December 8, 2018: Michael Cohen Chastised by Prosecutors - "Individual 1" Says He's Totally Cleared!

 

12/8/18: Stymied on the diplomatic front in recent days, Trump and his GOP pals aren’t doing so well on the home front, either. Today, we learn that Democrats have netted 40 seats in the House of Representatives and won, nationally, the total vote by 8.4%, or nearly nine million. That’s the largest margin in midterm elections since Watergate. 

In addition, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School reports that there have been 94 school shooting incidents in the country this year, topping the old record of 59 in 2006.

 

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STILL, there’s semi-positive news for Team Trump regarding at least one of several current investigations. Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer, has been chastised by prosecutors from the Southern District of New York for his less than completely truthful cooperation. 

So, who’s going to believe that guy in court – when he says his old boss is a crook? 

"Individual 1," red tie, left, Cohen, red tie, right.

 

He acted in coordination with Individual 1. 

Trump tweets on Friday that recent developments in the Russian investigation have wiped any stain from his name. “Totally clears the President,” he tweets at one point. “Thank you!” 

In reality, prosecutors note that while Cohen paid off a pair of women who had dirt on his boss: “with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of [Individual 1].” Cohen is admitting to a pair of felonies and prosecutors believe both were committed at Trump’s request. 

It gets worse if you’re a fan of President Trump. Court papers filed on Cohen and Flynn, and a third filing on Manafort hardly clear the president or any other man, woman or child who has been part of his team.

 

First, consider what Cohen’s plea deal means. Trump likes to insist that Mueller and his team of 1,000,000 “Angry Democrats” are out to get him. His base should not believe prosecutors no matter how much evidence they pile up. The problem for Trump when it comes to trying to convince supporters to discount cases originating in the Southern District of New York is that the man in charge is an appointee of Donald J. Trump. And while the filings in Cohen’s case in New York recommend he serve up to four years in jail, and question his cooperation, in another filing, by Mueller and his team, prosecutors note that Cohen has provided “useful information about matters relating to ongoing investigations being carried out by this office.” In these matters, prosecutors “assessed Cohen to be forthright and credible, and the information he provided was largely consistent with other evidence gathered.” 

You don’t have to be smarter than a rock (see: 12/7/18) to understand the danger lurking in those simple sentences for Team Trump. 

There are other investigations continuing, related to Cohen and his work for then Candidate Trump. 

Investigators have “other evidence” they can use.

 

Records show, for example, that the Trump Organization paid Cohen back $130,000, after he paid off a porn star to keep her quiet. Then Cohen was paid an extra $60,000 to “gross up” his take – that is, enough to pay any taxes he’d owe. Cohen received $420,000 during the 2016 campaign. All payments were labeled “legal fees.” That would seem to indicate a conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and cover up any crimes. 

We know that Allen Weisselberg, Chief Financial Officer of the Trump Organization, has been granted immunity to testify. What would he testify about? A person “not authorized to speak” about the investigation told reporters that Weisselberg might not have known these payments, including another to silence a Playboy Bunny, were illegal. He might not have known what they were for and that would mean he’d done nothing illegal. The New York Times quoted this person as saying, in effect: “Mr. Cohen often did personal legal work for the president and his family. That kind of work was generally performed with few, if any, questions asked.” 

In other words, Cohen was close enough to Trump to do the dirty work, and no one wanted to know what he was doing. 

 

“Core topics under investigation.” 

For Trump, it only gets worse when we consider all the court filings. Prosecutors note that Cohen has been forthright and has provided valuable information “on core topics under investigation.” 

Finally, court documents in the case of Manafort hint at additional minefields Trump and members of inner circle will soon have to cross. Investigators say Manafort lied even after signing a plea agreement. Currently residing in jail, he has repeatedly contacted members of the administration not yet in jail, while insisting he has not. 

How do investigators know? 

They have written and electronic communications. 

That means: 

A)    Any member of Team Trump who has talked to Cohen about Russian outreach to the campaign could be in jeopardy. 

B)     Anyone who urged Flynn to cover up contacts with Russia could soon be hurting, legally. 

C)    Anyone at the White House who talked to Manafort recently, including floating the possibility of a pardon, could be involved in a criminal conspiracy, and would surely be indicted.