November 29, 2018

What Cohen's Plea Deal Means for Trump, His Business and Mueller

By Shannon Pettypiece , Chris Strohm , and Justin Sink

November 29, 2018, 3:26 PM EST

Robert Mueller has for the first time publicly connected Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and business to the Russian government, adding a significant new chapter to the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 elections.

-snip-

Here are the key takeaways from Cohen’s plea for lying to Congress:

It ties Trump to Russia during the campaign.

Mueller’s “criminal information” filing lays out multiple exchanges between Cohen, real estate developer Felix Sater and Russian government officials about a proposed Trump tower development in Moscow.

While the deal never went through, conversations about it between Cohen, Trump, his family and at least one campaign official came as Russia was in the midst of a sophisticated plan to meddle in the U.S. election that American intelligence agencies found was intended to hurt Democrat Hillary Clinton and ultimately to help Trump win.

“This is enormous,” said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor. “We’re seeing financial motives and financial entanglements with a foreign power who interfered in our elections.”

more
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-29/what-cohen-plea-deal-means-for-trump-his-business-and-mueller

November 29, 2018

'Our president is essentially a mob boss': Former FBI counterintelligence chief Frank Figliuzzi

November 29, 2018

Senate committees scouring testimony for misleading statements in Russia probe

Nov. 29, 2018 / 3:31 PM EST

"This is a reason people shouldn't lie when they're in front of a congressional investigation," said GOP senator Richard Burr.

By Carol E. Lee, Kasie Hunt, Ken Dilanian and Garrett Haake

WASHINGTON — Senate committees investigating Russia's interference in the 2016 election are combing through witness testimony for possible misleading or untruthful statements, according to three people familiar with the effort.

The review of testimony to Senate intelligence and judiciary committees comes as President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty Thursday to a charge brought by special counsel Robert Mueller that he lied to Congress to cover up efforts during the presidential campaign to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, said Thursday that the committee had made multiple criminal referrals to Mueller, but added "we're not going to talk about any individuals."

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said the intelligence committee "made referrals where appropriate. I am very glad the special counsel is pursuing those who mislead members of congress."

The committee's chairman, Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., had a stern warning Thursday for witnesses appearing before Congress.

more
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/senate-committees-scouring-testimony-misleading-statements-russia-probe-n941791

November 29, 2018

Trump Lawyers Claim His Statements to Mueller About Moscow Tower Project Match What Cohen Said

by Josh Feldman | Nov 29th, 2018, 2:40 pm

President Donald Trump‘s legal team is now claiming that President Donald Trump‘s written response to Robert Mueller about the Moscow tower discussions matches what Michael Cohen said.

Cohen has admitted to lying about how long discussions about the project went on––the discussions continued well into the 2016 campaign. But according to the New York Times, Trump’s lawyers––particularly Rudy Giuliani––are insisting Trump’s answer lines up with his:



He also told the Times that Trump was reportedly not asked about “the timing of his discussions with Mr. Cohen about the project.”

Giuliani again trashed Cohen as a liar to the Times, saying, “Cohen has just told us he’s a liar. Given the fact that he’s a liar, I can’t tell you what he’s lying about.”

###

https://www.mediaite.com/online/trump-lawyers-claim-his-statements-to-mueller-about-moscow-tower-project-match-what-cohen-said/

November 29, 2018

State Department floats threat of military action against Iran

Source: The Hill



BY ELLEN MITCHELL - 11/29/18 03:43 PM EST

The Trump administration on Thursday said military action against Iran could be possible should U.S. sanctions against the country fail to curb Tehran from delivering weapons to hostile groups in the region.

"We have been very clear with the Iranian regime that we will not hesitate to use military force when our interests are threatened. I think they understand that. I think they understand that very clearly," Brian Hook, the State Department special representative on Iran, said.

Speaking at a press conference at Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling in Washington, D.C., Hook was asked about possible next steps the administration could take against Iran in its “maximum pressure” campaign against the country.

"I think right now, while we have the military option on the table, our preference is to use all of the tools that are at our disposal diplomatically."

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/defense/418969-state-department-floats-threat-of-military-action-against-iran

November 29, 2018

Nadler Statement on Michael Cohen Guilty Plea

Source: Congressman Jerrold Nadler



Nov 29, 2018 Issues: Russia Investigation

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after President Trump's longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to lying to two Congressional committees—the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence—about contacts with the Russian officials on behalf of Donald Trump during the 2016 election:

"Lying to Congress is a serious crime with serious consequences. Mr. Cohen has now admitted to lying about his contacts with Russian officials on behalf of President Trump. His guilty plea contemplates Mr. Cohen’s further cooperation with investigators. Anyone who still believes that this is a “witch hunt” must now face the reality that the investigation appears to be closing in on the President.

