President Trump’s lawyers last night argued that the DOJ can’t be trusted to review the materials seized from Michael Cohen. Now Cohen’s lawyer are arguing that taking it out of the DOJ’s hands will protect the investigation from the toxic atmosphere created by all the attacks on the DOJ (which of course are all coming from President Trump and his allies.)
I think this video captures Friday and the Michael Cohen story.
omg this is amazing pic.twitter.com/TOlAIKvPl5
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 14, 2018
What on earth is going on with the Michael Cohen investigation? Here’s my stab at putting together the big picture (sub req.)
There’s lots of news bubbling this evening on the Cohen raids front. But I want to flag a particular issue that requires more attention. I invite feedback from lawyers and prosecutors and for that matter lawyers who are engaged in criminal conduct.
We have new news on that third Michael Cohen husher, the one with Trump fundraiser and RNC deputy finance chair Elliott Broidy and an unnamed former Playboy model. As with the earlier two it was ‘negotiated’ by Cohen representing Broidy and Keith Davidson representing the unnamed woman. The settlement was for $1.6 million. Read More
[ed.note: Not a certain identification yet. But based on TPM Reader tips and pointers so far, it seems highly likely that this is in fact Rotem Rosen.]
I need your help identifying someone in this photo.
Photo of Michael Cohen taken by my NY colleague Lawrence Crook- who reports that he’s sitting outside the Loews Regency now with a group of friends smoking cigars pic.twitter.com/5DzcHpOvE5
— Elizabeth Landers (@ElizLanders) April 13, 2018
Here’s an enlarged version of the photo. Read More
Expecting news from the White House shortly. Vice President Pence rushed back to his hotel in Peru, and reporters at the White House were told to gather a few minutes ago. Anticipate something from the president on Syria.
Late Update: The President will address the nation on Syria at 9 p.m. ET. Watch live:
This photo from today captures a lot.
I mentioned below that the report from The Wall Street Journal about the hush agreement negotiated by Michael Cohen for Elliott Broidy, a top Trump fundraiser, is a key, new connection between the hush money payoffs and the Russia probe proper. Broidy is tied to the murky shenanigans of George Nader, with money payoffs from the Gulf states and the Russia/Seychelles back channel. But there are some key details about this agreement itself. Read More
The Wall Street Journal just published a stunning scoop. In 2017 Michael Cohen negotiated a $1.6 million hush deal for a major GOP fundraiser named Elliott Broidy, deputy finance chairman of the RNC. If that name rings a bell, it should. Broidy is at the center of the part of the Russia probe involving the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and international fixer and convicted pedophile George Nader. Read More