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© (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018.Trump ex-lawyer Cohen given 3 years in prison; blames 'blind loyalty'
By Brendan Pierson, Nathan Layne and Karen Freifeld NEW YORK©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
81 Comments
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Chip Star
It's beyond hilarious to read the conservatives wallowing in denial and deflection together trying to feel better about another one of Trump's enablers going down. ROFL!
jcapan
Sure, it had nothing to do with the hundreds of thousands of dollars he paid you during the 12 years you worked for him, not to mention the generous income you received from Russian moguls. You defended a man who said there are bad people on both sides after Charlottesville. You, a Jew, worked for a white nationalist scumbag who refused to condemn anti-semitism. Have fun in prison.
Laguna
One wonders what it feels like to wake up knowing another man has been imprisoned for your crimes. But the message the judge sent should give Trump pause: this is anything but "small peanuts," as Trump termed it yesterday.
Still, I feel this is a red herring to distract the Trump team from the more ominous Russia investigation. Mueller is calculating with the info he releases and its timing. The decision to proceed with election law violations while remaining mum on the Russian connection is not a sign that Trump is in the clear; it's precisely the opposite.
plasticmonkey
False equivalence.
However, remember that the Constitution of the United States clearly states that a sitting president can be impeached for non-criminal offenses, specifically "high crimes and misdemeanors". "High" meaning an abuse of the "high" office of the presidency to subvert the Constitution and the operation of democratic institutions for political gain. This is what brought Nixon down, not criminal charges.
You may squawk all you want about "liberals" and "the left" and "Dems". That's all irrelevant. It's looking more and more evident that Trump has used the office to obstruct justice (at the least) to hide whatever other corruption lurks beneath the surface.
Time will tell. And I can tell you and your cult leader are nervous about that.
Chip Star
The person that compulsively references liberals, Dems, and the left is claiming they don't. Apparently, that person cannot read their own posts. Too funny!
Trump and his follower's are clearly nervous, as evidenced by their increasingly frantic bloviations, deflections, and obfuscations.
This is so so much fun to watch!
Yubaru
Right, you are just saying this because you got nailed! Somehow I get the feeling that this is just the beginning and the first domino to fall!
PTownsend
When the Soviet era 'the otherguys are worse' claim is made, it indicates posters (in this case a Trump supporter/anti-'westerner') canNOT find a way to defend Trump, nor their position.
Face it Trump supporters/anti-'westerners': Trump's a thug. Look at the global leaders he does business with, all global thugs, all pushing for greater control over the world - and especially oil and gas.
lincolnman
Just think about that for a second - your personal attorney - your personal "fixer" - the guy/gal who you sat down with, and poured out all your failings, your criminal acts, your deep secrets because of attorney-client privilege, just said "I'm giving everything to the Prosecutors - tapes, documents, e-mails, hard drives, everything..."
Donnie is wetting his pants he's so scared....
The fact that Kavanugh just voted with Liberals only makes his head ache even more...
Manafort, Gates, Papdapolous, now Cohen, soon Flynn, and then the others - all in orange jumpsuits...
The Trump Crime Family is being dissected by Mueller...And the Orange Godfather is next...
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Yeah, its not like individual-1 has been implicated in any crimes. He's totally innocent. ;)
Hahahaha you dont actually bother reading anything before you write, do you? He said impeach- not indict. Of course a sitting president can be impeached. Ask Billy C.
Strangerland
As a billionaire narcissist who has never had to face adversity, was given everything, and spent a lifetime surrounded by yes men, I would imagine it feels like ‘he did what he should have done’.
CrazyJoe
Cohen needs to sit for awhile. The excuse that he was loyal and just followed orders from the White House doesn’t cut it. Unless we punish people who fail to take a stand against Trump believing they are being loyal or are just following orders, we are just empowering those around Trump to continue to do his dirty work. People need to say “No” to wrongdoing from the outset. If I were judge, Cohen would sit in jail for the maximum time allowed by law.
Ah_so
Are you talking about the unidicted co-conspirator?
It seems to me, and just about everyone else who is watching this unfold, that quite a lot of evidence is mounting.
