SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump calls out to media as he and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani pose for photographs as Giuliani arrives at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Bedminster, N.J. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)
'Legal Peril' for President After Giuliani Admits Trump Repaid Stormy Daniels Hush Money
"Trump's own lawyer has now handed the DOJ evidence that President Trump committed criminal violations of federal law."
May 03, 2018
Frantically attempting to clean up the enormous mess made by his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News Wednesday night, President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets early Thursday morning defending the reimbursement of his personal attorney Michael Cohen, who made a $130,000 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public with affair allegations.
Experts were quick to argue that Giuliani's remarks Wednesday night place Trump in "legal peril" because such payments constitute "violations of campaign finance law."
"This dope and evidently his lawyers do not--despite everything--understand how campaign finance law works."
--Norm Eisen, CREW
In his trio of Thursday morning tweets, the president, who previously asserted that he had no knowledge of Cohen's payment to Daniels, wrote: "Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement... Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction."
Trump's tweets came after Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who joined the president's legal team just two weeks ago, said on Fox News that Trump set up a "$35,000 a month" payment plan for Cohen to reimburse him for hush money paid to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Responding to Trump's tweets on Thursday, Norm Eisen, former White House ethics chief and chair of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW), argued that it is now clear neither the president nor his legal team "understand how campaign finance law works"--an argument bolstered by the fact that Trump's team reportedly knew what Giuliani was going to say during his Fox interview.
Eisen also argued that Trump's failure to disclose Cohen's payment to Daniels on his personal financial disclosures was a "crime."
As Giuliani continued to discuss Trump's reimbursement of Cohen on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning in the midst of a flood of backlash, Eisen urged him to keep on talking.
"Keep digging Rudy, you are making the case--for the prosecution that is," Eisen wrote.
In a statement on the heels of Giuliani's Fox News interview Wednesday night, Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause, agreed with Eisen that Trump appears to have violated campaign finance law and argued that Trump is now in even bigger legal trouble than before.
"Giuliani seemingly thought he was doing President Trump a favor--but instead made Trump's legal problems much, much worse. Giuliani's admission that Trump reimbursed Cohen amounts to an admission that Trump actually knew about the payment," Ryan said. "In other words, Trump's own lawyer has now handed the DOJ evidence that President Trump committed criminal violations of federal law."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Frantically attempting to clean up the enormous mess made by his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News Wednesday night, President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets early Thursday morning defending the reimbursement of his personal attorney Michael Cohen, who made a $130,000 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public with affair allegations.
Experts were quick to argue that Giuliani's remarks Wednesday night place Trump in "legal peril" because such payments constitute "violations of campaign finance law."
"This dope and evidently his lawyers do not--despite everything--understand how campaign finance law works."
--Norm Eisen, CREW
In his trio of Thursday morning tweets, the president, who previously asserted that he had no knowledge of Cohen's payment to Daniels, wrote: "Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement... Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction."
Trump's tweets came after Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who joined the president's legal team just two weeks ago, said on Fox News that Trump set up a "$35,000 a month" payment plan for Cohen to reimburse him for hush money paid to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Responding to Trump's tweets on Thursday, Norm Eisen, former White House ethics chief and chair of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW), argued that it is now clear neither the president nor his legal team "understand how campaign finance law works"--an argument bolstered by the fact that Trump's team reportedly knew what Giuliani was going to say during his Fox interview.
Eisen also argued that Trump's failure to disclose Cohen's payment to Daniels on his personal financial disclosures was a "crime."
As Giuliani continued to discuss Trump's reimbursement of Cohen on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning in the midst of a flood of backlash, Eisen urged him to keep on talking.
"Keep digging Rudy, you are making the case--for the prosecution that is," Eisen wrote.
In a statement on the heels of Giuliani's Fox News interview Wednesday night, Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause, agreed with Eisen that Trump appears to have violated campaign finance law and argued that Trump is now in even bigger legal trouble than before.
"Giuliani seemingly thought he was doing President Trump a favor--but instead made Trump's legal problems much, much worse. Giuliani's admission that Trump reimbursed Cohen amounts to an admission that Trump actually knew about the payment," Ryan said. "In other words, Trump's own lawyer has now handed the DOJ evidence that President Trump committed criminal violations of federal law."
Frantically attempting to clean up the enormous mess made by his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani in an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News Wednesday night, President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets early Thursday morning defending the reimbursement of his personal attorney Michael Cohen, who made a $130,000 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent her from going public with affair allegations.
Experts were quick to argue that Giuliani's remarks Wednesday night place Trump in "legal peril" because such payments constitute "violations of campaign finance law."
"This dope and evidently his lawyers do not--despite everything--understand how campaign finance law works."
--Norm Eisen, CREW
In his trio of Thursday morning tweets, the president, who previously asserted that he had no knowledge of Cohen's payment to Daniels, wrote: "Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement... Money from the campaign, or campaign contributions, played no roll [sic] in this transaction."
Trump's tweets came after Giuliani, the former mayor of New York City who joined the president's legal team just two weeks ago, said on Fox News that Trump set up a "$35,000 a month" payment plan for Cohen to reimburse him for hush money paid to Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Responding to Trump's tweets on Thursday, Norm Eisen, former White House ethics chief and chair of Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington (CREW), argued that it is now clear neither the president nor his legal team "understand how campaign finance law works"--an argument bolstered by the fact that Trump's team reportedly knew what Giuliani was going to say during his Fox interview.
Eisen also argued that Trump's failure to disclose Cohen's payment to Daniels on his personal financial disclosures was a "crime."
As Giuliani continued to discuss Trump's reimbursement of Cohen on "Fox & Friends" Thursday morning in the midst of a flood of backlash, Eisen urged him to keep on talking.
"Keep digging Rudy, you are making the case--for the prosecution that is," Eisen wrote.
In a statement on the heels of Giuliani's Fox News interview Wednesday night, Paul S. Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause, agreed with Eisen that Trump appears to have violated campaign finance law and argued that Trump is now in even bigger legal trouble than before.
"Giuliani seemingly thought he was doing President Trump a favor--but instead made Trump's legal problems much, much worse. Giuliani's admission that Trump reimbursed Cohen amounts to an admission that Trump actually knew about the payment," Ryan said. "In other words, Trump's own lawyer has now handed the DOJ evidence that President Trump committed criminal violations of federal law."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy