More Trumped up allegations against Trump - WSJ report

News is just breaking that Trump played a key role in payouts to several individuals who alleged they had a sexual relationship with him. Supposedly FEC has opened an investigation into the matter. Although I'm unsure how the President protecting his own personal reputation has anything to do with his Campaign, Inc. (which are separate People under the law)

go.cnn.com...

www.foxnews.com...

As a presidential candidate in August 2015, Donald Trump huddled with a longtime friend, media executive David Pecker, in his cluttered 26th floor Trump Tower office and made a request.

What can you do to help my campaign? he asked, according to people familiar with the meeting.


Mr. Pecker, chief executive of American Media Inc., offered to use his National Enquirer tabloid to buy the silence of women if they tried to publicize alleged sexual encounters with Mr. Trump.

Less than a year later, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Pecker to quash the story of a former Playboy model who said they’d had an affair. Mr. Pecker’s company soon paid $150,000 to the model, Karen McDougal, to keep her from speaking publicly about it. Mr. Trump later thanked Mr. Pecker for the assistance.

The real question is, who cares?

There was a thread already on this a while back. You're right, who gives a damn how much of a ladies man he was. I know a lot of people like that, but not many of them have the money to buy someone's silence. Here, buying silence means you buy them a drink in the bar to keep them from squealing on you. It gets expensive nowadays, they aren't a buck anymore.

originally posted by: JBurns

The real question is, who cares?

I'd argue if the real question is.... is this just a cover for the Broward county election fraud happening right this second?

Because your question of "who cares?" has been answered... nobody... nobody cares!

a reply to: rickymouse

Yeah rm I just can't figure out what justification was used to initiate the investigation in the first place? Sure, perhaps they did find something that could potentially violate some obscure US law (as most campaigns do, usually not intentionally) but it seems like the investigations were based entirely on lies and any evidence borne from the illegal acts is fruit of the poison tree

You are right though I know a lot of people who were ladies men but never any that wanted to pay anyone for silence Hell most of them were bragging about it. Although country folks never were like that. We all make mistakes especially as younger man and the people of our time realized that was all just part of growing up

I know for a fact there is nothing that could possibly come out of this that would make me support him any less. Team Trump all the way

a reply to: six67seven

Well put sir

I'd argue if the real question is.... is this just a cover for the Broward county election fraud happening right this second?

An intriguing and very plausible possibility! I would not put it past those low-life losers

Because your question of "who cares?" has been answered... nobody... nobody cares!

"...according to people familiar with the meeting".

We have no clue who these people are, their motives, whether they've been coerced or bribed or are genuine. The public is entitled to as much information as possible to judge the reliability and motivations of sources.

goofed

We all make mistakes especially as younger man and the people of our time realized that was all just part of growing up

Wasn't Trumps ''alleged'' relationship with this porn star around the time his third wife had just had his baby? Hardly the mistake of a young man as he was somewhere in his late fifties when this is alleged to have taken place

I know for a fact there is nothing that could possibly come out of this that would make me support him any less. Team Trump all the way

Oh yeah, THAT is perfectly clear.
But let me ask you this. Just what would make you support him less. Let us know so we can get back to you when it happens?

Doesn't a slush fund exist right now in our govt to pay people for pretty much exactly the same thing? While they were elected in office mind you, not 10+ years ago.

Why “trumped up?”

The central question was not the act of having adulterous sex, not even paying for silence, it is all about the TIMING of the payoff, and the REASON for it.

So yes, who cares about the “arrangements” he has with his wife and his dalliances? If Melania is ok with it, then it’s none of our business unless we are claiming Trump is some sort of Moral God. In which case we would be heavily deluded. But I digress...

The affair was old news. It happened way back when Barron was a baby. So the issue becomes “did these payoffs violate campaign laws.”

Well then, did this violate any laws??

SIMON: In the under a minute we have left, ethics and morality aside, if I might make that a parenthetical, how big a legal problem would this be for President Trump?

SANDERSON: Well, it is a - fundamentally, a reporting problem. And the whole reason we have these reporting obligations for candidates is that voters are supposed to be able to look at the finance reports and base their votes on information.

That's a potential problem for him, that the report - this payment was never reported. If it was related to the election, it should've been disclosed to the American people in advance of their vote.

SIMON: Matthew Sanderson, who advised the McCain-Palin campaign on campaign finances, thanks so much for being with us. SANDERSON: Thank you for having me.

Link

Also...

"I think the differences here from the typical technical violations of campaign finance law are the size of the payments, which are far larger than the usual routine campaign finance violations, and the level of intentionality that we’re discovering," Kang said.

Intentionality is key.

Cohen described a careful process to pay McDougal and Daniels in ways that would fly beneath the radar. He created two shell companies to hide the source of the funds. He fronted the money, then submitted invoices for legal work he never did to get repaid by Trump.

And this is where the real legal hazard comes in. That effort could run afoul of federal election law’s "knowing and willful" standard. While most reporting violations involve systemic accounting lapses that draw fines, a conscious scheme to keep activities hidden can trigger criminal penalties with a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

And, to the point of the information in the WSJ article:

If Trump were in the dark about the payments, Frampton wrote, he would be on safe ground. But "if he was involved in orchestrating the pay-off," he could face charges. Cohen says Trump was fully aware. The case for Trump may turn on whether he actually was.

Link

But still, without an actual trial, it is possible that this would not turn out to qualify as “criminal.”

a reply to: JBurns

It doesn't matter what everyone says. He is your hero. Got it.

a reply to: JBurns

Of all the things going on, this soap opera garbage is the lead story on CNN. It's suits them well. Garbage Network + Garbage Story.

a reply to: carewemust

You Just KNEW this Nonsense would Immediately Come Up Right After the Leftist Dems got the Majority in the House . They NEVER Were Concerned about having a Platform for America , just a Grab for Power so they could Attack their Boogyman President Trump . Nothing Will come of this Predictable Behavior , as there is Nothing in Any of Herr Muller's Investigation Connecting the President to some Fairy Tale Russian Connection . You Lefty's are PATHETIC ...........

We all knew he was a promiscuous man even before he ran for President. It is no big surprise to his supporters. I like funny, and he brings it in spades and doing a pretty good job to date.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Who cares who he had sex with?

a reply to: AboveBoard

For me the real crime is the timing and reason of women coming forward with stories for pure political gain.

a reply to: rickymouse

No one cares who he #s. Y'all have that right. But that is not the issue here fellas. I know you all think that his sexual activity is the stuff of legends and are envious and all but this has nothing to do with any of that little business and everything to do with misappropriation of campaign funds.
Look up.... that's the point of the actions by the state flying right over y'alls heads.

a reply to: six67seven

LOL one is fake news the other is real news.

a reply to: JBurns

I believe it was a tape recording of trump talking about the payments before they were made. The recordings that were obtained when they confiscated the belongings of trump's longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen.
This is kind of old news as to how they came about getting the information. Maybe the charges are new?

a reply to: jjkenobi

why yes, yes it does,

and it has been used numerous times to squash sexual misconduct allegations of the highest level.

OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK !