Paying people off to avoid a scandal is perfectly legal

[g5000]

Trump Organization Could Face Criminal Charges From Manhattan D.A.

Manhattan prosecutors are focused on whether business records were falsified, one of the officials said. That could be charged as a low-level felony, or as a misdemeanor. It’s a misdemeanor for a person or company to make a false entry in a business record or cause one to be made, with intent to defraud. It becomes a felony if it is done to commit or conceal another crime.

 

[g5000]

Trump Organization Could Face Criminal Charges From Manhattan D.A.

If Mr. Vance decides to proceed, it would not be the first time he investigated members of the Trump family. He was faulted for not pursuing charges against Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr., who were under criminal investigation in 2012 over allegations that they misled buyers interested in the Trump SoHo condominium project.

 

[OKTexas]

The FEC uses the rule of "irrespective". Would the expense have occurred irrespective of a candidacy?
.

If Trump was worried about it ruining his marriage, he would have paid her off YEARS AGO, not the month before the election.

Quit being ridiculous.

She wasn't shopping her fairy tale years ago. Pecker told Cohen she was looking for a payday.

.

You dumbfuck, Stormy went public with her story in 2011 — no pay off.

Then she tries to go public with her story again in 2016 — this time, trump is running for president and he pays her for her silence.

Her story wasn't published in 2011, are you going to pretend Trump wouldn't have tried to buy that story had he known about it?

.

Are you going to pretend Trump didn’t know about it?


Sent from my iPhone using USMessageBoard.com

Why would he pay her if he had the knowledge that the story was already at a publisher?

.

 

[Olde Europe]

Just according to Cohen who actually made the payments and admitted it was intentionally criminal.

Yep, and the "reimbursement" was very likely intentionally criminal, too:

Trump Organization Could Face Criminal Charges From Manhattan D.A.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with Michael D. Cohen’s hush money payment to an adult film actress, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter.

A state investigation would center on how the company accounted for its reimbursement to Mr. Cohen for the $130,000 he paid to the actress, Stephanie Clifford, who has said she had an affair with President Trump, the officials said.

Both officials stressed that the office’s review of the matter is in its earliest stages and prosecutors have not yet made a decision on whether to proceed.

State charges against the company or its executives could be significant because Mr. Trump has talked about pardoning some of his current or former aides who have faced federal charges. As president, he has no power to pardon people and corporate entities convicted of state crimes.

The Trump Organization recorded the reimbursement as a legal expense. But Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s longtime fixer, said on Tuesday that he paid Ms. Clifford, better known as Stormy Daniels, to buy her silence during the 2016 campaign. Federal prosecutors have said the reimbursement payments were for sham legal invoices in connection with a nonexistent retainer agreement. Mr. Cohen, who pleaded guilty to federal campaign finance charges, did no legal work in connection with the matter, prosecutors said.

“On its face, it certainly would be problematic,” said one of the officials familiar with the district attorney’s office review, noting that listing the reimbursement as a legal expense could be a felony under state law.​

It's going to be interesting to see whether or not Vance can be publicly shamed into finding his balls this time.


... late to the party, I see.

 

[eagle1462010]

Given how they rolled out. I consider them a joke.

This entire thing stinks to the high heavens and you know it.

Establishment skunk got run over.

Smells.

Can you expound on how they rolled out? Describe what you think the problem is.

If you will.

I have on many threads. We don't need a rehash of how this started and where we are now.

Dossier, Steele, leaks to the press. Intel guys doing the same thing

 

[bripat9643]

--LOL

the left has been reduced to using a whore to get the president

--LOL

long way from the Russian angle

--LOL

collusion

--LOL

man oh man you have really got him this time

--LOL

Just because someone is a porn star doesn't mean they are a whore. The Republicans tried to use an affair with an intern to Impeach Bill Clinton. Tit for tat.

Just because someone is a porn star doesn't mean they are a whore.

Would the words LEWD, vile, nasty, raunchy, smutty,
obscene, profane, disgusting and lecherous, suit you better?

