rooster59 Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 U.S. prosecutors grant Trump Organization CFO immunity in Cohen probe By Karen Freifeld People walk past U.S. President Donald Trump's Trump Tower in New York City, New York, U.S., August 24, 2018. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri NEW YORK (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors have granted immunity to the Trump Organization's chief financial officer in an investigation involving U.S. President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, according to people familiar with the matter. The immunity deal for the CFO, Allen Weisselberg, was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which also reported he was called to testify before a federal grand jury earlier this year. Weisselberg was given immunity months ago, one of the people familiar with the matter told Reuters. The source declined to provide further details. A cooperation deal between Weisselberg and prosecutors could be damaging to the president given the CFO's longtime role in Trump's business affairs. Weisselberg has worked for the Trump family for more than four decades, including as treasurer for the Donald J. Trump Foundation, and is one of the people to whom Trump entrusted his business before taking office. Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for the president, said he did not know what Weisselberg had been questioned about. But Giuliani said Trump's legal team had been through the executive's business dealings and found nothing that could threaten the president. "I know what he knows and none of it is of concern to us," said Giuliani. "There's nothing he has that would hurt." Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan, which has been leading the Cohen probe, declined to comment, as did the White House. The Trump Organization did not respond to a request for comment. Alan Futerfas, an outside lawyer for the New York-based company, declined to comment. Cohen - who arranged hush-money payments shortly before the November 2016 U.S. presidential election to two women who said they had sex with Trump in 2006 - on Tuesday pleaded guilty in New York to campaign finance violations and other criminal charges. Trump has denied having sex with either woman. Cohen said that Trump directed him to arrange a $150,000 (£116,744) payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a $130,000 payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. Such payments could be considered illegal campaign contributions under federal election law, according to experts. American Media Inc's National Enquirer supermarket tabloid was involved in making the payments, according to news reports. American Media Chief Executive David Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump, and the company's chief content officer, Dylan Howard, have also been granted immunity, Vanity Fair magazine reported. Experts said the deals were a sign Weisselberg, Pecker and Howard faced criminal exposure because the government did not grant immunity lightly. "This is bad for Trump because the more witnesses you have, in terms of people who can testify, not just about what happened but why it happened, the more likely it is for the prosecution to establish the motive behind Trump’s participating in this deal,” said Jens Ohlin, a professor at Cornell Law School. Most legal experts agree that a president cannot be indicted while in office, but allegations that Trump was involved in a crime could factor in a debate over whether he should face impeachment. SECRET RECORDING Cohen mentioned Weisselberg on a secret recording the Trump attorney made in September 2016 and which was aired on CNN last month. On the recording, Cohen and Trump appeared to discuss reimbursing American Media for the payment to McDougal, who has said she had a yearlong affair with Trump. Cohen is heard saying, "I’ve spoken to Allen Weisselberg about how to set the whole thing up." McDougal sold her story to American Media for $150,000 in August 2016, but the National Enquirer never published it, in a practice known as “catch and kill” aimed at suppressing potentially damaging stories. Giuliani has said the payments were personal matters not subject to campaign finance law. Federal campaign finance law limits individual donations to $2,700 per election, requires the disclosure of any donation over $200, and defines a contribution as anything of value given, loaned or advanced to influence a federal election. The Trump Organization is the umbrella group for dozens of Trump businesses, including real estate development, management of hotels and golf courses, and production of the reality TV shows "The Apprentice" and "Celebrity Apprentice." Under a reorganization plan announced before Trump’s January 2017 inauguration, the business was placed into a trust now controlled by Weisselberg and the president’s two adult sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump. The Cohen investigation was referred to federal prosecutors in New York by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible coordination between Trump's Republican campaign and Russian officials. Trump has repeatedly denied there was coordination between Moscow and his campaign. Moscow has denied it meddled in the election. