Falwell story isn't the affair. It's the money laundering!

[Roland99]

Good thread:

Link to tweet

The Falwell affair is the shiny wrapping paper. There’s money laundering inside the shiny paper. Will the media notice?

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Freethinker65]

1. Not only that, Falwell came clean because Michael Cohen had the photos

How did Michael get those photos? Whose money paid for them? When did he get them? What did Falwell agree to do, or not do, to have them kept secret?

Falwell knows, Cohen knows, and you can bet Trump knows the answers.

[tanyev]

2. I'm sure Falwell's switch to Trump from Cruz was part of the deal.

Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Trump Endorsement is a Blow to Ted Cruz

Donald Trump Picks Up a Key Evangelical Endorsement
JAN. 26, 201602:30
Jan. 26, 2016, 3:41 PM CST / Updated Jan. 26, 2016, 3:41 PM CST
By Jane C. Timm

OSCEOLA, Iowa — Sen. Ted Cruz stood in a chilly barn Tuesday morning, invoking the Bible to encourage Iowans to judge candidates by their records.

“You should know them by their fruits,” the Republican presidential hopeful said at the first of seven events across Iowa, just six days before the state’s kingmaker caucuses.

But just as Cruz drew from the book of Matthew, news broke that Jerry Falwell Jr., a national evangelical leader and president of Liberty University, was throwing his support behind Cruz’s key rival, Donald Trump.

It’s a big blow to Cruz, the son of a preacher who announced his candidacy for president at Falwell’s university last year. Cruz, who is banking on a big evangelical turnout at the caucuses to boost his candidacy, reminded voters here of his steadfast conservative views on social issues.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/jerry-falwell-jr-s-trump-endorsement-blow-ted-cruz-n504751

[Freethinker65]

5. Forgot about that gem. Makes more sense now. It wasn't just about greed.

Blackmail. Threat to expose Falwell?

[tanyev]

7. Good analysis by Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo:

We know that Cohen struck up a relationship with Falwell as far back as 2011/2012. We know that he got involved in helping keep the couple’s secrets, including hushing up compromising photos of Becki. It was as late as 2015 when Cohen helped the Falwells deal with the photos — photos which were apparently connected to another fit young man close to the couple.

Of course this wasn’t new ground for Cohen. For years one of Cohen’s key jobs was paying off and silencing Trump’s sexual conquests and/or victims. And Trump wasn’t the only one. In 2017 Cohen jumped in to help one of Trump’s major campaign donors and allies, Elliott Broidy, cut a deal to keep a former girlfriend quiet. Cohen even worked with the same lawyer he worked with on the Stormy Daniels case, Keith Davidson. So this is something Michael Cohen does — not just for Trump but for others around Trump. That makes Cohen the holder of a lot of valuable secrets.

We also know that Michael Cohen brokered the January 2016 Falwell endorsement. This was reported long before any of the Cohen/Stormy Daniels/Giancarlo stuff was ever known. There’s really no doubt this happened.

I’m pretty sure there are lots of details still to emerge from this story. But let’s assume the above is it. Extortion is often left implicit. Often it doesn’t need to be stated outright — that is likely the root of Vladimir Putin’s hold over President Trump. Even if Cohen never reminded the Falwells what he knew about them … even if he said outright he’d never use it against them (perhaps especially if he said this), Falwell knew that Cohen (and almost certainly Trump) knew information that could destroy Falwell’s life. In other words, Cohen and Trump owned Falwell and Falwell certainly knew it.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-owned-jerry-and-jerry-knew-it

[malaise]

9. This is the real story

how the Con got Falwell to endorse him and give him an honorary degree to boot

[JI7]

3. It's both

[stillcool]

4. I swear....I've read this whole story before..

but like today, there was no ending. Did someone write about this a couple of years ago?

[Roland99]

6. Yeah, K. Louise Neufeld, did last year

Some of these tweets are bringing up that older news

[stillcool]

8. thank you.

I don't recall the name, but what a kick-ass journalist!