Of course, if your into pornography,
your comment makes perfect sense...
Can't look down on those starring in porn flicks,
without looking down on those buying the shit to watch

The Republicans tried to use an affair with an intern to Impeach Bill Clinton. Tit for tat.

Oh please, tit for tat my ass!

I'm not even going to bother
weighing the two against each other....

You and your ilk are shining examples of
everything that is wrong, with and in this country!

My ilk? I agreed that Clinton should have been removed from office at the time... FOR LYING UNDER OATH.

Because I'm one of the few people that believe that the President should be held to the highest standard no matter what party they are a part of. I was a Republican at the time, but now today after all these years and the obscene rise of political tribalism, I'm not going to support politicians no matter what they do just because they are a member of a certain party like many of you blind fools do.

Who are you trying to kid? Dim "ethical standards" are only in force when Republicans are in office. Otherwise, anything goes.

Riiiiight, that's why Clinton is one of only 2 Presidents in history to be impeached.

Dims didn't impeach Clinton. They defended him to the last man.

 

[bripat9643]

Yep he did...

And it went to court... He proved in court that he was keeping it quiet for family reasons... The contributions were not close to an election...

Nice try but Trump can goto court and claim it was to keep his marriage together and be laughed at...

In the Edwards case, the money was not his own. It came from big campaign donors, and it still obviously had an effect on his viability as a candidate in the next election.

Why are you still trying to use that talking point? Trump's payment didn't come out of his own money. It came from his business.

That's still his money, moron.

No it isn't, it is his BUSINESS'S money. So now I know you don't have a clue about law OR business.

He's the business owner. I have a corporation. That corporation bought a laptop. You're trying to tell me it's not my laptop. Wrong.

 

[Lewdog]

Why are you still trying to use that talking point? Trump's payment didn't come out of his own money. It came from his business.

LOL

Now a president can't use his own money.

Make it hard to pay bills. Lol

They have money ... It isn't all campaign money dumb ass.

A business's money isn't personal money... they are two totally different things each of which have different tax laws.

And what the hell makes his belongings. Aka business campaign donations. Lol

Wow you really have no clue how it works do you? He paid Cohen back as "legal fees" through his business. He didn't pay as campaign funds through his personal account. They aren't even remotely the same.

So. It's his dang money. He owns it. Splitting legal hairs that have nothing to do with Russia.

It's not splitting legal hairs. If he pays it with his business money and lists it as a legal fee, that's a business expenditure that can be used as such on his business taxes. If they weren't expenditures for his business, and actually him using it for himself for his campaign, then it is tax fraud. He would have to pay himself from his business and do so paying income taxes on it and thus reporting it a payroll expenditure, and THEN pay for his campaign out of HIS own money.

They were breaking laws to try and hide what was going on. Why is this so hard for you?

 

[Lewdog]

Yep he did...

And it went to court... He proved in court that he was keeping it quiet for family reasons... The contributions were not close to an election...

Nice try but Trump can goto court and claim it was to keep his marriage together and be laughed at...

In the Edwards case, the money was not his own. It came from big campaign donors, and it still obviously had an effect on his viability as a candidate in the next election.

Why are you still trying to use that talking point? Trump's payment didn't come out of his own money. It came from his business.

That's still his money, moron.

No it isn't, it is his BUSINESS'S money. So now I know you don't have a clue about law OR business.

He's the business owner. I have a corporation. That corporation bought a laptop. You're trying to tell me it's not my laptop. Wrong.

It's not YOUR laptop. It's the business's laptop. I sure hope you don't run your own business.

 

[eagle1462010]

In the Edwards case, the money was not his own. It came from big campaign donors, and it still obviously had an effect on his viability as a candidate in the next election.

Why are you still trying to use that talking point? Trump's payment didn't come out of his own money. It came from his business.

That's still his money, moron.

No it isn't, it is his BUSINESS'S money. So now I know you don't have a clue about law OR business.

