DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Palus Politicus F.B.I. Raids Office of Trump’s Longtime Lawyer Michael Cohen

Oh 40, you know I love you bro. Being brainwashed, indoctrinated, and manipulated by people far smarter than you is not your fault bro. We only bump heads because because I know a shock collar and a pocket full of treats is the best way to fix most of your bad tendencies.

By the time this training (intervention) is done, you will no longer feel the need to form opinions and make decisions with a lack of information, you views will be more inline with actual humans, and you will see the value progressive liberals bring to the world.

I know that sometimes I'm very hard on you, but the only other choice I have is signing those commitment papers and authorizing the lobotomy. I don't want that at all, castration was enough for me to see you go through.

We've had some good times 40! More to come.

Hey, would you mind fetching my paper?

Hardly.

Trump's Lawyer May Have Stored 'Gold Mine' Of Recorded Conversations: Report

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-apos-lawyer-may-stored-005121624.html

Lolololol

So, just to put this into context:

Remember when trump tweeted that Comey better not have any recordings?

And then when asked about that tweet during a hearing, Comey said “Lordy, I hope so”.

It’s like trump is telling prosecutors were to look, while being completely oblivious to the fact that he’s ratting on himself.

"Afternoon, officer. I know you stopped me for speeding, so please don't look in the trunk of my car- which definitely doesn't have a dead body in it-"


#nocollusion

Breaking

Trump is having a meltdown on twitter.

Donald J. Trump
‏
Verified account

@realDonaldTrump
Follow Follow @realDonaldTrump
More
DOJ just issued the McCabe report - which is a total disaster. He LIED! LIED! LIED! McCabe was totally controlled by Comey - McCabe is Comey!! No collusion, all made up by this den of thieves and lowlifes!

12:36 PM - 13 Apr 2018

funny, case this just dropped:

DOJ: Michael Cohen 'under criminal investigation'

https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/13/politics/michael-cohen-hearing-fbi-raid/index.html

Does he tantrum much?

Dude has to feel like everybody slipped out of the room while he wasn't looking and now he's alone and the walls are closing in..

I would honestly feel bad for him if he hadn't done this to himself.

Andrew McCabe, the onetime acting director of the FBI, leaked a self-serving story to the press and later lied about it to his boss and federal investigators, prompting a stunning fall from grace that ended in his firing last month, according to a bombshell report released Friday by the Department of Justice's internal watchdog.

Guilty and Fired.

You are more charitable than I.
I'm more a fan of Karma.

Me too. Karmna is awesome when it happens.

Mueller can prove Cohen made secret trip to Prague before the election: report

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/383123-...election-report

Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has proof that President Trump’s personal lawyer made a secret trip to Prague during the 2016 campaign despite his denial that he'd ever been there, McClatchy reported Friday.

It is not clear why Michael Cohen was in Prague. The claim he visited was originally made in a dossier compiled by former British spy Christopher Steele.

Cohen denied that he'd ever been to Prague "in my life" after the dossier's publication, tweeting a photo of his passport.



McClatchy reported that Cohen entered the country through Germany in August or early September 2016, which does not require a passport stamp.
The dossier claimed that, in Prague, Cohen met with a prominent ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Konstantin Kosachev, but it is not clear whether Mueller has evidence of such a meeting.

Koschahev was one of 24 Russian oligarchs slapped with U.S. sanctions earlier this month.

If such a meeting happened, it would be further evidence of ties between Trump associates and Putin. The dossier also claims that Cohen, among others, was deeply involved in a “cover up and damage limitation operation in the attempt to prevent the full details of Trump’s relationship with Russia being exposed.”

Neither Cohen nor Mueller commented on the story to McClatchy.

The report comes on the same day that U.S attorneys confirmed that they are investigating Cohen for criminal activity.

The FBI raided Cohen's office and home on Monday, in part on a referral from Mueller's office.

Starting to sound a lot like Collusion now. Drip Drip Drip!

i think mueller just made cohen pardon-proof.

Michael Carpenter
‏
Verified account

@mikercarpenter
Follow Follow @mikercarpenter
More Michael Carpenter Retweeted McClatchyDC
Huge development. If Michael Cohen is confirmed meeting Konstantin Kosachev in Prague, then collusion happened. As I note in the piece, “everyone knows Kosachev speaks for the Kremlin.” Another tantalizing fact: Russian hacker Yevgeniy Nikulin was also in Prague at this time.

