President Donald Trump on Monday defended hush money payments to two women during his 2016 campaign as 'a simple private transaction' that would be his 'lawyer's liability.'
The president took to twitter to defend the payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal and argue they were 'wrongly' called a campaign contribution by prosecutors in the Michael Cohen case.
'There was NO COLLUSION. So now the Dems go to a simple private transaction, wrongly call it a campaign contribution,' the president wrote.
President Donald Trump on Monday defended hush money payments to two women during his 2016 campaign as 'a simple private transaction'
He went on to say any liability would be the lawyer's and that Cohen, his former personal attorney, was trying to get his sentence reduced.
'....which it was not (but even if it was, it is only a CIVIL CASE, like Obama's - but it was done correctly by a lawyer and there would not even be a fine. Lawyer's liability if he made a mistake, not me). Cohen just trying to get his sentence reduced. WITCH HUNT!,' he tweeted.
On Friday, prosecutors recommended Cohen should spend between 51 and 63 months in prison for a range of federal crimes including tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws.
It's unclear what the president meant by 'lawyer's liability' and a 'civil case, like Obama's.'
Former President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign was found in violation of Federal Election Commission regulations and paid a fine after the campaign failed to provide a 48-hour notice for contributions that totaled more than $1.8 million.
Federal law requires notices to be filed on contributions of $1,000 or more that are received within 20 days of Election Day.
Obama's campaign paid $230,000 of the $375,000 fine with the Democratic National Committee paying the rest of the amount.
Cohen pled guilty in August to breaking campaign finance laws and other crimes. He will be sentenced on Wednesday.
And Trump's early morning defense comes after Democrats took to the Sunday public affairs shows to warn him that impeachment could be on the agenda after Friday's revelation by prosecutors that Cohen worked 'in coordination with and at the direction of' Donald Trump – by his own admission – to arrange for the National Enquirer to buy the rights to the two women's stories and 'kill' them, preventing media exposure of their claims.
Trump has been on a twitter tear since Friday's sentencing memos detailing the case against Cohen.
On Sunday evening he took to Twitter to tout his administration's accomplishments and he's used the social media website to slam special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation and declare his innocence.
His latest round of defense comes as he searches for a chief of staff to lead his West Wing in the next two years while he runs for reelection and Democrats investigate his administration.
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said on Sunday the public facts out of Mueller's investigation show that Trump is 'beyond the stage' that led to the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
'You are beyond the stage that led to impeachment proceedings against President Clinton, whether or not you think that was worthy of impeachment or not,' he said Sunday on ABC's 'This Week.'
He also warned Trump he has stepped into the same territory that ultimately led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.
'The president has now stepped into the same territory that ultimately led to President Nixon resigning the office. President Nixon was an unindicted co-conspirator - certainly a different set of facts. But this investigation is now starting to put the president in serious legal crosshairs, and he should be worried and the whole country should be worried,' he said.
'Listen, nobody's rooting for the president to go down in this manner. This isn't good for democracy but this investigation may ultimately lead to Congress taking action,' he added.
Murphy wasn't the only lawmaker sounding the alarm.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said there is a 'very real prospect' that President Donald Trump will be indicted on the day he leaves office
Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy said the public facts out of Robert Mueller's probe show that Trump is 'beyond the stage' that led to Clinton's impeachment
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal (left) and porn actress Stormy Daniels (right) both claimed to have slept with Donald Trump in the past, but the government says Cohen coordinated with Trump to make sure the women were paid for their silence – in effect a pair of massive campaign contributions designed to save the election for Trump
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said there is a 'very real prospect' that the president will be indicted on the day he leaves office and there is a 'real prospect' he will face jail time.
'There's a very real prospect that on the day Donald Trump leaves office the Justice Department may indict him. That he may be the first president in quite some time to face the real prospect of jail time,' Schiff said Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation.'
'We have been discussing the issue of pardons that the president may offer to people or dangle in front of people, the bigger pardon question may come down the road as the next president has to determine whether to pardon Donald Trump,' he added.
Sentencing memos out on Friday about the Cohen case led to questions about the role Trump himself played.
Cohen 'coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign,' according to one of the sentencing memo, 'including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments.'
And as a result, 'neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election.'
The payments were made to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, both of whom claimed to have affairs with Trump, which he has denied.
Cohen directly paid Daniels to deny she had an affair with Trump. McDougal was paid by American Media Inc., the owner of the National Enquirer, for her story which it then did not publish in an operation known as 'catch and kill.'
David Pecker, a longtime Trump friend who was CEO of the National Enquirer's parent company, got an immunity deal from Mueller to divulge his part in the plot.
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler warned that it would be an 'impeachable offense' if President Trump directed the payments to Daniels and McDougal.
'Certainly they're impeachable offenses. Even though they were committed before the president became president, they were committed in the service of fraudulently obtaining the office,' he said on CNN's 'State of the Union.'
Cohen arranged for a $130,000 payment to Daniels, which prosecutors say violated campaign finance law prohibitions against donations of more than $2,700 in a general election.
Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler warned that it would be an 'impeachable offense' if President Trump directed the payments to two women during his campaign
Prosecutors said Trump's former personal attorney Michale Cohen coordinated with 'Individual-1,' which is how Trump is referred to in filings
A $150,000 payment by American Media Inc. to silence McDougal was an illegal corporate donation to the Trump's campaign, prosecutors claim.
Both women claim affairs with Trump, which he has denied.
Prosecutors noted Cohen had implicated the president in the payments.
'Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1,' the prosecutors wrote.
'Individual-1' refers to Trump.
Trump claimed the filings out on Friday vindicate him.
'Totally clears the President. Thank you!,' he tweeted.
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/12/10/trump-defends-hush-money-payments-as-a-simple-private-transaction/
Main photo article President Donald Trump on Monday defended hush money payments to two women during his 2016 campaign as ‘a simple private transaction’ that would be his ‘lawyer’s liability.’
The president took to twitter to defend the payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and Pl...
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/2018/12/10/12/7235186-0-image-m-9_1544444700026.jpg
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