Those non-Mueller aspects of #Trump Russia have been well-timed as the midterms approach, with the SDNY Feds hitting Mike Cohen’s bank and tax frauds, much like Paul Manafort’s foreign entanglements in his upcoming second trial.
Mueller’s supposed to provide a 60 day window of respite to the WH in terms of releasing sensitive information prior to the elections, but too bad, there’s just so much crime.
And some think Cohen’s hinting (again) about flipping, because he’s talking to John Dean...
It’s unclear if Cohen’s attorneys have already had detailed conversations with federal prosecutors about a plea deal, which would likely also involve Cohen talking to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
If an agreement can’t be finalized by the end of the month, the matter will probably drag on until after the midterms, as the Justice Department has an informal policy of not releasing sensitive information in the weeks before an election (though as we all know, sometimes they ignore that).
The hint was made by Lanny Davis that Cohen has an interest in talking to Mueller and references the recent NY Times article on Don McGahn that made POTUS* tweet some nonsense on Sunday morning, including an attack on one of the newspaper’s owners reminiscent of other anti-Mexican inferences.
Federal authorities investigating whether President Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael D. Cohen, committed bank and tax fraud have zeroed in on well over $20 million in loans obtained by taxi businesses that he and his family own, according to people familiar with the matter.
Investigators are also examining whether Mr. Cohen violated campaign finance or other laws by helping to arrange financial deals to secure the silence of women who said they had affairs with Mr. Trump.
The inquiry has entered the final stage and prosecutors are considering filing charges by the end of August, two of the people said.
Any criminal charges against Mr. Cohen would deal a significant blow to the president. Mr. Cohen, 52, worked for the president’s company, the Trump Organization, for more than a decade. He was one of Mr. Trump’s most loyal and visible aides and called himself the president’s personal lawyer after Mr. Trump took office.
The bank loans under scrutiny, the total of which has not been previously reported, came from two financial institutions in the New York region that have catered to the taxi industry, Sterling National Bank and the Melrose Credit Union, according to business records and people with knowledge of the matter, including a banker who reviewed the transactions.
Federal investigators in New York are seeking to determine whether Mr. Cohen misrepresented the value of his assets to obtain the loans, which exceed $20 million.
“Truth isn’t truth’ - Rudolph Giuliani Aug 19, 2018
“Just remember what you’re seeing and what you're reading is not what’s happening."Donald Trump July 24 2018