webfact Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 FBI documents point to Trump role in hush money for porn star Daniels By Jonathan Allen and Jonathan Stempel Court documents that have been released today in the former Donald Trump lawyer Michael Cohen case are pictured in the Manhattan borough of New York, New York, U.S., July 18, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri NEW YORK (Reuters) - FBI documents unsealed on Thursday suggest that Donald Trump was actively involved in engineering a hush-money payment shortly before the 2016 election to a porn actress who said she had a sexual encounter with him, as his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, campaign team and others scrambled to head off a scandal. The documents, released on the orders of U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan, were used by law enforcement officials to obtain a 2018 search warrant that led to FBI raids on Cohen's home and office. The documents provided the most extensive account to date of what appears to be then-candidate Trump's personal involvement in the scheme to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to avert a controversy for a campaign already reeling from the release of 2005 audio from the TV programme "Access Hollywood" in which Trump bragged about grabbing women by the genitals. The documents detailed repeated communications between Trump and Cohen and Hope Hicks, Trump's presidential campaign press secretary who later became a senior White House official. The White House and a lawyer for Hicks did not respond to a request for comment on the documents. Cohen, 52, pleaded guilty in August 2018 to violating campaign finance law by directing the payment to Daniels as well as another payment of $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal shortly before the election. Both women have said they had sexual encounters with Trump more than a decade ago and that the money was meant to buy their silence. Trump has denied the encounters and in 2018 told reporters he knew nothing about a payment to Daniels. The newly unredacted material includes a 19-page section of the FBI's search warrant application with the heading: "The Illegal Campaign Contribution Scheme." It shows Cohen having multiple interactions with Trump and Trump's campaign staff as Cohen was negotiating the payoff with Daniels' lawyer and executives of American Media Inc, publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper. A lawyer for AMI did not respond to a request for comment on the documents. The National Enquirer's publisher had offered to help Trump by buying rights to unflattering stories and never publishing them. Before the payoff negotiations began, Cohen spoke on the phone with Trump approximately once a month and rarely had phone contact with Trump's presidential campaign staff, the search warrant application said. The FBI documents do not provide the content of the calls. Beginning on Oct. 8, there was a sharp uptick in calls with Trump and his campaign staff. That evening - a month before the election and in the immediate aftermath of the "Access Hollywood" tape that caused a political firestorm and prompted a rare apology from Trump - Hicks, Cohen and Trump held a three-way phone call lasting more than four minutes, the FBI document said. Over the course of the evening, Cohen had several calls with Hicks, AMI President David Pecker, a friend of Trump, and Dylan Howard, AMI's chief content officer, before calling Trump back for eight minutes. The FBI documents do not provide the content of the calls. Later that evening, Howard then sent Cohen a text message: "Keith will do it," the message said, in an apparent reference to Keith Davidson, a lawyer for Daniels who would end up receiving the $130,000 payment for Daniels from Cohen later that month. "Let's reconvene tomorrow." The next day, Howard connected Cohen and Davidson in a text message to begin the payoff negotiations, the document stated. Hicks testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee earlier this year that she was never present for any discussion during the campaign between Trump and Cohen about Daniels. The chairman of the House judiciary panel, Jerrold Nadler, in a letter to Hicks released publicly on Thursday, demanded that she return to Capitol Hill before Aug. 15 to explain the inconsistencies in her testimony. 'INESCAPABLE CONCLUSION' Adam Schiff, the Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the documents demonstrate Trump was "intimately involved in devising and executing a corrupt scheme" to keep the Daniels matter secret. "The inescapable conclusion from all of the public materials available now," Schiff added, "is that there was ample evidence to charge Donald Trump with the same criminal election law violations for which Michael Cohen pled guilty and is now serving time in prison." The documents show that Hicks spoke with Cohen several times about the importance of keeping the Daniels and McDougal stories from "gaining national traction." Not long after the Wall Street Journal published an article online four days before the Nov. 8 election, the documents showed Cohen sent a text message to Hicks saying the article was getting "little to no traction," prompting her to respond: "Same. Keep praying!! It's working!" On the same day as that text, Howard texted Cohen about the Wall Street Journal story, saying, "I think it'll be ok pal. I think it'll fade into the distance," the documents showed. Cohen responded, "He's pissed," an apparent reference to Trump, according to the documents. Cohen, who was once Trump's self-described "fixer," began serving a three-year prison sentence in May for his campaign finance violations and other crimes, including making false statements to a bank and tax evasion. In a statement released from prison on Thursday, Cohen reiterated his previous comments about Trump's central role in the hush money scheme, referring to the president's company in saying, "I and members of The Trump Organization were directed by Mr. Trump to handle the Stormy Daniels matter; including making the hush money payment." Cohen pleaded guilty last November to separate charges brought by the office of former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who was investigating contacts between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. Cohen admitted he lied to Congress about the extent of contacts between Trump and Russians during the campaign. The judge on Wednesday said there was no reason to keep the documents secret after prosecutors told him that their investigation into the payments had ended. (Reporting by Jonathan Allen and Jonathan Stempel; additional reporting by Brendan Pierson, Gui Qing Koh, Jeff Mason, Steve Holland, Sheila Dang, David Morgan and Makini Brice; Writing by Will Dunham; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Bill Trott and Grant McCool) -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-19 Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TopDeadSenter Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. 