Posted on 12/08/2018 3:58:16 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) argued Friday that federal prosecutors' latest filing in a case involving President Trump's former longtime attorney Michael Cohen means that Trump allegedly committed two felonies.
Lieu, a member of the House Judiciary Committee and frequent Trump critic, told MSNBC's Chris Matthews on "Hardball" that "we have a sitting president of the United States who committed two felonies while running for president.....
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Campaigns must report to the FEC the purpose and payee of all disbursements over $200. To keep it legal, all Cohen had to do was either report it, or not bill it as a campaign expense.
We both agree the NDAs were not campaign contributions.
Cohen did not pay the NDAs with campaign money.
Trump did not pay Cohen with campaign money.
So what FEC paperwork is required again?
He paid it with his money, but was reimbursed with campaign money because explicitly billed it as a campaign expense.
"Trump did not pay Cohen with campaign money."
He did - it becomes campaign money when you pay a campaign expense.
"So what FEC paperwork is required again?"
Any payment over $200 requires disclosure. It wasn't disclosed and that is one of the crimes Cohen is going to jail for.
You skipped the part where we both agreed NDAs are not campaign expenses.
Cohen did NOT bill as campaign expenses either. He billed it as attorney services rendered.
Trump paying an attorney with money from the Trump Organization for normal attorney services (and NDAs certainly fall within that description) are, once again, not campaign expenses.
You are providing an unsourced quotation, "attorney services rendered. Where did you get it? If it is true, great, there is a plausible defense. So where are you getting that info?
Cohen was Trumps private attorney with no connection to his campaign. Every article and quote about the transaction clearly stated that Cohens expenses were billed to Trump as attorney services rendered and paid by Trump and NOT by campaign funds. Its been consistent since the story broke over a year ago, and why Democrats are claiming that the payments were somehow deceptive.
Facts not in dispute:
Cohen paid the women out of his own pocket, using a HELOC.
Trump repaid Cohen with a series of payments and did not use campaign funds.
In dispute: Do NDAs count as a Campaign Contribution on the part of either Cohen or Trump?
Answer: Campaign finance laws specifically exclude expenses that would have happened regardless of there being a campaign, and NDAs are a normal function of celebrities and rich men lives.
Its really very clear, unless you place yourself in a constant state of waffle regarding what a NDA is, as you have.
So you have no source, and you are quoting yourself. Thats too bad.
Ant do a simple internet search for every report on this matter over the last year or so? I really need to spoon feed you???
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He is halucinating!
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Paying off an extortionist is not a crime.
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