Democrats are pointing to a series of unfolding cooperation deals among witnesses with deep knowledge and ties to President Trump – with an indictment or impeachment of the president both possible outcomes.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is a favorite target of Trump's, said Wednesday the most meaningful development was the unsealed cooperation deal with American Media Inc. Federal prosecutors revealed the publisher of the National Enquirer had a immunity deal related to its $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims she had an affair with Trump.
That revelation came after a federal judge in New York sentenced longtime Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to three years in prison for campaign finance, tax violations, and lying to Congress.
President Trump has called the Mueller probe a 'witch hunt,' and has blasted Cohen as 'weak' for cooperating to seek a lighter sentence
'I think the more significant development in the case today than the sentence that Michael Cohen received was the fact that there is this non-prosecution agreement with AMI, the parent of the National Enquirer,' Schiff told CNN.
'Because what that means is, this is not simply Michael Cohen’s word against Donald Trump’s, it is now Donald Trump’s word against everyone else,' he added.
'That there are witnesses at AMI who will testify that these payments were made for the express purpose of influencing the election, by depriving voters of knowledge of these stories of women coming forward to say they had affairs with a candidate running for the president.”
'This is not simply Michael Cohen’s word against Donald Trump’s, it is now Donald Trump’s word against everyone else,' said Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen is among a host of officials cooperating with prosecutors
Prosecutors in New York have reached a cooperation agreement with American Media Inc. Here CEO David Pecker and Daniel E. Harris attend the 'Shape France' Magazine cocktail launch at Hotel Talleyrand on January 19, 2012 in Paris, France
Prosecutors also have revealed that former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn, who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, has spent dozens of hours meeting with prosecutors. Trump Organization exec Allen Weisselberg also reportedly has an immunity deal.
Taken together, some of the people who know Trump and his business and campaign best are now cooperating with the government, although former campaign chair Paul Manafort's deal blew up over his alleged 'lies' to investigators.
Flynn also noted that the letter from prosecutors revealed that Pecker met with Cohen and 'at least one other member of the campaign' in 2015 during Trump's run for the White House.
'That is powerful corroboration. there is apparently another witness within the Trump organization that also corroborates what Michael Cohen has to say,' he said.
Democratic leaders have tried to refrain from impeachment talk. But on Sunday incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerold Nadler of New York said if Trump directed Cohen to commit a felony, it would be an impeachable offense.
“Whether they are important enough to justify an impeachment is a different question,' he told CNN's 'State of the Union.
A Justice Department memorandum states essentially that a sitting president can't be indicted. But some experts are arguing that special counsel Robert Mueller may need to indict just to get information before Congress. A statute of limitations on any campaign violation would run out if Trump wins reelection and isn't charged until he leaves office.
'I think the Justice Department needs to reexamine that [Office of Legal Counsel] opinion... that you cannot indict a sitting president, under circumstances in which the failure to do so may mean that person escapes justice,' said Schiff.
'If it were the case that it was now or never ... that ought to create certainly an exception to that OLC rule if not mean revisiting and revising the rule altogether.' He added: 'A president merely by being in office can be above the law ... by essentially waiting out the law, waiting out the statute of limitations.'
Former Acting Solicitor General under President Obama Neal Katyal wrote Wednesday on Twitter that existing special counsel regulations 'put thumb on scale of Mueller asking Acting AG to indict, as that is the one way Mueller can be sure info he has uncovered in his investigation is provided to Congress. EVEN if Mueller thinks AG would say no, he may need to ask.'
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/13/democrats-say-witnesses-are-lining-up-against-the-president-but-stop-short-of-impeachment-talk/
Main photo article Democrats are pointing to a series of unfolding cooperation deals among witnesses with deep knowledge and ties to President Trump – with an indictment or impeachment of the president both possible outcomes.
Rep. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who is a favorite target of Trump’s, said W...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/12/23/7358044-6489977-image-a-47_1544659101493.jpg
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