Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury

[Pommer]

More Trump allies expected to demonstrate fealty to him in court throughout duration of trial​

Some of Trump’s allies in the Senate have already made the trip to New York to show their support. That includes Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville who are in court today. Florida Sen. Rick Scott accompanied Trump last week.

New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird are also in court today

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join Trump at court tomorrow, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy tells CNN.

Two weeks ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the trip to show his support.

Too bad OJ isn‘t available anymore.

 

[evoeth]

Daniels was a terrible witness for the prosecution, her testimony was not necessary to prove the charges, her credibility was destroyed during cross examination and the prosecution had to know this would happen. This seems more like an attempt to damage Trump than to get a conviction.

Have you ever heard of this thing called a "motive?"

I hear prosecutors like to establish the motives behind crimes because it helps the jury understand why the crime was committed.

 

[Hans Blaster]

More Trump allies expected to demonstrate fealty to him in court throughout duration of trial​

Some of Trump’s allies in the Senate have already made the trip to New York to show their support. That includes Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville who are in court today. Florida Sen. Rick Scott accompanied Trump last week.

New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird are also in court today

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join Trump at court tomorrow, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy tells CNN.

Two weeks ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton made the trip to show his support.

For some reason when I named this "Parade of the Sycophants" a soundtrack popped into my head: "Dance of the Sugerplum Faries" (I think that is the name) from the Nutcracker.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Cohen's testimony:

[Trump] expressed to me, ‘Just do it. Meet up with Allen Weisselberg and figure this whole thing out.’"

Cohen and Weisselberg agreed that Cohen would pay the $130,000 upfront and then would be reimbursed later, and they spoke to Trump about the plan. “He stated to me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get the money back,’” Cohen testified.

Cohen had two phone calls with Trump on the morning of October 26 to confirm the plan before he went to the bank and made a $130,000 payment to Davidson.

"I wanted to ensure that once again he approved what I was doing because I require approval from him on all of this," Cohen testified. "Everything required Mr. Trump's sig- off. On top of that I wanted the money back."

 

[perplexed]

For some reason when I named this "Parade of the Sycophants" a soundtrack popped into my head: "Dance of the Sugerplum Faries" (I think that is the name) from the Nutcracker.

The correct collective Noun for a group of sycophants is "a conga line of sycophants"

parade is the collective noun for echidnas because they walk in a line

 

[ralliann]

Cohen's testimony:



Cohen and Weisselberg agreed that Cohen would pay the $130,000 upfront and then would be reimbursed later, and they spoke to Trump about the plan. “He stated to me, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll get the money back,’” Cohen testified.

Cohen had two phone calls with Trump on the morning of October 26 to confirm the plan before he went to the bank and made a $130,000 payment to Davidson.

Not a crime, even if this were so?

 

[Pommer]

Not a crime, even if this were so?

The “crime” was the attempt to hide these payments as the usual run-of-the-mill “legal fees”, to cover up the fact that this would have been an illegal campaign contribution.

 

[Hans Blaster]

The correct collective Noun for a group of sycophants is "a conga line of sycophants"

parade is the collective noun for echidnas because they walk in a line
View attachment 347798

Egg-laying mammals for the win!

 

[ralliann]

The “crime” was the attempt to hide these payments as the usual run-of-the-mill “legal fees”, to cover up the fact that this would have been an illegal campaign contribution.

Yes, the fact that he paid is not disputed (it had been done by Cohen for years). Again that he paid, nor that he had relations, is not a crime....

 

[essentialsaltes]

Yes, the fact that he paid is not disputed

It has been in this thread. Some people still seem to cling to the idea that Cohen did it out of his own goodness, with his own money, and Trump wasn't involved and didn't know anything about it or the payment (or any reimbursement).

Again that he paid, nor that he had relations, is not a crime....

The charges are for falsifying business documents relating to the payment, which was structured as Cohen getting paid for legal work, when he wasn't doing any. He was being reimbursed for the Stormy payment (plus additional padding for taxes and a bonus $50K to repay some unrelated expenses).

 

[essentialsaltes]

Cohen says he and Weisselberg went to Trump's office to speak to him about reimbursement payment​

during the conversation in Donald Trump's office, Allen (Weisselberg) turned around and said to me while we were talking about this, 'We’re going to pay you over 12 months,'" Cohen says.

It would be recorded "as like a legal service rendered since I was then going to be given the title of personal attorney to the president," Cohen says.

Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked if Weisselberg told Trump that Cohen was going to receive $420,000 over the course of 12 months. "Yes," Cohen said.

Hoffinger asked if Trump was there when Weisselberg said those monthly payments to Cohen were going to be like a retainer for legal services.

Trump gave Cohen the title of personal attorney to the president around the same time, Cohen says.

Hoffinger then asked whether this was payment for future legal services. "That was what it was designed to be," Cohen said. "What was it actually?" Hoffinger asked. "Reimbursement of my money," Cohen said.

 

[ralliann]

It has been in this thread. Some people still seem to cling to the idea that Cohen did it out of his own goodness, with his own money, and Trump wasn't involved and didn't know anything about it or the payment (or any reimbursement).


The charges are for falsifying business documents relating to the payment, which was structured as Cohen getting paid for legal work, when he wasn't doing any. He was being reimbursed for the Stormy payment (plus additional padding for taxes and a bonus).

It is Cohen's word against Hope Hicks, and Trump..... His payment itself is no crime.... They want to make it one....
I forgot her name, tried to look it up. Took three times because all it did was show Stormy Daniels as women testifying. Just so focused on her and Cohen...

 

[BPPLEE]

Have you ever heard of this thing called a "motive?"

I hear prosecutors like to establish the motives behind crimes because it helps the jury understand why the crime was committed.

Trump falsified records to cover up an affair?

 

[ralliann]

Trump falsified records to cover up an affair?

Cohen was his fixer for years, before he even thought seriously about running for president. But oh low and behold all of a sudden it was only to manipulate an election ONLY.

 

[essentialsaltes]

It is Cohen's word against Hope Hicks and Trump

Are you now disputing that Trump paid?

Hope Hicks testified that Trump told her that Cohen paid out of his own pocket.

Key parts of Hope Hicks’s testimony, from the Trump trial transcript​

Colangelo asked Hicks on the stand about whether Trump communicated directly with Cohen at the time about the Daniels story. Hicks said she knew of only one instance.

Hicks: I believe it was ... the morning after Michael had given a statement to the New York Times, saying that he had, in fact, made this payment without Mr. Trump’s knowledge. President Trump was saying he spoke to Michael, and that Michael had paid this woman to protect him from a false allegation, and that Michael felt like it was his job to protect him, and that’s what he was doing. And he did it out of the kindness of his own heart.

Colangelo: And did the idea that Mr. Cohen would have made a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels out of the kindness of his heart, was that consistent with your interactions with him up to that point?

Hicks: I would say that would be out of character for Michael.

 

[BPPLEE]

Cohen was his fixer for years, before he even thought seriously about running for president. But oh lo and behold all of a sudden it was only to manipulate an election ONLY.

He testified he buried the story in 2011. What office was Trump running for in 2011?

 

[essentialsaltes]

Cohen was his fixer for years, before he even thought seriously about running for president. But oh low and behold all of a sudden it was only to manipulate an election ONLY.

Hicks: ... I think Mr. Trump’s opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.

 

[essentialsaltes]

He testified he buried the story in 2011. What office was Trump running for in 2011?

He buried 'a' story. But did not have an NDA with Stormy Daniels.
timeline

2011​

May​

Daniels shares her claim about the encounter in an interview with In Touch magazine, but the story is not published at the time. In October, Trump fixer Michael Cohen sends an email to the publication’s general counsel saying Trump would aggressively pursue legal action if the story was printed. It does not run until 2018.

2016​

Oct. 27​

Cohen wires payment to Davidson’s law firm using a shell corporation, Essential Consultants LLC. The next day, Daniels signs a confidential settlement and nondisclosure agreement. The agreement uses the pseudonyms Peggy Peterson for Daniels and David Dennison for Trump.

 

[ralliann]

Have you ever heard of this thing called a "motive?"

I hear prosecutors like to establish the motives behind crimes because it helps the jury understand why the crime was committed.

Honestly, Cohen sounded very sycophantic with Trump. He was looking for a position as "the Personal attorney to the President of the United States". Quite excellent position on such a man's resume huh? He was quite upset when Trump Did not give him a position. I am more convinced that Cohen was certainly highly motivated to fix it, he rode on Trumps coat tails after all.

 

[ralliann]

Hicks: ... I think Mr. Trump’s opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election.

She also said, he wanted to keep it from Malania, and his family to be proud of him. And of Course it would have been bad for the election.