The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

[Sunsilver]

Definitely material for the WTF thread. My poor head is just going 'wuggawuggawugga' after reading that link! I'm going to go hug my dogs for a bit to restore my sanity...

[yovargas]

I had to google around a bit to see what that was referencing to and:
Michael Cohen Secretly Taped Trump Discussing Payment to Playboy Model

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I agree that is probably what is being referred to, but there is also the fact that the young woman recently arrested as being a Russian operative who targeted the NRA and conservatives in general is alleged to have used sex to advance her cause.

[yovargas]

Oh. Neat.

[Dave_LF]

Seems like everyone these days either is a Russian operative, or they're being bribed or blackmailed by one. I'm starting to feel left out.

[RoseMorninStar]

Dave: присоединиться к клубу/prisoyedinit'sya k klubu (join the club. Courtesy of Google Translate)

I'm having a hard time keeping up with all of this madness. I must live a very unsophisticated life. (Thank goodness)

Voronwë.. I was thinking perhaps of Don Jr.

[Frelga]

This show is ridiculous. What's next? Avenatti as an unlikely hero? Cohen's redemption arc?


Eta: no, apparently this is next. I mean, it's TMZ, but it's also 2018.


https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status ... 8121252864

Kristin Davis, the Manhattan Madam who went to prison and was connected to Eliot Spitzer, has reportedly been subpoenaed by Robert Mueller, according to TMZ.

Davis worked for former Trump aide Roger Stone for a decade. https://t.co/qrfn8MUaBe

[RoseMorninStar]

Trump is running this 'show' like reality TV. That is his life.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I'm not sure I'd trust something that is only being reported by TMZ, even if it is 2018. But who knows. It certainly is a reasonable possibility that they would want to talk to Kristin Davis as Stone is pretty clearly in their crosshairs.

The other part of the Cohen story that is not being as widely reported as the tape of the McDougall conversation is likely to have more over all significance (and is probably why the tape story has come out). The retired judge appointed as the special master to review the privilege claims about documents seized from Cohen reported yesterday that of the 4,085 items designated as privileged by either Cohen's or Trump's attorneys, only 2,633 were actually privileged or partially privileged. Cohen's attorneys only objected to the designation of "not privileged" as to 22 of these items, but also indicated that Cohen does not want raise these objections with the Court. As a result, all 1,452 items that the special master designated "not privileged" were released to the Government. My guess is that the tapes of Trump talking about the McDougall payment were likely among those that they tried to assert were covered by the attorney-client privilege and which Judge Jones rules were not privileged, and therefore were released to the U.S. attorney's office. More generally, my guess is the some or most of the items that they tried to designate as privileged even though they weren't were things that they (Cohen and/or Trump) particularly wanted to hide.

[River]

I've only taken the most shallow look at the tape story so forgive me if this is an obvious question. Who released this information to the press and why?

[Frelga]

Excellent question, River.

Dave: присоединиться к клубу/prisoyedinit'sya k klubu (join the club. Courtesy of Google Translate)

It's actually вступить в клуб, which literally means "step into" except not in the sense of entering. It is, trufax, also the word you use when you step into something like dog poop.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Unknown.

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk

[River]

Unknown.

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk

Interesting.

[Jude]

Unknown.

Sent from my LG G6 using Tapatalk

Interesting.

Wantonly fecund.

[Primula Baggins]

Rachel Maddow broke the story tonight that the Cohen tape about the affair was actually one of the few that the special master rules was privileged.

[RoseMorninStar]

I've only taken the most shallow look at the tape story so forgive me if this is an obvious question. Who released this information to the press and why?

Cohen & his lawyers and Trump & his lawyers would be the only people to have access to the tape. It appears that Trumps lawyers released the tape/waived their rights in regards to the tape. The reasoning behind that would be to get ahead of it being a 'surprise' release in court and to take away evidence that Michael Cohen could use as part of a plea deal 'in cooperation' with prosecution. In other words, to kinda stick it to Michael Cohen and give him less evidence to give in exchange for leniency in whatever he might be charged with.

RoseMorninStar wrote:
Dave: присоединиться к клубу/prisoyedinit'sya k klubu (join the club. Courtesy of Google Translate)


It's actually вступить в клуб, which literally means "step into" except not in the sense of entering. It is, trufax, also the word you use when you step into something like dog poop.

Thanks Frelga. I have virtually no knowledge of Russian and I was relying on Google Translate. Using computer translation is tricky.

[River]

Rachel Maddow broke the story tonight that the Cohen tape about the affair was actually one of the few that the special master rules was privileged.

Cohen & his lawyers and Trump & his lawyers would be the only people to have access to the tape. It appears that Trumps lawyers released the tape/waived their rights in regards to the tape. The reasoning behind that would be to get ahead of it being a 'surprise' release in court and to take away evidence that Michael Cohen could use as part of a plea deal 'in cooperation' with prosecution. In other words, to kinda stick it to Michael Cohen and give him less evidence to give in exchange for leniency in whatever he might be charged with.

This isn't adding up. If the tape was privileged, it would be inadmissable as evidence, wouldn't it? It would never see the light of day in a trial setting. So why would Team Trump want to get ahead of it? And if Team Cohen released it, why isn't Team Trump shrieking about the ethical breach?

There's some sort of kabuki going on here but I don't have the background to understand it.

[RoseMorninStar]

The TAPE may have never been admissible as evidence, but there probably are other documents where this incident was mentioned. Tapes in court are damning in a way that verbal recollection/testimony is not. Releasing it now gets ahead of what they figure is going to come out anyway and dulls the impact.

If I understand correctly, this is how it was explained: If the tape came out now it would serve a few purposes 1) as a distraction from the Russia fiasco. 2) It would numb 'soften the blow' (I should say continue to numb) people to Trumps sex/payoff scandals as more 'old news'. And, most importantly, 3) take away items that Cohen can offer in exchange to prosecutors as part of a plea deal to reduce his sentence. If Cohen doesn't have enough to make it worth his while to give to prosecutors to reduce his sentence, he may not continue to cooperate. Trump & Co figure releasing it isn't going to hurt them much and they are trying to punish Cohen for turning. At least, that was my take on what I heard from reporting.

[Frelga]

I think any theory needs to take into account that Rudy Giuliani is Trump's lawyer, and his world doesn't have a one-to-one relationship to reality.

[RoseMorninStar]

I'll add that any theory also has to take into account Trump and his reality TV mentality. Intelligence and sanity doesn't run strong in those two.