W. Niederhut Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 2 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: Douglas. Don Jr.'s name was on one of those checks re-imbursing Michael Cohen. I wonder how he expensed that on his tax return. I, myself, find it hilariously ironic that in the end, Trump and his organization (i.e. family) will go down for the same reason Al Capone did; income tax tax fraud. Steve Thomas Speaking of Michael Cohen, Dan Friedman said at Mother Jones today that Cohen was just sent back to prison after refusing to sign a gag agreement! Great to know that we live in a functional democracy... 🤪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 29 minutes ago, W. Niederhut said: Speaking of Michael Cohen, Dan Friedman said at Mother Jones today that Cohen was just sent back to prison after refusing to sign a gag agreement! Great to know that we live in a functional democracy... 🤪 He was sent back to prison for violating the conditions of his furlough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, Ron Ecker said: He was sent back to prison for violating the conditions of his furlough. Here's Friedman's account. The sequence of events sounds sort of Banana Republican to me. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/michael-cohen-prison-gag-agreement-book-confinement/ Edited July 10, 2020 by W. Niederhut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 4 hours ago, W. Niederhut said: Here's Friedman's account. The sequence of events sounds sort of Banana Republican to me. https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/07/michael-cohen-prison-gag-agreement-book-confinement/ That contradicts an earlier news report I read that said he was returned to prison because he was photographed eating out in a NYC restaurant, a violation of his home confinement restrictions. That story has since disappeared (not surprising, I guess, in this Trump era of “fake news”). This CNN article contains the following paragraph, far down in the article: “Earlier this month, a photographer from the New York Post captured Cohen dining at a restaurant near his apartment. When asked if that incident was related to his detention Thursday, Levine told reporters outside the courthouse, "I would leave that to your viewers." https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/politics/michael-cohen-prison-paperwork-dispute/index.html IOW his lawyer wouldn’t answer the question. He leaves it up to TV viewers to decide. With lawyers like that, no wonder Cohen is in prison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Bauer Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 If Cohen told the full story of what he knows about Trump, Trump would be toast. If Cohen ever really let on he was seriously doing this, it wouldn't be a shock to find him "Epsteinized" before he could finish such a tell-all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Bulman Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Pardoning Stone was political suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 13 minutes ago, Ron Bulman said: Pardoning Stone was political suicide. I doubt it. If this were the America of time gone by, Trump has committed political suicide over and over. But in today's America he can still get reelected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W. Niederhut Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 1 hour ago, Ron Ecker said: That contradicts an earlier news report I read that said he was returned to prison because he was photographed eating out in a NYC restaurant, a violation of his home confinement restrictions. That story has since disappeared (not surprising, I guess, in this Trump era of “fake news”). This CNN article contains the following paragraph, far down in the article: “Earlier this month, a photographer from the New York Post captured Cohen dining at a restaurant near his apartment. When asked if that incident was related to his detention Thursday, Levine told reporters outside the courthouse, "I would leave that to your viewers." https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/10/politics/michael-cohen-prison-paperwork-dispute/index.html IOW his lawyer wouldn’t answer the question. He leaves it up to TV viewers to decide. With lawyers like that, no wonder Cohen is in prison. What doesn't fit with the "restaurant" narrative is that Cohen was shackled and taken back to jail only after a meeting in which he refused to sign the gag agreement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Thomas Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 (edited) 12 hours ago, Steve Thomas said: I, myself, find it hilariously ironic that in the end, Trump and his organization (i.e. family) will go down for the same reason Al Capone did; income tax tax fraud. Steve Thomas I heard someone yesterday ('m sorry, I don't remember who), say, "Look for a wave of pardons on January 19, 2021. Trump will pardon himself, Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Jared Kushner." Steve Thomas Edited July 11, 2020 by Steve Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James DiEugenio Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 Is that possible? Not even H W Bush did that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugo Langendoen Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 (edited) How far can it go? How on earth is it possible that congres and senate accept this? Edited July 11, 2020 by Hugo Langendoen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Gallaway Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 But Bush knew he was never in any danger of that. The DOJ issued an opinion that the President can't pardon himself just a few days prior to Nixon's resignation in 1974. But is that the final word on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ecker Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 34 minutes ago, Kirk Gallaway said: The DOJ issued an opinion that the President can't pardon himself just a few days prior to Nixon's resignation in 1974. But is that the final word on that? I don't know if that's the final word, but the solution to the problem is simple. Don't elect people who need to be pardoned. (IOW character matters. Lack of character should be a red flag. Or a big orange one.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ness Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 1 hour ago, James DiEugenio said: Is that possible? Not even H W Bush did that. Oh sure. Count on it. I don't think he can pardon himself but he could resign and have Pence do it. The problem all of them have is the pardons are only good for federal offenses. Anything states bring against them don't get pardoned. They also won't be able to ignore subpoenas or claim the fifth amendment. Once they lie in those cases (guaranteed) the whole bit starts over again. I'm sure that's why Trump commuted Stone's sentence rather than give him a full pardon. Stone can still claim the fifth. I hope the next AG goes after Barr for Obstruction. There may be some statutory immunity for his actions as AG but this greasy pile of dung really deserves it. Wait until he brings up some cooked up prosecution/investigation on Biden. Barr is so foul it's obscene. Once they try to steal the election it looks like the Supremes and NY State will be able to remove these scum bags though. Barr should realize the Supremes rulings this week are clearly a shot across his bow. I'm pretty certain the DCC is going reverse the Flynn thing too. It's no longer assumed the Supremes will rule against Sullivan either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Ness Posted July 11, 2020 Share Posted July 11, 2020 1 hour ago, Kirk Gallaway said: But Bush knew he was never in any danger of that. The DOJ issued an opinion that the President can't pardon himself just a few days prior to Nixon's resignation in 1974. But is that the final word on that? A DoJ opinion isn't law though. It's their opinion. Trump has at least as big a problem with New York State which isn't effected by a Presidential pardon. He needs to win the election to get off scott free which is why he'll cheat as much as he can to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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