Chip Star
Trump being a creep and disgrace as a businessperson is not unusual, but Cohen being a creep and disgrace as a lawyer is unacceptable? Rock solid conservative "logic." LOL.
Chip Star
The personal crimes he committed aiding Trump in committing crimes. You conservatives can never be accurate.
Cohen was punished for failing to cooperate with the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, which has zero to do with his cooperation with Mueller. I'll type a little more slowly so you can understand: Nobody accused Cohen of making things up in his cooperation.
Lets keep things grounded in reality, as difficult as that is for conspiracy theory peddling conservatibes.
SuperLib
This is an unsupported allegation made exclusively by Trump, his supporters, and the right wing media. To date they have shown not a shred of evidence.
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Its almost comical reading some of the pro-Trump comments here.
Let me get this straight: Mueller, a Vietnam vet, and career attorney at the DOJ/FBI is the dirty, corrupt guy and the Donny, the draft dodger, affair-having, fake university, trust-fund poodle, and career grifter is somehow the unwitting victim of the deep state? Have I got this right? hahahahahahaha
Trump's attorney went down today and I thought he only hired the best people. How does the very stable genius do it?
And yet some true believers think its all just a witch hunt. For all the right wingers: https://binged.it/2Px0o73
Ah_so
Blacklabel - one thing that you may not understand about the American criminal justice system is that you can only be charged with things that are crimes. You cannot plead guilty to something that is not a crime.
I do not see how you could be confused about this. Surely even a child would understand this logic.
smithinjapan
bass4funk: "Jennifer Aniston loved Pitt a long time ago as well."
And yet you still can't address the questions you've been asked, and this quoted comment is your response to being called out for Calling Mueller a Democrat -- and this is not the first time. YOu can't admit he's a Republican! haha. More nervous Lols.
Chip Star
Allow me to interpret: "We don't care when crimes are committed by conservative white people."
PTownsend
Speaking for myself, that's nothing new. Since first reading stories about Trump, who's long been a tabloid darling, decades ago I've yet to find one thing positive to say about him. He's been a lowlife, privileged class thug all his life.
Leopards and spots, after all.
CrazyJoe
Trump's personal lawyer for 12 years, and a man who was the Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC, was just sentenced to 3 years in prison for felonies committed during the 2016 presidential election campaign.
But. Her. Emails.
I do love the fact that Cohen once Tweeted "@HillaryClinton when you go to jail for defrauding America and perjury, your room and board will be free."
Can't make this stuff up.
Slickdrifter
Where is the Presidential pardon for Cohen?
I am sure POTUS will pardon Cohen right? After all it was promised behind closed doors right?
Like he pays his subcontractors, right?
Laguna
The harshness of Cohen's sentence has got to have alarmed those remaining adults surrounding Trump. They know the peril Trump faces but either dare not tell him or are ignored. This leaves Trump all the more open to the punishment he deserves. Just google "idiot" and click the image button to see how a growing number of Americans are coming to view the current POTUS - and for good reason.
PTownsend
'...his own dirty deeds'. And dozens of millions of Americans still think Trump's their political messiah.
Like Trump and other criminals, Cohen's using the 'otherguy's responsible' defense. He did the crime for his crime boss, now he's doing the time.
Trump backed by the National Enquirer. Its readers believe stories about alien abductions - and that Trump is a political messiah. And he's not a criminal. Nor are Don Jr., Ivanka, Jared...
ulysses
Cant argue there, weakness comes out of greed and Cohen and his former boss have plenty of both.
I suggest putting in a revolving door in that prison, by the time Cohen is out, Trump should be ready to go in. Along with a few dozen others....
lincolnman
And still is. Trump sure loved Hillary - I bet Mueller didn't contribute to the Clinton's campaigns...
Not as much as Trump loved the Clintons...(and still does - he's just playing all his supporters)
You bet he would - two draft dodging "birds of a feather" pervs - you ready yet to agree (I've asked you three times....) or are you going to continue dodge?
lincolnman
Indeed - the irony is so sweet...
