Paying people off to avoid a scandal is perfectly legal

[OKTexas]

I mean anyone of either party. Should they be prosecuted for campaign finance violations? They accepted money far beyond the donation limits to pay for what you and your ilk say is a campaign expense.

.

That money comes out of a fund for Congress, just like if a company has legal funds for settling cases of wrongdoing. I think it is ridiculous that any party should be getting their sexual harassment suits or whatever liability suit paid for with tax dollars. They rip off citizens enough already. The money should come out of their paychecks.

Since these funds are used to keep embarrassing situations quiet to keep a congresscritter more electable, how can they not be considered campaign contributions. Aren't they being spent to influence an election? You can't have it both ways, if Trump and Cohen are criminals, these congresscritter must be too, they're not reporting these contributions form the taxpayers.

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Is this where you start calling a campaign contribution an 'expense' again?

You know you can actually read an article or two on the topic and get answers to these questions in a few minutes, right?

I don't want some reporters opinion, I'm asking people here. You can deflect all you want, that just demonstrates your discomfort with the prospect of admitting that payoffs for silence, aren't really campaign expenses.

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He had ten years to pay her off. That he waited until just before an election and just after the Access Hollywood tape came out; shows it was to influence the election.

Or it shows she wasn't out shopping her story till just before the election. Cohen found out about her through a third party, she set the timing, not Cohen or Trump.

.

 

[Faun]

That money comes out of a fund for Congress, just like if a company has legal funds for settling cases of wrongdoing. I think it is ridiculous that any party should be getting their sexual harassment suits or whatever liability suit paid for with tax dollars. They rip off citizens enough already. The money should come out of their paychecks.

Since these funds are used to keep embarrassing situations quiet to keep a congresscritter more electable, how can they not be considered campaign contributions. Aren't they being spent to influence an election? You can't have it both ways, if Trump and Cohen are criminals, these congresscritter must be too, they're not reporting these contributions form the taxpayers.

.

Is this where you start calling a campaign contribution an 'expense' again?

You know you can actually read an article or two on the topic and get answers to these questions in a few minutes, right?

I don't want some reporters opinion, I'm asking people here. You can deflect all you want, that just demonstrates your discomfort with the prospect of admitting that payoffs for silence, aren't really campaign expenses.

.

He had ten years to pay her off. That he waited until just before an election and just after the Access Hollywood tape came out; shows it was to influence the election.

Or it shows she wasn't out shopping her story till just before the election. Cohen found out about her through a third party, she set the timing, not Cohen or Trump.

.

Well that's certainly not true as she was "shopping" her story out in 2011.

 

[kaz]

Damn, stop with the circular bullshit already. You claimed Cohen made an illegal excessive campaign contribution in 2016 and now you're saying it wasn't a violation of law until Trump started returning the money to Cohen in 2017. Is that really the story you want to stick with? LMAO

.

I never said that... Trump is the one saying HE MADE THE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION WHEN HE PAID COHEN BACK. He paid Cohen back starting with a payment in January 2017. They are two different things.

Yes, and now you want to impeach Trump for failing to file a form. I'll echo your call though that yes, he should receive a fine like Obama did when Obama failed to file 1,300 forms for the same thing.

Trump should have sexually assaulted a woman in the Oval Office. That you were OK with

Strawman. Please show where I EVER said it was ok to sexually assault someone in the oval office.

Good grief you are one of the most unethical people I'eve ever met.

I'm referring to your silence, Einstein

My silence? I have said REPEATEDLY I thought Clinton should have been impeached back then for lying under oath.

Jesus Christ it is like some kind of incurable widespread sickness on this forum for Trump supporters to just make shit up about what people say or support.

Ah, so you're another Democrat who used to be a Republican? You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting one of those

 

[kaz]

I never said that... Trump is the one saying HE MADE THE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION WHEN HE PAID COHEN BACK. He paid Cohen back starting with a payment in January 2017. They are two different things.

Yes, and now you want to impeach Trump for failing to file a form. I'll echo your call though that yes, he should receive a fine like Obama did when Obama failed to file 1,300 forms for the same thing.

Trump should have sexually assaulted a woman in the Oval Office. That you were OK with

Strawman. Please show where I EVER said it was ok to sexually assault someone in the oval office.

Good grief you are one of the most unethical people I'eve ever met.

I'm referring to your silence, Einstein

My silence? I have said REPEATEDLY I thought Clinton should have been impeached back then for lying under oath.

Jesus Christ it is like some kind of incurable widespread sickness on this forum for Trump supporters to just make shit up about what people say or support.

What you say has very little to do with Kaz's replies. He's not even reading what he's replying to at this point.

Trump supporters are in full denial mode.

