Michael Cohen's full opening statement released and it's one bombshell after another

[kpete]

Last edited Wed Feb 27, 2019, 10:11 AM - Edit history (4)

The New York Times has obtained Michael Cohen’s opening statement for his highly-anticipated appearance before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday morning. Michael Cohen says he’s ashamed of his work for Donald Trump, calling him a “racist, con man and a cheat.”

Cohen goes onto say that Donald Trump was absolutely aware that his pal Roger Stone was coordinating with Julian Assange and Wikileaks to release the hacked Democratic National Committee emails to damage Hillary Clinton AND he details an exchange he witnessed and overheard around that Trump Tower meeting with the Russians. The New York Times has published the full opening statement, here are the highlights (or lowlights):

WIKILEAKS

As I earlier stated, Mr. Trump knew from Roger Stone in advance about theWikiLeaks drop of emails. In July 2016, days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr. Trump’s office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr.Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of “wouldn’t that be great.”

VIOLATING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

As Exhibit 5 to my testimony shows, I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on August 1, 2017 – when he was President of the United States –pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me – the word used by Mr. Trump’s TV lawyer -- for the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf. This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year – while he was President.The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme, directed by Mr.Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District ofNew York.So picture this scene – in February 2017, one month into his presidency.

THE TRUMP TOWER RUSSIA MEETING

Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence thatMr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. I want to be clear. But, I have my suspicions.

Sometime in the summer of 2017, I read all over the media that there had been a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 involving Don Jr. and others from the campaign with Russians, including a representative of the Russian government, and an email setting up the meeting with the subject line, “Dirt on Hillary Clinton.” Something clicked in my mind. I remember being in the room with Mr. Trump, probably in early June 2016, when something peculiar happened. Don Jr. came into the room and walked behind his father’s desk – which in itself was unusual. People didn’t just walk behindMr. Trump’s desk to talk to him. I recalled Don Jr. leaning over to his father and speaking in a low voice, which I could clearly hear, and saying: “The meeting is all set.” I remember Mr. Trump saying, “Ok good…let me know.”

What struck me as I looked back and thought about that exchange betweenDon Jr. and his father was, first, that Mr. Trump had frequently told me and others that his son Don Jr. had the worst judgment of anyone in the world. And also, that Don Jr. would never set up any meeting of any significance alone – and certainly not without checking with his father.

I also knew that nothing went on in Trump world, especially the campaign, without Mr. Trump’s knowledge and approval. So, I concluded that Don Jr. was referring to that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting about dirt on Hillary with the Russian representative when he walked behind his dad’s desk that day -- and that Mr. Trump knew that was the meeting Don Jr. was talking about when he said, “That’s good…let me know.”

LIES ABOUT THE TRUMP TOWER MOSCOW PROJECT

There were at least a half-dozen times between the Iowa Caucus inJanuary 2016 and the end of June when he would ask me “How’s it going in Russia?” – referring to the Moscow Tower project.

You need to know that Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers reviewed and edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow Tower negotiations before I gave it.

To be clear: Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it. He lied about it because he never expected to win the election.

He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow real estate project.

And so I lied about it, too – because Mr. Trump had made clear to me, through his personal statements to me that we both knew were false and through his lies to the country, that he wanted me to lie. And he made it clear to me because his personal attorneys reviewed my statement before I gave it to Congress.

FRAUD

Mr. Trump directed me to find a straw bidder to purchase a portrait of him that was being auctioned at an Art Hamptons Event. The objective was to ensure that his portrait, which was going to be auctioned last, would go for the highest price of any portrait that afternoon. The portrait was purchased by the fake bidder for $60,000. Mr. Trump directed the Trump Foundation, which is supposed to be a charitable organization, to repay the fake bidder, despite keeping the art for himself. Please see Exhibit 3B to my testimony.


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MORE:
https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/636-michael-cohens-congressional-t/3a1530b333230e775df5/optimized/full.pdf#page=1
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/26/1838034/-Michael-Cohen-s-full-opening-statement-leaked-and-it-s-one-bombshell-after-another

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Here’s the check Trump allegedly wrote Michael Cohen for Stormy Daniels payoff while he was president:





https://www.rawstory.com/2019/02/revealed-heres-check-trump-allegedly-wrote-michael-cohen-stormy-daniels-payoff-president/

Link to tweet

********


More "Key Stuff" From TPM:

Link to tweet

and another source:

Link to tweet

It's Happening:
JUST IN: Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen arrives on Capitol Hill ahead of his public testimony before Congress
VIDEO:

Link to tweet

The documents Cohen's apparently going to provide

Link to tweet

[manor321]

1. Those of us who stayed up late enough enjoyed this last night. :)

Now I need to wake up, have breakfast and get my snacks ready.

[Blue_playwright]

33. I even bought that orange cheese stuff for my popcorn

Thought it was appropriate. And it’s like crack. Lol

[Achilleaze]

2. republican traitors deserve justice for betraying USA

Lock the treasonous a-holes up.

[superpatriotman]

3. Can he change republican minds?

Because he won’t change any Democrat minds.

Otherwise this is just another day with no indictable crimes.

[underpants]

7. The mark is the middle

From the midterms it's pretty clear that they already have decided about Trump.

[BeyondGeography]

8. Entertainment value

Not much else. Further confirmation of how far we’ve sunk.

[sharedvalues]

10. Yes! This will have a big effecr

Fox and Limbaugh have successfully convinced a good part of the country that the Russia thing doesn’t implicate the president - or that it wasn’t a crime.

This will be big.

Also, it’s “Democratic”. “Democratic votes”

[leftynyc]

11. Democrat minds?

Sure you don't want to correct that?

[superpatriotman]

12. I am a Democrat

I’ll take the shrapnel for the unintentional typo, thank you.

Now back to the message...

Does this testimony change any repuke minds? Or does it further galvanize the sides?

[leftynyc]

21. Forget republicans, they're a lost cause

Aim for the middle - we saw in the midterms that's a winning strategy. Independents hate donnie.

[superpatriotman]

26. I agree

And further I’d say independent voters better pick a side!

[leftynyc]

34. They have no choice

unless they want to go down with the SS Trumptanic.

[Farmer-Rick]

28. I'm a registered Democrat and he's changed my mind already

I now believe Traitor Trump is the most criminal president we have ever had. Up until today, I believed Nixon held that position.

And RepubliCONS are all a bunch of wannabe Russian mobsters.

And it is Democratic mind, NOT Democrat. Democrat is a noun. You are using it like an adjective and doing the GOPs work for them. I'm sure traitor Trump and little man Putin appreciate it.

[yaesu]

32. I expect every repug to try to roast Cohen to protect their dictator, trump. nt

[GoCubsGo]

4. So, pretty much what we already knew or strongly suspected... nt

[thegoose]

5. God, I hope the Dems act swiftly

Between this and the North Korea charade basically mocking America, this fucker needs to go down now. God knows the Pukes will do everything they can to cover it all up.

[underpants]

6. Trump thinks as much of Jr. as everyone else

Inside the bubble. Jr is the actual "coffee boy".

[Javaman]

13. Fredo. nt

[Trueblue Texan]

9. yeah, but we know the real crime...

...is far worse and harder to prove than paying off a porn star, violating campaign laws. The penalty should fit the actual crime. Impeachment is the only way. He's done so much damage in such a short time. Even Pence, as awful as he is, wouldn't be as destructive to the Republic.

[DownriverDem]

14. What about the House repubs?

We have seen where they will try and shut it down. How can they? As I use to say about the Dems: They have no power. Millions of folks will be watching while the repubs try to shut it down. I don't think that will play well

[Tucker08087]

15. The only thing that might matter

would be abortion pay-offs. I’ve been told multiple times on Twitter that I’m unchristian because I don’t forgive him for trying to pay Marla to abort Tiffani. If there were more, and more recent, MAYBE it would matter. Other than that, they don’t care. He’s a “changed man.” Right.

[cbdo2007]

16. They are only bombshells where he provides evidence...

That's the difference between him and what Mueller is doing. Mueller has to have evidence on his side, Cohen just gets to think of every bad thing Trump said or did but without evidence we are essentially in the same place we were yesterday.

Hopefully this will be enough to sway some public and congressional opinion but Cohen is a grifter's grifter like most of Trump's crew so we need some real concrete evidence to really get any traction.

[kpete]

17. Trump told Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, per CNN.

Great catch by @ScottMStedman: Trump told Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks, per CNN. But Cohen now says Stone told Trump about the impending WikiLeaks release in July 2016. If Mueller can prove Cohen’s story...

Link to tweet

[cbdo2007]

23. If Cohen has proof of this - Great!!! If...

He says he overheard Trump saying this while they were standing next to each other at a urinal, then that is not great and looks bad.

Today is ALL about the evidence. That is literally the only thing that matters, we all already know Trump is a giant asshole.

[DownriverDem]

19. Amazing, isn't it?

trump supporters ignore every thing that trump does. Why? They believe he is a means to get what they want.

[OliverQ]

18. Just a reminder:

Trump told Mueller in his written answers that he never spoke to Roger Stone about the DNC hack and email release.

Cohen says in his testimony that's false, Trump did speak with Stone.

Trump committed perjury.

[DownriverDem]

20. We all know

that trump knew everything. No one believes that trump didn't know what was going on, except for his dumb ass supporters. It all went through him.

[AkFemDem]

22. They don't believe it either, they just don't care. Nft

[zentrum]

25. Was Trump under oath

...when he said that to Mueller? I think that he wasn't so it's technically not perjury. Isn't that right?

[OliverQ]

29. He probably swore his statements were accurate.

But regardless, it's still a felony to lie to the FBI.

[Farmer-Rick]

31. NO, you don't have to be under oath for lying to the FBI to be a crime.

It is a crime unto itself. Like murder or theft.

[zentrum]

24. Wow. nt.

[Joe Nation]

27. This type of stuff is too esoteric to change any Trump supporters minds

They don't have the slightest intellectual capacity to assess this type of criminality. They'll keep supporting him.

[sarcasmo]

30. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[hughee99]

35. Hopefully he has lots of docs and tapes, because his word alone

Isn’t worth anything. I wonder if the committee is getting access to all his tapes and records that were seized.