegal activities involving him

"illegal activities"?
Any that truly matter?
And how many? Two?

James Carpenter

@Lou Parks

You make the Kremlin proud

David Amos

@Al Millar Methinks you do not understand politics or Trump very well N'esy Pas?

 
Maya Tikal

The handwriting is on the wall. Too bad Trump is basically illiterate. Worst. President. Ever.

David Amos 

@Maya Tikal Methinks history proves that Yankees had some wicked President's in the past. In my humble opinion both the Yankee carpetbaggers named Bush, Clinton and Obama were far worse Presidents than Trump. They just seemed to have better manners tis all N'esy Pas?  





http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/paul-manafort-verdict-analysis-cohen-plea-deal-1.4792179

How Cohen's plea deal and Manafort's conviction spawned 'the worst day of Trump's presidency so far'

Mueller's Russia probe scores a political win as jury convicts Manafort, but Cohen's deal may be most damning

Matt Kwong · CBC · Posted: Aug 22, 2018 4:00 AM ET

3155 Comments Plus many deleted ones

"POOF"
Alex Shetsen

Trump may or may not be Putin's puppet, but the way Scheer and his bunch are dancing, you know it's Trump pulling their Conservative strings.

mo bennett

@Alex Shetsen scheer is minor league.

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David Amos

@mo bennett YO MO Methinks that why a lot of folks call him Harper Lite but as you well know I prefer Harper 2.0 N'esy Pas?

Mike Hamilton

Hillary! Obama! Trudeau! Lefties! Witch hunt! Fake News!!

That should cover most of the Trump worshipers posts we will see on here.

Clive Gibbons

@Mike Hamilton

Bengazi! Emails!

Alex Forbes

@Mike Hamilton Basically the left demanding perfection while denying it exists in Jesus should cover the left's.

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David Amos

@Mike Hamilton Methinks you should check my work Everybody knows that I am no Trump worshiper N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Clive Gibbons Bengazi! Emails!

Good Point Sir

David Amos

@Mike Hamilton Methinks if certain Trump worshipers were to google the following names together they may get a shocking surprise N'esy Pas?

Trump Michael Cohen David Raymond Amos

 
Fred Green

Why are right-wingers always going to jail?

Alex Forbes

@Fred Green Because lefties don't believe in prison?

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David Amos

@Alex Forbes Methinks thou doth jest too much N'esy Pas?

mo bennett

@David Amos oh! stop it! it's so much fun to diss inept politicians, messy paws!

David Amos

@mo bennett YO MO Methinks you must enjoy talking to a ghost N'esy Pas?

 
Fred Rogers

Trump's finally going to get a jump suit that matches his hair.

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David Amos

@Fred Rogers Methinks many folks agree that the Clown with the strange orange hair who oversees the Circus commonly known as the US Congress will be found guilty of nothing N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Theo Crane "That made the payments a campaign expense, regardless of who provided the money."

Methinks many lawyers would love to argue for and against that opinion N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Theo Crane "New York is likely to prosecute Trump for state crimes."

Dream on.

David Amos

@Fred Rogers Methinks many folks agree that the Clown with the strange orange hair who oversees the Circus commonly known as the US Congress will be found guilty of nothing N'esy Pas?

 
Mike Hamilton

I'm trying to remember all the good days America has had since Trump took office. Sorry, drawing a blank.

Alex Forbes

@Mike Hamilton Their economy is still booming, tax cuts, less abortions being performed with government money, North and South Korea sitting downfor talks...you must have selective memory. Not saying he is perfect (no one but Jesus is)

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David Amos

@Alex Forbes Methinks you make some good points but I doubt that your perfect friend Jesus would approve of the big arms deal with the Saudi's or The Donald's cover up of his running around on his wife so he could get elected N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Mike Hamilton Me Too

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David Amos

@Alex Forbes Methinks you make some good points but I doubt that your perfect friend would approve of the big arms deal with the Saudi's or The Donald's cover up of his running around on his wife so he could get elected N'esy Pas?

 
mo bennett

couldn't have happened to a nicer despot.

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David Amos

@mo bennett YO MO Methinks you should have Googled the following by now N'esy Pas?