Like Brit who insisted that Cohen never testified under oath when he plead guilty to federal felonies and implicated Trump in the same.

Yes, Trump is in jail now he's committed so many crimes. Pence is President. I just am not paying attention to the news.

You clowns have been repeating the same stupid shit for a year and a half. If Trump had done all that, Mueller wouldn't be so desperate for something to justify his witch hunt.

How long will it take of fruitless investigation for you to start even laughing at yourself for your stupid broken record shit?

 

[Lewdog]

I never said that... Trump is the one saying HE MADE THE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION WHEN HE PAID COHEN BACK. He paid Cohen back starting with a payment in January 2017. They are two different things.

Yes, and now you want to impeach Trump for failing to file a form. I'll echo your call though that yes, he should receive a fine like Obama did when Obama failed to file 1,300 forms for the same thing.

Trump should have sexually assaulted a woman in the Oval Office. That you were OK with

Strawman. Please show where I EVER said it was ok to sexually assault someone in the oval office.

Good grief you are one of the most unethical people I'eve ever met.

I'm referring to your silence, Einstein

My silence? I have said REPEATEDLY I thought Clinton should have been impeached back then for lying under oath.

Jesus Christ it is like some kind of incurable widespread sickness on this forum for Trump supporters to just make shit up about what people say or support.

Ah, so you're another Democrat who used to be a Republican? You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting one of those

I stated from day one I am not a Democrat. I'm a former Republican that is an Independent.

Also, another unethical thing of you to think that ALL people within a political group are as blind a tribal partisan political hack as you. Quit projecting.

If you want to keep a dossier of me, don't do it in your fantasy world head, create a word document. Feel free to create a Q&A thread for more and I'd be more than willing to give you an interview.

 

[Faun]

I never said that... Trump is the one saying HE MADE THE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTION WHEN HE PAID COHEN BACK. He paid Cohen back starting with a payment in January 2017. They are two different things.

Yes, and now you want to impeach Trump for failing to file a form. I'll echo your call though that yes, he should receive a fine like Obama did when Obama failed to file 1,300 forms for the same thing.

Trump should have sexually assaulted a woman in the Oval Office. That you were OK with

Strawman. Please show where I EVER said it was ok to sexually assault someone in the oval office.

Good grief you are one of the most unethical people I'eve ever met.

I'm referring to your silence, Einstein

My silence? I have said REPEATEDLY I thought Clinton should have been impeached back then for lying under oath.

Jesus Christ it is like some kind of incurable widespread sickness on this forum for Trump supporters to just make shit up about what people say or support.

Ah, so you're another Democrat who used to be a Republican? You can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting one of those

No, Lewdog never said he's a Democrat who used to be a Republican. He said he was a Republican before becoming an Independent.

Do you ever stop kazzing?

Ever??

 

[OKTexas]

So you think a member of the bar telling the judge the devil made me do it, automatically implicates the devil in the charges. Grow the fuck up man.

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No... because they had done an investigation and corroborated his statements. Quit being a moron.

Really, did the investigation show the member of the bar telling his client that they couldn't do it that way because it was against the law? After all Cohen would have ethically and duty bound as a fiduciary to do exactly that.

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Cohen's testimony was he made the payments with direction and coordination of the candidate (Trump). He admitted that what he did was illegal. Whether he told Trump that the payments would be illegal, we don't know. However, since he was Trump's lawyer and he knew it was illegal, it seems he would have told his client. We don't have access to the interview with Cohen, only his testimony.

If Cohen felt it was illegal he had an obligation as a member of the bar not to do it, there's no excuse for a lawyer to intentionally place a client in jeopardy.

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In his testimony, he said his actions was at the direction and coordination of the candidate (Trump). We don't know whether Cohen advised Trump that it was illegal.

As an attorney he had a duty to tell Trump it was illegal, if that were truly his opinion. And as a member of the bar, he had a duty not to violate the law himself. Don't people hire lawyers to handle complicated contracts to make sure their interest are protected and things are done properly? Cohens malpractice is the best defense Trump could have.

.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

Paying something out of private funds funds that benefits a political campaign is very different that paying something out of campaign funds for the personal benefit of a person. And Otherwise whatever is paid from a political campaign for the benefit of a campaign is legal so long as it is a declared expense.

Now consider the Hillary campaign paid a foreign spy to collect dirt on Donald Trump but did not declare it as a campaign expense but disguised it as legal fees. If she can do that with impunity, so can Trump especially when he didn't know it was happening.

 

[OKTexas]

Poor little retard, there's nothing being reported or written, that I've seen, that says Trump was aware of the In Touch interview. If he were aware, why would he pay her to not give an interview that she had already given several years before? You're the one making assumptions against logic.

