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Thread: Michael Cohen sentenced to three years in prison.

  1. #1

    Michael Cohen sentenced to three years in prison.

    Quote Originally Posted by CBS

    Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen was sentenced Wednesday to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, during a sentencing hearing in federal court in Manhattan in which Cohen claimed he acted out of "blind loyalty" to President Trump. The judge declared he will serve time for a "smorgasbord" of fraudulent crimes.Cohen will turn himself in for his "smorgasbord" of fraudulent crimes on March 6, the judge said.


    That sentencing stemmed from Cohen pleading guilty to campaign finance violations related to payments to women alleging affairs with Mr. Trump. Cohen will serve his term concurrently with a two-month sentenced imposed for lying to Congress over a proposed Trump Tower Moscow project, a charge brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. The court is fining him $50,000 each for the separate cases.


    In court Wednesday, Cohen claimed "blind loyalty" to Mr. Trump led him to "take a path of darkness instead of light." Cohen described being in a "mental and physical incarceration," blaming his ties to the president as what brought him before the court today. He spoke of the president's recent attacks on him where he called him a "liar," "rat," and weak. He said the president was "correct," and that his weakness was his "blind loyalty" to the president. Cohen claimed he was "motivated by personal greed and ambition," adding that he "thrives on his access to wealthy and powerful people," and eventually became one his self.


    Cohen teared up at the podium, apologizing to his family and to the American people for his actions. As he was given 36 months by the judge, Cohen's shoulders slumped forward slightly and he shook his head from left to right, apparently in disbelief.

    Cohen's father was sitting in the aisle in a wheelchair, and he and his wife were crying at various points throughout the proceeding. Cohen's father, Maurice Cohen, told CBS News after the sentencing, "I'm dizzy. My world is spinning out of control."



    Cohen attorney Lanny Davis said in a statement that Cohen "continues to tell the truth about Donald Trump's misconduct" — and looks forward to sharing more publicly.


    More details here.
    "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever." - Founding Father Thomas Jefferson



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  3. #2
    National Enquirer said they paid the Playboy woman for the same reason Cohen did, to help the election. However no jailtime involved there.

    This has to be making Trump sweat some that he could be charged as soon as he's no longer President. Maybe he's being so nice to the Saudi royal family so he can have a place to stay after his government job is over?
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  4. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by kpitcher View Post
    National Enquirer said they paid the Playboy woman for the same reason Cohen did, to help the election. However no jailtime involved there.

    This has to be making Trump sweat some that he could be charged as soon as he's no longer President. Maybe he's being so nice to the Saudi royal family so he can have a place to stay after his government job is over?
    It's not a crime and the liars selling out to the left do nothing to change that.
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  5. #4
    This is so disloyal, comparing MAGA to "darkness"?

    Michael Cohen gets 3 years, says Trump's 'dirty deeds' led him to 'choose darkness'
    Cohen had pleaded guilty to nine federal charges of tax evasion, violating campaign finance laws, lying to banks and to Congress.
    Dec. 12, 2018 / 12:05 PM EST / Updated 5:28 PM EST
    By Tom Winter, Pete Williams, Hannah Rappleye, Jonathan Dienst and Dareh Gregorian
    An emotional Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump's former lawyer and fixer, was sentenced Wednesday to 3 years behind bars for what a Manhattan federal court judge called a “veritable smorgasbord" of criminal conduct, including making secret payments to women who claimed they had affairs with Trump, lying to Congress about the president’s business dealings with Russia and failing to report millions of dollars in income.
    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...-lying-n946956



    Update 1:

    Hopefully fears are exaggerated and democracy will be allowed to continue its course bypassing the swamp lands.

    But risks are increasing & GOP-Adelson wing's future is starting to look bit bleak. Respected neoconservative and Democrats funding billionaire turned MAGA top funder Adelson is probably not kicking himslef yet for investing so much money in MAGA's election. But if his term is cut short and net return for Adelson investment is only US embassy move in Israel and MAGA's couple of half-hearted bombing strikes in Syria, were all those millions of dollars spent on MAGA's election worth it for Sheldon "US should drop Atom Bomb on Iran" Adelson?