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia did interfere. -- © Copyright Reuters 2018-08-25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggsy Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 Will Trump last till 2019? His position weakens by the day. His circle of co-conspirators and cronies are picked off one by one. Weisselberg could be a really big one. Immunity is not given lightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 18 minutes ago, Briggsy said: Will Trump last till 2019? His position weakens by the day. His circle of co-conspirators and cronies are picked off one by one. Weisselberg could be a really big one. Immunity is not given lightly. This isn’t just Trump. Trump’s children are at the wheel of the Trump Organization. The ‘whole three ringed circus’ is coming down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scorecard Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said: This isn’t just Trump. Trump’s children are at the wheel of the Trump Organization. The ‘whole three ringed circus’ is coming down. In the first few weeks the daughter, and her husband were in every meeting, every situation, many comments about everything, many photos. Now, pretty much never seen. I wonder why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 This isn’t the only immunity deal. Pecker’s immunity deal will reveal blackmail and a great deal of ‘dirty linen’. Andrew Miller (Roger Stone associate) has also been given immunity - The target is obviously Stone but with him Assange (Who is about to be tossed out onto a London sidewalk). The ‘errand boy’ Farage needs to get his story straight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 Weisselberg could be the biggest fish yet. He has been around Tiny Don for 40 years. He knows where alot of skeletons are buried. Does anyone have more skeletons in his closet than Trump? Perhaps a Papuan Highlander. Or other past illuminaries, like Al Capone. John Gotti, and Bernie Madoff. I believe the special prosecutor is able to go after crimes well beyond the scope of the Russia collusion. Trump, by accepting the presidency, has put himself under the kind of microscope that he has never had to deal with before. It does appear as if he is coming unglued. I do not know if he has the mental stability to deal with this kind of scrutiny or criticism. Rudy Giuliani, a lawyer for the president, said he did not know what Weisselberg had been questioned about. But Giuliani said Trump's legal team had been through the executive's business dealings and found nothing that could threaten the president. Well, most of us know this is another one of Rudy's "truth is not the truth" quotes. There are literally hundreds of aspects of Trumps business dealings over the decades that were no doubt illegal. This man has no respect for the law, nor humanity as a whole. He operates his business from very low and unethical standards. His entire empire was built on crime, and stealing from others. He does not have an honest bone in his body, nor does he even know how to spell the words integrity, honor, dignity, courage, faith, or respect. If he did, he would not have been involved in 3,600 lawsuits, at the time he took office. Now, it is higher than that, when you add in the Stormy lawsuit, the lawsuit his chauffeur of 25 years filed against him for non payment of back wages, etc. It just goes on and on and on, with this clown. His arrogance, hubris and lack of respect for people who have devoted themselves to him, worked for him, and given him sweat and tears is legendary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 For a fleeting moment I felt bad for him then all the things he has done to us our allies our institutions to our beloved constitution came flooding back.It will take time to play out perhaps now we face our greatest peril from this man it’s going to be interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 "I know all the best flippers." "I'll hire the best flippers." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayned Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 If I was Weisselberg, the keeper of all of the "Don's" financial records, and the US attorneys just offered me immunity and I accepted, I think that I would also be asking them to put me and my family in witness protection! In NYC, subway muggings, home invasions, and car hijackings are a bitch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expatthailover Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 The ground is slowing sinking in all around don the despicable devious draft dodger and his senile incontinent legal eagle gormless Giuliani. