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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFox News explains why Michael Cohen raid should terrify Donald Trump.
On Monday, FBI agents raided the office and residences of Michael Cohen, President Donald Trumps longtime personal attorney. The search warrants reportedly included conversations between Cohen and Trump, who has been Cohens only client for years.
The search reportedly included, possibly among other things, documents related a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, which Cohen made just days before the 2016 election. Daniels, an adult film actress, says she had an affair with Trump in 2006.
But it was the approval of the search warrants themselves that should terrify Trump. The best explanation, remarkably, came from Andrew Napolitano, a Fox News legal analyst. Napolitano explained that, under normal circumstances, communications between Trump and his attorney are privileged. But this privilege does not apply if there is a serious allegation of illegal activity, by the lawyer with the client, he said.
There must be some evidence presented to a federal judge here in New York City sufficient to persuade that judge to sign a search warrant to permit the FBI in broad daylight to raid an attorneys office, particularly when that attorney has one client and it happens to be the president of the United States, Napolitano told Fox News Neil Cavuto.
That evidence would have to be such as to persuade a neutral observer, the federal judge, that it is more likely than not, that among these seized documents is evidence of crimes by Mr. Cohen or Mr. Cohen and the president, he continued.
The crime in question, Napolitano speculated, could be related to the $130,000 payment to Daniels.
Napolitano did echo some of Fox News favorite arguments about the ongoing investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential election, saying there seems to be no limit to Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe. But then Napolitano reiterated that a judge would only issue the warrant if there was sufficient evidence of crimes.
Youre talking about the most confidential and protected relationship there is lawyer and client and the federal government has just invaded that with the express authority and approval of a federal judge, who may only permit that invasion when she or he, the federal judge, has been satisfied that its more likely than not that in those materials are evidence of crimes, he said.
https://thinkprogress.org/fox-news-cohen-search-warrants-68cce6ae98af/
Holy crap! Somebody on FAUX actually making some sense??
tonyt53
(5,737 posts)SergeStorms
(19,217 posts)was that each and every person responsible for these seizures of evidence (the Prosecutor, the FBI, the Judge etc.) ARE ALL REPUBLICANS! There's no "deep state" Democratic partisan "witch hunt" here, Little Donnie Trump. These are your peers finding enough evidence that they issued an almost unheard of FBI no-knock warrant on a Lawyer, a Lawyer whose client is the sitting "president" of the United States! Whatever they have must be pretty much iron-clad. And Cohen will sing.
He's almost certain to be disbarred for this, he'll be facing quite a stretch of prison time, and some ungodly monetary penalties. Does Don-the-Con expect Cohen to continue falling on his sword for him? Not a chance. The Trump Crime Family is coming to the end of their road. Karma is a real mother-fucker Donnie!
uponit7771
(90,444 posts)Generic Brad
(14,285 posts)Guess he thinks Trump did it. Perhaps he can help us search for the real president.
calimary
(82,078 posts)Whoa.
GusBob
(7,296 posts)There must be iron clad proof of the evidence they are seeking.
Cicada
(4,533 posts)Cohen has admitted he paid that much. John Edwards was indicted for soliciting funds to pay his mistress an amount in excess of campaign contribution limit. If Trump knew about the payment, if he told Cohen to pay it, then that seems criminal.
Stonepounder
(4,033 posts)legal issues, like all of the lawsuits and bankruptcies that Trump has been involved in. And, here's the biggie, when Cohen was acting as a Business Advisor, or Campaign Advisor, or any other capacity other than "As your attorney..." none of the documents would be covered by Attorney-Client privilege either.
Renew Deal
(81,963 posts)And also something about boats or planes being in the same place as some Russian oligarchs?
politicaljunkie41910
(3,335 posts)and his brilliant lawyer didn't turn the table back on his accuser and claim that it was she who had committed the crime; she was trying to blackmail me. After all, blackmail is a crime as well. FTR, I don't put it past him that he might make the claim at some point in the near future. We know he's a liar, so it's not beyond reason that he would lie. Why not in this case, and his claim could have had some plausibility. After all, he took the woman into his private residential quarters and they had sex; according to Stormie. So she's been in his bedroom, and can prove it by giving a description that only someone whose been in there would know. And they had sex. He knows it, we the public know it, and the only one who appears to be in denial is his wife, Melania. So if Trump was going to tell a lie, what lie does he choose to tell? I don't know that woman. I've never met her. While his lawyer has already paid her off, he's denying that he's never met her. I believe that if charged with a crime he and his lawyer will turn the tables on her, and claim that she was blackmailing him. He's a married man, was running for President, and had too much to lose, so he instructed his lawyer to pay her what she wanted to put it behind him. And he would get away with it because it's believable, and it also makes him sympathetic as a victim. Remember, she's a Porn Star; she seduces men for a living. I'm not passing judgment on her. I'm just stating the obvious; so don't attack the messenger.
ProfessorGAC
(66,239 posts)It is not smart. It is a silverspoon twit who never learned and thing and only got away with it because it has always had enough money to make the consequences disappear.