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Trump's Attorney's Office Raided by FBI
Topic Started: Apr 9 2018, 01:36 PM (2,197 Views)
George K
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Finally
This is a big deal.

Quote:
 
The FBI raided the office of Michael Cohen, a personal lawyer and confidant of President Donald Trump, Cohen's attorney confirmed to CNN Monday.

One source familiar with the matter told CNN that included in the documents authorities seized was information related to Stephanie Clifford, better known as porn actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006 that the White House has denied.

Stephen Ryan, a lawyer for Cohen, said in a statement that the US Attorney's office for the Southern District of New York had executed "a series of search warrants and seized the privileged communications" between Cohen and his clients.

A White House official said Trump had been watching TV reports of the FBI raiding Cohen's office, and that Trump knew about the raid before the news broke.

Ryan's statement called the search "completely inappropriate and unnecessary," and said federal prosecutors had told him it stemmed partially from a referral by the office of special counsel Robert Mueller.

"I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in part, a referral by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller," Ryan said in the statement. "... It resulted in the unnecessary seizure of protected attorney client communications between a lawyer and his clients. These government tactics are also wrong because Mr. Cohen has cooperated completely with all government entities, including providing thousands of non-privileged documents to the Congress and sitting for depositions under oath."

A person briefed on the search told the Times that the FBI also seized emails, tax documents and business records, including communications between Trump and Cohen.
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George K
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Finally
One talking head said that Cohen is likened to the Tom Hayden character in "The Godfather."

He is the attorney who is closer than anyone else to the client.
He is the attorney who knows everything about the client.
He is the attorney who has only one client.
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Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

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Jolly
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Geaux Tigers!
So, what are these lads looking for?
The main obstacle to a stable and just world order is the United States.- George Soros
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George K
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Finally
Jolly
Apr 9 2018, 01:40 PM
So, what are these lads looking for?
https://www.thedailybeast.com/did-fbi-raid-michael-cohen-over-stormy-daniels/

Quote:
 
But Daniels’ attorney—who has made a sport of challenging Cohen and Trump in the courtroom and the press—says the revelation does not bode well for the president and his loyal “fixer.”

In a statement emailed to The Daily Beast, Avenatti claimed that Trump has made Cohen the fall guy for his alleged misconduct.

“As I predicted last week on CNN and MSNBC, Mr. Cohen has been placed in the crosshairs by Mr. Trump,” Avenatti said. “He has been set-up to take the fall.”

“An enormous amount of misplaced faith has been placed on his shoulders and I do not believe he has the mettle to withstand it,” the attorney added. “If I am correct, this could end very, very badly for Mr. Trump and others.”

During Daniels’ 60 Minutes interview last month, a former Federal Election Commission official said Cohen’s hush money appeared to be an illegal contribution.

Trevor Potter, a former FEC chairman who now heads the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, said Cohen’s $130,000 payout appears to be “a coordinated, illegal, in-kind contribution by Cohen for the purpose of influencing the election, of benefiting the candidate by keeping this secret.”

Potter hinted that Cohen’s dealings could be of interest to Mueller, too.

“[Cohen] was involved indisputably with Trump Organization activities with Russia and negotiations with the Russians,” Potter told 60 Minutes. “Mr. Cohen is in the middle of a place that’s of great interest to the special counsel.”
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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kluurs
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Fulla-Carp
More interesting is whether Trump fires Mueller...
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
:popcorn:
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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George K
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Finally
jon-nyc
Apr 9 2018, 02:09 PM
:popcorn:
You're going to need a bigger bucket.
A guide to GKSR: Click

"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Davis
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Fulla-Carp
This could be real and big news, for a change. I am surprised that a lawyer would be dopey enough to break the law.
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Mark
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HOLY CARP!!!
He must have had a good reason, or "incentive" to do so.

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o 0
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George K
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Finally
More from Popehat:

(Emphases in original)

Quote:
 
The Search of Trump Lawyer Michael Cohen's Office: What We Can Infer Immediately

APRIL 9, 2018 BY KEN WHITE

The Very Big News of the day: FBI Agents raided the law office of Michael Cohen, President Trump's lawyer who was involved in payment of $130,000 to adult performer "Stormy Daniels" for a nondisclosure agreement.