Trump Cohen Morneau Amos NAFTA FATCA TPP

mo bennett

@David Amos was that you that authorized spending 26 million to rent an empty building that you knew you weren't gonna use? sounds about right for a wanna bee politician! messy paws!

Karen King

@mo bennett

cute, David is truly annoying, not sure if he thinks he's funny or just being nasty. Even as an Anglaphone I find his butchering that phrase insulting...at least you got it right?? messy paws...that is funny!

David Amos

@mo bennett YO MO Methinks you should have Googled the following by now N'esy Pas?

Trump Cohen Morneau Amos NAFTA FATCA TPP

  

Maurice Vogel

Don Jr will be next, and it becomes personal for the POTUS, then comes the mid term landslide victory for the blue wave and the end will be near with an impeachment vote. Thank goodness because we’re all sick and tired of it all.

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David Amos

@Maurice Vogel "Thank goodness because we’re all sick and tired of it all."

Methinks many would disagree and like me they are in fact enjoying the circus N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Maurice Vogel "Thank goodness because we’re all sick and tired of it all."

Methinks many would disagree and like me they are in fact enjoying the circus N'esy Pas?

Rob Scott

Trump hires the best people, he said so.

John Goode

@Rob Scott
He's a "very stable genious."

David Amos

@John Goode And I am the king of Siam

David Amos

@Rob Scott "Trump hires the best people, he said so."

True

 

Joseph Cluster

Yesterday demonstrated that there is a justice system after all, it was in fact a good day, and the demise of the political future for the POTUS.

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David Amos

@Joseph Cluster Methinks many folks would agree that it would not be wise to bet on your opinion N'esy Pas?

Karen King

@Joseph Cluster

renews some of the faith I have lost in the USA.

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David Amos

@Karen King Methinks therein lies the rub because many folks in the USA would have no faith in you N'esy Pas?

 

David Sampson

Trump has always surrounded himself with peons who knee at his feet and tell him, constantly, how wonderful he is. Trump will get his due at the end of this process whether that be impeachment or prison or both but at the end of this sorry saga in American history let's simply hope that those who enabled him get their due as well!

Jim Palmer

@David Sampson

"..... but at the end of this sorry saga in American history let's simply hope that those who enabled him get their due as well ! "

Assuming the 'evangelical error' I believe that Trump's 'enablers' will 'get theirs' at their 'Pearly Gates'.
Soon it will be time to 'heat up the pitchfork', Lucifer !

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David Amos

@Jim Palmer Methinks folks should leave religion out of their political arguments There is a separation of Church and State for very valid reasons N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Jim Palmer Judge not lest ye be judged

 
Agnes Day

MAGA = My Attorney Got Arrested

David Amos

@Agnes Day Methinks you better call Saul N'esy Pas?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/cohen-trump-manafort-pardons-1.4794307

Trump did nothing wrong, White House says after Cohen's guilty plea

Trump says in new interview he knew about payments 'later on' despite existence of earlier recording

CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2018 9:39 AM ET

3944 Comments 

Commenting is now closed for this story.

 
Randolph Neville

Trump will soon resign before Mueller gets him...

Page is closed to commenting.
David Amos
@Randolph Neville Methinks the Fat Lady ain't sung yet N'esy Pas?





David Amos

Methinks when some Yankee wiseguy checks out the about the first 10 pages of this old file the light will dawn on Marblehead N'esy Pas?

https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER

David Amos

This is not "Fake News"

Methinks anyone can Google the following words N'esy Pas?

trump cohen morneau amos nafta fatca tpp

 
John Wilson

The concept that a President cannot commit a crime is a mockery of the concept of justice.

David Amos

@Peter Samson Methinks anyone can Google the following words N'esy Pas?

trump cohen morneau amos nafta fatca tpp

David Amos

@Rob Kov "The double standard is showing... again."

Methinks you should read page 2 of this old file N'esy Pas?

https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER

David Amos

@John Henry Methinks Canadians should have found the Clinton's dealing with Russians over uranium kinda interesting N'esy Pas?

https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/sessions-special-counsel-clinton-1.4400963

 Don Brown

The GOP is weak and has no business running a hot dog stand let alone a country .

David Amos

@Don Brown Methinks the same should be said of the Democrats as well N'esy Pas?