Michael "You're going to jail" Cohen sentenced to the big house for three years...
Michael "Lock Her Up" Flynn pleading to stay out of the lockup...
Notice a pattern here - next: Donald "No Collusion!" Trump...
But the best - Brent "The Conservative Savior" Kavanaugh siding with Liberals on his first case...
Trumpers heads are bursting...
Toasted Heretic
It's fine. Nothing of much substance to mop up, anyways.
plasticmonkey
Deflecting again. We were discussing Trump. He's president. Comey isn't and wasn't.
Even if what you claim about Comey and Mueller and the investigation is true (which it isn't), you simply are incapable of defending Trump without smearing his investigators. You don't have a leg to stand on.
lostrune2
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Cohen pleaded guilty to doing something illegal as co-conspirator
The National Enquirer publisher also just pleaded guilty to doing something illegal as co-conspirator
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/national-enquirer-trump-payments-768242/
"National Enquirer Parent Company Admits to Helping Trump Commit Criminal Violation of Campaign Finance Law"
These crimes violate the Campaign Finance Law
takeda.shingen.1991@gmail.com
Obviously this isn't true, because Cohen is going to prison.
So, Mueller duped Cohen into pleading guilty, and the judge approved the guilty knowing what Cohen did wasn't actually a crime? Hahahaha hahahaha fascinating theory, Black. Where'd you study law, Trump University?
lincolnman
He's not a conservative, he's an idiot - just ask Tillertson, Kelly, Preibus, Manuchin, etc. etc.....
A life-long Republican who works for the Trump Justice Dept and supervised by Rosenstein, another life-long Republican - and no one believes your "17 Democrats" fairy tale...that's laughable....
By the way, did you hear that Kavanaugh sided with the Liberals yesterday?
SuperLib
Mueller is subservient to the Democrats? Uhhh, ok. Not sure how you would know that, but ok.
SuperLib
So we got his personal lawyer. Who will be next? Stone? Don Jr?
plasticmonkey
Yes it really is. Tell me another instance of a president firing an FBI director for an investigation involving foreign interference in that president's election campaign. Or a president using his bully pulpit Twitter account to discredit said investigation. Or a president publicly dangling a pardon for a suspect on trial who is also serving as a witness. Or a president receiving information from that suspect about said trial after a plea bargain has been agreed to. These things are called obstruction of justice and witness tampering by the highest elected public servant of the American people.
Tell me who else has done this.
You left off the last part of my sentence: for non-criminal offenses, specifically "high crimes and misdemeanors".
Your report on Kavanaugh regards civil suits and criminal investigations. That is different from what the Constitution means by "high crimes and misdemeanors". Or perhaps you'd like to take that up with the founding fathers.
Nothing really matters, anyone can see. Nothing really matters. Nothing really matters to me . . .
lincolnman
????
Because it's just so sweat - the conservative nail in the Supreme Court voted with Liberals - on his first case.....it doesn't get any better watching all the Trumpers squirm....
Manafort 8 years and facing many more, Cohen 3 years, Flynn getting his soon - unless he can convince the judge that the 19 times he met with Mueller produced something - and Mueller said it did.... Another reason Donnie is wetting his pants...
Thank you for agreeing Trump runs a crime family...
If history is a guide, likely this...
https://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/24/nyregion/gotti-sentenced-to-life-in-prison-without-the-possibility-of-parole.html
lincolnman
Dodges the question again and cites previously refuted Kremlin-authored conspiracy theories.
17 Democratic lawyers - what pure bunk - Mueller was a Republican when Donnie was a New York Liberal praising Hillary...
In 2012, as Obama was running for re-election, Trump called Clinton “terrific” again in an interview with Fox News, saying she performed well as Secretary of State.
“Hillary Clinton I think is a terrific woman,” he told Greta Van Susteren. “I am biased because I have known her for years. I live in New York. She lives in New York. I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard. And I think, again, she’s given an agenda, it is not all of her, but I think she really works hard and I think she does a good job. I like her.
And on Fox and Friends on Wednesday, Trump explained why he donated to Clinton’s campaigns.
