Plea Deal?

August 21, 2018 3:00 pm EDT Tiff News Commentary 150

One-time personal attorney and self proclaimed “fixer” for President Trump, Michael Cohen, may have made a deal with New York prosecutors regarding the criminal investigation into Cohen’s financial dealings.

Cohen, who made headlines in April when the FBI executed a search warrant on his home, office, and a hotel suite, The News Blender reported at the time that Special Counsel Robert Mueller had referred information to the New York Southern District office. The President expressed his outrage via twitter at the time, lamenting that “Attorney Client privilege was dead” regarding the seizure of documents that total millions. according to reporting at the time.

Trump Tweet 4/10/18 7:07 a.m.

Over the next several months, we learned as was reported at The News Blender, that radio and Fox News show host Sean Hannity was Cohen’s “client number three.” We learned that Cohen recorded conversations, at least one of which was between he and President Trump, as played on CNN. Via Cohen’s newest attorney Lanny Davis, that seemed to regard issuing a payment to a Playboy model that claimed a year long affair with President Trump in 2006 into 2007. We also learned that President Trump, via Cohen, paid Stormy Daniels, aka Stephanie Clifford, a porn actress that claims she had a sexual relationship with President Trump also in 2006, for her silence regarding the relationship during the 2016 presidential election. Cohen has also stated that President Trump knew about the Trump Tower meeting that was attended by Donald Trump Jr. and other campaign staff members, in hopes of the campaign obtaining “dirt” on Hillary Clinton.

More recently, The New York Times reported Sunday that the FBI was investigating Cohen on “bank fraud and tax fraud charges,” and that they had, “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.”

On Tuesday morning, NBC News reported that Cohen was “discussing plea deal with prosecutors.” The article is citing “multiple sources familiar with the matter tell NBC news, that while a deal had not been reached at the time of print, that a potential deal could be reached as early as Tuesday afternoon.”

After the NBC story broke, CNN reporter Erica Orden, via tweet, informed users that barricades had been placed outside the courtroom where it’s expected that Cohen will appear, though she stressed she’s not sure if that’s why the barricades were installed.

Michael Cohen arrived at FBI headquarters, CNBC reports via tweet. They also report that Cohen is due to appear in court at 4 p.m. eastern.

CNN is reporting, via tweet, that according to one source, Cohen is expected to plead guilty but, “not,” cooperate with the government

In the interest of time and stress levels this update is for both Paul Manafort and Micheal Cohen. First up Paul Manafort followed by what we know on Michael Cohen’s plea deal. 

Update: Paul Manafort

As was reported @ The News Blender the jury in the Paul Manafort case could not reach a consensus on at least one charge, we know learn, via CNN, that the jury was unable to reach a verdict on ten of the counts, Judge T.S. Ellis, declared a mistrial on those charges. However the jury was able to reach a verdict on eight counts.

Guilty on all eight counts, via The Washington Post, on “five counts of filing false tax returns, one count of not filing a required IRS form, and two bank fraud counts.”

Update: Michael Cohen 

Michael Cohen has plead guilty to “five counts of tax evasion, one count of making a false statement to a bank and two campaign finance violations: making an unlawful corporate campaign contribution and making an excessive campaign contribution,” via The Washington Post according to the article the judge asked if he pleaded guilty and Cohen replied, “yes, sir.” 

As the linked post article notes, Cohen becomes the fifth Trump “associate to have plead guilty or be charged with criminal wrongdoing since,” President Trump took office.

President Trump is scheduled to hold a campaign rally in West Virginia in less than two hours from now. 

These are developing stories 

About the opinions in this article…

Any opinions expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this website or of the other authors/contributors who write for it.

About Tiff 2757 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.

137 Comments

  3. Right, Peeps? We deserve to revel in the glory, one at a time.

    Bradley P. Moss‏Verified account @BradMossEsq

    60m60 minutes ago
    OK, Manafort jury, please do not announce your verdict during the 4pm news hour.

  5. Congressman Hakeem Jeffries‏Verified account @RepJeffries

    11m11 minutes ago
    Longtime Trump attorney and fixer (Michael Cohen) guilty of criminal campaign finance violations. It appears that All of the President’s Men (one by one) are going down. Lock. Them. Up.

