Couldn’t watch the Cohen hearing on Wednesday? Here’s The New York Times recap:
Tag: Trump campaign
Cohen claims batter Trump
Michael Cohen offered riveting testimony about his allegations against President Trump on Wednesday, laying into his former boss as a “racist” and a “cheat” in a packed House Oversight and Reform Committee room.
A decidedly contrite Cohen said he was ashamed of things he had done as Trump’s personal lawyer and fixer, saying he had paid for his loyalty dearly.
“I blindly followed his demands,” Cohen said in closing remarks after more than seven hours of testimony. “My loyalty to Mr. Trump has cost me everything.”
Matt Gaetz under investigation by Florida Bar over Cohen tweet
Florida Republican says he has apologized to Cohen personally
The Florida Bar has opened an investigation into a tweet sent by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Tuesday that appeared to be an attempt to intimidate President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Michael Cohen the day before he was to testify against his old boss.
The Florida Bar confirmed to Roll Call on Wednesday afternoon that it has begun investigating Gaetz’s tweet. It would not release any additional information, citing confidentiality rules.
“Any time the words or actions of a Florida lawyer result in complaints, The Florida Bar will fully investigate those complaints through its established grievance process to determine if Bar rules have been violated,” Florida Bar spokeswoman Francine Andía Walker said.
View the complete February 27 article by Chris Cioffi on The Roll Call website here.
Cohen implicates Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, in mistress hush money scheme
Trump’s former lawyer and fixer was asked if he is aware of any other illegal acts that haven’t come to light
This is a developing story. Follow this page for updates on the latest from the Cohen hearing.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, said Wednesday that Trump’s business operation is being investigated for illegal acts that haven’t yet been publicly disclosed.
Asked by Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois if he was aware of any other wrongdoing or illegal acts that hadn’t yet been discussed in his testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen replied, “Yes … those are part of the investigation that’s currently being looked at by the Southern District of New York,” referring to the Manhattan-based U.S. attorney’s that would have jurisdiction over Trump’s business empire’s headquarters.
Cohen is providing unprecedented insight to the Oversight Committee into how Trump ran his business empire for more than a decade.
View the complete February 27 article by Griffin Connolly on The Roll Call website here.
Michael Cohen’s testimony: Trump’s former personal lawyer alleges the president knew in advance of WikiLeaks plan
Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former fixer and personal lawyer, returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a House Oversight Committee hearing. Here are the highlights of his testimony so far.
- Cohen has alleged that Trump knew in advance that the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks planned to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails.
- He has sparred aggressively with GOP lawmakers, who have questioned his credibility and motives for coming forward.
- He detailed how deeply and personally involved Trump was in the scheme to pay off an adult-film actress who alleged that she had an affair with Trump.
- He described how he, like many in Trump’s orbit, had long sought to protect the president, but made clear: “I am not protecting Mr. Trump anymore.”
- He has suggested that federal prosecutors are investigating unspecified criminal allegations involving the president that have not been made public.
Cohen implicates Trump’s sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, in mistress hush money scheme
Trump’s former lawyer and fixer was asked if he is aware of any other illegal acts that haven’t come to light
This is a developing story. Follow this page for updates on the latest from the Cohen hearing.
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, said Wednesday that Trump’s business operation is being investigated for illegal acts that haven’t yet been publicly disclosed.
Asked by Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois if he was aware of any other wrongdoing or illegal acts that hadn’t yet been discussed in his testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Cohen replied, “Yes … those are part of the investigation that’s currently being looked at by the Southern District of New York,” referring to the Manhattan-based U.S. attorney’s that would have jurisdiction over Trump’s business empire’s headquarters.
Cohen is providing unprecedented insight to the Oversight Committee into how Trump ran his business empire for more than a decade.
Robert Mueller just dunked on the chairman of the Federalist Society
The bad news is that the Federalist Society is still picking Trump judges.
A federal appeals court that is widely viewed as the second-most powerful court in the country handed down an opinion on Tuesday holding that Robert Mueller’s appointment as special counsel is constitutional. This isn’t exactly a surprising decision.
Many of the issues raised in In re Grand Jury Investigation rehash questions that were settled in previous cases involving special or independent counsels. And the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit’s decision was joined by Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson — an arch-conservative judge who fairly often dissented from Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s right when Kavanaugh served on her court.
Yet, while the arguments in Grand Jury are not especially controversial, they’ve been treated as such by one of the most powerful organizations in the country. Steven Calabresi, a law professor and chairman of the Federalist Society’s board of directors, published a 21-page memo arguing that Mueller’s appointment is unconstitutional. The Federalist Society itself touted this argument in a teleconference that many journalists — including this reporter — were invited to attend.
View the complete February 26 article by Ian Hillhiser on the ThinkProgress website here.
In echoes of Watergate, Trump’s ex-lawyer is expected to tell all to House committee
After more than a decade as the keeper of Donald Trump’s secrets, Michael Cohen has been spilling the beans about the president’s private business deals, foreign interests and alleged mistresses to federal prosecutors in Washington and New York.
But apart from brief comments in the courtroom where he was sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to several crimes, the president’s former personal lawyer, fixer and attack dog has not spoken publicly about what he now calls Trump’s “dirty deeds.”
That is likely to change Wednesday when Cohen testifies before the House Oversight Committee in a hearing that could be the most damaging for a president since former White House Counsel John Dean helped bring down Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal.
View the complete February 26 article by Chris Megerian on The Los Angeles Times website here.
The perils of investigating a complete buffoon
Democrats are probing a mess. If they’re not careful, they’ll join it
OPINION — Only President Donald Trump could announce the parameters of his relationship with the newly Democratic House with a bite-sized limerick in his State of the Union address. “If there is going to be peace and legislation … there cannot be war and investigation,” Trump said with a did-you-see-what-I-did-there smile on his face. “It just doesn’t work that way.”
Was it a threat? Was it a poem? Is there a war happening that we don’t know about? Whatever Trump meant with his rhyme, it illustrated the very real challenge Democrats have on their hands, with a fleet of committee chairmen eager to investigate the president, a progressive base hungry for results, and a president who has never played by (and has often broken) the rules in his personal life, in his business affairs, and as president — right down to that little ditty in the State of the Union.
Unlike some past Congresses, which used to have to dig for years to find an area where they could effectively investigate the White House, Trump’s life and administration almost present more conflicts, curiosities and potential crimes than any Congress could digest. From the Russia conspiracy to the Trump family finances to the Trump hotel’s guest lists, it’s a target-rich environment. But the challenge for Democrats will be to not become part of the mess in the process.
View the complete February 26 commentary by Patricia Murphy on The Roll Call website here.
Former campaign staffer alleges in lawsuit that Trump kissed her without her consent. The White House denies the charge.
A staffer on Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign says he kissed her without her consent at a small gathering of supporters before a Florida rally, an interaction that she alleges in a new lawsuit still causes her anguish.
In interviews and in the lawsuit, Alva Johnson said Trump grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her on the lips as he exited an RV outside the rally in Tampa on Aug. 24, 2016. Johnson said she turned her head and the unwanted kiss landed on the side of her mouth.
In a statement, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed Johnson’s allegation as “absurd on its face.”