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F.B.I. Raids Office, Hotel, and Home of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Cohen. Update: Hannity 3rd client
- Thread starter Shard Shinjuku
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And this is why you don't mess with the FBI. Trump is screwed unless he miraculously consolidates power.
Politico: Cohen drops libel suits against BuzzFeed, Fusion GPS
Embattled attorney Michael Cohen has dropped a pair of much-touted libel suits against BuzzFeed and the private investigation firm Fusion GPS over publication of the so-called dossier detailing alleged ties between President Donald Trump and Russia.
Cohen abandoned the suits late Wednesday as he continues to fight to recover documents and electronic files seized from his home, office and hotel room last week by federal authorities as part of what appears to be a broad criminal investigation into his conduct.
"The decision to voluntarily discontinue these cases was a difficult one," Cohen's attorney David Schwartz said. "We believe the defendants defamed my client, and vindicating Mr. Cohen's rights was — and still remains — important. But given the events that have unfolded, and the time, attention, and resources needed to prosecute these matters, we have dismissed the matters, despite their merits."
Cohen abandoned the suits late Wednesday as he continues to fight to recover documents and electronic files seized from his home, office and hotel room last week by federal authorities as part of what appears to be a broad criminal investigation into his conduct.
"The decision to voluntarily discontinue these cases was a difficult one," Cohen's attorney David Schwartz said. "We believe the defendants defamed my client, and vindicating Mr. Cohen's rights was — and still remains — important. But given the events that have unfolded, and the time, attention, and resources needed to prosecute these matters, we have dismissed the matters, despite their merits."
No. His dropping the case is still consistent with being overwhelmed by the weight of contesting the recent search and seizure. If the seized material provides evidence that Cohen visited Prague and met Russian agents, we'll see that soon enough in future indictments.
I think he doesn't have the funds to fight both battles. Legal fees for the raid will be millions alone, and could lead to jail time.
He's not going to spend money just to expose that he was in Prague when he knows they know already.
Sure, that's definitely true, but both things can be. Here's why Prague is a problem. To date, all Cohen has ever shown as evidence he wasn't in Prague, is a passport. The front of a passport in fact, but lets give him the benefit of the doubt that he'd open every page to show entries (and in some countries, exits). Cool, no Prague stamp. But here's a list of problems with that "defense" in order of giant-ness:
1. An absence of stamp is meaningless, and doubly meaningless when you realize an American citizen is legally entitled to two passports - for people who travel often enough that one passport can be in transit receiving a visa (Russia, China and others). So you're allowed a second to enable continuous travel. I have this and I'm a random bastard.
2.Prague is a city in the Czech Republic, not a country. He keeps saying "Prague" but never Czech. Not a huge deal, but curious.
3. You can drive, train or walk into the Czech Republic from Germany. It's trivial to do, in fact.
4. Almost everyone on this forum could much more visibly and easily prove where they were on any given day, in exquisite detail, by showing a couple of pages of bank and purchase activity. Which he also hasn't done. He could do it right now, take a screenshot, redact the porn and backpage.com charges with a Sharpie, and put the whole matter to bed once and for all. He has not.
He says he showed Trump his passport when Trump repeatedly asked him if he had been in Prague, and Trump saw there was no stamping showing he had been there. But I bet Trump saw the stamp for Czech and didn't even know Prague was part of it.
I do understand that there is no evidence that Cohen wasn't in Prague. I'm just rejecting the drawing of a hard inference. I can't prove I've never been to Prague, either, it doesn't mean I have.
Oh I get it - I was just outlining why that item from the dossier is still very much in play, since McClatchy's reporting was never further verified and the right did a pretty good job of deadening the story. And that's the number one item on Cohen from the dossier.
I'm from Czech republic (Prague is our capital). Is it really a coincidence Prague is rumored to be the city that will host Trump and Kim's negotiation?
Prostitute Problem?
Phone Cohen!
Alleged Affair?
Phone Cohen!
Sleeping with your staff?
