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Ya Think? It’s more like ‘Richter 8.0 shaky ground’ if you asked me ...
by Katherine Faulders, John Santucci, Soo Rin Kim, ABC News — Apr 30, 2018
The Trump campaign has spent nearly $228,000 to cover some of the legal expenses for President Donald Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen, sources familiar with the payments tell ABC News, raising questions about whether the Trump campaign may have violated campaign finance laws.
Federal Election Commission records show three payments made from the Trump campaign to a firm representing Cohen. The “legal consulting” payments were made to McDermott Will and Emery — a law firm where Cohen's attorney Stephen Ryan is a partner — between October 2017 and January 2018.
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"They're on shaky legal ground," said Stephen Spaulding, chief of strategy at the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause. "It sounds like they are really pushing the envelope … If the campaign were to say they are campaign-related payments, then maybe it's okay to use campaign funds. But he can't have it both ways."
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If the Cohen payments were purely Russia-related they might be in the clear with regards to FEC violations, according to the legal experts ABC News talked to. If however those Cohen legal payments were Daniels-related, the Trump Campaign is violating FEC regulations Big-time.
How many Lawyers does Cohen have? (ie. Cohen’s Lawyer is likely fielding both areas). Cohen’s not a Trump afterall, who can afford to have a rotating team of Legal Beagles, to chase down whatever pesky regulation that is in Trump’s way.
In interviews this week, the president's lawyer also revealed that Cohen was compensated for far more than the Daniels debt — up to $470,000. This disclosure demands an answer: What else is hidden in the $340,000 difference between the Daniels settlement and Cohen's take?
[… Trump’s] not the kind of man to throw a $340,000 tip on top a $130,000 bill.
— rollingstone.com — May 4, 2018
Well Slush Funds and contingency Hush Funds aren’t cheap! Ask any mob boss.
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And in other fungible Money News:
(CNN) More than one-fifth of the $3.9 million that President Donald Trump's 2020 re-election campaign has spent this year has gone to legal fees, the campaign's latest quarterly Federal Election Commission filing shows.
About $835,000 in payments for "legal consulting" were made to eight firms and the Trump Corporation, with the most -- $347,000 -- going to Jones Day. Another $185,000 went to the firm Larocca Hornik Rosen Greenberg & Blaha. About $24,000 went to the Trump Corporation.
The steep legal bills come amid a probe into whether the Trump campaign was involved in Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election as well as a legal battle with adult film star Stormy Daniels.
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Wow. Maybe Trump can’t afford his Legal Hounds either — since it seems his Re-election Fund donors are footing those bills.
Which raises a similar FEC question (ala the Cohen Payoff conundrum):
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Shouldn’t things of a “personal nature” — (Porn Star Hush Money) — NOT be funded by Campaign dollars, either?
Unless of course that Porn Star’s silence was a KEY to winning the 2016 Election — then it becomes a legit “Campaign expense” by default, does it not?
Let’s ask one of Trump Legal experts, shall we … (Think of poor Melania now won’t you) ...
“Imagine if that [allegations of an affair] came out on Oct. 15, 2016, in the middle of the, you know, last debate with Hillary Clinton,” Giuliani told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” of the $130,000 payment made by Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer. “Cohen didn’t even ask. Cohen made it go away. He did his job.”
— politico.com — May 3, 2018
And how much was Cohen was paid for “that Job” — and by whom? Does 340K ring any bells?
Because it’s not like Cohen doesn’t need to the money — to pay off his own back-taxes and so forth (Cohen v Trump legal defense).
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Meanwhile back on the “great” American ranch …
Maybe Trump needs to start a new PAC — Making Crime Pay Again — in America, and undisclosed places around the world?
“Have hackers — will travel.”
It’s not like anyone in Trumpland is going to stop them, now is it? All the Trump-minions are too busy with other “legal” affairs.
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