Recently I've been listening to the Podcast "Slow Burn," about Watergate. There's a fascinating theme throughout it: when you're living a historical event, how do you know? How can you tell when a development is a Big Deal?

This is a big deal. It's very early on, but here's some things we can already tell.

1. According to Cohen's own lawyer, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (widely regarded within itself as being the most important and prestigious U.S. Attorney's Office in the country) secured the search warrants for the FBI. Assuming this report is correct, that means that a very mainstream U.S. Attorney's Office — not just Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office — thought that there was enough for a search warrant here.

2. Moreover, it's not just that the office thought that there was enough for a search warrant. They thought there was enough for a search warrant of an attorney's office for that attorney's client communications. That's a very fraught and extraordinary move that requires multiple levels of authorization within the Department of Justice. The U.S. Attorney's Manual — at Section 9-13.320 — contains the relevant policies and procedures. The highlights:

The feds are only supposed to raid a law firm if less intrusive measures won't work. As the USAM puts it:
Quote:
 
In order to avoid impinging on valid attorney-client relationships, prosecutors are expected to take the least intrusive approach consistent with vigorous and effective law enforcement when evidence is sought from an attorney actively engaged in the practice of law. Consideration should be given to obtaining information from other sources or through the use of a subpoena, unless such efforts could compromise the criminal investigation or prosecution, or could result in the obstruction or destruction of evidence, or would otherwise be ineffective.
Such a search requires high-level approval. The USAM requires such a search warrant to be approved by the U.S. Attorney — the head of the office, a Presidential appointee — and requires "consultation" with the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. This is not a couple of rogue AUSAs sneaking in a warrant.

Such a search requires an elaborate review process. The basic rule is that the government may not deliberately seize, or review, attorney-client communications. The USAM — and relevant caselaw — therefore require the feds to set up a review process. That process might involve a judge reviewing the materials to separate out what is privileged (or what might fall within an exception to the privilege), or else set up a "dirty team" that does the review but is insulated from the "clean team" running the investigation. Another option is a "special master," an experienced and qualified third-party attorney to do the review. Sometimes the reviewing team will only be identifying and protecting privileged material. Sometimes the reviewing team will be preparing to seek, or to implement, a court ruling that the documents are not privileged. (Robert Mueller is aggressive on this sort of thing; he already sought and obtained a court ruling that some of Paul Manafort's communications with his lawyers were not privileged because they were undertaken for the purpose of fraud — the so-called "crime-fraud exception" to the attorney-client privilege.

3. A Magistrate Judge signed off on this. Federal magistrate judges (appointed by local district judges, not by the President) review search warrant applications. A Magistrate Judge therefore reviewed this application and found probable cause — that is, probable cause to believe that the subject premises (Cohen's office) contains specified evidence of a specified federal crime. Now, Magistrate Judges sometimes are a little too rubber-stampy for my taste. But here, where the Magistrate Judge knew that this would become one of the most scrutinized search warrant applications ever, and because the nature of the warrant of an attorney's office is unusual, you can expect that the Magistrate Judge felt pretty confident that there was enough there.

4. The search warrant application (the lengthy narrative from the FBI agent setting for the evidence) is almost certainly still under seal, and even Michael Cohen doesn't get to see it [yet]. But the FBI would have left the warrant itself — and that shows (1) the federal criminal statutes they were investigating, and (2) the list of items they wanted to seize. Much can be learned for those. Assuming Michael Cohen doesn't release it, watch for it to be leaked.

Again: this is a Big Deal.
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
I’m off to the bucket store....
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Copper
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Shortstop

The judge on Fox News says it could be something like:

- Cohen mortgages his house to get the hush money to pay off Stormy
- Cohen tells the bank the money is for remodelling
- That is BANK FRAUD!
- Muellar figured this out but decides it is outside his scope so he turns it over to NY FBI

Just a guess by the judge on Fox News
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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Davis
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Fulla-Carp
Copper
Apr 9 2018, 03:47 PM
The judge on Fox News says it could be something like:

- Cohen mortgages his house to get the hush money to pay off Stormy
- Cohen tells the bank the money is for remodelling
- That is BANK FRAUD!
- Muellar figured this out but decides it is outside his scope so he turns it over to NY FBI