“I’m a businessman. I contribute to everybody,” Trump said. “When I needed Hillary, she was there. If I say ‘go to my wedding,’ they go to my wedding.”
I guess the weddings in between porn star flings...
SuperLib
Who is the Lieutenant FBI Director?
Chip Star
Exactly. What soft-headed liberals just don't get is that somethingbisnt a crime unless the defendant pleads guilty. It's a basic principal of the American justice system.
The judge that sentenced Cohen is a complete activist. He constantly rules for on demand abortions and open borders.
Hillary! Podesta! Har! ROFL!
Laguna
I'm telling you guys - this is Mueller's red herring. Bad as campaign finance illegalities are, under the present environment, Trump would likely be spared Senate conviction. But that's not what Mueller's after. Don Jr. and Kushner are the next dominoes to fall - in relation to foreign interference, the main thrust of Mueller's perview. Expect this during January. You ain't seen nothing yet.
Chip Star
Totally. A celebrity marriage is the exact equivalent of a friendship. Why can't libs understand that the world is black and white, unless us conservatives are spinning conspiracy theories to excuse The Donny's behavior?
Too right! Having your daddy pay a doctor to diagnos you with bone spurs is absolutely the same as earning an educational deferment. Dems just don't understand how much better the world is when you're wearing black and white glasses. ROFL!
smithinjapan
bass4funk: "Cohen is a creep and a disgrace as a lawyer,"
Whom you loved until recently. Seems you do that a lot. After all, Trump was a "lunatic" to you until he won the GOP nod.
lincolnman
Trump better be glad you're not his lawyer....
All of these admissions, as the Judge presiding over the case, William H. Pauley III, said in court Tuesday, rendered Cohen’s actions a felony: he knew he was breaking the law — specifically the Federal Election Act, which regulates money in politics — and he did it anyway. At the direction of Individual #1.
Legal experts were particularly baffled by the breezy way in which Trump said campaign finance violations weren’t a crime, highlighting the lack of knowledge it seems to show about the legal system as a whole. There’s no way a federal judge would let someone plea to something that wasn’t a crime,” said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor. “That’s not how it works.”
Added Hasen: “It’s not only non accurate, it’s nonsensical. Why would you plead guilty to a crime that carries five years in jail if it was not a crime?
What a brilliant legal mind....he Better Call Saul quick.....
You know what's in Mueller's safe?
Trump is toast....
lincolnman
For the third time, great song....
Laguna
Black, that's only if done "unknowingly and unwittedly," as in Obama's case - a "Whoops!" situation that was corrected immediately and the fine paid.
Compare that to Trump's situation. How many versions of mutually exclusive excuses has he given for what can only be considered bribery in relation to his campaign? (Correct answer: a lot, none of which are truthful.)
Still, Trump's bimbos are the least of his emerging problems. Upcoming is to keep his sons out of jail; next, to do the same for himself.
Toasted Heretic
He's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy!
PTownsend
What's so special about the cheesemakers?
serendipitous1
It's obvious Mueller is waiting for all Trump's lackeys to go down and then it will be Trump's turn. These things cannot be done in a hurry and Mueller is a master at such things. Can't wait to read Trump's farewell tweets.....
David Claro
Great. 3 years in the nick.
lincolnman
And?
I know its tough to realize your President has completely fooled you...he's a NY Democrat...gave big money to the Clinton's while Mueller was supporting the Republican candidate as a life-long Republican....
Birds of a feather as in both draft-dodging pervs who shouldn't be in the White House - good I'm glad we have that on the record after three tries...
SuperLib
Rosenstein answers to Democrats, too?
wtfjapan
Face it Trump supporters/anti-'westerners': Trump's a thug. Look at the **global leaders he does business with, all global thugs, all pushing for greater control over the world - and especially oil and gas.**
heres a good inlook into who Trump asscoiates with and puts into positions.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HS2TstPfW4
Chip Star
I couldn't agree more. What Dems don't understand is that criminals plead guilty to prosecutors not judges.
