After months of waiting, and wondering, we’ve finally received substantial information from the Department of Justice regarding the investigation into Donald Trump and Russian involvement in the election. The information was revealed today in separate court filings as Michael Cohen prepares to be sentenced in two weeks. Cohen has argued for no prison time because of his cooperation, but the government thinks Cohen should be sent away for substantial prison time.
First, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York has concluded that Donald Trump committed a crime. That is extraordinary. Think about that a second. The crime was coordinating with his lawyer, Michael Cohen to commit campaign finance violations. The document actually says that Trump, known as “Individual 1” directed Cohen to commit a felony. What was the felony? Remember Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal? Trump and Cohen wanted that story silenced and bought off the women to keep the story out of the press.
2/ There can be no question whatsoever that "Individual-1" in that paragraph referred to Trump. (At times, they note that Individual-1 was elected president.) So what does that statement mean?
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) December 7, 2018
3/ It means prosecutors concluded that Trump directed Cohen to commit the two campaign finance violations he pleaded guilty to. Those violations were felonies, and someone who directs a subordinate or agent to commit a crime is also guilty of that crime.
— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) December 7, 2018
In the second filing, by Robert Mueller’s office, the government alleges Cohen was in touch with Russians seeking “political synergy” with the campaign. There’s also this from The Washington Post:
“The special counsel’s office credited Cohen with significant cooperation — including providing “useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to its investigation that he obtained by virtue of his regular contact” with Trump organization executives during the campaign, as well as “relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House during the 2017–2018 time period.
“They revealed that Cohen told them of what seemed to be a previously unknown November 2015 contact from a Russian national, who claimed to be a “trusted person” in the Russian Federation offering the campaign “political synergy” and “synergy on a government level.”
“Cohen told investigators the person, who was not identified, repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that such a meeting could have a “phenomenal” impact, “not only in political but in a business dimension as well,” the special counsel’s office wrote.”
New Mueller filing says Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen was in touch with a Russian seeking ‘political synergy’ with campaign, by @PostRoz @thamburger https://t.co/Nx1iJJ3Jq8
— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) December 7, 2018
Meanwhile, Trump tweeted this for his base:
Totally clears the President. Thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018
But NOTHING could be further from the truth.
This unambiguously *condemns* the President. If Trump truly feels “cleared” by it, either he just can’t read or he’s totally delusional. https://t.co/CfftRTV7Al
— Laurence Tribe 🇺🇦 ⚖️ (@tribelaw) December 7, 2018
The president and his lawyer violated campaign finance laws to influence the outcome of the election while his campaign chair was meeting with an intelligence asset of a foreign government that was trying to influence the outcome of the election. Not very legal and very cool.
— Matthew Miller (@matthewamiller) December 7, 2018