 
Ric Ferriby

the question is now when is Melania going to walk?

Christian Jane

@Ric Ferriby Depends on the pre-marital agreement.

Karen King

@Ric Ferriby

You know I used to feel sorry for her but when she went to visit the kids stolen from their parents wearing a "I do not care" tshirt that was all over. She's either really stupid or as bad as Trump.

Kevin Delaney

@Karen King
Yup, hard to explain that one. I hope she addresses that in her 2019 Tell All Book.

Jon Holmes

@Ric Ferriby Too busy with #BeBest one supposes.
Seriously, the lack of self-respect required for her to put up with all this.
How many Porn Stars did her "Husband" drop a load in whilst she bore their kid?

Jim Palmer

@Jon (ahem) Holmes

Congrats on 'slipping that one in' !
(for now ?)
I've had hundreds of milder 'sayings' blown out of the water.
(pun intended)

David Amos

@Jim Palmer "I've had hundreds of milder 'sayings' blown out of the water."

Methinks you know as well as I why that is N'esy Pas?

David Amos

@Christian Jane "Depends on the pre-marital agreement."

YUP

 
Kevin Delaney

From the article above:..."... Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani sought to cast the blame solely on Cohen in a Tuesday statement, saying: "There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the President in the government's charges against Mr. Cohen. ..."

So, when does Rudy roll?? At some point Rudy too will think of self preservation.

Chip Hockin

@Kevin Delaney Unfortunately there is no evidence that Rudy has done anything wrong other than lying to the media and the public. All this does is continue to hurt Rudy's credibility. He has gone way downhill since his days as "America's mayor" after 9/11. Sad.

David Amos

@Chip Hockin "Unfortunately there is no evidence that Rudy has done anything wrong other than lying to the media and the public."

Methinks everybody knows (the FBI and the RCMP in particular) that I have lots of evidence concerning Rudy and his cohorts going back to when we crossed paths bigtime in 2003 Anyone can check my other comments N'esy Pas?

 
Aaron Spencer Lane

Trump keeps claiming that Mueller has no evidence in relation to collusion with Russia. The fact is, Trump has no idea what Mueller has on him - nor will he until Mueller decides his work is done and there is no longer any harm in tipping his hand to the primary subject of his investigation. I suspect Trump is going to look even more like the fool he is when Mueller concludes his work.

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David Amos

@Aaron Spencer Lane "The fact is, Trump has no idea what Mueller has on him"

Methinks the fact is Trump has no idea of the evidence he has against Mueller. When some Yankee wiseguy checks out the about the first 10 pages of this old file the light will dawn on Marblehead N'esy Pas?

https://www.scribd.com/document/2619437/CROSS-BORDER

 
Charles Griffin

So Trump tried to bribe Cohen with a presidential pardon??

David Allan

@Lou Parks
"They're essentially identical in function "

One functions to further justice and democracy.
The other to undermine justice and democracy.

Your tenuous grip on reality is slipping further and further away.

David Amos

@David Allan "Your tenuous grip on reality is slipping further and further away."

Methinks that reasoning applies to many on both sides of this political spit and chew about the nonsense south of the 49th N'esy Pas?

 
Malcolm Alexander

Trump wants to "pay off" Cohen with the promise of a pardon. (hope for silence?)
Isn't that the way Cohen got entangled in the first place, delivering Trump's pay offs?

David Amos

@Malcolm Alexander "Isn't that the way Cohen got entangled in the first place, delivering Trump's pay offs?"

YUP

 
John Tobias

In less than two years this guy, Trump has been nothing but one continuous train wreck.

David Amos

@John Tobias YUP

 
Paul Cooper

Now we'll really see where the bodies are buried!

David Amos

@Paul Cooper Heres hoping

Michael Cohen says he paid hush money to women at Trump's direction

Trump ignored questions about Cohen as he boarded Air Force One for a campaign visit to West Virginia

The Associated Press · Posted: Aug 21, 2018 2:34 PM ET

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to U.S. President Donald Trump, leaves federal court after reaching a plea agreement in New York on Tuesday. (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)

Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and "fixer," has pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations and other charges, saying he and Trump arranged the payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model to keep them from exposing their alleged affairs with Trump to influence the 2016 election.