Libs just don't understand math, which is why they can't accept that Mueller only horses democrats and supporters thereof:
*information shows that 13 of the 17 members of Mueller's team have previously registered as Democrats, while four had no affiliation or their affiliation could not be found.*
*Nine of the 17 made political donations to Democrats, their contributions totaling more than $57,000. *The majority came from one person, who also contributed to Republicans.
Kobe White Bar Owner
I thought Donnie Fiasco was circling the drain but this has gotta mean flush.... no....
Chip Star
Why can't the left understand that is conservatibes have the Mueller Channel that broadcasts everything Mueller does? Us conservatives have a direct line into Mueller's thinking, which is why we know he is subservient to the Dems. Smh.
Of course they are. It was on that episode from the Mueller Channel.
Totally. Libs can't wrap their heads around the fact that every president deserves a Dept of Justice that eschews the law in support of the president. It's common sense.
Damn straight. Every other president has had direct links to his global business empire just like Trump. ROFL!
SuperLib
Interesting. I hadn’t fact checked the “13 angry Democrats” angle yet.
Chip Star
Of course you haven't, libs are allergic to facts. Har! ROFL! Oh my . . . Smh.
(It's far easier being a conservative because I don't actually have to do any thinking in my own. Everything I need to know, I'm told!)
Serrano
"The Mueller investigation represents a threat to Trump's presidency. Mueller, who also is examining whether the president has unlawfully sought to obstruct the probe, has secured guilty pleas from several former Trump aides including his former campaign chairman and national security adviser"
Mueller is on a Which Hunt. "Which Trump associate will I prosecute next?"
Chip Star
Can't argue that. It's not as if Mueller's secured convictions or pleas from any of Trump's associates yet. HAR!
bass4funk
Rosenstein answers to Democrats, too?
His forked toungue is undermining the President.
Trump isn’t doing anything different with these people than the other Presidents.
Serrano
"Trump is toast"
The people who think that Trump is going to get impeached are the same people that have been whining for the last two years and said Trump had zero chance of winning. They have zero credibility.
Blacklabel
campaign finance violations are a (civil) crime. If you are willing to say that by giving $2 to a guy at the train station is a violation of that law and plead guilty to it, no one will stop you. There is no judge to say that actually what you did is perfectly legal if you say all by yourself it’s a crime.
Do you really think mueller will tell Cohen, hey dummy what you did isn’t criminal? People who interviewed Flynn said he didn’t lie. Yet Mueller allowed him to plead guilty to lying anyway, right?
bass4funk
Probably because I have a TV
Ahhhh, now I get it. These two nut jobs are Democrat boot licking Republicans, well this clarifies everything.
Because as always liberals will believe only liberal sources, so much for them being open minded and resistent to facts. Smh
https://dailycaller.com/2018/02/21/exclusive-zero-registered-republicans-mueller-lawyer/
bass4funk
Jennifer Aniston loved Pitt a long time ago as well.
What? Lol
Does it matter whether Trump or Clinton dodging the draft, I could care less. But as you said, birds of a feather.....
Serrano
Any collusion yet?
bass4funk
And yet, you guys are on him as if he were a conservative? What the....
But he’s subservient to the Democrats and hires only Democrats for his witch hunt...what the.....
Belrick
Easy to see how you Trump haters twist this man's (Cohen) lies and BS, to fit your own continual gender of finding negativity in 100% of anything Trump says or does. Laughable.
Serrano
"Trump is toast"
Dream on, lincoln.
Blacklabel
Plead guilty to things that aren’t even crimes, apologize, say what you are told to damage the president politically, all your own crimes are forgiven, don’t go to jail.
or so Cohen believed.
bass4funk
I didn’t know you were that into meet with the president.
I doubt that. This little kid is so small, no one cares about it. The only person they keeps talking about it is you.
Papadopoulos just came out of a very traumatic two week prison sentence, oh, the dangerous criminal!
Ok and then?
bass4funk
No it wasn’t.
