The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

[Trent Steel]

[Isgrimnur]

I look forward to reading the coverage about the rally.

[ImLawBoy]

Is this where I say BAM!?

This is where you give us the Mr. Fed-style course on Federal sentencing guidelines so we can make sense of what 8 guilty counts means. The full 18 counts had a max of something like 305 years, which Fed tells me bears no relation to what he'd actually get.

So, what's he actually gonna get, and will that press him to cooperate?

As someone who clerked with the Cook County State's Attorney's office 23 years ago, allow me to give you a dissertation on the nuances of criminal practice . . . .

[Zaxxon]

Is this where I say BAM!?

This is where you give us the Mr. Fed-style course on Federal sentencing guidelines so we can make sense of what 8 guilty counts means. The full 18 counts had a max of something like 305 years, which Fed tells me bears no relation to what he'd actually get.

So, what's he actually gonna get, and will that press him to cooperate?

As someone who clerked with the Cook County State's Attorney's office 23 years ago, allow me to give you a dissertation on the nuances of criminal practice . . . .

But you're A LAWYER!!!111!!

[LawBeefaroni]

Is this where I say BAM!?

This is where you give us the Mr. Fed-style course on Federal sentencing guidelines so we can make sense of what 8 guilty counts means. The full 18 counts had a max of something like 305 years, which Fed tells me bears no relation to what he'd actually get.

So, what's he actually gonna get, and will that press him to cooperate?

As someone who clerked with the Cook County State's Attorney's office 23 years ago, allow me to give you a dissertation on the nuances of criminal practice . . . .

Better you than the current Cook County State's Attorney.

[Rip]

My biggest fear if Mannie gets off is that Rip will somehow take that as justification for a cock-walk around this thread.

Well you know how I love a good cock-walk.

[Pyperkub]

Manafort guilty on 8 counts, mistrial on other 10.

Where the hell are the 10 mistrial counts listed? Gorram media!

[Pyperkub]

Cohen's Guilty plea:

Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to campaign finance and other charges. He made the extraordinary admission that he paid a pornographic actress “at the direction of the candidate,” referring to Mr. Trump, to secure her silence about an affair she said she had with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Cohen told a judge in United States District Court in Manhattan that the payment was “for the principal purpose of influencing the election” for president in 2016.

Mr. Cohen also pleaded guilty to multiple counts of tax evasion and bank fraud

[Isgrimnur]

Manafort guilty on 8 counts, mistrial on other 10.

Where the hell are the 10 mistrial counts listed? Gorram media!

USA Today

Manafort faces a life behind bars if convicted on all 18 charges.

Here's the breakdown of the charges and the maximum sentence for each.

• Five counts of subscribing to a false income tax return. Each count carries a maximum of three years in federal prison. That's a total of 15 years.

• Four counts of failing to report foreign bank accounts. Each count carries a maximum of five years in federal prison. That's a total of 20 years.

• Five counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Each count carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. That's 150 years behind federal bars.

• Four counts of bank fraud. Each count also carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. That's a total of 120 years.

[Pyperkub]

Per the NYT, Manafort has at least another trial ahead:

Mr. Manafort faces a second criminal trial next month in Washington on seven other charges brought by the special counsel, including obstruction of justice, failure to register as a foreign agent and conspiracy to launder money.

[Pyperkub]

Manafort guilty on 8 counts, mistrial on other 10.

Where the hell are the 10 mistrial counts listed? Gorram media!

USA Today

Manafort faces a life behind bars if convicted on all 18 charges.

Here's the breakdown of the charges and the maximum sentence for each.

• Five counts of subscribing to a false income tax return. Each count carries a maximum of three years in federal prison. That's a total of 15 years.

• Four counts of failing to report foreign bank accounts. Each count carries a maximum of five years in federal prison. That's a total of 20 years.

• Five counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Each count carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. That's 150 years behind federal bars.

• Four counts of bank fraud. Each count also carries a maximum of 30 years in federal prison. That's a total of 120 years.

So, nothing on the 5 conspiracy to commit yet, nor two counts of bank fraud, nor 3 of the foreign accounts, I guess.

[Pyperkub]

More bad news for the Administration - Steele did not knowingly provide false info (at least according to evidence presented by Russian Oligarchs suing Steele):

On Monday, a judge in the District of Columbia, Anthony C Epstein, upheld a motion by Steele to have the oligarchs’ case thrown out. Epstein did not determine whether the dossier – which Donald Trump has repeatedly dismissed as “fake” – was “accurate or not accurate”.

But the judge concluded that it was covered by the US first amendment, which protects free speech. He ruled that the oligarchs had failed to prove a key part of their case: that Steele knew that some information in the dossier was inaccurate, and had acted “with reckless disregard as to its falsity”.

[Zaxxon]

Is this where I say BAM!?

This is where you give us the Mr. Fed-style course on Federal sentencing guidelines so we can make sense of what 8 guilty counts means. The full 18 counts had a max of something like 305 years, which Fed tells me bears no relation to what he'd actually get.

So, what's he actually gonna get, and will that press him to cooperate?

As someone who clerked with the Cook County State's Attorney's office 23 years ago, allow me to give you a dissertation on the nuances of criminal practice . . . .

Update: you're off the hook. Fed's initial reaction is, and I quote, "HOOOOLEEEEEEE CRAP". That will suffice for the moment.

[Max Peck]

Update: you're off the hook. Fed's initial reaction is, and I quote, "HOOOOLEEEEEEE CRAP". That will suffice for the moment.

Is that a "Holy crap, he's screwed!" HOOOOLEEEEEEE CRAP, or a "Holy crap, I can't believe he got away with it!" HOOOOLEEEEEEE CRAP?