The guilty plea came Tuesday — almost at the same moment former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was convicted in Alexandria, Va., of eight financial crimes in the first trial to come out of special counsel Robert Mueller's sprawling Russia investigation.

In a deal reached with federal prosecutors, Cohen, 51, pleaded guilty to eight counts in all, including tax evasion and making a false statement to a financial institution. He could get about four to five years in prison at sentencing on Dec. 12.

Cohen's account appears to implicate Trump himself in a crime, though whether -- or when -- a president can be prosecuted remains a matter of legal dispute.

• Trump was secretly recorded talking about paying Playboy model

• Trump says Michael Cohen is 'not my lawyer anymore'

In entering the plea, Cohen did not specifically name Daniels and ex-Playmate Karen McDougal or Trump, recounting instead that he worked with an "unnamed candidate." But the amounts and the dates all lined up with the payments made to the two women.

After Cohen's guilty plea, the lead prosecutor, deputy U.S. Attorney Robert Khuzami, told reporters that Cohen submitted invoices to the candidate's company to obtain reimbursement for the payments but claimed it was for legal services rendered in 2017.

Those invoices were illegitimate, lawyers said. "He [Cohen] provided no legal services for the year 2017," said Khuzami. "It was simply a means to obtain reimbursement for the unlawful contributions."
Cohen said the first payment was "in co-ordination and at the direction of a candidate for federal office," and the second was made "under direction of the same candidate."

Cohen's plea follows months of scrutiny from federal investigations and a falling out with the president, whom he previously said he'd "take a bullet" for.

U.S. President Donald Trump ignored questions about Cohen as he boarded Air Force One for a campaign visit to West Virginia. (Alex Brandon/Associated Press)

FBI raids in April sought bank records, communications with Trump's campaign and information on payments to Daniels and McDougal.

Both women claimed Trump had affairs with them, which he has denied.
It wasn't clear if the plea agreement requires Cohen's co-operation with the Russia probe or other investigations.

President ignores questions

Trump ignored questions about Cohen as he boarded Air Force One for a campaign visit to West Virginia. The White House and the Trump re-election campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The president has fumed publicly about what he felt was government overreach, while privately worrying about what material Cohen may have after working for the Trump Organization for a decade.

In this April 16, 2018, photo, Stormy Daniels, left, stands with her lawyer Michael Avenatti as she speaks outside federal court in New York. Avenatti tweeted that Cohen's plea deal should open the door to questioning Trump under oath in Daniels's defamation lawsuit against him. (Mary Altaffer/Associated Press)

Trump branded the raid "a witch hunt," an assault on attorney-client privilege and a politically motivated attack by enemies in the FBI.

"Obviously it's not good for Trump," Sol Wisenberg, who conducted grand jury questioning of then-president Bill Clinton during the Whitewater investigation, said of Cohen's plea bargain.

"I'm assuming he's not going to be indicted because he's a sitting president," Wisenberg added. "But it leads him closer to ultimate impeachment proceedings, particularly if the Democrats take back the House."

What it shows is that the people close to the president have criminal exposure and it may mean they don't need Cohen to co-operate.- Laurie  Levenson , former federal prosecutor

The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice and guidance to executive branch agencies, has held that a president cannot be indicted while in office. Trump's lawyers have said that Mueller plans to adhere to that guidance, though Mueller's office has never confirmed that. There would presumably be no bar against charging a president after he leaves the White House.

Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor and professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, noted that the deal does not require Cohen to co-operate, but does not preclude it from happening, which should be worrying to the president and his allies.

"What it shows is that the people close to the president have criminal exposure and it may mean they don't need Cohen to co-operate," she said.

Levenson argued the deal also knocks back the argument that the investigations swirling around Trump are a "witch hunt."

"No longer can you say Mueller is on a witch hunt when you have his own lawyer pleading guilty to things that were designed to impact the election," she said.

On Tuesday, Cohen's lawyer Lanny Davis suggested Trump should face criminal charges.
"If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?," he tweeted.

Mueller's team is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The team referred the case involving Cohen's financial dealings to federal prosecutors in Manhattan.

Late Tuesday, Davis told MSNBC's Rachel Maddow that Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to Mueller and is "more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows."