    "The Michael Cohen Bribery Scandal Is Now a Trump Bribery Scandal"

    Trump Inauguration Spending Under Criminal Investigation by Federal Prosecutors
    Probe looking into whether committee misspent funds and top donors gave money in exchange for access to the administration

    Dec. 13, 2018 4:27 p.m. ET
    Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are investigating whether President Trump’s 2017 inaugural committee misspent some of the record $107 million it raised from donations, people familiar with the matter said.
    The criminal probe by the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office, which is in its early stages, also is examining whether some of the committee’s top donors gave money in exchange for access to the incoming Trump administration, policy concessions or to influence official administration positions, some of the people said.
    Giving money in exchange for political favors could run afoul of federal corruption laws. Diverting funds from the organization, which was registered as a nonprofit, could also violate federal law.
    In April raids of Mr. Cohen’s home, office and hotel room, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents obtained a recorded conversation between Mr. Cohen and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, a former adviser to Melania Trump, who worked on the inaugural events. In the recording, Ms. Wolkoff expressed concern about how the inaugural committee was spending money, according to a person familiar with the Cohen investigation.






    Related

    Tabloid Company’s Admission Shows New Peril for Trump’s Circle

    Poll: If NYT reported Cohen tapes are real and made public, what will be political impact?


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZzyq3S-4Yk

  6. #5
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  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    It's not a crime and the liars selling out to the left do nothing to change that.
    It is indeed a crime to spend money to influence elections and not report it as such.

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    It is indeed a crime to spend money to influence elections and not report it as such.
    So if a politician gets botox they have to report it as a campaign contribution??

    Scott Adams spelled it out quite clearly..

    Ya, the botox influences the election, but maybe they wanted to get rid of wrinkles, maybe it was done for personal reasons as well.

    If there is a "personal reason" element, if it is 5% personal and 95% election, even the left admits this is not a crime.

    They are saying the timing makes it look like it was all about the election..

    But do you think Trump wanted his family to know? Do you think he wanted his son to know?

    You're saying suddenly he can't pay these women off to protect his family, because it is during an election?

    The left says, "oh, the timing, it was right before the election!! It must have been about the election!"

    But who is the one who made the timing possible? The women came forward then, because they are evil opportunistic bitches and just want money. It is even possible that these events never happened, but they are just paying them off because it is too close to the election to be properly vetted. Not Trump's fault.

    Plus this sets a precedent that weaponizes lying bimbos during elections way too much..
    Last edited by dannno; 12-13-2018 at 09:48 AM.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  9. #8
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  11. #9
    I would do 3 years for someone for several million dollars. Sounds like Cohen may be a good attorney after all.

    On a side note, I have been truly enjoying the Christian-Trumphumper narratives on this:

    "It's not illegal!!!"

    Maybe not, but your Messiah is still a womanizing, adulterate, sleaze bag. Yeah right, he didn't know that Cohen was making these payments. Sure thing. Whatever you need to tell yourselves. Dude is a con man and people have invested so much into it that they are too ashamed to see the truth. Cognitive dissonance at it's finest.

    Lest we forget at RPFs - What is lawful and what is right are quite often opposites.

    He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    So if a politician gets botox they have to report it as a campaign contribution??

    ..
    You should probably check out what Scott Adams says about analogies and how they can relate to cognitive dissonance. Check what he says about starting a sentence with the word so as well.

    Campaign finance is probably the one thing i know a lot more about than Scott Adams does. If the money was spent to influence an election, it is considered a campaign expense and is subject to all the laws pertaining to such.

    The case I have previously cited as a comparison is the John Edwards case. He was ultimately exonerated because his lawyers successfully argued that the money was spent primarily to conceal the affair from his wife, and the influence on the election was secondary.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    You should probably check out what Scott Adams says about analogies and how they can relate to cognitive dissonance. Check what he says about starting a sentence with the word so as well.

    Campaign finance is probably the one thing i know a lot more about than Scott Adams does. If the money was spent to influence an election, it is considered a campaign expense and is subject to all the laws pertaining to such.

    The case I have previously cited as a comparison is the John Edwards case. He was ultimately exonerated because his lawyers successfully argued that the money was spent primarily to conceal the affair from his wife, and the influence on the election was secondary.
    I disagree on your use of primarily and secondary.. I believe all his lawyers did was argue that concealing the affair from his wife was A part of the reason it was done. It doesn't need to be argued which one was worth 'more'.