  8. Have no clue why CNN would think that Cohen would not be doing some type of quid pro quo for a plea… otherwise it’s not a plea deal. After all, if he merely didn’t want to contest the considered charges, all he’d have to do is plead guilty in the court hearing.

    There would be little advantage to a plea without working on some sort of cooperative deal to lessen any potential sentencing.

  9. Based on the reporting he is going to plead guilty to campaign finance law violations in his payoff to Porny Daniels and the Playboy bunny as well as others. They are saying he is facing “multiple counts” of campaign contribution violations meaning there were multiple payoffs made. If this is true Trump is toast especially if they used campaign donations to pay them off and Trump knew it because Trump certified all the income and expenditures to the FEC and paying off women wasn’t one of his disclosures.

  13. Swalwell for POTUS:

    Rep. Eric Swalwell‏Verified account @RepSwalwell
    44m44 minutes ago
    The clouds of corruption around the White House are darkening. It’s time for the President of the United States to stop obstructing, come clean with the American people, and interview with Mueller. Otherwise, you cannot lead this great country.

  14. Richard W. Painter‏ @RWPUSA

    16m16 minutes ago
    My Attorney Got Arrested (MAGA)
    And now for the campaign manager….
    It’s the beginning of the end.

  16. Perspective:

    Brian Klaas‏Verified account @brianklaas
    1h1 hour ago
    Trump’s longtime lawyer is pleading guilty to crimes today; his campaign chairman is awaiting a jury verdict; his national security adviser is awaiting sentencing; a campaign foreign policy adviser is also awaiting sentencing; and Trump himself is under criminal investigation.

  17. Cohen heard singing under his breath…

    “It’s the end of the world as I we know it”…

    and later

    “Hi ho, Hi ho..it’s off to jail I go”

  24. Rick Wilson‏Verified account @TheRickWilson

    8m8 minutes ago

    Dear @realdonaldtrump: for a moment, consider the overwhelming pyramid of evidence, documents, contemporaneous notes, recordings, nda’s, contracts, sketchy bank paperwork, used pregnancy test kits, DNA swabs, Hefty trash bags full of hotel sheets, etc ad nauseum Cohen has. Enjoy.

  28. steve deace on cohen plea deal

  32. My, how the formerly revered have fallen:

    Steve Deace‏Verified account @SteveDeaceShow
    Don’t think it’s any coincidence Cohen trump card drops today with Manafort jury at the very east teetering. Cohen makes Manafort less necessary and impactful now. This was Mueller’s insurance policy against what would’ve been an embarrassing and existential defeat.

  36. Okay, so today Manafort — in only his 1st trial — was convicted on 8 counts. Cohen pleaded guilty to many charges.

    These are Don the Con’s presidential campaign manager and his personal lawyer. On other words, these are two of his closest associates.

  48. One of the charges he pled guilty to was a campaign finance charge. The corks should remain in the champagne for those that believe this will not mean Trump administration implications.

  56. It is interesting how this might affect the consequences of a potential pardon.
    Even if Trump issues a pardon for the 8 guilty charges, the outstanding 10 charges remain prosecutable in a potential new trial.

  62. Just traveled the orange propaganda network. They are not concerned… none of this is about collusion with Russia so all is fine! Rest easy, cheeto jesus will survive to kick Mueller’s arse!! MAGAGAGARRRAWWWWWWW!!!

  65. Get a load of FoxNews.com stories:

    KRUMHOLZ: Manafort case is about Manafort – not Trump or the Trump campaign

    Gaetz: The Ohrs were the ‘Bonnie and Clyde of collusion’, Manafort case unimportant

    Tucker on Paul Manafort trial: Lead prosecutor Weissmann ‘avenging Hillary’s defeat’

  74. Rick Wilson‏Verified account @TheRickWilson
    13m13 minutes ago
    Oh, MAN is Trump going to lose his damn mind at the rally tonight.
    Brace for massive tweetkakke in the next 24 hours.

  75. Bill Kristol‏Verified account @BillKristol
    2m2 minutes ago
    Just spitballing here, but if Flynn is guilty, and Manafort’s guilty, and Cohen’s guilty…maybe Trump’s guilty?

  76. The biggest irony of all this?
    The cult wouldn’t have batted an eye at the affairs.
    Dernald would have had his orange pastor brigade out there vouching for his baby Christianity and all would have been well.

