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Michael Cohen, (L) former personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, exits the United States District Court Southern District of New York on May 30, 2018 in New York City. (Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen, the New York Times reported on Friday, secretly recorded a conversation with the president just weeks before the 2016 election about a payoff to Playboy model Karen McDougal regarding her allegations that she and Trump had an extramarital affair years prior.
The Times reports:
The F.B.I. seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr. Cohen's office. The Justice Department is investigating Mr. Cohen's involvement in paying women to tamp down embarrassing news stories about Mr. Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Prosecutors want to know whether that violated federal campaign finance laws, and any conversation with Mr. Trump about those payments would be of keen interest to them.
According to Matt Apuzzo, one the Times journalists who broke the story who spoke to MSNBC after it was published, their reporting found "no indication" that Trump knew this conversation was being recording. That, of course, only leads to further speculation about how many other times--and on what subjects--Cohen may have been making such recordings.
\u201cJUST IN: President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen taped Trump talking about payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, the @nytimes reports.\n\nWatch @mattapuzzo discuss his reporting and new questions it raises about violating campaign finance law.\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1532102538
"The recording's existence further draws Mr. Trump into questions about tactics he and his associates used to keep aspects of his personal and business life a secret," the Times reports. "And it highlights the potential legal and political danger that Mr. Cohen represents to Mr. Trump. Once the keeper of many of Mr. Trump's secrets, Mr. Cohen is now seen as increasingly willing to consider cooperating with prosecutors."
Michael Avenatti, the outspoken lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, also embroiled with Trump over payoffs related to a sexual relationship, said in the wake of the new revelations that he knows "for a fact" that there are more recordings made by Cohen and seized by the FBI.
\u201cAnd there is a reason why I used the term that I did and demanded the release of the #TrumpTapes as opposed to the #TrumpTape. If Michael Cohen is a patriot, then ALL of the tapes should be released to the American people. Now. Too much is at stake. #Basta\u201d— Michael Avenatti (@Michael Avenatti) 1532104986
As Common Cause immediately pointed out, Trump's direct knowledge and involvement in a possible payoff during the 2016 could be evidence of serious campaign finance violations by the president:
\u201cThis further proves true the allegations we made in our FEC & DOJ complaints that @realDonaldTrump, the Trump campaign, and American Media broke federal campaign finance laws https://t.co/RGOAUoPSFm\n\nhttps://t.co/RjZupOH6uU\u201d— Common Cause (@Common Cause) 1532102668
Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics, had this one word response: "Yikes."
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen, the New York Times reported on Friday, secretly recorded a conversation with the president just weeks before the 2016 election about a payoff to Playboy model Karen McDougal regarding her allegations that she and Trump had an extramarital affair years prior.
The Times reports:
The F.B.I. seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr. Cohen's office. The Justice Department is investigating Mr. Cohen's involvement in paying women to tamp down embarrassing news stories about Mr. Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Prosecutors want to know whether that violated federal campaign finance laws, and any conversation with Mr. Trump about those payments would be of keen interest to them.
According to Matt Apuzzo, one the Times journalists who broke the story who spoke to MSNBC after it was published, their reporting found "no indication" that Trump knew this conversation was being recording. That, of course, only leads to further speculation about how many other times--and on what subjects--Cohen may have been making such recordings.
\u201cJUST IN: President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen taped Trump talking about payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, the @nytimes reports.\n\nWatch @mattapuzzo discuss his reporting and new questions it raises about violating campaign finance law.\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1532102538
"The recording's existence further draws Mr. Trump into questions about tactics he and his associates used to keep aspects of his personal and business life a secret," the Times reports. "And it highlights the potential legal and political danger that Mr. Cohen represents to Mr. Trump. Once the keeper of many of Mr. Trump's secrets, Mr. Cohen is now seen as increasingly willing to consider cooperating with prosecutors."
Michael Avenatti, the outspoken lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, also embroiled with Trump over payoffs related to a sexual relationship, said in the wake of the new revelations that he knows "for a fact" that there are more recordings made by Cohen and seized by the FBI.
\u201cAnd there is a reason why I used the term that I did and demanded the release of the #TrumpTapes as opposed to the #TrumpTape. If Michael Cohen is a patriot, then ALL of the tapes should be released to the American people. Now. Too much is at stake. #Basta\u201d— Michael Avenatti (@Michael Avenatti) 1532104986
As Common Cause immediately pointed out, Trump's direct knowledge and involvement in a possible payoff during the 2016 could be evidence of serious campaign finance violations by the president:
\u201cThis further proves true the allegations we made in our FEC & DOJ complaints that @realDonaldTrump, the Trump campaign, and American Media broke federal campaign finance laws https://t.co/RGOAUoPSFm\n\nhttps://t.co/RjZupOH6uU\u201d— Common Cause (@Common Cause) 1532102668
Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics, had this one word response: "Yikes."
President Donald Trump's longtime personal attorney Michael Cohen, the New York Times reported on Friday, secretly recorded a conversation with the president just weeks before the 2016 election about a payoff to Playboy model Karen McDougal regarding her allegations that she and Trump had an extramarital affair years prior.
The Times reports:
The F.B.I. seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr. Cohen's office. The Justice Department is investigating Mr. Cohen's involvement in paying women to tamp down embarrassing news stories about Mr. Trump ahead of the 2016 election. Prosecutors want to know whether that violated federal campaign finance laws, and any conversation with Mr. Trump about those payments would be of keen interest to them.
According to Matt Apuzzo, one the Times journalists who broke the story who spoke to MSNBC after it was published, their reporting found "no indication" that Trump knew this conversation was being recording. That, of course, only leads to further speculation about how many other times--and on what subjects--Cohen may have been making such recordings.
\u201cJUST IN: President Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen taped Trump talking about payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, the @nytimes reports.\n\nWatch @mattapuzzo discuss his reporting and new questions it raises about violating campaign finance law.\u201d— MSNBC (@MSNBC) 1532102538
"The recording's existence further draws Mr. Trump into questions about tactics he and his associates used to keep aspects of his personal and business life a secret," the Times reports. "And it highlights the potential legal and political danger that Mr. Cohen represents to Mr. Trump. Once the keeper of many of Mr. Trump's secrets, Mr. Cohen is now seen as increasingly willing to consider cooperating with prosecutors."
Michael Avenatti, the outspoken lawyer for adult film star Stormy Daniels, also embroiled with Trump over payoffs related to a sexual relationship, said in the wake of the new revelations that he knows "for a fact" that there are more recordings made by Cohen and seized by the FBI.
\u201cAnd there is a reason why I used the term that I did and demanded the release of the #TrumpTapes as opposed to the #TrumpTape. If Michael Cohen is a patriot, then ALL of the tapes should be released to the American people. Now. Too much is at stake. #Basta\u201d— Michael Avenatti (@Michael Avenatti) 1532104986
As Common Cause immediately pointed out, Trump's direct knowledge and involvement in a possible payoff during the 2016 could be evidence of serious campaign finance violations by the president:
\u201cThis further proves true the allegations we made in our FEC & DOJ complaints that @realDonaldTrump, the Trump campaign, and American Media broke federal campaign finance laws https://t.co/RGOAUoPSFm\n\nhttps://t.co/RjZupOH6uU\u201d— Common Cause (@Common Cause) 1532102668
Walter Shaub, former head of the Office of Government Ethics, had this one word response: "Yikes."