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Feds tapped Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's phones
NBCNews.com ^ | 05/03/2018 | Tom Winter and Julia Ainsley

Posted on 05/03/2018 10:02:25 AM PDT by GIdget2004

Federal investigators have wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation for a payment he made to an adult film star who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen.

It is not clear how long the wiretap has been authorized, but NBC News has learned it was in place in the weeks leading up to the raids on Cohen's offices, hotel room, and home in early April, according to one person with direct knowledge.

At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person said.

Previously, federal prosecutors in New York have said in court filings that they have conducted covert searches on multiple e-mail accounts maintained by Cohen.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: coup; deepstate; jamescomey; lisabarsoomian; lisapage; michaelcohen; muelleroutofcontrol; obamasfault; peterstrzok; phonetapped; robertmueller; rodrosenstein; sdny; spying; tyranny; uniparty; witchhunt
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To: joesbucks

You are obviously intentionally BLIND. Enough said...


141 posted on 05/03/2018 1:40:19 PM PDT by DBeers (The concept of peace in Islam requires not co-existence but submission.)
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To: MortMan

A blanket exception is if the client asked for attorney help in the commission of a crime. Or if the client asked the attorney to do something unlawful. Those are the main ones. There are others. Is it possible Trump may have asked Cohen to “fix” something and in the process violated one of both of the above?


142 posted on 05/03/2018 1:44:44 PM PDT by joesbucks
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To: jonrick46

Don’t know if this has been addressed yet but the IRS has yet to issue a statement if the payment to Stormy was taxable income to her and she failed to pay - - if he didn’t deduct it as a business expense(very grey area) she should owe


143 posted on 05/03/2018 1:47:05 PM PDT by techrules2002
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To: GIdget2004

Jesus...our intelligence agencies were wiretapping and spying on the President? It was bad enough when they were spying on journalists and Congressional computers.

This sedition needs to end hard. The FBI must be disbanded...period.


144 posted on 05/03/2018 1:52:45 PM PDT by DesertRhino (Dog is man's best friend, and moslems hate dogs. Add that up. ....)
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To: JoSixChip

All they need is something to impeach Trump on, the repubs will have just enough members go along with it to see it done.
______________________________________________________________

Impeachment is easy. If they do manage it, there will be a trail in the Senate presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. President Trump’s lawyers will rip Herr Mueller a new a$$hole on cross examination and it will all be broadcast in living color to the American people.


145 posted on 05/03/2018 2:01:13 PM PDT by HenpeckedCon (Covfefe Trump!)
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To: GIdget2004

So they are tapping DJT’s phones, too. These people are freakin’ nasty.


146 posted on 05/03/2018 2:07:28 PM PDT by madison10 (Pray for President Trump.)
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To: madison10

Feds = 0’s Shadow Gov’t


147 posted on 05/03/2018 2:08:35 PM PDT by Jane Long (Praise God, from whom ALL blessings flow.)
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To: Lopeover

Soon after the DOJ IG Report Pt. 2 comes out, BLAMO!

Just as we see know, same pattern of build up and criminal referrals.
There’s a long list of people who have been flipped.

Wait until the DOJ IG Report lands. It going to be a blockbuster.


148 posted on 05/03/2018 2:09:26 PM PDT by romanesq (For George Soros so loved the world, he gave us Obama)
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To: rbg81
Would they ever have done this with Obama?

He's part of the group-think in Foggy Bottom. Therefore, anything and everything he's done or said is just fine with the oligarchs who, until 17 months ago, ran Washington and the Nation like a medieval fiefdom.

Trump "colluding" with the Russians is silly when you consider that the other side have been modeling themselves after the Soviet Union for many years.

149 posted on 05/03/2018 2:13:33 PM PDT by ssaftler (It's not the "deep state". It's the "odoriferous oligarchy")
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To: joesbucks

As I have heard from prominent attorneys on the radio, a special master is used on the raid to determine what stays and what goes. The FBI seized everything, held it in FBI control, and the judge only granted the special master after a couple of weeks.

Why does the client list have to be disclosed publicly at all? This can all be handled with discretion, but Judge Kimba required it to be an open proceeding - no matter the consequence!

What’s the extra legal value of a wire tap against the President’s personal lawyer?


150 posted on 05/03/2018 2:16:55 PM PDT by MortMan (The white board is a remarkable invention.)
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To: joesbucks

Ah, yes. The “possible cause” standard.

