Don2 (Don1 Revised)
Contributor
Even if he's subpoenaed, can't he make a written statement and then have his lawyer speak for him. I think I saw that in one of The Godfather movies.
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Mueller investigation
- Thread starter Artemus
- Start date
Underseer
Contributor
If that's the case, why didn't Clinton do that? I have to imagine that Clinton would have been only too happy to have his lawyer squirm on that seat instead of him. He had to have a reason for appearing in person, and I assume that reason didn't change between now and then.
dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN... (Jaws theme)
This is the website the Russian-linked company that paid Michael Cohen $500K didn’t want you to see
Russian billionaire's company's subsidiary pays big checks to Cohen, then when caught says the company is really American and quickly put their web site "under construction," but there's an archived copy of the site, which...
"...clearly indicates that, at the time the payments were made to Cohen, Columbus Nova was considered a subsidiary of Renova Group, the Vekselberg [Vlad's Russian billionaire friend] company."
This is the website the Russian-linked company that paid Michael Cohen $500K didn’t want you to see
Russian billionaire's company's subsidiary pays big checks to Cohen, then when caught says the company is really American and quickly put their web site "under construction," but there's an archived copy of the site, which...
"...clearly indicates that, at the time the payments were made to Cohen, Columbus Nova was considered a subsidiary of Renova Group, the Vekselberg [Vlad's Russian billionaire friend] company."
braces_for_impact
Veteran Member
I think this side of the investigation is going to be too big for the special counsel. This is going to have to be referred out. It also continues to confirm my hypothesis, in that every time a new avenue opens up to investigate for Mueller, two or three others reveal themselves as well.
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Made in America
dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN... (Jaws theme)
This is the website the Russian-linked company that paid Michael Cohen $500K didn’t want you to see
Russian billionaire's company's subsidiary pays big checks to Cohen, then when caught says the company is really American and quickly put their web site "under construction," but there's an archived copy of the site, which...
"...clearly indicates that, at the time the payments were made to Cohen, Columbus Nova was considered a subsidiary of Renova Group, the Vekselberg [Vlad's Russian billionaire friend] company."
You really can't shake can't shake a tree in the Trump forest without a Russian falling out - and the Republican right yawns...
dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN dun DUN... (Jaws theme)
This is the website the Russian-linked company that paid Michael Cohen $500K didn’t want you to see
Russian billionaire's company's subsidiary pays big checks to Cohen, then when caught says the company is really American and quickly put their web site "under construction," but there's an archived copy of the site, which...
"...clearly indicates that, at the time the payments were made to Cohen, Columbus Nova was considered a subsidiary of Renova Group, the Vekselberg [Vlad's Russian billionaire friend] company."
You really can't shake can't shake a tree in the Trump forest without a Russian falling out - and the Republican right yawns...
AND there's more.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...e-special-counsel-in-cohen-case-idUSKBN1IA3J9
Regarding all that money Cohen has been receiving from Russia - part of that story is Cohen's "insight consulting" business, through which he sold access to Trump to... well, to anyone with the money I guess. AT&T was one such payer and they were contacted by Mueller about that LAST YEAR.
I think we all (minus the right wing authoritarian followers, of course) have known for a while that Mueller's investigation is an iceberg, with a ton of stuff as yet unknown to us that we can only guess at. This is one of those things Mueller and his team have successfully kept under wraps.
There's just not enough popcorn.
braces_for_impact
Veteran Member
There really isn't! Three separate companies have revised their statements about why they paid Cohen no less than THREE times EACH just today. Apparently, they are now realizing that oh yeah, it really does appear as bad as it looks...especially for two of the three companies, that have been busted in the past for what now? Oh yeah, BRIBERY.
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Please tell me that’s photoshop. PLease.
It's a photoshop. 
Yes, these seem to be clear and straightforward cases of bribery.
In their defence, however, I don't think they expected to get caught. The FBI investigating the account they paid the bribes into about another matter probably wasn't they thought would happen.
braces_for_impact
Veteran Member
Well in many countries that might be bribery. Here it may be distasteful but legal I suspect. At least, that's what will be argued.
That depends. Right now, we know about one part of the transaction - money coming from these companies into Michael Cohen's shell company. It's how the money flowed out of that company and to whom which would determine the legality of it. If somebody wants to pay a business associate of the new President hundreds of thousands of dollars in order to get an insight into how he thinks, that may be a wasteful business expense but it's not an illegal transaction. However, if that money flowed to Trump or members of his administration in exchange for favours, it would be.
Given that the FBI presented a judge with sufficient evidence to warrant breaking down his door and seizing all his records, it seems more likely that there's a something here instead of a nothing. Also, I'm not aware of a single case involving this administration where additional evidence coming to light made them look less guilty instead of more guilty.
I think it depends on details we don't yet know, such as what was given in return for money. So far, it looks like Cohen simply promised influence over the President and things like that but delivered exactly zilch.
Underseer
Contributor
Fake news! Witch hunt! Uranium One! Benghazi!
Why isn't Mueller investigating Hillary instead? We should all switch to talking about Hillary now!
Please?
[/conservolibertarian]
I don't know. Novaris made a bunch of large payments and then the CEO had a private meeting with Trump soon after the last one. Now, that may be coincidence and there's nothing more here than Cohen being guilty of fraud, but it looks really fishy.
Underseer
Contributor
I love this. We're quibbling over which laws were or weren't broken when in any past administration, the moment the news of that Russian oligarch funneling money to Trump's lawyer would have been the end. Nixon was pushed out of office by the other Republicans over much less than this.
True. It's ridiculous.
Underseer
Contributor
Whatever else you can say about Trump, he has massively increased America's tolerance for corruption.
Even if Trump gets impeached and goes to prison, I suspect that a lot of politicians will know that they can get away with more than they thought they could.
No matter how things play out, we're going to be feeling the negative effects of Trump's time in office for a very long time.
Even if Trump gets impeached and goes to prison, I suspect that a lot of politicians will know that they can get away with more than they thought they could.
No matter how things play out, we're going to be feeling the negative effects of Trump's time in office for a very long time.