He's the business owner. I have a corporation. That corporation bought a laptop. You're trying to tell me it's not my laptop. Wrong.

It's not YOUR laptop. It's the business's laptop. I sure hope you don't run your own business.

If you own the business it is your laptop.

Prove I claimed the dang thing on taxes. Did I do it as a business expense?? Or did I buy a computer and use it at work.

It still is his computer.

If he owns a business he can sell the dang business. ItsI his.

 

[Lewdog]

Why are you still trying to use that talking point? Trump's payment didn't come out of his own money. It came from his business.

That's still his money, moron.

No it isn't, it is his BUSINESS'S money. So now I know you don't have a clue about law OR business.

He's the business owner. I have a corporation. That corporation bought a laptop. You're trying to tell me it's not my laptop. Wrong.

It's not YOUR laptop. It's the business's laptop. I sure hope you don't run your own business.

If you own the business it is your laptop.

Prove I claimed the dang thing on taxes. Did I do it as a business expense?? Or did I buy a computer and use it at work.

It still is his computer.

If he owns a business he can sell the dang business. ItsI his.

No... if you own the business, and you report it as an expenditure of business funds, it is your business's laptop. If your business goes under and you have business loans, the bank is going to take the laptop because it is the property of the business, not your's.

Holy shit. No wonder one juror stopped 10 counts on Manafort, there are some people in this country that can't understand simple business shit.

 

[eagle1462010]

That's still his money, moron.

No it isn't, it is his BUSINESS'S money. So now I know you don't have a clue about law OR business.

He's the business owner. I have a corporation. That corporation bought a laptop. You're trying to tell me it's not my laptop. Wrong.

It's not YOUR laptop. It's the business's laptop. I sure hope you don't run your own business.

If you own the business it is your laptop.

Prove I claimed the dang thing on taxes. Did I do it as a business expense?? Or did I buy a computer and use it at work.

It still is his computer.

If he owns a business he can sell the dang business. ItsI his.

No... if you own the business, and you report it as an expenditure of business funds, it is your business's laptop. If your business goes under and you have business loans, the bank is going to take the laptop because it is the property of the business, not your's.

Holy shit. No wonder one juror stopped 10 counts on Manafort, there are some people in this country that can't understand simple business shit.

If. No loans then who has claim

 

[BS Filter]

Being paid off by corporations was how Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have made a very good living. Nothing new.

 

[Faun]

It's illegal if you don't report it.

When candidates use their personal funds for campaign purposes, they are making contributions to their campaigns. Unlike other contributions, these candidate contributions are not subject to any limits. They must, however, be reported.

Contributions made from the candidate’s personal funds must be reported. The reporting varies according to whether the personal funds of the candidate were loaned or contributed directly to the candidate’s authorized committee, or whether the funds were spent by the candidate out-of-pocket.
Using the personal funds of the candidate - FEC.gov

It wasn't a campaign expense, moron.

Of course it was. As you’ve been shown repeatedly, ”anything” of value for the purpose of influencing an election is a campaign contribution:

I've shown that we all have the right to own machine guns.

No, you’ve shown you’re a fucking moron. “anything” of value for the purpose of influencing an election is a campaign contribution.

By the same logic, I have the right to own a machine gun.

The chairman of the FEC says you're spewing horseshit. Why should anyone believe you rather than him?

I’m going by what the law says; not what done rightwingnut thinks.

 

[Faun]

Uh...yep it was if it was used to pay off a person to prevent her from divulging information that might damage your campaign.
Moran.

Nope. The "information" would damage him personally.

How could it damage him personally? It’s public knowledge now and he hasn’t suffered personally.

Only an imbecile would make a claim like that.

LOLOL

Spits a fucking moron. Fucking moron, how is trump personally suffering?

You have to be the world's biggest fucking moron to believe a porn star claiming in the national media that she had sex with you wouldn't cause you any distress.

Fucking moron, you zombies have been patting him on the back for having sex with a porn star. So how is that suffering?

