New Michael Cohen memo outlines "Trump's involvement in a conspiracy to collude with Russian gov.

[MelissaB]

Link to tweet

Michael Cohen attorneys release new Trump allegations

Michael Cohen's legal team has released a 12-page memo it provided to House Democrats Thursday. The memo outlines evidence of what his team describes as "Trump's involvement in a conspiracy to collude with Russian government intervention in his favor during the 2016 presidential campaign" and "other felony crimes committed by Trump before and after he became president."

The big picture: This release comes two days after the New York Times reported that members of special counsel Robert Mueller's team believe the details of the Mueller report are more damaging than Attorney General Bill Barr first indicated in his summary, which said Mueller's team did not establish a conspiracy with Russia.

*On Thursday, attorney Lanny Davis indicated that Cohen could provide documents from his computers and phones from the past decade that would give "significant value to the various congressional oversight and investigation committees."

Read the memo, plus appendices.

https://www.axios.com/michael-cohens-alleged-evidence-trump-crimes-russia-70a202e0-a474-4322-9033-7e674bfec4ed.html

[dewsgirl]

1. At least we know someone is getting this info into

the public sphere. That makes me feel a little better.

[Iliyah]

2. How will Barr and the Republican party cover this up?

Any means necessary . . . Cohen is a liar, a traitor, un-patriotic, he's crazy, insane, jealous, et al.,

Ummm, everything shithole and the Republicans are.

Oh, it's the Democrats fault - coup . . .

[True Blue American]

4. But Lanny Davis is not

[True Blue American]

3. Lanny Davis

Is one smart Attorney. Always on top of every situation and clear with his facts.

I knew when Cohen hired him it was the right choice. And for some reason I feel that Donnie Deutsche, Cohens friend, who sees Cohens faults very clearly but is his friend may have helped Michael choose.

[mopinko]

5. what i dont get here is- why is this coming out now?

because of the delay of the report?
i dont see how it helps him to cough up such damning evidence at this point of the timeline if he has already supposedly completely cooperated.

was he lying then, or is he lying now?

i wish he would just put it out there. it can only help him so much at this point.
it can help the country a lot.

[RKP5637]

6. Same thoughts. The investigation is over, and now this crops up. A total WTF in a world that's

become way out there all the time. Is he lying again ... so damn hard to tell.

[triron]

21. The investigation is NOT over by any means.

Barr just prematurely cut off Mueller.

[RKP5637]

22. Yep!!! I didn't meant that the way it sounded ... was thinking the report had been complied. n/t

[triron]

23. Hopefully Cohen is talking to SDNY and whomever else doing related investigations.

[RKP5637]

26. Yep! As you mentioned in another post "Barr's 'report' just stunk to high heaven to me."

This entire affair is so incredible and has all the markings of a cover up.

[at140]

56. Who does SDNY report to?

Do they report to the dept of Justice with Barr at the helm?

[triron]

62. Good point.

[shanny]

70. Unlike the Special Counsel, they do not have to report

anything to the DoJ. They can simply do their investigations and follow where ever the facts lead. True, they can be derailed by an unscrupulous US Attorney, but I believe the one tRump appointed...recused himself because tRump appointed him.

[at140]

72. My guess is 2020 election will arrive sooner than

SDNY can prosecute and remove.

[lindysalsagal]

82. Yes, but the growing threat and leaks will hurt the gop

Significantly.

[at140]

84. Trump has denigrated every GOP candidate in 2016

Trump cares only about Trump.

[triron]

73. Thanks for pointing this out.

[hughee99]

7. I think this is an attempt to get a better deal frome the SDNY.

Note that Cohen’s statement says that Cohen knows Trump colluded with the Russians, but when asked the if he has physical evidence to back it up, the statement is intentionally unclear. If Cohen “had the goods”, he’d have used them already and walked.

[KPN]

8. Coughing up? Or did he already provide

this stuff to either the Mueller or the SDNY investigation or both? I’m guessing the latter ... and he’s only now making sure the House investigation committee sees what Barr has been withholding. The timing makes perfect sense if that is the case.

[RKP5637]

9. Good point!!! A way to bypass Barr! n/t

[Strelnikov_]

12. Agree

This is a way to bypass Barr.

[Auggie]

13. Yep. The House can have its own "collusion" investigation.

[northoftheborder]

35. I understood that this material was part of records seized by Mueller and then returned;

If so, Mueller already has this info and was incorporated into the report.

[triron]

36. Maybe you are correct, but I'm not so sure.

Hopefully we learn more about this soon.

[Silver Gaia]

43. This is what I think as well.

There was something said about a hard drive he'd "found" with info on it that he wants to share with Congress. Since it's part of what was initially confiscated in the raid and then returned to him, I think it's likely part of the Mueller report. He's trying to make sure this info gets to Congress, and probably doesn't trust Barr to do that any more than we do. JMHO.