Not just collusion, but it confirms more of the dossier. Mueller might have proof of the Pee Tape too.

Sources: Mueller has evidence Cohen was in Prague in 2016, confirming part of dossier

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article208870264.html

I think where this crumbled is when Trump stated that he knew nothing of Cohens actions regarding Daniels. A lawyer can’t enter into an agreement without knowledge of the client. It’s simply unethical and could get Cohen disbarred... That openened the door to Pandora’s box.

Oh, man am I fighting back the deluge of one-liners...

Just remember that once upon a time you could hire a lawyer and your secrets were safe. Now the precedent is set so that you can never have fair representation ever again. I love how you guys are so happy about losing more of your rights.

No evidence from this atrocious violation of a citizen's rights should ever be admissible in court. This is truly disgusting abuse of power by the US government.

Attorney-client privilege is alive and well. However there are many limitations to this privilege, chief among them being you can't abuse it in order to commit a crime.

Mobsters would have the mob lawyer present for all criminal conversations to hide behind this privilege. It doesn't work that way.

Additionally, there are many regulations required before you can raid a lawyer's home. Usag manual specifies these requirements. What I'm saying is, is that for this raid to be conducted, it wasn't just probable cause. They have evidence that compelled the case to be signed off.

This sign off was either by the Usag of Sdny, a Trump pick who was interviewed by the President, or rod rosenstein.

This is correct.
Joon Kim was appointed to replace Preet Bharara by Trump Admin. It was he who OK'ed the raid.

This would only happen if there was enough evidence to compel a judge to sign off on the warrant. Mueller acted exactly as he should: in commission of the Russia probe, certain other (unrelated) crimes/irregularities were uncovered. That evidence/data was turned over to the law enforcement agency(ies) appropriate to the situation. A no-knock was issued, and navy blue windbreakers (with big white letters) descended on Cohen's cribs.

After collection of these materials, they are sent to a group known as the "clean team' or "taint team." This is a group of lawyers completely unassociated with the investigation. Their only job is to separate the actionable evidence from unrelated stuff. The unrelated stuff remains privileged. Actionable evidence is then forwarded on to the prosecuting team.

This action requires a chain of command/sign-offs no fewer than 4 or 5 layers deep. US law takes atty/client privilege very seriously.

I thought you were talking about Scooter Libby until I saw the part about being the former FBI Director.

I did that intentionally...

Its only a atrocious violation on Hannity. You might want to read below. Its a good read.

The attorney-client privilege protects most communications between clients and their lawyers. But, according to the crime-fraud exception to the privilege, a client’s communication to her attorney isn’t privileged if she made it with the intention of committing or covering up a crime or fraud.


Because the attorney-client privilege belongs to the client, the client’s intent determines whether the exception applies. Most courts will apply the exception even if the attorney had no knowledge of, and didn’t participate in, the actual crime or fraud.

The crime-fraud exception applies if:
•the client was in the process of committing or intended to commit a crime or fraudulent act, and
•the client communicated with the lawyer with intent to further the crime or fraud, or to cover it up.

Not Just Crime

In some states, the crime-fraud exception isn’t limited to crimes and fraud; it also applies where the client’s object is a civil tort. For example, the exception could apply if a landlord sought advice about unlawfully evicting a tenant.

Note that many torts are also crimes—assault and trespassing are but two examples. So, even in a state where the client’s objective must be criminal in order for the crime-fraud exception to apply, something that also happens to be a tort may trigger it.

Crimes and Frauds

Whether the crime-fraud exception applies depends on the content and context of the communication. The exception covers communications about a variety of crimes and frauds, including (to name just a few):
•“suborning perjury” (asking an attorney to present testimony she knows is false)
•destroying or concealing evidence
•witness tampering, and
•concealing income or assets.


Example: Walt meets with criminal defense attorney Saul for legal advice and asks about the penalties for cooking and selling meth. Saul explains the penalties, and also explains that profits from illegal drug sales can lead to money laundering charges. The conversation is privileged because Walt merely sought advice about penalties. But the result would be different if Walt asked Saul for advice on hiding or destroying evidence, or how to launder his profits by funneling them through a legitimate business.

Example: A securities broker who asks her attorney which documents she should shred to avoid being charged with securities violations is asking the attorney to help her commit a criminal fraud. The prosecution, assuming it suspects or has any indication this conversation took place, could call the lawyer to testify about it. If the judge agreed, the lawyer wouldn’t be able to use the attorney-client privilege as a basis to refuse to answer questions about the broker’s document-shredding consultation.

