You CAN travel into the Czech Republic without getting your passport stamped.

[pnwmom]

All you have to do is enter it from another EU country.

Why does this matter?

Because Priebus and others are pretending that because DT's lawyer, Michael Cohen, has a passport with no stamps for the Czech Republic, that proves he didn't travel to Prague for a meeting described in the "dossier" about the Russians.

But people can and do travel within the European union without getting passports stamped.

ON EDIT: I just found a report from YAHOO NEWS explaining this. The reporter got Michael Cohen to show him pages in his passport via FaceTime video. Cohen seemed to think his lack of stamps proved he hadn't been in Prague. But the reporter was able to determine that he HAD been traveling in the Schengen Zone during that time -- so he could have visited Prague without getting stamped.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-attorney-michael-cohen-i-have-no-russian-kremlin-connections-071908867.html

The document published by BuzzFeed included a claim that Cohen met with “Kremlin representatives” in Prague last August. Cohen told Yahoo News he was in New York and California throughout that month. He used FaceTime video chat to show his passport. It appeared to show stamps dated from 2009 until late 2016 from visits to France, Hong Kong, Macau, Scotland, Anguilla, St. Maarten, St. Bart’s, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey. The trips to Georgia and Kazakhstan all seemed to be dated from 2010 to 2012. Cohen promised to allow Yahoo News to examine the document at Trump’s press conference on Wednesday.

While Cohen’s passport didn’t seem to contain stamps from the Czech Republic, he wouldn’t necessarily need to have one if he visited the country. The Czech Republic is part of the Schengen Area, a group of 26 European countries that have a border agreement. Visitors must present a passport when they first enter the area, but they do not necessarily need to show the document when they travel between countries within the zone. Based on the passport pages he showed to Yahoo News, Cohen made multiple visits to Schengen countries, from which he could have traveled on to the Czech Republic, including a trip to Paris last year.

[philosslayer]

1. Of course

You just drive across the border. Or take the train. I've done it several times.

[pnwmom]

5. I haven't seen any media reports correcting Priebus,

who is taking advantage of people's lack of knowledge about this.

You would think the media would know.

[Lucinda]

2. Saw this discussed on twitter last night.

It was said that its very easy to do.

[meadowlander]

3. Yes, I had to ask for the stamp when I went there.

I crossed the border into the Czech Republic six times and don't have any stamps except the one I requested.

[LaydeeBug]

4. Also, I am not sure if you need them if you travel by private plane.

Just saying...

[NightWatcher]

6. I only flew into Schiphol (Amsterdam), visited multiple countries, and only had my pass stamped once

One time I flew in on Christmas morning early and there wasn't even anyone at the Foreign Arrival Desk. I didn't even get it stamped.

[politicat]

7. Cohen's stamp argument is smoke-screen for the rubes who don't travel.

It's the first rule of Spycraft Kindergarten: who is our best friend? Plausible deniability!

Proving he was there may be difficult, if he was smart enough to follow a Le Carré novel. Used cash, didn't use cards, can obfuscate the dates of where and when he was. Cohen has incentive to lie and obfuscate, and he's not going to tell the press anything -- he's a lawyer, and knows his rights.

He's one paragraph in 35 pages. He's a fairly easy lift, all things considered, but there are multiple easy lifts in that document. All intel has potential shaky places because it relies on gossip and sources who may not have complete information. Don't let the "if one thing is wrong, it's all trash" noise become a distraction. There is already a lot in there that is confirmed, and most legal cases are at least as much circumstantial evidence as factual evidence.

[pnwmom]

8. And it's working; A DUer didn't believe me about this

even when I linked to Wikipedia.

[politicat]

10. ... denial is a powerful drug.

One person... :eyeroll:

We know paid trolls exist, and we know some people fall for it. Concern and doubt trolls are at least as effective as the other types. Don't doubt your own brain. That's the demoralization that they want.

[FarCenter]

9. There were no Schengen area stamps

When you first cross any external border of the Schengen area and present your passport for entry, an immigration official will determine if you qualify for entry into the Schengen area. You may be denied entry if the officer determines you do not qualify for entry. When moving from one Schengen country to another, you do not need to show your passport until you exit the Schengen area. Ensure your passport is stamped upon entry and exit. For additional information on traveling to and within the Schengen area, see our FAQ below.

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/go/schengen-fact-sheet.html

[2naSalit]

11. And that's why Prague.....nt

[BobTheSubgenius]

12. While the Czech Republic wasn't one of them,

I was able to travel pretty freely in European countrires and never had my passport stamped, except upon landing on a direct flight from North America. Other than that "interrogation" (Why are you here? That seems like a good reason, enjoy your visit.&quot All I ever did was hold up my passport and walk through.

That was 1984, though, and is just my experience. Things are probably way different now.

[StevieM]

13. In 1984 the Czech Republic was part of Czechoslovakia. And it wasn't part of the EU.

That was before the fall of the Iron Curtain.

[Dorian Gray]

14. The article

states that he took a trip to Paris last year.

Does it have the exact dates? And do those dates match up within the timeframe of the alleged meet up? BC this could be it.

[pnwmom]

15. No, why should it have to be the exact dates? Intelligence often might not be

precise down to an exact date.

The fact that they are pretending that the passport's lack of stamps is meaningful tells me they have something to hide.

[MrScorpio]

16. When I was in Europe back in the day, being in the service, I didn't even have a passport

And I traveled from country to country without even being stopped at the border.

Anyone who's been to Europe could have seen right through that RNC PR BS.

FDT.