[thesquanderer]

11. I assume Cohen already gave all this info to Mueller, at least what was Russia related

But at this point, Congress can not be certain as to when or how much of the Mueller report it will ever see, so there could be value in his bringing additional information directly to congress beyond what they have already asked him about. There could also be things he was asked by Mueller/FBI to not reveal publicly until the completion of the Mueller report. There could also be things he is offering to reveal that didn't relate to Russia, and therefore may not have been within the purview of Mueller's investigation, and could also have been outside the scope of what he had been asked to talk about previously. So... possibilities.

[DENVERPOPS]

19. Ace in the hole???

He was praying for a pardon and when Trump fed him to the wolves with no pardon, Cohen had an ace or two that he hadn't played just to get even???????
When and if this whole thing starts to flip against Trump and Republicans in the House and Senate and the entire Trump administration including kids, a whole big bunch of them will be standing in line sweating plea deals for spilling their guts.

Another great article in DU today about what happened when Barr set out to clear the Reagan/Bush Treasonous activities.
I'm sure the Repubs think he can pull it off again...........

[WhiteTara]

28. SDNY was pretty meh about his cooperation

and he's trying to reduce those 3 years. That's my guess. And I think that he wants to see trump go down. We all want that perp walk.

[dawg day]

31. He's probably only now been released from having to withhold information so that he could testify

to the grand jury.

Mueller's investigation is finished. Cohen has been sentenced. Now he's trying to get some time taken off. I heard the attorney say that he's only just got back his documents and hard drives to consult.

[samnsara]

52. heard this was some stuff returned to him from the FBI....?

...14 million files including vids..pretty juicy!

[at140]

55. Cohen is trying to save his azz and at this point

will say anything because he is terrified of the prison mates who generally hate snitches.

[mercuryblues]

63. Maybe Mueller has that info

Since Barr came out defending trump with his "summary" and silence from Mueller, Cohen decided to release the Kraken.

[triron]

66. Aha, you may indeed be onto something I hadn't thught of!

[Perseus]

10. So muh proof and the buffoon remains in place

When is someone going to get all the proof available and take action to indict the entire family as well as some of the repubs implicated with the family and Russians.

[triron]

15. Hoping for indictments from SDNY. EDNY, or DC.

I fear Barr will obstruct though.

[RKP5637]

24. Amazing, isn't it. It seems endless and there he is. Hopefully it will eventually all come crashing

down. A lot of very capable and smart people are working on this, even if tRump is the smartest asshole in the entire Universe, as the idiot claims.

[at140]

58. Are you doubting Mueller's ability to dig up evidence after

2 year long investigation with help of competent lawyers and FBI agents?

[triron]

14. Thanks for posting this MelissaB. Glad you are alert.

I have thought this all along. Barr's 'report' just stunk to high heaven to me.
yet so much of the media fell for it like lemmings.

[RKP5637]

25. Ha, I just read this and my mind initially read Barf's report! n/t

[onetexan]

16. Now that he is disbarred and having gone thru public humiliation for being the Idiot's axeman

after he serves his prison term (assuming his sentence won't be shortened), Michael Cohen can write a tell-all book on his experiences and dealings during the time he was with the Idiot.
If in fact his mea culpa is real, i'd be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he's now seen the light and is repentant of his errant ways. The book would be a means for him to take care of his wife and children, who themselves have gone through alot because off this ordeal.

[triron]

17. Seems like you are trying to deflect from the implications here.

Sorry if I am off base.

[onetexan]

34. not exactly. My point is i applaud Cohen for doing what he is doing, helping the House to uncover

criminal behavior by his former thug of a boss. I also happen to believe that he is contrite and do have empathy for him now that he has been disbarred from practicing law. He has to be able to take care of his family somehow. Hopefully his life is heading down the right path going forward.

[triron]

18. knr

[triron]

20. kick for visibility

[Kablooie]

27. What? After a 2 year intense investigation...

Where no conspiracy was found, suddenly Cohen reveals that he has evidence of conspiracy?

I will be surprised if this turns out to be what it purports to be.

[triron]

29. How do you know what Mueller found? Have you seen the report?

[Kablooie]

30. Since Barr reported that Mueller found no conspiracy...

I assume that was Muellers conclusion because I doubt Barr would put himself in the position of having lied about such an easily disproved statement.
I could be wrong but I'd bet Barrs statements all have weasel words that he will use to prove he was interpreting, not lying.

[dawg day]

32. Barr would of course lie about an easily disproved statement.

Check out his confirmation hearing.

He can always say it's a matter of interpretation what a "conspiracy" is. Mueller apparently said not that there was none, but not enough evidence to prove it beyond reasonable doubt.