Tell me of a time when an FBI director was selfish and playing both sides of the political fence? Name me a situation where the lieutenant FBI director recommended that his boss essentially be fired and then turns around and launches a special council investigation on the President for doing that? Name me a time where president was being investigated by 17 democrat lawyers? Name me a Time where you had the head of the IRS plead the fifth, audit dozens of high profile conservative donors to illegally to take them out the 2012 election and not suffer any repercussions from it, need me an attorney general That was held in contempt. Name me a time where anyone who could hide a hard drive server in a restroom of a restaurant destroyed the hard drives and use bleach bit to cover up the evidence. All of these things were called obstruction in yet for some reason the corrupt FBI seems to gloss over it
That’s because using your personal money to pay off the field porn star doesn’t amount to High crimes and misdemeanors and Mueller knows that otherwise her would have charge the President a long time ago.
No, it is exactly as I said, I know Mueller is trying to find whatever he can, but it’s not panning out that way and I’m afraid to say at least a report that it looks like the Democrats are just not going to get their wish that this president is going to be drummed out of office. You cannot in date a sitting president, not while he is in office. And the Senate won’t remove him. These people hate the president so much, if that was something I was smoking gun at where they could nail the president with, it would’ve already been done and they know it, but I understand the Democrats are trying to keep a sliver of hope alive.
bass4funk
Exactly, was a Republican. Thank you for agreeing with me.
Hillary thought the world of Comey as well until.....
I agree until he ran, screwed up her chances and then she came along with that fake dossier and the rest is history. Good thing she didn’t win..
Between the rich and powerful, Bill would know.
bass4funk
For composing, we need you, we will reduce your sentence and what else you can give us, if you don’t, we’ll make this painful for you, of course the man will sing and sing.
We know.
I’ll say this slowly, you can buy that, most won't. Even Gowdy thinks it’s a joke.
Lets keep things grounded in reality,
Insane Wayne
He got busted for tax fraud and congress has a fund for payments to people ho threaten to sue. Obama offered his preacher $150,000 to stop his jibber jabber. There ain’t no story.
cla68
Tony Podesta will be joining you soon, Mr Cohen.
Blacklabel
Might want to reread the list of personal crimes he admitted to they don’t involve Trump. What he said he did with Trump wouldn’t even be a crime at all if he didn’t plead guilty to it.
bass4funk
No, it really isn’t.
Not really....
https://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2018/07/11/brett-kavanaugh-president-indicted-709641
Kavanaugh's allies note that the 2009 Minnesota Law Review article he wrote addressing such subjects advocates for a congressional statute that would exempt the president from civil suits while in office, as well as immunizing him from criminal investigation and prosecution. He does use some pretty strong language about the prospect of a criminal trial of a sitting president, saying it would "cripple the federal government"—an assessment that one could imagine leading a Supreme Court justice to step in to avert such a prospect.
However, Kavanaugh's supporters observe that by backing a law to provide such immunity, he was implicitly accepting that it could not be found in the Constitution or existing law.
So far there is nothing that would tie Trump to any crime that would be considered high crimes and misdemeanors.
Trust me, I don’t. Equally liberals can twist and contort as much as they want, doesn’t matter, they still don’t have a leg to stand on and they need to stop salivating all over the place because they always seem to bite off more then they can chew.
I doubt it, so far there is nothing that would remotely indicate that and least not to the level that the President would need to be removed from office.
Actually, no. The President doesn’t seem nervous at all, doesn’t need to be. I know liberals WANT conservatives to feel nervous, but that’s not the case, it’s the. Exit opposite and that’s knowing the President has the Senate. Lol
Blacklabel
Good to see his last minute telling of things partisan people want to hear didn’t save him from jail for his personal crimes.
A lesson for others who might think cooperation with Mueller by making things up is going to help them. It won’t.
bass4funk
As well as John.
Dozens of millions? You guys...lol
Love how liberals are prematurely calling the President a criminal without any evidence or tangible evidence. Cohen is a creep and a disgrace as a lawyer, but Trump as a businessman and him doing questionable business dealings is not unusual. If you want to label the President as a criminal then I submit to you virtually every politician in Washington is then by default a criminal, the only difference they all get a pass to do what they do.
I don’t know, liberals read Mother Jones, The Nation and Moveon so they really can’t say anything. ROFL!