7 1 8 2 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chomper Higgot Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 Just now, TopDeadSenter said: Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. That you miss the point does not mean there isn’t a point. Trump (Individual 1) orchestrated the crime under campaign law of paying Stormy Daniels to silence her, that is a Federal crime. If you have difficulty believing it’s a Federal crime, ask Michael Cohen. 24 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Sujo Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 Trump and Hicks lying lying lying. Doesnt matter, as long as his racist base is fed. 17 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Date Masamune Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. A non story, Are you for real? Or perhaps a paid supporter from a troll farm? Candidate then Presi-dunce Trump engineered a hush money payment and lied about it again and again again. Consenting adults? He has been accused of sexual assault and tape by many women and openly brags about some of it, gets off on peeping on underage Pageant models in their dressing area. 5 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tug Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 How do the evangelicals reconcile their backing of this slimy guy and watch pence look at him with those puppy dog eyes unbelievable 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Throatwobbler Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 11 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said: Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. You say that Trump sticks to consenting adults. Ask contestants at the Miss Teen USA who said many years ago that he burst into them while changing and looked at them like meat. He may not have touched them but he used his position to charge in on naked underage girls. I am sure you will defend this as something that red blooded males like you do. 10 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post neeray Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 12 minutes ago, Tug said: How do the evangelicals reconcile their backing of this slimy guy and watch pence look at him with those puppy dog eyes unbelievable I suggest that the evangelicals are highly hypocritical, that's how. Nothing new there about religious folk. I have personally known many who are major hypocrites. 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Ozman52 Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 Should be enough to put this Rsole into a jail cell as soon as he gets voted out of office. 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chomper Higgot Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 6 minutes ago, Ozman52 said: Should be enough to put this Rsole into a jail cell as soon as he gets voted out of office. Well this and what spills from the Epstein case. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KiChakayan Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 An outsider's appraisal of "Obama vs Trump": "Class vs Sleazeball". 3 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post neeray Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 So. The FBI just confirmed what we all basically knew for a few years now. (Excuse me. "We" excludes the handful of Trump supporters on this forum. The ones who wear blinders, or is it rose tinted glasses). 6 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezzra Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chomper Higgot Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 50 minutes ago, ezzra said: Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... How on earth did you manage to bring being gay or black into this? 4 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puchaiyank Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I smell a trashy book deal out of this momentous occassion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bristolboy Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 2 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said: Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. You believe the lying FBI and not Trump's denials? Shame on you! 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post bristolboy Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, ezzra said: Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... You are likening "tolerance for blacks and gays" to tolerance for sleazebag behavior? Is there something about tolerating black or gay people that requires lower moral or ethical standards? And of course the notion that blacks and gays are being "tolerated" as opposed to "accepted" tells us quite a bit about your beliefs. Edited July 19, 2019 by bristolboy 6 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neeray Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 1 hour ago, ezzra said: Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... That's the longest sentence that I have ever read. But you are correct in your words. The way I see it, every piece of crap that gets validated and published like this takes another BIG handful of voters away from Trump. So I prey that the validating and publishing keeps rolling and 2020 sees a truly real draining of the swamp. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Troll posts reported and removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JCauto Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 6 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said: Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. But you have been telling us repeatedly that this didn't happen at all, and there was no proof of it. Now suddenly it's "a lot of billionaires also have high sex drives". Well, I know one who certainly does, name of Jeffrey Epstein, and wouldn't you know it? He liked to hang out with your man too! So I wouldn't exactly put the "consenting adults" thing to bed yet, so to speak. 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sujo Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 7 hours ago, Puchaiyank said: I smell a trashy book deal out of this momentous occassion... Well trump has already written a couple of books, that he really didnt write. So one more trashy book from him wont be a surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wwest5829 Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 10 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said: Yes we know this already. Trump is a red blooded heterosexual male that likes sex with supermodels and porn stars. A lot of billionaires also have high sex drives. At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. Other than Melania who is probably having the mother of all hissy fits reading about this yet again, it is really a non story. So, you are already privy to the photos seized from Epstein? Personally, I am waiting for those to "hit the fan". I'm thinking there will be many high priced attorney's filing to protect the "privacy" or "national security interests" of some of the rich and famous ... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavideol Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 9 hours ago, Ozman52 said: Should be enough to put this Rsole into a jail cell as soon as he gets voted out of office. shouldn't wait that long, with all the scams and cover ups he has been doing, quite sure there is enough to shut his big mouth.....but not to worry, he will deny everything/anything as usual, nobody will speak bad about him afraid of the retaliation, that's how he works, either you are with me or you and your family watch out, this, in the old times, used to be called mafia 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavideol Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 9 hours ago, ezzra said: Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... nowadays it raises his percentage (likes, job well done) on the polls, it's sad, pure madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavideol Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 8 hours ago, Puchaiyank said: I smell a trashy book deal out of this momentous occassion... I think there may be someone here on TV, by the name Geronimo (it's a joke don't get mad 555), he has a publishing company 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAMHERE Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 There are too many laws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Off-topic, troll posts and replies removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
usviphotography Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, ezzra said: Decades ago, this kind of revelations would have ruined any person reputations and chances to be elected or re elected to any office, nowadays, not so much, there's a lot of tolerance for gays and blacks as PM and presidents, while many who were shunted by society's tabus are coming out wearing their hidden misgivings and shortcomings like a crown for all the world to see, shame, embarrassment and the fears of being ridiculed that used to make people keep secrets, some are many years old, are being let out and with a bold face, the world has become accustomed to the scandals of strange, the weird and the highly questionable ethics and most of the time accept it, so Trump, although not an altar boy bey any trach of imaginations, will weather this storm as well... In 1962 Marilyn Monroe performed this scandalous rendition of "Happy Birthday" to her lover in front of a packed house in Madison Square Garden in front of 15,000 of the most important celebrities, politicians, and power brokers in America (Jackie Kennedy refused to attend because Marilyn was going to be there). So spare me the talk about how moral things were back in the day: It is Trump's position that he didn't sleep with Stormy Daniels. Rather, that he just negotiated a NDA with her because he wanted to spare Melania the ordeal of such a scandalous rumor being circulated in the press. So beyond the fact things weren't really all that good back in the good ole days, this isn't even a proper example of declining morals being accepted because Trump DENIES that an affair ever happened. Trump's willingness to part with some dough in order to spare his wife the trauma of an untrue rumor, rather than being a sign of declining morals, is in fact a sign of Trump's honorable and generous nature. You see it the way you do only because you hate Trump and disbelieve him. But if you are inclined to believe Trump, or just inclined to reserve judgement until there is actual evidence one way or the other, then Trump's actions are either noble at best or completely inoffensive or neutral at worst. Edited July 19, 2019 by usviphotography 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FritsSikkink Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 19 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said: At least Trump sticks to consenting adults, which is a bit unusal but is definitely worthy of some praise. No, he doesn't. You got a very selective or no memory at all. Grab them by the pussy, "if your rich and famous you get away with everything" 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post usviphotography Posted July 19, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 38 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said: No, he doesn't. You got a very selective or no memory at all. Grab them by the pussy, "if your rich and famous you get away with everything" Nope. Actually quote was "And when you're a star, they let you do it.". Let. As in allow. Being a successful ladies man is not a crime. Edited July 19, 2019 by usviphotography 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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