The Donald Trump Score Card

After another of Trump's illustrious tweets, George Conway responded by saying America needs a president who understands faithful execution of our laws.

 

I just checked with Attica....and they said they still have private rooms...

 

So now we have David Pecker, National Enquirer boss with a safe harboring suppressed dirt on Trump and Allen Weisselberg, the Trump Organization's long-time CFO who knows where the bodies are buried, both being granted immunity. The feds don't grant immunity without proffers. And Omorosa and Stormy are waiting in the wings. Nothin' to see here, folks. Move along.

 

Well, I'm real old...I remember when Napoleon went on vacation to Elba!

 

I forgot to mention the lawsuit that the State of New York has filed against Trump and his children for and the Trump Foundation for 'extensive and persistent violations of state and federal law." That could be interesting too.Read: New York attorney general’s new lawsuit against Trump Foundation, President Trump, and his children Attorney General Underwood Announces Lawsuit Against Donald J. Trump Foundation And Its Board Of Directors For Extensive And Persistent Violations Of State And Federal Law | New York State Attorney General
When it rains, it pours!

 

This winter is going to be stress filled for the big orange buffoon

 

Trump administration yanks $200 million in economic aid from Gaza and West Bank
by Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY
Published 5:04 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2018 | Updated 5:09 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2018

Trump administration yanks $200 million in economic aid from Gaza and West Bank

excerpt:

"WASHINGTON – The Trump administration will revoke more than $200 million in economic aid for the West Bank and Gaza, the State Department announced Friday.

The move came after a State Department review examining whether the funding was in “U.S. national interests” and of value to American taxpayers. In a terse announcement, the State Department said it would redirect the $200 million to “high-priority projects elsewhere.”"

 

In Trump's mind, Cohen pleaded guilty to something that supposedly isn't a crime.

Trump: "Michael Cohen plead guilty to two counts of campaign finance violations that are not a crime."


Trump says Michael Cohen didn’t commit crimes. He’s wrong.
Campaign finance law is clear. And Cohen clearly broke it.
By Trevor Potter
August 24 at 2:37 AM

Perspective | Trump says Michael Cohen didn’t commit crimes. He’s wrong.

excerpt:

"A jury won’t have to weigh in on Cohen, of course. But clearly every lawyer and legal official involved — the prosecutors at the Department of Justice, Cohen and his lawyer, and the federal judge who accepted his plea — all believed there was a crime committed here, or they would not have allowed him to plead guilty to it. But both Trump’s and Smith’s arguments are about interpretations of facts, and in our legal system, factual questions are ultimately the province of the jury in a criminal case. Cohen opted to plead guilty rather than test his defense before a jury, given the evidence the government has in its possession, including tapes of his conversations with Trump and proof of conversations with AMI about their payments to hide the McDougal story."

 

I think the problem is that a candidate is ordinarily allowed to contribute an unlimited amount to his own campaign, and if Cohen was acting as Trump's agent in bringing this about, Trump wouldn't be guilty of a campaign violation. But I think evasion of disclosure requirements might be the crime. And in any case, the New York attorney general is pursuing the theory that the money came from the Trump Foundation, which would be a breach of fiduciary duties. But I'm not sure. Anybody know?

 

I'm sure the information about where the money actually came from is safely stashed away with Trump's tax records...

 

On further reflection, I suspect that the criminal charge has to do with Federal conspiracy law. Traditionally, a conspiracy could include co-operation between two or more persons to carry out an otherwise innocent act by unlawful means or "an act that is innocent in itself but becomes unlawful when done by the combination of actors". conspiracy !8 U.S.C.,sec.371 provides: If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the conspiracy, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both." In this case, the purpose alleged by the prosecutor was keeping relevant information from the public for purposes of furthering Trump's campaign, in violation of federal campaign disclosure laws. The government would have to prove of course, that the purpose of the payment was to keep relevant information from the public and not disclosing this. But that's what Cohen just plead guilty to, and named a "candidate" (i.e., Trump, as an unindicted co-conspirator) Anyhow, there was obviously enough to convince a federal judge to accept Cohen's guilty plea. Washington Post: Breaking News, World, US, DC News & Analysis.
Trump Tries to Deny His Crime With Cohen, Confesses by Mistake
Cohen’s lawyer says there’s ‘no dispute’ Trump committed crime | Senator says U.S. in ‘Watergate moment’

 

...and in the vault of the National Inquirer whose contents were later moved.

 

The confusing diction and mentality of Trump and Giuliani.


The truth isn't the truth.