[Zaxxon]

My impression was it relates to Manafort and Cohen both going down on the same day, along with Cohen quite explicitly saying he did it for Trump and for purposes of election influence.

That's a lot to infer from one crap, though, even if it is extremely holy. So I'm probably wrong.

[Smoove_B]

People are going to be unpacking this for days, maybe until next week. From Vice:

"Today he stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election," said Cohen's attorney Lanny Davis, in a statement. "If those payments were a crime for Michael Cohen, then why wouldn't they be a crime for Donald Trump?"

[Holman]

link

[Max Peck]

My impression was it relates to Manafort and Cohen both going down on the same day, along with Cohen quite explicitly saying he did it for Trump and for purposes of election influence.

That's a lot to infer from one crap, though, even if it is extremely holy. So I'm probably wrong.

I just took a gander at his Twitter feed. I'm going to go with "Holy crap, I'm gonna be lawsplaining for days! Tell my wife and kids I love them!"

[Zaxxon]

Today is the day that just keeps on givin'.

[$iljanus]

Drain that swamp!

[Skinypupy]

Hours after Trump's lawyer pleaded guilty to crimes and implicated Trump and Trump's campaign chairman was convicted of crimes, the crowd at the Trump rally is chanting "drain that swamp."

That echo chamber must be absolutely deafening.

[Carpet_pissr]

Today is the day that just keeps on givin'.

Not to mention the news about Microsoft catching Russia red handed trying to hack into conservative think tanks, and Senate offices that have broken with Trump and are critical of Russia.

Kinda being buried today under the dump of courtroom drama news.

[Daehawk]

Id the phrase "Drain the swamp" code for when Trump gets his ears cleaned out?

[Sepiche]

Lanny Davis was on Maddow just now and implied Cohen is willing to tell Mueller that Drumpf had advanced knowledge of the DNC hacks.

[RunningMn9]

Lanny Davis was on Maddow just now and implied Cohen is willing to tell Mueller that Drumpf had advanced knowledge of the DNC hacks.

Why would he go on Maddow and imply that. Why wouldn’t Lanny Davis simply call Mueller and offer the info?

[Blackhawk]

Lanny Davis was on Maddow just now and implied Cohen is willing to tell Mueller that Drumpf had advanced knowledge of the DNC hacks.

I would kiss him. On the lips.

[Sepiche]

A little after 3:20 he goes into what Cohen is offering.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watc ... 74?v=railb

Edit:
Found the quote.

I can tell you that Mr. Cohen has knowledge on certain subjects that should be of interest to the special counsel and is more than happy to tell the special counsel all that he knows; not just about the obvious possibility of a conspiracy to collude and corrupt the American democracy system in the 2016 election, which the Trump Tower meeting was all about, but also knowledge about the computer crime of hacking and whether or not Mr. Trump knew ahead of time about that crime and even cheered it on

[malchior]

That interview has me conflicted. It felt like he was talking to Trump , Mueller, or both. It moreso felt like he was shopping for a deal for his client. Whether that is leniency from the court or a pardon...I don't know. I hope the former but fear the latter.

[Grifman]

Today was the beginning of the end. The president’s fixer testified under oath that he, the owner of the National Inquirer, and the president conspired to, and did violate campaign finance laws. This isn’t the “deep state” conspiring against the president, this isn’t some “rigged” charge of collusion or obstructing justice. This is a clear and plain violation of the law that even a Trumper can understand. Assuming there is evidence to support Cohen’s testimony, today saw the beginning of the end.

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/21/17765566/ ... mp-mueller

[GungHo]

That interview has me conflicted. It felt like he was talking to Trump , Mueller, or both. It moreso felt like he was shopping for a deal for his client. Whether that is leniency from the court or a pardon...I don't know. I hope the former but fear the latter.

As my non-legal brain understands it, if he does get a pardon then he no longer has a right to plead the 5th and becomes legally obligated to tell his story. Which, if your larger hope is that trump goes down, would be a good thing.
But honestly I have no idea. Just an absolute avalanche of stuff today for us to sort through.

[ImLawBoy]

link

The Qanon narrative no longer makes sense after today's verdict and plea deal, and the community is trying to come to grips with it.

Oh, sure. It made so much sense before.

[GreenGoo]

Thank. You.

Saves me from having to post the same thing.

"No longer"?

[milo]

This is a clear and plain violation of the law that even a Trumper can understand.

Understand, yes. Care about? No.

[Isgrimnur]

Dershowitz is already out there saying that every campaign ever violated theses laws, and they’re making a big deal out of nothing.

[Defiant]

[Skinypupy]

You guys have this all wrong. Those weren’t guilty pleas, they were alternative not-guilty pleas.

[GreenGoo]

I don't for a second believe that this will change anything with regard to the president. Not even a little. So as far as the president is concerned, this is just another fake news day.

[Kraken]

This phase of Stupidgate is all about raw political power versus law. No matter how many laws he broke, Trump is safe unless the House starts impeachment (ask again in November) and the Senate convicts (almost impossible), or the voters remove him in '20 (which the GOP and the Russians are working to make impossible).

[Holman]

Lanny Davis was on Maddow just now and implied Cohen is willing to tell Mueller that Drumpf had advanced knowledge of the DNC hacks.

Why would he go on Maddow and imply that. Why wouldn’t Lanny Davis simply call Mueller and offer the info?

Maybe he already has.

Since Mueller is close-mouthed by design, telling the public on Maddow or wherever is the only way to shape the narrative.

Shaping the narrative shifts other parties towards flipping, which further leverages Cohen's deal. Davis is acting as Cohen's surrogate, perhaps even with Mueller's encouragement.

[RunningMn9]

I hate to keep saying it, but nothing is going to happen.