  88. From The New York Times:

    Michael D. Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to campaign finance and other charges. He made the extraordinary admission that he paid a pornographic actress “at the direction of the candidate,” referring to Mr. Trump, to secure her silence about an affair she said she had with Mr. Trump.

    Mr. Cohen told a judge in United States District Court in Manhattan that the payment was “for the principal purpose of influencing the election” for president in 2016.

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/nyregion/michael-cohen-plea-deal-trump.html

    This is a potentially significant development. If Cohen’s account is truthful and Trump directed him to violate campaign finance law “for the principal purpose of influencing the election,” what else might Trump have done to produce the electoral result he desired? Certainly, pursuing an “end justifies the means” approach in one area, suggests that one is capable of doing so in another. That other area could involve at least de facto cooperation with Russia or Russian interests.

    Overall, this outcome likely increases the legal peril in which Donald Trump, Jr., finds himself, and potentially raises the legal risks to the President despite what Fox News or perhaps Mark Levin might otherwise suggest. If he addresses Cohen’s plea deal, Levin could well cite his legal background to imply a degree of authority in stating his opinion. However, his legal reasoning of late e.g., his almost preposterous misinterpretation of the Constitution’s “Appointments Clause” to argue that the Special Counsel’s appointment was unconstitutional, has been anything but credible lately.

  91. “Okay… so Trump’s campaign was filled to the gills with corrupt people, but WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH RUSSIAN COLLUSION????” — every Trumper ever, right now.

  92. Show us your tax returns, Donnie. Your personal lawyer just pleaded guilty to several counts of tax evasion..Your campaign manager was just convicted of several counts of filing false tax returns. That makes it look like you might be hiding a few things.yourself..

  99. !!!!!!!!

    Evan McMullin‏Verified account @Evan_McMullin

    34m34 minutes ago
    Republicans, it’s time to get off the Trump Train. Think it’s bad now? It gets a lot worse from here. It’s never too late to do the right thing.

  100. Writer at The Atlantic:

    Franklin Foer‏Verified account @FranklinFoer
    21m21 minutes ago
    Manafort could spend 80 years in jail—and we have only begun the judicial process of exploring his misdeeds. We’re not even close to the epilogue of his tale.

  103. John Dean weighs in:

    John Dean‏Verified account @JohnWDean
    5m5 minutes ago
    BIG DAY: We have learned that we have a criminal President of the United States, who was elected by deceiving the American people. And a man who does not respect the foundation of our nation — the rule of law.

  104. Gretchen and LiliVon has it right. Here’s just a couple of the fevered fans posts!

    Mistrial on 10 counts when Manafort didn’t even present a defense can only be bad for Mueller!

    how about Paul serve the same amount of time Al Sharpton has served for owing 5 million in back taxes..
    NOT 1 Day!

    Looks like a lot of folks didn’t know what Manafort was up too. I remember when the campaign hired him, Dana Perino said it was a great hire for him. She’s knows Washington so I suspect he had a halfway decent reputation among Republicans.
    Trumps hired some doozies but I don’t much blame him for this one.

    It appears Team Mueller didn’t do a very good job with this case. Shocker.

  108. Trump getting off plane:
    Hair looks more white than blond today

    Said:
    “Manafort is a good man….was with Reagan….very sad thing that happened to him today….has nothing to do with Russian collusion,…witch hunt…disgrace…..not original mission….we continue the witch hunt”

    Did not answer questions about Cohen

  109. Trump just landed and is upset at the witch hunt that nailed Manafort. It’s a hoax. There’s NO COLLUSION. Trump needs new material desperately.

  113. Preet Bharara‏Verified account @PreetBharara

    24m24 minutes ago
    Michael Cohen in a courtroom in SDNY, under oath, declared that the President directed him to commit a federal crime.

  121. UUUUUUHMmmmmmmmmmmmmm……………………. sooooooooooooooooooo I have a question………………. …….. . …………. …….. ….
    Since Allen Weisselberg helped set up the shell company that Cohen used to pay out….. is Dernald’s big money man going to get tapped?

  122. Crazy Rudy is now spouting off:

    “No *charges* against President in Cohen case”

    Brainwashing for the base. Yes, no charges. Plenty of implications.