Loyal 'fixer' under investigation for months

The search of Cohen's files sought bank records, communications with the Trump campaign and information on hush money payments made in 2016 to former Playboy model McDougal, who received $150,000 US, and the porn actress Daniels, who got $130,000 US.

Daniels's hard-charging lawyer, Michael Avenatti, later upped the drama by disclosing bank reports showing that Cohen had been hustling behind the scenes to cash in on his close relationship with the president.

Avenatti tweeted that Cohen's plea agreement should open the door to questioning Trump under oath in Daniels's defamation lawsuit against him about "what he knew, when he knew it, and what he did about it."

The New York Times reported earlier this week, based on anonymous sources, that prosecutors have been focusing on more than $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that Cohen and his family own.

Before the election, Cohen had been a trusted member of the Trump organization, working out of an office in Trump Tower next to one used by his boss.

He raised millions for Trump's campaign and, after being interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee last year, told Vanity Fair that Trump had no part in the suspected Russian conspiracy to tamper with the election.

• Trump says payment from personal lawyer to porn star wasn't a campaign expense

• Stormy Daniels sues Donald Trump for defamation

The president's initial support for Cohen after the raid has since degenerated into a public feud, prompting speculation that, to save himself, Cohen might be willing to tell prosecutors some of the secrets he helped Trump keep.

Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani has steadily ratcheted up attacks on Cohen, suggesting he was untrustworthy and lying about what he knew about the former celebrity real estate developer's business dealings.

When Cohen's team produced a recording he had made of Trump discussing a payment to silence a woman about an alleged affair, Giuliani went on a media tour to impugn his credibility and question his loyalty.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

How Cohen's plea deal and Manafort's conviction spawned 'the worst day of Trump's presidency so far'

Mueller's Russia probe scores a political win as jury convicts Manafort, but Cohen's deal may be most damning

Matt Kwong · CBC · Posted: Aug 22, 2018 4:00 AM ET

Paul Manafort, Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, left, was convicted on eight counts of bank and tax fraud on Tuesday. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, right, made a separate plea deal for campaign finance violations and other crimes. (Reuters)


It rained like heck on Tuesday in Washington. But boy, did it ever pour on Donald Trump's 577-day-old presidency.

Courtrooms in two states dropped a torrent of legal trouble on Trump, courtesy of two former aides with inside information that could potentially be offered to prosecutors to save themselves from harsher jail time.

Trump's bad day started with his ex-campaign chairman Paul Manafort convicted on eight counts of bank and tax fraud. It ended up potentially worse for the president in the afternoon, with his ex-lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen copping a plea deal on tax fraud, bank fraud and — most remarkably for potentially implicating Trump — campaign finance violations.

Both Cohen and Manafort. In one day.

• Analysis
  Fate of ex-Trump aide Manafort in jury's hands — and same could be said of Mueller's Russia probe

• Jurors to begin deliberations tomorrow in Manafort trial

They're not all the president's men, but they represent two of the most worrisome prospective witnesses against Trump, legal experts say. Particularly given the jail time they each face, as well as what they might or might not be able to offer to the U.S. special counsel investigating Russian collusion in the 2016 election as well as federal prosecutors interested in other crimes.

'They're both huge'

"If they decided to co-operate [with government lawyers], they could potentially have incriminating information about the president. They're both huge," said Harry Sandick, a former federal prosecutor with the Southern District of New York.

Sandick said Manafort's conviction delivers a strong rebuttal to the president's attacks on special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, which Trump has called a "witch hunt." Mueller's team has now been tested and prevailed in the first criminal trial to be brought from the sprawling investigation.

The charges against Manafort, left, have nothing to do with his role as Donald Trump's campaign chairman in 2016. But the verdict could nonetheless affect the credibility of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible collusion between Trump's campaign and the Russians during the presidential election. (Associated Press) 

Putting that aside, though, the more troubling news for the president might be what Cohen has to share.

"Let me put it this way," Sandick said. "Today, in court, in Manhattan, before a federal judge, the president's [former] lawyer accused the president of committing a crime."

Loyola Law School Prof. Jessica Levinson says Cohen's plea deal will likely unnerve the president more than Manafort's possible co-operation, even if Cohen doesn't name Trump in the charging documents. (Trump is identified as "Individual-1, a candidate for Federal Office.")