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To buy her silence for the election. You’re not very bright.

LMAO, the silence was broken 6 years earlier.

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Then why, pray tell, was Stormy Daniels paid 11 days before the election?

See post 1217

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So you acknowledge that Stormy Daniels was paid 11 days before the election.

But it didn't have anything to do with the election, huh?

Never said it didn't have anything to do with the election, I have said it was a dual purpose expense which historically disqualifies it as a campaign expense. Judge Michael Mukasey verified that in an interview this afternoon.

.

 

[Faun]

To buy her silence for the election. You’re not very bright.

LMAO, the silence was broken 6 years earlier.

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Then why, pray tell, was Stormy Daniels paid 11 days before the election?

See post 1217

.

So you acknowledge that Stormy Daniels was paid 11 days before the election.

But it didn't have anything to do with the election, huh?

Never said it didn't have anything to do with the election, I have said it was a dual purpose expense which historically disqualifies it as a campaign expense. Judge Michael Mukasey verified that in an interview this afternoon.

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Great, then post the law which allows that....

Oh, wait …. you can't.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

No, it is not illegal unless it is paid for out of campaign funds. There is no evidence that such happened. The President is a multi-billionaire. He can certainly afford to pay legal fees to his personal attorney without using any money from his campaign fund.

It is illegal if it went unreported.

Hillary paid a foreign operative/spy to get Russian dirt on Trump but did not report it as campaign expenses but rather as legal fees. If she can do that with impunity then so can Trump pay whatever he wants as 'legal fees'.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

Because the man (men) paid instead of going to the police.

Yes. But them paying was not illegal. Extorting the men is but most women get away with it.

 

[Skylar]

To buy her silence for the election. You’re not very bright.

LMAO, the silence was broken 6 years earlier.

.

Then why, pray tell, was Stormy Daniels paid 11 days before the election?

See post 1217

.

So you acknowledge that Stormy Daniels was paid 11 days before the election.

But it didn't have anything to do with the election, huh?

Never said it didn't have anything to do with the election, I have said it was a dual purpose expense which historically disqualifies it as a campaign expense. Judge Michael Mukasey verified that in an interview this afternoon.

.

Says who? Let me guess.....you again? The same poor soul that couldn't tell the difference between a campaign expense and campaign contribution?

Sorry, but you're gonna need more. As we have federal prosecutors charging Cohen for what you insist wasn't a crime, Cohen admitting to what you insist wasn't a crime, and a veteran judge accepting the plea for what you insist wasn't a crime.

They are all source matter experts. And you don't know what you're talking about. Which tends to make your legal assessments less useful.

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

You would have to prove that it was for the benefit of a political campaign. Stretching it that far would make ANY payment of ANY sort to one's personal attorney a campaign contribution if the person is a candidate for office. Men with lots of money are frequent targets of opportunistic women, most especially those they have had relationships with. I wouldn't be surprised if such payoffs happen to most wealthy men if they have been in a number of relationships in and out of marriage.

11 days before the election....A porn star that was going to tell the world that Trump had an affair with her while his wife Melania was pregnant......

....would have been rather disadvantageous to the campaign. Also, the affair was a decade ago. But the payment was 11 days before the election?

On sheer chance, that's ridiculously unlikely.

.

The timing was irrelevant. The porn star violated a legal agreement for which she should be liable. And she was extorting money that is illegal in all 50 states. And the payment itself, depending on exactly how it was done, was an extremely minor offense if even that and one committed by the Hillary campaign and the Obama campaigns, etc. etc. etc. Definitely a tempest in a teapot at worst and only blown all out of proportion by those afflicted with TDS.

 

[Skylar]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

No, it is not illegal unless it is paid for out of campaign funds. There is no evidence that such happened. The President is a multi-billionaire. He can certainly afford to pay legal fees to his personal attorney without using any money from his campaign fund.

It is illegal if it went unreported.

Hillary paid a foreign operative/spy to get Russian dirt on Trump but did not report it as campaign expenses but rather as legal fees. If she can do that with impunity then so can Trump pay whatever he wants as 'legal fees'.

Alas, the federal courts disagree. As Cohen has been charged with making excessive campaign contributions in violation of the law. And Cohen, in sworn testimony, implicated Trump in the commision of these crimes, admitting that Trump directed the illegal contributions.

Given you insisting that Trump can 'pay whatever he wants' vs the federal court charging and accepting the plea for crimes, you're outmatched. As they are source matter experts. And you're just dude on the internet insisting you know better.

 

[Foxfyre]

Cohen said payments from his own $$$ to the whores were never authorized by Trump or campaign.
Stormy Daniels Payment May Be Illegal, Even If It Came From Trump’s Lawyer

He is ON TAPE planning it.