Phone Cohen!
Attain an Abortion?
Phone Cohen!
Illegitimate Children?
Phone Cohen!
For all your presidential needs.
Phone Cohen!
Alleged Affair?
Phone Cohen!
Sleeping with your staff?
Phone Cohen!
Attain an Abortion?
Phone Cohen!
Illegitimate Children?
Phone Cohen!
For all your presidential needs.
Cohen is the worst target to pardon as literally everything he's done except for Prague has a state level offense corrolary, and particularly since all happened in new York
The other possibility is that was not his only passport. Wasn't the Prague thing 'debunked' by showing it was some 'other' Michael Cohen travelling on an Israeli passport with coincidentally the same DOB as our Cohen? What's the betting the Feds now have Cohen's Israeli passport?
Seems like bait. Everyone assumed that this case was a NY State case because why would Mueller refer this to another federal prosecutor when Trump could just pardon Cohen... unless that's exactly what Mueller wants. If Cohen gets pardoned he can no longer plead the 5th and would still be subject to state charges later that Trump can't pardon, it's the perfect trap if you're dealing with someone stupid and impulsive.
This is feeding my soul.
I have recently finished Slow Burn - The Watergate podcast and this shit is playing out exactly the same.
See item 1. Yep, he could in fact have two other passports - a spare US passport (you can easily apply for a second one if you travel a lot) or an Israeli one.
Your points are still mostly true, but Cohen has shown more than the front of his passport. He showed the inside of that one passport to Buzzfeed, and he's talked about receipts for a few things he's bought in a couple instances around the time in question. He was in the Schengen area for two weeks in July, but his exit time is marked also.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/anthonycor...passport-heres?utm_term=.siYQ1RdL6#.ah2PXjAno
Still doesn't discount the possibility of him having a second passport despite his denials, Manafort lied about how many he had to the feds.
There's a NY double jeopardy rule, which is inactivated in most cases where a federal investigation is dropped but not in the case of a pardon. The NY Attorney General is trying to get this changed so that state charges can be brought after a federal pardon.
Where's that analysis coming from? The only one that seems even sort of loyal to Trump from my work research is the Assistant AG for the Anti-Trust Division, and we don't know where he is in the line of succession that the AG set or that he would do anything beyond what the other people have done.
If the rumors about Russian mob ties are true, I hope Cohen is being kept safe.
This all ties back to Russian Oligarchs & Putin, even Trump is a pawn here. What I'm wondering is: Can the FBI and DOJ purge these hostile foreign interests while the president is sabotaging them?
They've taking on organized crime and sitting presidents in the past and won, but never have they needed to contend with both at once.
This all ties back to Russian Oligarchs & Putin, even Trump is a pawn here. What I'm wondering is: Can the FBI and DOJ purge these hostile foreign interests while the president is sabotaging them?
They've taking on organized crime and sitting presidents in the past and won, but never have they needed to contend with both at once.
Same birth yeah, different birth date.
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/report-...a-different-michael-cohen-who-visited-prague/
Sorry for the lame source, there's a vid of Tapper saying it at least, it's hard finding old Cohen/Prague stories b/c of the new developments.
Feels like it confirms three things. Cohen did illegal stuff, Trump did illegal stuff, and Cohen knows about Trump's illegal stuff.
Otherwise I don't see why you'd be concerned about someone "flipping" on you.
I think Manafort had like 5 passports or some shit.
Edit: turns out it was 3.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/31/politics/manafort-3-passports/index.html
Wouldn't that just invalidate like 90% of presidential pardons then?
Yup, I remember something about him having a bunch.
Business insider article on the NY AG attempting to change the double jeopardy rule: http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-attorney-general-state-law-trump-pardon-2018-4
Letter is here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4440708-Eric-Schneiderman-Letter-to-Lawmakers.html
Will probably start a new thread for this.
Letter is here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4440708-Eric-Schneiderman-Letter-to-Lawmakers.html
Will probably start a new thread for this.
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