• Analysis
  Why Manafort's trial matters for Trump — even if it has nothing to do with Russian collusion

• Defence for Paul Manafort rests without calling witnesses at bank fraud trial

In Manhattan, Cohen alleged that Trump ordered him to pay hush money to two women — adult-film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal — to suppress their tales of extra-marital affairs with Trump.

"[The] Manafort conviction is politically bad for him," Levinson said. Cohen's implication of Trump in a crime "is legally bad for him." It's unclear, however, whether Trump will lose any political support due to the Manafort conviction. Past scandals have not perturbed Trump's base.

Legal pressure

In contrast to potential political fallout, "the campaign finance charges are fundamentally different," Levinson said.

Prosecutors say the payoffs brokered by Cohen amounted to an illegal contribution to Trump's campaign.

Trump has denied any knowledge about the payments to Daniels or McDougal.

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves federal court after reaching a plea agreement in New York, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2018. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press) 

Cohen's plea agreement doesn't include co-operation with the Southern District of New York, but Sandick said "that doesn't completely foreclose the idea that [Cohen] can be a co-operator in the future as part of another deal."

That's what excites Seth Abramson, an anti-Trump commentator with a strong liberal following. He expects Cohen to cave eventually and co-operate, allowing the government to share useful information with Mueller's collusion investigators.

To Abramson, it underscores how much of an unmistakable coup it is to have legal pressure on Manafort and Cohen.

"It's the worst day of Trump's presidency so far. I can't think of two men who present more legal jeopardy for the president than these two," he said. "Mueller now has in his grasp what you might consider the two most important, the most dangerous witnesses to have … with respect to collusion."

'You can imagine fear and concern'

Manafort, facing years in jail, may be under greater pressure to strike a sentencing agreement now before his second criminal trial next month in Washington, D.C. Abramson believes Manafort could also fill in the blanks when it comes to possible campaign activities and "whether or not he had agreements with Russian nationals relating to his presidential run."

Norm Eisen ✔ @NormEisen

this is the worst hour of Trump's entire presidency--no, make that entire life

4:52 PM - Aug 21, 2018

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As far as Cohen goes, Abramson noted Cohen's work with Felix Sater, a Russian-American businessman who tried to help build a Moscow Trump Tower in 2015 while Trump was campaigning, offers Mueller "enormous leverage."

Manafort now faces a grim choice if he loses an appeal: He can spend years behind bars, strike a deal to divulge all he knows to the Trump-Russia probe, or pray for a pardon.

On conservative talk radio, host Sean Hannity played down the amount of legal jeopardy the president is facing.

Hannity questioned whether Cohen would even be a credible witness, given his previous statements that Trump didn't know about the hush money. Lawyer Joe DiGenova, a guest on Hannity's show, also jumped to the president's defence, claiming that "payments made with the knowledge of the candidate are not necessarily illegal, per se."

DiGenova relented on Manafort, however, conceding, "It is a win for Mueller, I hate to say it." But he added that his convictions were "for something unrelated to collusion — so in that sense, it's a defeat."

Now that he's been convicted, "you can imagine fear and concern on the part of the president," former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotto said. "He'll say publicly it doesn't matter, it's unfair, at some point he may pardon Manafort. But regardless, it's got to make him concerned and thinking about who's next? Potentially, his son Donald Jr."

More targets in Mueller's probe will likely take notice of Manafort's fate, especially if he lands a decades-long prison sentence. That could lead to greater co-operation.

Keys to 'dangerous information'

In the meantime, Cohen, who once vowed he would "take a bullet" for Trump, has now suggested his former boss is an unindicted co-conspirator, said former U.S. attorney Alex Little.

"If your personal lawyer is pleading guilty to federal crimes, it certainly suggests that your hands are not clean."

Manafort's lawyer, Kevin Downing, makes a statement to the media after leaving court Tuesday. (Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press) 

In spite of that, Little views Manafort as the potentially larger threat to Trump, given that Republicans in Congress and the president's base have so far had tepid reactions to reports about campaign violations and Trump's personal behaviour, even if it involves paying off a porn actress and models about alleged affairs.

