The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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Voronwë the Faithful
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

The dominos continue to fall. The latest is that Cohen's business partner, Evgeny Freidman (a.k.a. the Taxi King), has reached a plea deal with prosecutors and will cooperate with the government:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washin ... ing-flips/

This potentially will put more pressure on Cohen himself to make a deal. That potentially would be a bfd.

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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

For anyone who thinks that Mueller and his team are no longer looking into collusion:
Mueller's investigators questioned Kushner about potential Russian collusion, obstruction
Special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators questioned White House senior adviser Jared Kushner about potential Russian collusion, his contacts with foreign nationals and potential obstruction issues, including the firing of FBI Director James Comey, Kushner's lawyer said Wednesday.
Abbe Lowell, who has represented Kushner in the Russia investigation, told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that questions asked of Kushner during the April interview were "the appropriate topics that Bob Mueller and his team were looking at."
CNN reported earlier Wednesday that the interview -- Kushner's second with Mueller -- took place in April and lasted seven hours.
Seven hours is a long time, and a second interview is a big deal, particularly when you are talking about the president's son-in-law and one of his most senior advisors.

Meanwhile, from the gift that keeps on giving:
In reversal, Giuliani now says Trump should do interview with Mueller team
Never a dull moment with Rudy!
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River
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by River »

He'll say something else at his next interview, I'm sure. I'm not sure why anyone is still taking him seriously.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by RoseMorninStar »

I've said this before; I'm not generally an anxious person, but this administration and it's lies has me in knots and on edge. It's so obvious to me that something is not right and that norms are being broken (and not in a good or healthy way). The swamp is swampier. It's always someone else who is to blame/at fault. The CIA, the FBI, the Justice Department, the media, it's never Trump (and his Russian friends) who are wrong.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

At Trump Tower, Michael Cohen and Oligarch Discussed Russian Relations

I don't know if they will ever find the fire, but there sure is a lot of smoke.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

More smoke.

Report: FBI obtained wiretap conversations of Kremlin-linked banker who met with Trump Jr.
"Mr. Trump's son should be concerned," [Spanish Special Prosecutor] Grinda said of Torshin's meetings, according to the report.
Fire?
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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The entire US ruling class, not to mention that of the UK has been in bed with gangsters and robber barons in Russia since the1990s. Putin is demonized because he refused to acquiesce in the agenda of the Atlantic Council (like the CFR, a direct lineal descendant of the Rhodes-Milner 'Roundtable'). I don' want to make this all like Twitter or something, but there are other informed points of view about this 'Russian collusion' story.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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Mueller's team has asked Judge Jackson (the DC Circuit judge) to revoke Manafort's bail, alleging that he has been engaging in witness tampering. It may lead to additional charges as well.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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The judge ordered Manafort to respond by Friday and set a hearing for next Friday. But apparently Mueller's team has copies of text messages and at least one of the witnesses is willing to testify that Manafort specifically asked him to commit perjury.

Meanwhile back in New York, the Special Master in the Cohen case has reviewed the first batch of evidence and concluded that only a tiny percentage of the material seized was either privileged or "highly personal".

https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/tru ... 1.18969881
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Primula Baggins »

Progress....
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

I went to check the docket at the DC District Court to see if Manafort had filed his response to the request to revoke his bail (since it is due today) and while he had not filed anything, I see that Mueller's team has filed a superseding indictment adding two new charges of obstruction of justice. Also charged was Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian business associate of Manafort's who has ties to Russian intelligence.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Cohen has reportedly parted with his legal team and hired a new, as of yet unidentified, attorney. As with Gates before him, this is likely to be a sign that he is going to try to negotiate a plea deal (although unlike Gates, he has not yet been charged). It is particularly significant that he has split with his attorneys at this time, because they are right in the middle of the process of going through the voluminous evidence seized by the FBI in the raids on Cohen's home, office and hotel room. I don't think the judge is going to allow a new legal team to start that process from scratch.

Of course the million dollar question is, what if anything does Cohen have on Trump?

Meanwhile, Mueller's team continues to tighten the screws on Manafort, with a new filing that included a copy of a 2013 memo to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych from Manafort essentially taking credit for lobbying efforts in the U.S. on Yanukovych's behalf, to counter Manafort's claim that his lobbying was only in Europe. I think Manafort is going down, unless he too turns on Trump.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Primula Baggins »

Those who would speak or act against our Dear Leader should be instantly imprisoned without trial.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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You think you are joking, Prim, but you are not.

In the meantime, The Hill.
#BREAKING: Justice Dept finds no evidence of political bias by Strzok, Page: report
http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... tical-bias
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by RoseMorninStar »

Frelga wrote:You think you are joking, Prim, but you are not.

In the meantime, The Hill.
#BREAKING: Justice Dept finds no evidence of political bias by Strzok, Page: report
http://thehill.com/policy/national-secu ... tical-bias
Good News! Although dear leader (gag) will probably see that as evidence of the 'deep state' (in other words: checks and balances).
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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"Deep state" = one that goes deeper than me
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

Manafort's bail has been revoked and he has been jailed pending trial. And CNN is reporting that Cohen has signaled a willingness to cooperate with prosecutors.

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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

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And the NY AG filed suit against the Trump Foundation.

Strap in.
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Frelga »

Trump's campaign manager. The one not already in jail.

https://twitter.com/parscale/status/1009109946242301952
Time to fire Sessions

End the Mueller investigation

You can’t obstruct something that was phony against you

The IG report gives @realDonaldTrump the truth to end it all.
Would someone reassure Brad that the innocent have nothing to fear?
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Re: The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

Post by Voronwë the Faithful »

What an idiot Michael Avenatti is. I'm embarrassed to share a profession with him.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/24/politics ... index.html
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