    Why didn't you answer the question I asked about botox? What about an expensive suit or a nice watch? Are those campaign expenditures?

    There is nothing wrong with starting a sentence with "So" if it is a question, I'm pretty sure Scott Adams does that all the time.

    You may know a lot about the nitty gritty of campaign finance, but you are way off base on this one. It is completely illogical and extremely dangerous what you are perpetuating here.
    Last edited by dannno; 12-13-2018 at 10:55 AM.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  14. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    I disagree on your use of primarily and secondary.. I believe all his lawyers did was argue that concealing the affair from his wife was A part of the reason it was done. It doesn't need to be argued which one was worth more.




    Why didn't you answer the question I asked about botox? What about an expensive suit or a nice watch? Are those campaign expenditures?

    There is nothing wrong with starting a sentence with "So" if it is a question, I'm pretty sure Scott Adams does that all the time.

    You may know a lot about the nitty gritty of campaign finance, but you are way off base on this one. It is completely illogical and extremely dangerous what you are perpetuating here.
    Apparently I also know a little more about Adams' methods and the tells he looks for than you do as well, then. Like I said, you might want to look into those things rather than shooting from the hip like that.

    I did not answer the question about Botox because nobody is alleging that Trump did not report his Botox. As for clothing, if they are donated then the candidate has to report them. By statute, candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds to purchase clothing. Therefore, clothing purchases should not be reported as a campaign contribution.

    Quoting from the manual here, since they state it pretty succinctly. This paragraph is at the end of the section that talks about food, rent, tuition payments, travel expense. There's a long list of questions that are already answered, and for items that are ambiguous;
    the Commission will determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether the expense is one that would exist irrespective of the candidate’s campaign or duties as a federal officeholder and would be considered a personal use expense.
    I am fairly confident that the commission would find that Botox would qualify as a personal use expense.

    Thanks for asking. I am happy to explain what the laws are.
    Last edited by angelatc; 12-13-2018 at 11:13 AM.

  15. #13
    Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. No tears for a slimy New York lawyer.

    But...

    Quote Originally Posted by Danke View Post
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    Yep, this was completely and totally politically motivated. One law for Trump associates, another law for Democrats. Some animals are more equal than other animals.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
    "Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

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  16. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    Apparently I also know a little more about Adams' methods and the tells he looks for than you do as well, then. Like I said, you might want to look into those things rather than shooting from the hip like that.

    I did not answer the question about Botox because nobody is alleging that Trump did not report his Botox. As for clothing, if they are donated then the candidate has to report them. By statute, candidates are prohibited from using campaign funds to purchase clothing. Therefore, clothing purchases should not be reported as a campaign contribution.

    Quoting from the manual here, since they state it pretty succinctly.

    I am fairly confident that the commission would find that Botox would qualify as a personal use expense.

    Thanks for asking. I am happy to explain what the laws are.
    Wow, get your head out of the clouds and back down to reality.. you are way out to lunch on this one, and all your stuff about how you think you know Scott Adams better than me is irrelevant because you still haven't wrapped your head around what is going on here..

    Trump did not use campaign funds, the money was not donated.. it was his personal money. So why are you using examples of those other things?

    I am asking you if a politician uses personal funds to buy a watch or a nice suit or get botox, do they have to report it as campaign spending? The answer is "NO". And it's the same for this instance.

    Edwards used campaign donations to pay off his mistress, and he was acquitted.. this gives Trump a much stronger case than Edwards had, because he used personal money as opposed to stealing it from his campaign funds.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  17. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    The case I have previously cited as a comparison is the John Edwards case. He was ultimately exonerated because his lawyers successfully argued that the money was spent primarily to conceal the affair from his wife, and the influence on the election was secondary.
    That defense would apply double to Trump. If not for Melania, Trump would probably have taken Stormy Daniels and other “friends” on the campaign trail with him. His Playboy lifestyle was an important factor in the election, both for the people that loved him, and the people that hated him. Politically, it was a selling point. The only reason to cover up recent encounters was because of Melania.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
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    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

  18. #16
    I think that's a longer sentence than what Carlos Danger received.
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  20. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    Wow, get your head out of the clouds and back down to reality.. you are way out to lunch on this one, and all your stuff about how you think you know Scott Adams better than me is irrelevant because you still haven't wrapped your head around what is going on here..

    Trump did not use campaign funds, the money was not donated.. it was his personal money. So why are you using examples of those other things?

    I am asking you if a politician uses personal funds to buy a watch or a nice suit or get botox, do they have to report it as campaign spending? The answer is "NO". And it's the same for this instance.

    Edwards used campaign donations to pay off his mistress, and he was acquitted.. this gives Trump a much stronger case than Edwards had, because he used personal money as opposed to stealing it from his campaign funds.
    You seem to be emotionally invested in this outcome. The reason i brought up John Edwards is because that's a very similar case. As a matter of logic, it does not matter where the money came from because a candidate can make unlimited donations to the campaign.

    I don't disagree that the whole thing is ridiculous, but I am not going to assume any outcome at this point. I don't have all the evidence. Neither do you.
    Last edited by angelatc; 12-13-2018 at 11:36 AM.

  21. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    That defense would apply double to Trump. If not for Melania, Trump would probably have taken Stormy Daniels and other “friends” on the campaign trail with him. His Playboy lifestyle was an important factor in the election, both for the people that loved him, and the people that hated him. Politically, it was a selling point. The only reason to cover up recent encounters was because of Melania.
    I do not want to trigger Dannno, but I think we can also make a case that Melania knew he was a philanderer before they married, though. It would be helpful to find a history of hush-money payments that pre-dated the campaign.

  22. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Philhelm View Post
    I think that's a longer sentence than what Carlos Danger received.

    Having dealt with the FEC, they're pretty easy to get along with. They do require compliance to the laws but they never seem hostile when I've dealt with them.

    I would guess they would call this a personal expense and move on. But again, we do not have all the evidence. And I seem to recall that Cohen recorded his meetings with Trump.

    And I am not a lawyer but i think that attorney-client privilege does not apply when they are colluding to commit a crime.

    That's quite a conundrum.
    Last edited by angelatc; 12-13-2018 at 11:49 AM.

  23. #20
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    You seem to be emotionally invested in this outcome. The reason i brought up John Edwards is because that's a very similar case. As a matter of logic, it does not matter where the money came from because a candidate can make unlimited donations to the campaign.

    I don't disagree that the whole thing is ridiculous, but I am not going to assume any outcome at this point. I don't have all the evidence. Neither do you.
    I'm not going to assume the outcome because the political and legal system is corrupt, I'm just talking about what is right.

    John Edwards was ACQUITTED of campaign finance violations.. he was charged with embezzling the campaign money and using it for personal reasons.. paying off a mistress. If he used the money to pay off the mistress and that was considered a campaign contribution, then he wouldn't have gotten in trouble for that.. he would have gotten in trouble for campaign finance violations, not reporting the spending..
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    I do not want to trigger Dannno, but I think we can also make a case that Melania knew he was a philanderer before they married, though.
    That is a terrible argument.. just because Melania knows it was probably happening, doesn't mean she wanted it shoved in her face by the news 24/7.. huge difference.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    I do not want to trigger Dannno, but I think we can also make a case that Melania knew he was a philanderer before they married, though. It would be helpful to find a history of hush-money payments that pre-dated the campaign.
    Then you have the chicken or the egg dilemma. What came first, a political campaign or the threats? It could be reasonably hypothesized that the motivation of some of the women to come out was political, yet the motivation of Trump would have always been to keep it from his wife, political campaign or not. Thus the political aspect is purely on the women, not Trump. You could probably find past payouts if you looked hard enough, just less motivation for the accusers when there is no political campaign.
    "Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
    "Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Pharma-Corporate-Internet-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
    "Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
    "Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

    Proponent of real science.
    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty View Post
    Then you have the chicken or the egg dilemma. What came first, a political campaign or the threats? It could be reasonably hypothesized that the motivation of some of the women to come out was political, yet the motivation of Trump would have always been to keep it from his wife, political campaign or not. Thus the political aspect is purely on the women, not Trump. You could probably find past payouts if you looked hard enough, just less motivation for the accusers when there is no political campaign.
    I think the biggest point to be made here is that this has absolutely nothing to do with Russia, which is what Mueller is supposed to be investigating.