What you're hearing isn't what's happening.
.
It's not a crime if you do it in a sufficiently underhanded fashion.

Trump still didn't know about Stormy. He just didn't know until 'later'.

Cohen pleaded guilty to acts that aren't a crime.

It can't be an illegal campaign contribution if it came from your personal money.

 

It sounded strange in the beginning of the year when the story was breaking. Cohen pleading guilty confirms what some had suspected.

 

When you grant immunity to someone that high up on the totem pole like the CFO of the Trump Organization, you’re not going after smaller fish but the larger ones.


Can’t wait to see how all of this plays out

 

Allen Weisselberg, Longtime Trump Organization CFO, Testified and Was Granted Immunity in Cohen Probe
Accountant is third longtime confidant of Mr. Trump known to have provided information in hush-money investigation that has implicated the president
By Rebecca Ballhaus and Nicole Hong
Updated Aug. 24, 2018 6:34 p.m. ET

Allen Weisselberg, Longtime Trump Organization CFO, Testified and Was Granted Immunity in Cohen Probe

excerpt:

"Last year, Mr. Weisselberg arranged for the Trump Organization to reimburse Mr. Cohen, who had in October 2016 arranged a $130,000 payment to Ms. Clifford, the former adult-film actress who claimed she had sex with Mr. Trump a decade earlier, in exchange for her silence about the alleged affair.

President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges on Tuesday. WSJ’s Shelby Holliday explains how Cohen’s plea agreement could impact the president. Photo: Associated Press

A person familiar with Mr. Weisselberg’s thinking said he didn’t know when he agreed in January 2017 to a $35,000 monthly retainer for Mr. Cohen that it was intended to reimburse him for his payment to Ms. Clifford.

David Pecker, CEO of the National Enquirer’s publisher and a longtime ally who helped protect Mr. Trump’s public image for years, also was granted immunity and told federal prosecutors that Mr. Trump had knowledge of Mr. Cohen’s payments to women, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week.

The men represent three pillars that have supported Mr. Trump for decades in financial, legal and publicity matters. The 71-year-old Mr. Weisselberg has long been a central figure in Mr. Trump’s business, a global real-estate development, property-management and licensing company."

 

Doublespeak at its finest

 

Update on the story about an alleged illegitimate child of Trump.


Exclusive: Ex-Trump World Tower doorman releases 'catch-and-kill' contract about alleged Trump affair
CNN Expansion NYC 2017 PH: JOHN NOWAK Sonia Moghe
By Sonia Moghe, CNN
Updated 6:17 AM ET, Sat August 25, 2018
CNN obtains copy of ex-doorman's agreement

Ex-Trump World Tower doorman releases 'catch-and-kill' contract about alleged Trump affair - CNNPolitics

excerpt:

"A former Trump World Tower doorman who says he has knowledge of an alleged affair President Donald Trump had with an ex-housekeeper, which resulted in a child, is now able to talk about a contract he entered with American Media Inc. that had prohibited him from discussing the matter with anyone, according to his attorney.

On Friday, Marc Held -- the attorney for Dino Sajudin, the former doorman -- said his client had been released from his contract with AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, "recently" after back-and-forth discussions with AMI."

 

I was told by a person who wishes to remain un-named at this point that the doorman was paid $30,000.00 to keep quiet and that he would be fined $1,000,000.00 if he was to violate the agreement. The source also said the woman who had become pregnant had been paid much more money to keep silent.

 

Michael Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of Trump Organization who also worked for Trump's father, and David Pecker of National Enquirer have been Trump's confidantes for decades. Losing the loyalty of those three must be extremely frustrating for Trump.

Other Trump confidantes such as longtime bodyguard Keith Schiller and communications director Hope Hicks, who had the ability to calm him, have already exited the administration.

Trump's anger about this week's events seems to be directed the most at Jeff Sessions. The two have been throwing verbal darts at each other.


Trump's bad week: A growing list of allies turn against him
by Jill Colvin and Catherine Lucey, Associated Press
Updated 7:45 am CDT, Saturday, August 25, 2018

https://www.chron.com/news/politics...ek-A-growing-list-of-allies-turn-13181773.php

excerpt:

"The chief financial officer has worked for Trump companies since he joined the president's father, Fred Trump, in the 1970s as an accountant, and is a rich repository of knowledge of the family company. The possibility of him answering questions from investigators poses a new danger for the president as federal prosecutors in Washington and Manhattan dig deeper into Trump's business affairs.

A year ago, Trump told The New York Times that Mueller would be crossing a "red line" if he began to look at Trump's and his family's finances unrelated to Russia."