That doesn't mean the conspiracy doesn't exist, only that by criminal court standards, it might not be fully proven.

Impeachment proceedings have a different standard of guilt.

[at140]

59. Barr is too fricking old to risk perjury by misquoting

official report by Mr Mueller. Barr knows he will not survive in prison.
The report should be released mid-April anyways.

[uponit7771]

51. At this point Barr is a liar seeing he wouldn't release the summaries meant for public consumption..

... Barr most likely go to jail for his stupidity.

[triron]

54. He should but betting he won't.

[madville]

33. This is all from material returned to him by Mueller and SDNY

They have already been through it. If he had something he should lay it out, he's just scared to death of prison at this point even though he's probably just going to some minimum security place.

[Kablooie]

37. Looking this over it seems like a rehash of the same Cohen material he presented before.

There's no new hard evidence. The accusations are circumstantial which has been shown not to be enough to bring charges against a president.

[triron]

38. Circumstantial evidence can be used to convict.

What 'hard' evidence are you looking for. There has to be more beyond whatever is provided in these documents.

[Kablooie]

39. With Nixon it took audio tapes of Nixon before Republicans would turn on him.

With Trump I'm not even sure that audio tapes would do it.
Circumstantial evidence will not be enough to overcome Trump.

[Qutzupalotl]

40. Direct link to PDF

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/5796117/Memorandum-April-4-2019.pdf

[triron]

41. This is great. Thanks.

[triron]

42. knr

[SummerSnow]

44. ....but her emails

[Honeycombe8]

45. He's a day late and a dollar short. The Special Counsel has made a decision on that.

It's the wrong decision, in my view. But who am I to question someone like Mueller or his topnotch team?

If Cohen had something to say on that, he should have said it during all those interviews by the Mueller team. Maybe he did. I don't know.

[Demsrule86]

53. It is never to late too take the would be orange traitor down.

[at140]

57. With election only 18 months away,

can we focus on defeating Trump by nominating the candidate most likely to win?
At the risk of sounding like a spoil-sport, the Russia collusion tool of getting Trump
removed is a bit too late. Mueller has already issued a report after a thorough investigation.
I do not wish to depend on disbarred lawyer Cohen to save us from Trump.

[triron]

60. First you don't know what's in the report.

Second the conpriracy investigatigation continues in SDNY, DC and EDNY, not to mention
congress.

[at140]

65. I expect Barr to keep his word and release the report mid-April

with standard redactions for confidential grand jury material and classified stuff.
If he fails to release the report on time as promised, all bets are off.

Until then I am cooling my jets.

[triron]

67. He will redact more than that I assure you.

[at140]

69. Wouldn't surprise me, but I can wait 1 more week...nt

[Demsrule86]

61. I disagree. We should listen to Cohen.

There is no guarantee we will win the next election.

[at140]

64. Would you buy a used car from Cohen?

I wouldn't!

[triron]

68. False comparison.

[at140]

71. Ok, whatever...nt

[Demsrule86]

75. Cohen has tapes and other evidence. We are not buying a used car but looking to take down

The worst most corrupt president of My lifetime. Nice clean folks don't associate with men like Trump. Let' at least look. He go three years big deal....if it helps bring down Trump let's do it.

[greymattermom]

77. Maybe videos!

That would be very damning, somehow much more than audio records.

[Demsrule86]

80. It could be...anything that shows who the orange menace is helps.

[Honeycombe8]

74. Take him down how?

And if Cohen is saying something he didn't tell Mueller, it's questionable, unless he has strong documentary evidence.

But maybe he's leaking what he told Mueller. If it is, Mueller has ruled on what those statements mean as far as indictment.

[triron]

46. kick for visibility

[triron]

47. knr

[triron]

48. kick again

[triron]

49. knr

[triron]

50. kick again

[dem4decades]

76. If only there was an investigation that Cohen could have spoken to.

I'm so tired of false hope. Mueller looked at that for 2 years and nothing.

[at140]

78. Your key words: False Hope

The last thing I want to hang on to is false hope, based on a convicted disbarred lawyer. I am facing the reality squarely in the eye, which is if Barr was saying opposite of Mueller's conclusions, he is essentially committing perjury by falsifying what special counsel concluded. That is a serious crime and Barr would be an idiot to face long prison time at his age.

With election only 18 months away, the real & best opportunity to remove Trump from office comes in Nov 2020. Nominating a winning ticket should be top priority.

[dem4decades]

79. I agree. Either we vote him out or we're a country of assholes.

It's a question of whether stupidity and hatred rules the nation.

[kskiska]

83. If we can't remove him in 2020

We may have reached the point of no return.

[triron]

81. Have you seen the Mueller report? Remember Manafort never did cooperate truthfully.