Past, Present, or Future

Perhaps the most important consideration about the crime-fraud exception is whether the communication at hand relates to a past wrong, or a present or future one. Communications about past crimes and frauds are almost always privileged, but communications about ongoing or future ones usually aren’t.

Note, however, that many courts distinguish present from future intent, and are more likely to apply the exception where the intent is current. The exception ordinarily doesn’t apply if the client is merely seeking advice about the consequences of some possible future action. Not surprisingly, the line between present intent and possible future intent can be hazy. Ultimately, it may be up to a court to decide whether the client was about to commit a crime, or was merely asking about the consequences of some future action he might or might not take.

Mandatory Disclosure

If the crime-fraud exception applies, the prosecution can subpoena the attorney and force him to disclose the contents of the communication in question. But, apart from the crime-fraud exception, some situations ethically require lawyers to disclose communications. If lawyers don’t, they risk disciplinary sanctions, and possibly criminal charges. Examples include the following.
•Perjury. If the attorney knows a witness is about to give, or has given, perjured testimony, she must inform the court. (Importantly, though, this obligation may not apply if the perjuring witness is the client. See I told my lawyer I’m planning on telling a lie on the stand. What will happen?)
•Crucial evidence. If the client gives the attorney a crucial piece of evidence, the attorney may have to turn it over.
•Missing person. If the client tells the attorney the location of a missing witness or victim whose life is in imminent danger, the attorney may have to disclose it.
•Threats. If the client threatens to harm someone—for instance, a witness, attorney or judge—the lawyer may have to report the threat.


Most states allow—or require—attorneys to disclose information learned from a client that will prevent death or serious injury. Many have a similar rule where revealing otherwise confidential information would prevent or remedy financial injury due to a crime or fraud.

(For related reading, see If I tell my psychologist about a crime I committed can I get in trouble?)

State ethics rules specify which communications lawyers must disclose, and they may vary somewhat. But these rules tend to have procedures intended to minimize the amount of information the lawyer discloses. The idea is to allow the reporting of critical information while minimizing the extent to which the lawyer implicates the client.

State Variations and Expert Help

Although there are many similarities in the attorney-client privilege from state to state, and in state and federal court, there are variations. Evidence rules, statutes, and court decisions shape the privilege, and determine when the crime-fraud exception applies. Although every state recognizes the crime-fraud exception, when and how it operates may vary somewhat.

While there are some rules of thumb, whether the exception applies almost always turns on the particular facts of each case. Clients and potential clients should rely on advice from a lawyer about which communications will be privileged.

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/the-crime-fraud-exception-the-attorney-client-privilege.html

There was something today that the Trump team is worried that the raid got the mother load-30 years of communications/paperwork and up to one million pieces of information

The judge is now demanding that Michael Cohen turn over his list of clients by Monday, in order to prove that he legitimately represents people as an attorney. Moreover, the judge says the list will become a matter of public record, according to a new report from Politico. If Cohen has other clients, who are they? This week we learned, for instance, that Cohen helped Republican National Committee official Elliott Broidy cover up an affair involving an abortion; Broidy then resigned immediately. You see where this is going, right?

If these are the kind of "clients" Cohen is referring to, then it means he's really referring to people he's done fixer work for. He can't give up their names without potentially exposing their scandals. So unless Cohen wants to throw a whole lot of his own allies under the bus on Monday by forking over their names for the public record, he'll have to withdraw his argument that the seized communications are privileged.


So, in other words, who is Michael Cohen going to sell out on Monday? Will he toss his various "clients" under the bus by outing them, or will he toss Donald Trump (and himself) under the bus by allowing the seized communications between the two of them to be admitted into evidence? Cohen is in a no-win corner

stuck between a rock and a hard place.

when you are in a no-win situation, the choice is simple.

pick whatever choice leads to the least amount of prison time, if any.

This kind of goes out the window when the atty is participating in the crimes. If I hire a lawyer to defend me against , say, drug dealing charges and I go in to the office and discuss thw case, then yes there is atty/ client privilege. Now if that atty is helping e run my drug dealing business, thats kind of changes things up.

Several people have posted what the law actually states now - hopefully you will acknowledge that your post was made in error.