"The Special Counsel has now secured guilty pleas from President Trump’s personal attorney, his campaign manager, his deputy campaign manager, a foreign policy advisor to his campaign, and his National Security Advisor. He has filed 191 charges against more than thirty individuals—almost all of whom are in President Trump’s orbit, Vladimir Putin’s orbit, or both. The President can pretend that this investigation has nothing to do with him and nothing to do with Russia, but these indictments speak for themselves. We must allow this investigation to run its course without interference from the President or his allies on Capitol Hill. As the new Congress begins, these developments make clear that my colleagues and I must step in and provide accountability. No one is above the law, not even the President, and our job will be to check his impulse to abuse his office to protect himself. We will do everything in our power to allow the Special Counsel to finish his work and follow the facts and the law to their conclusion."

###

Read more: https://nadler.house.gov/press-release/nadler-statement-michael-cohen-guilty-plea

November 29, 2018

How Cohen's Plea Compares To What Don Jr. Told A Senate Committee

By Tierney Sneed

November 29, 2018 2:32 pm

A line in the court documents related to Michael Cohen’s plea Thursday, in which Cohen admitted to lying to Congress, raised new questions about what Donald Trump Jr. testified to various committees.

Cohen’s plea documents focus on what he told Congress about his work on a Trump Tower project in Moscow, and in them, special counsel Robert Mueller revealed that Cohen briefed Trump’s “family members” who work for the Trump Organization about the project.

It just so happens that one of those family members, Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. has testified privately in front of a number of congressional committees and one of those committees has since released a transcript of that testimony.

The testimony, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, happened behind closed doors in September 2017. Trump Jr. was also interviewed by the House Intelligence Committee and the Senate Intel Committee, but those transcripts have not been made public.

Senate Judiciary staff asked Trump Jr. about the reports of proposal for a Trump Tower Moscow that Cohen was working on and Trump Jr. confirmed the reports.



more
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/don-jr-cohen-moscow

November 29, 2018

WH: Trump's Formal G-20 Meetings With Turkey, South Korea Canceled

Source: Talking Points Memo/The AP



By Associated Press
November 29, 2018 12:55 pm

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders says President Donald Trump will speak informally with the leaders of Turkey and South Korea at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina rather than in formal meetings.

Trump will talk informally with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the G-20 summit.

Sanders spoke to reporters traveling with the president on Air Force One. She did not say why the meetings have been downgraded.

Shortly after leaving the White House for the summit, Trump tweeted that he had canceled his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian vessels.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-g-20-meeting-cancelation-turkey-south-korea

November 29, 2018

Layoffs hit the NRA's media operation NRATV

Blog ››› November 28, 2018 5:30 PM EST ››› TIMOTHY JOHNSON

A veteran producer for the National Rifle Association’s media operation, Cameron Gray, announced today that he and several of his colleagues had been laid off from NRATV.

Some personal news: Just shy of my 10-year anniversary, me and several colleagues had their positions terminated this morning

So, if you have or know of any jobs available in the DC-area, or any that can be done remotely, please let me know

— Cameron Gray (@Cameron_Gray) November 28, 2018

The layoffs follow reporting on the NRA’s most recent tax filings, which show a $55 million drop in revenue between 2016 and 2017.

Gray was most often seen on NRATV as a producer and occasional guest host for Cam & Co., a weekday three-hour talk radio-style broadcast that covers gun issues as well as general conservative interest stories. Gray wrote on his LinkedIn profile that he has worked on the show since 2009. Cam & Co. was first launched in 2004 with host Cam Edwards as the flagship of the NRA’s media operation, which was then called NRA News. Cam & Co. was also broadcast on the Sportsman Channel beginning in January 2013 through its cancellation by the network in June 2015. It remains to be seen whether Cam & Co. will continue to be broadcast; the November 28 broadcast of the show was a repeat of the previous day’s episode.

Media Matters has been a frequent critic of misinformation about gun violence that permeates Cam & Co.’s programming, most notably the show's incessant -- and incorrect -- argument that more permissive access to firearms leads to lower levels of gun violence and frequent false claim that guns are used to stop crimes more often than they are used to commit them.

In October 2016, NRA News rebranded itself as NRATV with the aim of offering more live programming. NRATV broadcasts via online streaming at NRATV.com, on satellite radio, and through Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire. As with NRA News, NRATV’s operations are supported by the gun group’s advertising firm, Ackerman McQueen.

more
https://www.mediamatters.org/node/780026#disqus_thread

November 29, 2018

Bayer is cutting 12,000 jobs in the wake of its Monsanto deal

Source: CNN Business



By Charles Riley, CNN Business

Updated 11:03 AM ET, Thu November 29, 2018

London (CNN Business) - Bayer plans to slash thousands of jobs as part of a corporate overhaul following its acquisition of Monsanto.

The chemicals and pharmaceuticals group said it would cut 12,000 jobs out of its global workforce of 118,000 by the end of 2021. A significant number of the reductions will be made in its home market of Germany.

More than 4,000 jobs will go at the company's crop sciences division, a consequence of Bayer's acquisition of US rival Monsanto earlier this year.

Bayer (BAYRY) spent over $60 billion buying Monsanto. To gain regulatory approval for the deal, Bayer agreed to sell assets including its seed business and some herbicide brands.



Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/29/business/bayer-job-cuts-monsanto/index.html