Can you cite any case law supporting this standard?

Stipulate, for the sake of this discussion, that the raid was legitimate. The fact that it was performed in a manner to completely consume all data from the attorney says that the rules on the DOJ side were likely broken (re: Special master and care for privilege). The data was held by the FBI, supposedly only to be reviewed by “special teams”, but it seems like there were immediate leaks of privileged information casting aspersions on not Cohen or Trump, but rather on some other Republican official.

The DOJ and FBI are out of line, IMHO.


151 posted on 05/03/2018 2:21:14 PM PDT by MortMan (The white board is a remarkable invention.)
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To: GIdget2004

It is time for some people to just go away, join a gym or just take a walk in a park or take the stairs instead of the elevator..... just go do something productive to help better the United States and our citizens.


152 posted on 05/03/2018 2:29:40 PM PDT by DOC44
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To: joesbucks

None had standing as I recall not even one of the candidates who ran against him.


153 posted on 05/03/2018 2:36:28 PM PDT by itsahoot (Welcome to the New USA where Islam is a religion of peace and Christianity is a mental disorder.)
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To: romanesq

I don’t know....at every turn we are told to wait. Each time something is revealed, it seems to be effectively countered and diffused by the MSM. Every revelation that should have on its own been enough to shut them down has fizzled. “The Memo”, for example.

The IG’s report may be explosive, but I have no doubt the oligarchs have a response plan that they have directed their lackeys in the MSM and the CIA/FBI/DOJ to implement, just as they have done before.

Even if there were videos and audios of iron-clad proof, the public is so thoroughly propagandized, they would say the Repubs forged it.


154 posted on 05/03/2018 2:38:47 PM PDT by Kalamata (Meat hooks for Tyrants)
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To: mikhailovich

A sitting President can’t be indicted criminally.


155 posted on 05/03/2018 2:43:02 PM PDT by kabar
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To: GIdget2004

Q: What’s the difference between a banana republic and the U.S.?
A: in a banana republic at least you can grow bananas.


156 posted on 05/03/2018 2:44:14 PM PDT by Flick Lives
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To: GIdget2004
the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation for a payment he made to an adult film star who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen

What exactly is illegal about paying a litigant to go away in cases like these? It happens every day. Supermarkets pay slip and fall scammers to go away, politicians pay women to keep quiet, etc.

Now if Cohen had paid out of his own pocket, without reimbursement, then it *might* be construed as a "gift" which requires gift taxes to be paid. Or, given the timing, it could have been construed as a campaign "in kind" donation... which could break the law (ask Dinesh D'Souza about that).

But, Rudy tells us that Trump ultimately reimbursed Cohen, therefore is wasn't a gift or campaign donation at all. It was perfectly legal and routine.

157 posted on 05/03/2018 2:53:58 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: itsahoot
But the point is a duly elected President despite being what he was, had an attempts to bring him down for removal from office.

Remember, this is Trump's Justice department, his appointed assistant in that department and his appointed FBI director. His selections. His appointments.

158 posted on 05/03/2018 3:03:29 PM PDT by joesbucks
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To: MortMan

What leaks have been made? As for the raid, it was referred to Southern NY and executed by Trump’s appointed attorney for that area. His choice. His nominee. If the guy is corrupt, then he appointed a corrupt individual. As for case law, I’m not an attorney. But in general, those are exceptions. I guess we are to the point of looking for loopholes?


159 posted on 05/03/2018 3:12:09 PM PDT by joesbucks
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To: Kalamata

Understand your concern and people have reason to feel beaten down after decades not seeing justice.

However, I’m seeing Rudy Giuliani engage in a very aggressive public pushback across the board. He’s practically admitting there’s no chance of an interview with POTUS.

But I’m also sensing he is on top of a powder keg. It sounds like they have some damning information on the investigation of Michael Cohen. It sounds like they have information about illegal wiretaps.

If so, heads must roll and I think it means Rod Rosenstein. Once he’s out, then the Solicitor General steps in and he’s no fan of any of this Russia Collusion Hoax.
Could be an avenue to see it shut down and soon.

Things are getting tight. Something is going to blow. Put your money on POTUS & Rudy.


160 posted on 05/03/2018 4:09:13 PM PDT by romanesq (For George Soros so loved the world, he gave us Obama)
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