Manafort, on the other hand, "potentially holds the keys to some really dangerous information about Trump and Russia," Little said. "And so if there's strong evidence linking Trump to a foreign power, that's the sort of thing that's very difficult for Republicans and a vast majority of the American public to excuse away."

"This is a historically bad day," he said. "No president has had as bad a day as this since the day Richard Nixon resigned." 

• Prosecution rests case in Paul Manafort trial

• Bank chief loaned Manafort millions to get White House job, witness testifies

About the Author

Matt Kwong

Reporter

Matt Kwong is a Washington-based correspondent for CBC News. He previously reported for CBC News as an online journalist in New York and Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter at: @matt_kwong

• @matt_kwong

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices

Trump did nothing wrong, White House says after Cohen's guilty plea

Trump says in new interview he knew about payments 'later on' despite existence of earlier recording

CBC News · Posted: Aug 22, 2018 9:39 AM ET 

Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves federal court after reaching a plea agreement in New York on Tuesday. Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced in December. (Craig Ruttle/Associated Press)



The White House is stressing that President Donald Trump has not been charged with a crime and did "nothing wrong" in his dealings with longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen.

Cohen pleaded guilty Tuesday in New York to campaign finance violations.

Most damaging to Trump were statements by Cohen indicating he and Trump had arranged the six-figure payments of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and a former Playboy model Karen McDougal, to influence the election by stifling the publication of potentially damaging stories about Trump.

• Analysis
  How Cohen's plea deal and Manafort's conviction spawned 'the worst day of Trump's presidency so far'

• Michael Cohen says he paid hush money to women at Trump's direction

Despite the prospect of prison time, Cohen would not accept a pardon from Trump if offered, his lawyer Lanny Davis predicted.

"The answer is definitely no, under no circumstances, since he came to the judgment after Mr. Trump's election [as] president of the United States, that his suitability is a serious risk to our country," Davis told CNN.

Lawyer Lanny Davis on what his client, Michael Cohen, said under oath

00:00 00:17

Davis says Cohen told the court that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime. 0:17

Cohen's lawyer's statements came as Trump offered another version of his knowledge of the payments in an excerpt of an interview released by Fox News.

"Later on I knew," Trump said in the clip, with the full interview set to air Thursday morning. "And they weren't taken out of campaign finance ... they didn't come out of the campaign; they came from me."

Apparent contradiction

It wasn't clear from the clip what timeframe Trump meant by "later on." It also wasn't clear if Trump was asked why he never followed the proper channels in reporting his knowledge of the payments.

In March, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said "there was no knowledge of any payments from the president, and he has denied all these allegations."

A month later Trump on Air Force One denied knowledge of the payments to reporters.

"You'll have to ask Michael Cohen," he said. Michael is my attorney. You'll have to ask Michael."

In audio recorded by Cohen and made public in July, Trump is made aware during the 2016 campaign of a payment to the publisher of the National Enquirer to help quash a story concerning McDougal.

Trump, at a rally in West Virginia where he was enthusiastically received, gave no hint of troubles encircling his presidency hours after the Manafort and Cohen legal developments Tuesday. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Sanders couldn't explain the apparent contradiction between Trump's most recent "later on" statement and the recording of him hearing about a potential payment before it is even made.

"Just because Michael Cohen has made a deal, doesn't mean anything with regards to the president," she said.

When asked if it's possible that payments to women other than Daniels and McDougal would be revealed, Sanders declined to comment, saying it was a question for the "president's outside counsel."

The possibility of Trump issuing a pardon has been raised by Trump's own statements on the subject, as well as by critics who have accused the president of politicizing the process by issuing pardons for convicted felons who are hardline conservatives and perceived allies. Those include controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and the writer and filmmaker Dinesh D'Souza.

Russian probe spillover

As special counsel Robert Mueller has been investigating for over a year co-operation between members of Trump's campaign team and Russia ahead of the 2016 election, Trump has publicly asserted he has the "absolute right to pardon myself."

In the first courtroom test for Mueller, and within the same afternoon as the Cohen plea, Trump's former campaign chair Paul Manafort was found guilty of eight counts of bank and tax fraud, with jurors deadlocked on the other 10.