Just a guess by the judge on Fox News
I think that is wishful thinking. If it’s that it would be like the gestapo and the FBI should have hell to pay.
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Mikhailoh
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If you want trouble, find yourself a redhead
I'm starting to like the fire Mueller idea.
Once in his life, every man is entitled to fall madly in love with a gorgeous redhead - Lucille Ball
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Copper
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Davis
Apr 9 2018, 03:58 PM
Copper
Apr 9 2018, 03:47 PM
The judge on Fox News says it could be something like:

- Cohen mortgages his house to get the hush money to pay off Stormy
- Cohen tells the bank the money is for remodelling
- That is BANK FRAUD!
- Muellar figured this out but decides it is outside his scope so he turns it over to NY FBI

Just a guess by the judge on Fox News
I think that is wishful thinking. If it’s that it would be like the gestapo and the FBI should have hell to pay.

What's the alternative? Ignore bank fraud?
The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
Mikhailoh
Apr 9 2018, 04:09 PM
I'm starting to like the fire Mueller idea.
Except this isn’t Mueller it’s the FBI.

In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Davis
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Fulla-Carp
Seems to me you could just pay off the loan if you lied about it and no need for the fbi. I’m sure lies about uses for loans happen daily.
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
It would be hard to believe that trump’s personal attorney would need to mortgage a property to come up with 130k.

It would be easier to believe that he committed some kind of fraud trying to hide the source of the payments.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
It’s always the cover up.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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George K
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Finally
jon-nyc
Apr 9 2018, 04:53 PM
It would be easier to believe that he committed some kind of fraud trying to hide the source of the payments.
Yup.
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... "
- Mik, 6/14/08


Nothing is as effective as homeopathy.

I'd rather listen to an hour of Abba than an hour of The Beatles.
- Klaus, 4/29/18
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Davis
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Fulla-Carp
George K
Apr 9 2018, 04:58 PM
jon-nyc
Apr 9 2018, 04:53 PM
It would be easier to believe that he committed some kind of fraud trying to hide the source of the payments.
Yup.
Huh? A lawyer? Pretty dumb one. He has to be real stupid. I never would have thought one could get that far in his profession and do something so discoverable.
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Copper
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Davis
Apr 9 2018, 05:01 PM
George K
Apr 9 2018, 04:58 PM
jon-nyc
Apr 9 2018, 04:53 PM
It would be easier to believe that he committed some kind of fraud trying to hide the source of the payments.
Yup.
Huh? A lawyer? Pretty dumb one. He has to be real stupid. I never would have thought one could get that far in his profession and do something so discoverable.

Is there any indication that this happened?

The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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jon-nyc
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Cheers
We’re just speculating. It could have been some kinder, gentler bank fraud.
In my defense, I was left unsupervised.
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Davis
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Fulla-Carp
jon-nyc
Apr 9 2018, 05:18 PM
We’re just speculating. It could have been some kinder, gentler bank fraud.
Well if it was a bank fraud to cover up a campaign donation vs some garden variety way to pay then he deserves to get fried. If it wasn’t a cover up then it becomes much more interesting. Curious to see what else they got other than a theory of motive. This could go either way but if it is a theory that can’t be proven it will get ugly.
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Copper
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Shortstop

Come on, if you are going to speculate make it worth posting.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-pennsylvania-votingmachi/pennsylvania-race-shows-need-for-u-s-voting-machine-upgrades-experts-idUSKCN1GQ2NX

Quote:
 
Pennsylvania's tight congressional special election underscores the need for states to replace aging voting machines and use paper ballots as backups to ensure the integrity of vote counts ahead of pivotal November U.S. midterm elections, election security advocates said on Wednesday.


I'm pretty sure that Mr. Cohen might have actually hacked these machines and this is why Mr. Trump won Pennsylvania. I am just making this up but I believe it is a very real possibility.


The Confederate soldier was peculiar in that he was ever ready to fight, but never ready to submit to the routine duty and discipline of the camp or the march. The soldiers were determined to be soldiers after their own notions, and do their duty, for the love of it, as they thought best. Carlton McCarthy
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