Wow. According to Rachel a few moments ago, AT&T has confirmed having paid $200,000 to Essential Consulants, the shell company that Michael Cohen used to pay Stormy Daniels.
Apparently, AT&T paid the $200,000 in four installments of $50,000 each. As Rachel noted, this is suspect since AT&T is currently seeking smooth sailing for a merger with Time Warner.
From CNBC:
Telecommunications giant AT&T said Tuesday night that it had paid President Donald Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen for "insights" about the Trump administration.
AT&T's admission came after a lawyer for porn star Stormy Daniels claimed the company, drug giant Novartis and a Russian oligarch had all made payments to Cohen's shell company.
Daniels' lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said AT&T had made four separate payments of $50,000 apiece to Cohen's company, for a total of $200,000 in late 2017 and into early 2018.
That company, Essential Consultants, was created by Cohen in October 2016 and soon after was used to make a $130,000 hush-money payment to Daniels.
www.cnbc.com/…
"Insights” LoL It sure looks like bribery! Why else would it be paid to Trump’s fixer’s covert shell company?
AT&T has been run by ultra-rightwingers for a long time, and I will never forgive their fierce opposition to the Affordable Health Care Act. Let's hope this at least scuttles their merger bid, if not leads to the toppling of Trump.
Update 1: From DRo in the comments:
It is not just AT&T, the pay to play is all over the place.
Korea Aerospace Industries is reportedly “well placed” to win a $13 billion contract from the Air Force. Did they pay Michael Cohen's company $150,000 in an effort to secure their bid?