 

[g5000]

Dims didn't impeach Clinton. They defended him to the last man.

Wrong. Five House Democrats voted to impeach Clinton.

 

[Faun]

“Trump gained a personal benefit, so it can't legally be a campaign expense. “

So theoretically every thing spent during a campaign could fall under personal benefit since the candidate and the candidacy cannot be divided. Such idiocy is straight from crazy Kookoo land.

The FEC uses the rule of "irrespective". Would the expense have occurred irrespective of a candidacy?

Campaign finance laws state that candidates cannot use campaign funds for expenses that would exist irrespective of the campaign, Bradley explained. These laws were created to thwart bribery and to prevent candidates from misusing funds for their own benefit.

Former FEC Chairman: Trump Lawyer's Hush Money Is Not a Campaign Contribution

.

LOL

You just proved silencing Stormy was for the election since Trump would not have paid her to remain quiet had he not been running for president. We know that since his affair with her was many years earlier and at no time until he ran for president, did he pay for her silence. Not even when she went public with her story years ago.

You're assuming facts not in evidence and you're ignoring the dual benefit.

.

You have yet to post the law regarding dual benefits. Until you do, your claims of it are ignored. Meanwhile, you were shown the law which states “anything of value which is for the purpose of influencing an election” are considered campaign contributions.

 

[Faun]

“Trump gained a personal benefit, so it can't legally be a campaign expense. “

So theoretically every thing spent during a campaign could fall under personal benefit since the candidate and the candidacy cannot be divided. Such idiocy is straight from crazy Kookoo land.

The FEC uses the rule of "irrespective". Would the expense have occurred irrespective of a candidacy?

Campaign finance laws state that candidates cannot use campaign funds for expenses that would exist irrespective of the campaign, Bradley explained. These laws were created to thwart bribery and to prevent candidates from misusing funds for their own benefit.

Former FEC Chairman: Trump Lawyer's Hush Money Is Not a Campaign Contribution

.

If Trump was worried about it ruining his marriage, he would have paid her off YEARS AGO, not the month before the election.

Quit being ridiculous.

She wasn't shopping her fairy tale years ago. Pecker told Cohen she was looking for a payday.

.

You dumbfuck, Stormy went public with her story in 2011 — no pay off.

Then she tries to go public with her story again in 2016 — this time, trump is running for president and he pays her for her silence.

Her story wasn't published in 2011, are you going to pretend Trump wouldn't have tried to buy that story had he known about it?

.

You’re assuming he didn’t know about it. In Touch did the same thing as the National Inquirer, sitting on the story; and Trump knew about that.

 

[Care4all]

What election law was violated if Trump used his own money to pay off this woman?

Undeclared funding of election candidate...

It is a campaign funding law...

--LOL

nope not according to the FEC

the FEC is who TOLD the prosecutors it was a crime, the Judge determined there was a crime and law on the books before the Judge accepted Cohen's guilty plea.

The reason it was a felony, instead of the normal misdemeanor, is because another crime was committed while breaking the campaign finance law.... in the law it would normally be a misdemeanor fine and slap on the wrist, but because there was another crime committed with what they did, under the LAW it became a felony.

 

[OKTexas]

The FEC uses the rule of "irrespective". Would the expense have occurred irrespective of a candidacy?
.

If Trump was worried about it ruining his marriage, he would have paid her off YEARS AGO, not the month before the election.

Quit being ridiculous.

She wasn't shopping her fairy tale years ago. Pecker told Cohen she was looking for a payday.

.

You dumbfuck, Stormy went public with her story in 2011 — no pay off.

Then she tries to go public with her story again in 2016 — this time, trump is running for president and he pays her for her silence.

Her story wasn't published in 2011, are you going to pretend Trump wouldn't have tried to buy that story had he known about it?

.

You’re assuming he didn’t know about it. In Touch did the same thing as the National Inquirer, sitting on the story; and Trump knew about that.

.