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    I'm not going to assume the outcome because the political and legal system is corrupt, I'm just talking about what is right.

    John Edwards was ACQUITTED of campaign finance violations.. he was charged with embezzling the campaign money and using it for personal reasons.. paying off a mistress. If he used the money to pay off the mistress and that was considered a campaign contribution, then he wouldn't have gotten in trouble for that.. he would have gotten in trouble for campaign finance violations, not reporting the spending..
    Edwards was aquitted on one count, the jury hung on the other 5 counts. And I'm not clear as to why you think that Edwards was using campaign money. He was taking money from 2 wealthy donors and funneling it to Ms Hunter.



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  29. #25
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    Edwards was aquitted on one count, the jury hung on the other 5 counts. And I'm not clear as to why you think that Edwards was using campaign money. He was taking money from 2 wealthy donors and funneling it to Ms Hunter.
    You just answered your own question, lol...
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  30. #26
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    You just answered your own question, lol...
    I do not have questions about the Edwards case. (Sadly, neither do you.) Both parties had relationships with Edwards that predated the campaign.

    I am just patiently trying to explain why the Edwards scenario bears some similarities to the Trump scenario. In the Edwards case, the alleged violations were multi-pronged. If Trump used his own money, then there's no excessive contribution violation, which was alleged to have been triggered in the Edwards case when he accepted the money (via a third party.)

    But the questions about the expenditures is the same:

    Were the donations for the purpose of hiding the affair from his family or was the sole purpose to influence the campaign. Neither of us know what is on the Cohen recordings, so neither of us know the answer to that question.

  31. #27
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    I do not have questions about the Edwards case.
    This statement makes no sense:

    And I'm not clear as to why you think that Edwards was using campaign money. He was taking money from 2 wealthy donors and funneling it to Ms Hunter.
    You are saying that campaign donors gave him the money to make the payoff, but he didn't use campaign money. Sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

    You are one of those people who make a lot of sense sometimes, and then don't make any sense other times.. this thread is one of those 'other' times.
    "He's talkin' to his gut like it's a person!!" -me
    "dumpster diving isn't professional." - angelatc
    "You don't need a medical degree to spot obvious bullshit, that's actually a separate skill." -Scott Adams
    "When you are divided, and angry, and controlled, you target those 'different' from you, not those responsible [controllers]" -Q

    "Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

    "Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

  32. #28
    Quote Originally Posted by dannno View Post
    This statement makes no sense:

    You are saying that campaign donors gave him the money to make the payoff, but he didn't use campaign money. Sorry, that doesn't make any sense.

    You are one of those people who make a lot of sense sometimes, and then don't make any sense other times.. this thread is one of those 'other' times.
    Ah. I see where I lost you. The money was donated but not to the campaign. It never went through the campaign coffers, so it was never campaign money, so he was never charged with embezzling campaign funds for personal gain.

    He was charged with failing to report the money as campaign donations, and also failing to report the expenditures. He was acquitted on one charge and the jury hung on the other counts. So at this phase, the money was never campaign money.
    Last edited by angelatc; 12-13-2018 at 12:44 PM.

  33. #29
    Quote Originally Posted by angelatc View Post
    It is indeed a crime to spend money to influence elections and not report it as such.
    But that isn't what he did.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  34. #30
    Quote Originally Posted by Slave Mentality View Post
    I would do 3 years for someone for several million dollars. Sounds like Cohen may be a good attorney after all.

    On a side note, I have been truly enjoying the Christian-Trumphumper narratives on this:

    "It's not illegal!!!"

    Maybe not, but your Messiah is still a womanizing, adulterate, sleaze bag. Yeah right, he didn't know that Cohen was making these payments. Sure thing. Whatever you need to tell yourselves. Dude is a con man and people have invested so much into it that they are too ashamed to see the truth. Cognitive dissonance at it's finest.

    Lest we forget at RPFs - What is lawful and what is right are quite often opposites.
    Nobody ever claimed he was a saint, he is just better for our liberty than the alternative after he won the primary.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

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