Personally it's baffling that people could believe they live in a country that is so corrupt and void of law that the high profile raid of a attorney like this could be illegal, after all the checks and balances and sign offs that are required for it to happen.

j/c

One thing I've learned from all of this. The playboy bunny received 1.6 million for the cover up. The prom star received 130k.

Playboy Bunnies are much more expensive than porn stars.

A shame, too... because porn stars work harder-

j/c

so today, there's this:

Gowdy sees no basis to fire Rosenstein over Mueller probe

House Oversight Chairman Trey Gowdy says President Donald Trump shouldn't fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein because of the ongoing special counsel investigation.

"I don’t see a basis for firing him in the handling of this probe," the retiring Republican congressman from South Carolina said on "Fox News Sunday."

The president's ire over the investigation into possible Trump campaign’s ties with Russia, which Rosenstein stepped in to oversee after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself last year, has grown considerably over the last week after Rosenstein authorized the raid in New York on longtime Trump attorney Michael Cohen.

Gowdy, a former federal prosecutor, noted the decision to conduct the raid had to be made a the "highest level" of the Justice Department and that a "neutral, detached" federal judge "who has nothing to do with politics" had to sign off on the warrant, which was, in part, made on a referral by special counsel Robert Mueller.

"I don’t know what Mueller was supposed to do other than what he did," Gowdy said, adding the referral was made because Mueller's team "came in contact with potential criminality."

"How this is Mueller’s fault just defies logic to me," Gowdy said, and cautioned the White House against agreeing to a reported plan from former aide Steve Bannon on how to discredit the ongoing federal probe.

"I don’t know who in the hell would take advice from Steve Bannon," Gowdy said.

Still, the congressman added, if Trump wanted to fire Rosenstein because he was upset that the Justice Department isn't producing requested documents to Congress fast enough that would be "legitimate."

Trump "doesn't have to run hiring and firing decisions by" Congress, Gowdy said.

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/15/gowdy-rosenstein-mueller-524276

____________________

So it would appear that even Draco Malfoy agrees there are no witches being hunted.

The probe goes deeper...

Right. Last time I checked, a special counsel is legally required to pass off evidence of a crime to other law enforcement if he finds any that doesn’t fall under his jurisdiction.

Sorry but you guys are naive if you think this anything but a witch hunt to gain collateral information.

Let's say they don't find any criminal. They have now gone through all this lawers cases and have inside info and hundreds of his clients. They will then use that info against a host of other citizens who are not named Trump. Look at the judge demanding a list of clients to be made public that has nothing to do with the Trump investigation. Instead they have used a speculative investigation to open a floodgate on their competition.

If a lawyer commits a crime then by all means prosecute him but his wrong should not enable the government the ability expose all of his clients confidentiality that were made in good faith and trust. How many people and businesses who are innocent of anything Cohen might have done will get destroyed from this?

Think of it this way. You go to a lawyer and have him take on your case. While working on your case he is also the lawyer of the president of the US. To get at the president they find excuses to raid said lawyer and now are going through all your private and confidential information related to your business even though it's not related to the other case at all. So of course your info gets leaked/sold to your competition ...

You still think this is OK? It's not. It's wrong. This is just a witch hunt to gain sensitive information against the other side. There is no real investigation or any real proof. I mean my God a billionaire with aspects of his business all over the world and who meets with rulers of nations across the globe on a regular basis is somehow guilty of collusion when he does the same exact thing he has been doing while running for president. It's not collusion. It's called running his business until said time he actually wins and has to temporarily divest which he has done by turning over the running of his business to family members.

Unless your one of those dimwits who think Trump should have sold off all his businesses and fired 10s of thousands of people in american much less the amount of people he employs globally.

This entire case is pure stupidity and needs to be closed and stop wasting millions of taxpayers' money.

Just flat wrong - but little point in expending energy explaining why none of what you said is correct as you won't ever get it.

Yea, no mention made of the taint team used to review the sensitive information for one.

Listing the clients a lawyer has is far from overly revealing, even if Cohen has alot of Russian clients for instance. Cohen has to list the clients so the taint team can more effectively determine relevant documents.

No mention of the taint team (is that the right term? That's kinda gross) - because if you believe in a Deep State controlling everything then the Deep State would control the taint team.

No mention of the fact that you basically have to prove that there is criminal activity before being able to get the green light on the raid - this isn't a situation where grounds to believe something will be found is good enough, you have to know for certain what you will find.