• Audio
  Trump, Cohen discuss paying for Playmate's story of affair on recording

• Analysis
  Trump lawyer's selling of access to president unveils the murky world of lobbying

Sanders said Wednesday she was unaware of any potential pardon for Manafort and rejected a suggestion the Cohen and Manafort legal developments were a reflection of Trump's poor hiring judgment or a lack of vetting.

"The president has employed thousands of people in his lifetime," she said.

Cohen is scheduled for sentencing late in the year, but before then, there is a danger for Trump that his former lawyer's knowledge could spill over into the Russia investigation, in which the special counsel has the authority to pursue indictments for any alleged criminal activity that is uncovered.

"I believe he has knowledge that would be of interest to the special counsel," Davis told CNN, without specifying whether that interview had been scheduled or had already taken place.

Michael Avenatti, a lawyer for Daniels, who has said she had sex with the president, told CNN on Wednesday that if Trump tried to pardon Cohen, it wouldn't necessarily mean the case would "go away," as the state of New York could conceivably pursue its own charges that are not subject to a pardon.

• Judge agrees to delay Stormy Daniels' lawsuit against Trump

In addition, Avenatti is seeking to depose Trump for questions in Daniels's ongoing civil case related to the hush payments, with the next hearing in the case scheduled for Sept. 10 in Los Angeles.

Mixed statements on Cohen

Davis admitted Cohen's characterization of the payments and his loyalty to the president have undergone an "evolution" over time, while Avenatti admitted "neither one of these two individuals … have the utmost credibility."

But, Avenatti said, even with Cohen's incentive to testify under oath and co-operate with the special counsel, "at the end of the day, Michael Cohen is far more believable than Donald Trump."

At a rally in Charleston, West Va., on Tuesday night, the president did say he felt "badly for both" Cohen and Manafort, but he largely ignored Cohen's guilty pleas to eight felonies.

But then early Wednesday he sent off a tweet mocking his so-called "fixer" of nearly two decades. In a subsequent tweet, he praised Manafort — "unlike Michael Cohen, he refused to 'break,'" Trump said.

Lanny Davis @LannyDavis

Today he stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election. If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?

6:06 PM - Aug 21, 2018

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Cohen in his plea admitted to lying to a financial institution by failing to disclose more than $14 million US in debt and obtaining a $500,000 home equity line of credit. Cohen used that credit line to fund the Daniels payment, prosecutors said.

After making the hush money payments, Cohen submitted phoney invoices to Trump's company, ostensibly for services rendered in 2017, according to prosecutors.

Before the election, Cohen had been a trusted member of the Trump organization, working out of an office in Trump Tower next to one used by his boss. He raised millions for Trump's campaign.

Avenatti told CNN there was an easy solution for any "he said-he said" scenario of accusations and counter-claims that may emerge – releasing all pertinent recordings Cohen made that concern Trump and Daniels.

"We want the American people to hear all of these recordings so they can decide who's lying to them and who's telling the truth," Avenatti said.

The New York Times reported last month that Cohen had turned over at least 12 recordings to authorities, though it wasn't clear what they entailed or who they involved.

Crucial midterms

Trump confidants reasserted late Tuesday it is the White House position that a president cannot be indicted, referring to a 2000 opinion of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, which provides legal advice and guidance to executive branch agencies.

Trump's lawyers have said Mueller plans to adhere to that guidance, though Mueller's office has never independently confirmed that.

• Analysis
  Could Trump spike a story in the Enquirer? Almost certainly: Keith Boag

• AT&T calls paying Trump lawyer Michael Cohen 'a big mistake'

Trump has asserted there was no "collusion" between his campaign and Russia, but there is no such federal crime for collusion. The president could be damaged politically should there be findings of conspiracy or obstruction of justice in a report Mueller is expected to deliver at the conclusion of the investigation.

Trump's vulnerability could depend on whether the Republicans retain the House in the November midterm elections or if the Democrats gain control. There has been no appetite from the leadership of both parties currently in beginning impeachment proceedings against the president.

Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump

If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don’t retain the services of Michael Cohen!

8:44 AM - Aug 22, 2018

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The president seemed to convey the stakes in Charleston, warning the crowd, "You aren't just voting for a candidate. You're voting for which party controls the House and which party controls the Senate."

With files from The Associated Press