  125. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lERqGULWxs
    ‘Here at the News Blender
    I feel safest of all
    I can chat with Beth, Tiff, Lenny, Steve, Alien and all the others!
    It’s the only way to relax at the News Blender.
    Here at the site
    I can read, receive and type
    I can listen to you
    It keeps me stable for days when Trump goes nuts.
    Here at the News Blender
    Where the Trump illusion breaks down
    Will you visit us please
    If I open our doors at the Blender
    Here in the News Blender
    You know I’ve started to think
    About laughing to night
    At Sean (Sean, Sean, Sean!)’;)

  126. Cohen just plead guilty, without fighting with a court battle. He must really be pissed at Trump, Cohen going down, and he’s going to take Trump with him. Sometimes God says yes.

  132. And the hits keep on coming:

    In 2017, Hunter said this about Donald Trump: “He’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole.”

  135. The number 2 man in the Senate has said how the GOP is going to handle this…. what idiots.

    “If Manafort and Cohen did things that [they] shouldn’t have done, which it sounds like they did, I think they ought to be held responsible for it, but I don’t see any of this having anything to do with the President and Russia,” Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn told reporters. “My expectation is that Mr. Mueller knows the lay of the land. The fact that he interviewed Don McGahn for 30 hours with the President’s approval, strikes me as having nothing to hide when it comes to the Russia investigation. So, I hope this ends up concluding sooner rather than later and doesn’t continue to be an issue in another election.”

    Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also noted there weren’t “any charges or convictions for colluding with the Russian government by any member of the Trump campaign in the 2016 election.”

    But, Graham added, the process needed to continue “without interference.”

    “I hope Mr. Mueller can conclude his investigation sooner rather than later for the benefit of the nation,” he said.

    http://www.waaytv.com/content/national/491405051.html

  136. Posted this down thread, its a perfect song for celebrating lol:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg
    But with Leeish lyrics of course lol caution, tired and they may not make much sense lol:

    We’re all dressed up with nowhere to go
    Watchin’ the sad Trumpists on fox
    We’re all dressed up with nowhere to go
    Watchin’ Trump and his lackeys on fox
    Waiting for that impeachment to arrive
    He’s goin’ to a party where there’s no twitter
    Waiting for that impeachment to arrive
    Goin’ to watch as Sean and Mark cry
    Sean was struck by Trump, walkin’ down the street
    Mark was hit by something last night in his sleep
    It’s a jailbird’s party who could ask for more?
    Everybody’s comin’, leave your twitter at the door
    Leave your twitter and phone at the door
    Don’t try to leave its all your fault!
    Serves you all right!
    Their all dressed up, nowhere to go
    Watchin’ as Trump does the jailhouse (jailhouse!) bop
    Ooh ooh, waitin’ for that impeachment to arrive
    Watchin’ as Trump does the jailhouse (jailhouse!) bop
    I got my best suit and my tie
    With an ice cold bottle of Diet Dr Pepper next to me!
    I hear the booms that are coming
    Lenny says there’s room for maybe just one more!;)
    Paul was hit by indictment, got eight counts!
    Michael threw himself on the mercy of the court!
    It’s a jailbird’s party, who could ask for more?
    Everybody’s comin’, leave your twitter at the door
    Leave your twitter and phone at the door
    Don’t try to leave its all your fault!
    Serves you all right!
    Don’t be afraid of those scary indictments!
    Mueller’s not going to let you get far! (Ohh yay!)
    Don’t be afraid of getting sent to Leavenworth!
    It’s all your fault!
    Deace sucked up the koolaid, workin’ for Mark
    Bongino was hit by something last night in his sleep
    It’s a jail bird’s party, who could ask for more?
    Everybody’s comin’, leave your twitter at the door
    Leave your twitter and phone at the door
    Don’t try to leave its all your fault!
    Serves you all right!
    Don’t be afraid of those scary indictments!
    Mueller’s not going to let you get far! (Ohh yay!)
    Don’t be afraid of getting sent to Leavenworth!
    It’s Mueller time!
    It’s Mueller time!
    Haha serves you right
    It’s Mueller time!
    It’s Mueller time!
    Haha serves you right
    It’s Mueller time!
    It’s Mueller time!
    It’s Mueller time!
    Ow!

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