Is he? You think the media wouldn't be all over that replaying such a clip again and again and again and again?

They are...

I am sure missing that and I am a media junkie.

 

[Skylar]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

You would have to prove that it was for the benefit of a political campaign. Stretching it that far would make ANY payment of ANY sort to one's personal attorney a campaign contribution if the person is a candidate for office. Men with lots of money are frequent targets of opportunistic women, most especially those they have had relationships with. I wouldn't be surprised if such payoffs happen to most wealthy men if they have been in a number of relationships in and out of marriage.

11 days before the election....A porn star that was going to tell the world that Trump had an affair with her while his wife Melania was pregnant......

....would have been rather disadvantageous to the campaign. Also, the affair was a decade ago. But the payment was 11 days before the election?

On sheer chance, that's ridiculously unlikely.

.

The timing was irrelevant.

Says you, citing yourself. And you're nobody.

If the payments are to benefit a political campaign, they are campaign contributions. And yes, the fact that some of these payments were made only 11 days before the election is immediately relevant. As it obliterates the 'the payments had nothing to do with the election' narrative.

As reaffirmed by the federal courts which found the payments to be criminal acts of excessive campaign contributions. Vs. you....who insist you know better.

Um, nope. You're nobody.

 

[Foxfyre]

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

No, it is not illegal unless it is paid for out of campaign funds. There is no evidence that such happened. The President is a multi-billionaire. He can certainly afford to pay legal fees to his personal attorney without using any money from his campaign fund.

It is illegal if it went unreported.

Hillary paid a foreign operative/spy to get Russian dirt on Trump but did not report it as campaign expenses but rather as legal fees. If she can do that with impunity then so can Trump pay whatever he wants as 'legal fees'.

Alas, the federal courts disagree. As Cohen has been charged with making excessive campaign contributions in violation of the law. And Cohen, in sworn testimony, implicated Trump in the commision of these crimes, admitting that Trump directed the illegal contributions.

Given you insisting that Trump can 'pay whatever he wants' vs the federal court charging and accepting the plea for crimes, you're outmatched. As they are source matter experts. And you're just dude on the internet insisting you know better.

These guys are pleading guilty hoping Mueller will back off and not bankrupt them which he has already done to several people who have committed no crime or are charged with something so minor it wouldn't even make the news much less merit an indictment if Trump were not involved.

 

[Foxfyre]

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

You would have to prove that it was for the benefit of a political campaign. Stretching it that far would make ANY payment of ANY sort to one's personal attorney a campaign contribution if the person is a candidate for office. Men with lots of money are frequent targets of opportunistic women, most especially those they have had relationships with. I wouldn't be surprised if such payoffs happen to most wealthy men if they have been in a number of relationships in and out of marriage.

11 days before the election....A porn star that was going to tell the world that Trump had an affair with her while his wife Melania was pregnant......

....would have been rather disadvantageous to the campaign. Also, the affair was a decade ago. But the payment was 11 days before the election?

On sheer chance, that's ridiculously unlikely.

.

The timing was irrelevant.

Says you, citing yourself. And you're nobody.

If the payments are to benefit a political campaign, they are campaign contributions. And yes, the fact that some of these payments were made only 11 days before the election is immediately relevant. As it obliterates the 'the payments had nothing to do with the election' narrative.

As reaffirmed by the federal courts which found the payments to be criminal acts of excessive campaign contributions. Vs. you....who insist you know better.

Um, nope. You're nobody.

At least I can make a reasoned and supportable argument without resorting to ad hominem and personal insults. Do have a pleasant afternoon.

 

[Faun]

I'm not sure why, but it seems the Democrats think that paying off a woman to be quiet about a scandal is somehow illegal. Well, it isn't.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering what any of this has to do with collusion with Russia...

Paying money that somebody extorts from you is legal. Extortion, however, is illegal in all 50 states. I wonder why nobody is looking at women who extort money from men and/or is prosecuting them?

If paying that money is for the benefit of a political campaign, its a campaign contribution. If that payment is more than $2700, its an illegal campaign contribution.

And Trump directed Cohen to make more than $400,000 in such illegal conributions. And then Trump lied to try and cover it up.

No, it is not illegal unless it is paid for out of campaign funds. There is no evidence that such happened. The President is a multi-billionaire. He can certainly afford to pay legal fees to his personal attorney without using any money from his campaign fund.

It is illegal if it went unreported.

Hillary paid a foreign operative/spy to get Russian dirt on Trump but did not report it as campaign expenses but rather as legal fees. If she can do that with impunity then so can Trump pay whatever he wants as 'legal fees'.

Stop lying. Hillary paid an American-based firm to get dirt on Trump.

And that has nothing to do with Trump violating campaign finance laws.