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expatthailover Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 2 minutes ago, wayned said: If I was Weisselberg, the keeper of all of the "Don's" financial records, and the US attorneys just offered me immunity and I accepted, I think that I would also be asking them to put me and my family in witness protection! In NYC, subway muggings, home invasions, and car hijackings are a bitch! Wouldnt put anything past dirty don. Putting a hit out on someone wouldnt lose him a moments sleep. He thinks of no one but himself. If it was a choice between his life and one of his kids he would choose himself every single time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puck2 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 14 minutes ago, spidermike007 said: <------> Well, most of us know this is another one of Rudy's "truth is not the truth" quotes. There are literally hundreds of aspects of Trumps business dealings over the decades that were no doubt illegal. This man has no respect for the law, nor humanity as a whole. He operates his business from very low and unethical standards. His entire empire was built on crime, and stealing from others. He does not have an honest bone in his body, nor does he even know how to spell the words integrity, honor, dignity, courage, faith, or respect. If he did, he would not have been involved in 3,600 lawsuits, at the time he took office. Now, it is higher than that, when you add in the Stormy lawsuit, the lawsuit his chauffeur of 25 years filed against him for non payment of back wages, etc. It just goes on and on and on, with this clown. His arrogance, hubris and lack of respect for people who have devoted themselves to him, worked for him, and given him sweat and tears is legendary. May I add, he relies on a fake news channel - shown at # 10 - not on real experts. A sign of stupidity and stupor as proven day by day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 4 minutes ago, wayned said: If I was Weisselberg, the keeper of all of the "Don's" financial records, and the US attorneys just offered me immunity and I accepted, I think that I would also be asking them to put me and my family in witness protection! In NYC, subway muggings, home invasions, and car hijackings are a bitch! Bratva, polonium cocktails, or novichok just as likely, assuming Vlad wants to protect his "investment"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spidermike007 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 One of my biggest questions is why is Guiliani still representing Tiny Don? I mean the job he has done has been a huge embarrassment to him, the tiny bit of a legacy he still had, and his desire to appear competent and not senile. It seems every time he gets interviewed he digs a deeper hole for Triple D (draft dodging don). Everything he says is fake, his perspective on everything is skewed, and he seems to be convincing only to the hard core base, who will buy anything, and tolerate any kind of behavior, crime, distortion, or deflection at this point. What on earth is Trump thinking? I am fine with Rudy. I love his interviews. They are beyond entertaining. You could not make this stuff up. If it were up to me, I would say keep him. He is helping you dig your hole Little Donny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 Credible reports sneaking out of the National Enquirer having a file alleging Trump has an illegitimate child with a Trump Tower Housemaid. #BeBest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaidream Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 One by one- Trump's closest allies are being targeted and gone after. I am sure there are people working on the dossier- finding the Russians who danced in his room; slept in his bed and drank the champagne. There are others who are trying to connect Julian Assange to Trump and his campaign while others attempt to get the Russians in the meeting with Trump's son to spill their guts. At some point- Trump will be faced with a -no way out- scenario. He won't be able to buy his way out and all his 'friends' will have turned on him. The Dem-will have taken the House and there will be enough evidence for impeachment and possibly conviction. Trump's children will be under investigation and possible indictment. Mueller and the investigators will have him. He will only have 2 choices- resign with some dignity and all the pending indictments go away or fight on and lose everything. Trump will take the deal because he knows it is the best he will ever get. Pence will become President and pardon him and others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 6 hours ago, rooster59 said: American Media Inc's National Enquirer supermarket tabloid was involved in making the payments, according to news reports. American Media Chief Executive David Pecker, a longtime friend of Trump, and the company's chief content officer, Dylan Howard, have also been granted immunity, Vanity Fair magazine reported. David Pecker is reported to have kept all these secrets locked in a safe. The combination to open safe is the number of women Trump had paid off as of the day Pecker had to buy a new, bigger safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 4 hours ago, mtls2005 said: Those violines are way, way too big to be playing for the utterly corrupt Trump clan. I sont think there are violines small enough for these cretins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 36 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said: Credible reports sneaking out of the National Enquirer having a file alleging Trump has an illegitimate child with a Trump Tower Housemaid. I think Ronan Farrow reported this Enquirer catch & kill "doorman story" in the New Yorker back in April. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-national-enquirer-a-donald-trump-rumor-and-another-secret-payment-to-buy-silence-dino-sajudin-david-pecker Tha said, I doubt anyone will be surprised that there are a handful of "love-children" out there in America and Russia, chanting 'lock her up' in kindergarten, and probably quite a few more abortions, and I don't mean Eric. Jerry Fallwell Jr. will tell us that he is following God's word to go forth and multiply, so all is well. Hopefully, the housemaid was both legal, and white. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 1 hour ago, spidermike007 said: Triple D (draft dodging don) Phew! Thanks for clarifying. I would’ve guessed “Dinky Dick Don”—that woulda been embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 32 minutes ago, Thaidream said: One by one- Trump's closest allies are being targeted and gone after. I am sure there are people working on the dossier- finding the Russians who danced in his room; slept in his bed and drank the champagne. There are others who are trying to connect Julian Assange to Trump and his campaign while others attempt to get the Russians in the meeting with Trump's son to spill their guts. At some point- Trump will be faced with a -no way out- scenario. He won't be able to buy his way out and all his 'friends' will have turned on him. The Dem-will have taken the House and there will be enough evidence for impeachment and possibly conviction. Trump's children will be under investigation and possible indictment. Mueller and the investigators will have him. He will only have 2 choices- resign with some dignity and all the pending indictments go away or fight on and lose everything. Trump will take the deal because he knows it is the best he will ever get. Pence will become President and pardon him and others. Pence who signed off on Flynn’s appointment despite having received written advice that Flynn was acting for the Russians and under investigation? Pence who was selected as Trump’s running mate by Manafort? Pence has Trump’s dirt all over him, I would not be at all surprised to see Pence jump ship before Trump is taken down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chomper Higgot Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 28 minutes ago, Thakkar said: David Pecker is reported to have kept all these secrets locked in a safe. The combination to open safe is the number of women Trump had paid off as of the day Pecker had to buy a new, bigger safe. More reports, also credible, that Pecker’s safe contained ‘catch and kill stories’ relating to Melania Trump. (Jerry George, former Bureau Chief at the National Enquirer in live broadcast interview with CNN’s Erica Hill). #BeBest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ncc1701d Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 3 hours ago, mtls2005 said: "I know all the best flippers." "I'll hire the best flippers." Wow. Love the way trump thinks that people will get 90% off their sentence just by saying something "bad" about trump. Pretty sure it would need evidence to go with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heybruce Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 5 hours ago, scorecard said: In the first few weeks the daughter, and her husband were in every meeting, every situation, many comments about everything, many photos. Now, pretty much never seen. I wonder why? They're very busy; transferring money to overseas bank accounts, researching countries that won't extradite to the US, placating oligarchs and crime bosses that want a return on their investments in the Trump organization--all these things take time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said: More reports, also credible, that Pecker’s safe contained ‘catch and kill stories’ relating to Melania Trump. (Jerry George, former Bureau Chief at the National Enquirer in live broadcast interview with CNN’s Erica Hill). #BeBest Drip, drip, drip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtls2005 Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 40 minutes ago, Thakkar said: Drip, drip, drip It's a funny chyron, but it's photo-shopped, in case there was any doubt. I'm fine with sharing funny stuff, but in some cases, we should probably be clear that it's not "real"? Otherwise, the right-wingers will cry "fake-news". https://www.mediaite.com/online/no-nicolle-wallaces-msnbc-show-did-not-air-a-trump-worried-about-pecker-leaking-chyron/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/msnbc-pecker-chyron/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thakkar Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 6 minutes ago, mtls2005 said: It's a funny chyron, but it's photo-shopped, in case there was any doubt. I'm fine with sharing funny stuff, but in some cases, we should probably be clear that it's not "real"? Otherwise, the right-wingers will cry "fake-news". https://www.mediaite.com/online/no-nicolle-wallaces-msnbc-show-did-not-air-a-trump-worried-about-pecker-leaking-chyron/ https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/msnbc-pecker-chyron/ You’re right, I should’ve clarified, such are the times we live in. Anway, Pecker jokes are low hanging fruit (so to speak ?), but I’m pretty immature, so I’ll take ‘em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaidream Posted August 25, 2018 Share Posted August 25, 2018 17 minutes ago, Thakkar said: Anway, Pecker jokes are low hanging fruit (so to speak ?), but I’m pretty immature, so I’ll take ‘em. I'm still laughing about it..... Thanks for the post....It made my day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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