Graham On Trump Hush Money: 'People Don't Write Checks' If They Think It's A Crime

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By Kate Riga

March 1, 2019 8:57 am

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of President Donald Trump’s most stalwart allies, creatively dismissed Michael Cohen’s evidence that Trump signed reimbursement checks for Stormy Daniels’ hush money payments from his personal account, saying that “people don’t write checks if they think they’re involved in a crime.”

“You know, ‘here’s my part in the crime,'” he added.

Cohen testified Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee that Trump reimbursed him for the Daniels’ payment in installments during his presidency.

Watch here via the Hill:

Link to tweet

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Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/graham-on-trump-hush-money-people-do-not-write-checks-crime

[rpannier]

1. Really?

This is probably a bad time to make that assertion.
I mean, so close to Jussie Smollett and his check

Besides, Trump is pretty arrogant

[Zambero]

26. A new fail-safe and legal transaction method for drug smugglers

Simply pay by check! Just pay up in person or through the mail. I mean, this way there's so much of an assumption of innocence that no questions would ever be asked by authorities. And as an added safeguard, Lindsey will back you up!

[dalton99a]

2. Even if it's a bad check

The fact that you wrote a check means you're innocent

Criminal Law 101 - Trump University School of Law

[CatMor]

3. Does that mean Lindsey always pays in cash.

[forgotmylogin]

15. Are large bills also not a crime?

What about a bag of nickels and sports memorabilia?

"If a bank robber prints a demand for money on letterhead with a laser printer instead of scrawled handwriting, it's not a crime! Look how genteel!"

White-collar crime is still a crime, Lindsey-old-boy!

[DownriverDem]

48. Lindsey

is a total suck up. trump is blackmailing the repubs in the House and Senate. The NRA is being investigated for taking russian money and funneling it to the repubs' campaigns. Their performance at the Cohen hearing was disgusting.

[The Wizard]

60. Wondering if he paid

Jeff Gannon / James Guckert in cash.

[B Stieg]

4. Yes they do, Lyndsey...

if they're either very ARROGANT and/or very STUPID.

[PatSeg]

12. Exactly

Apparently Lindsey is under the impression that Trump is as smart as he pretends to be. Trump didn't think he'd ever get caught. He's been getting away with corrupt crap fro decades.

[Arkansas Granny]

21. This. He never thought he'd get caught.

[PatSeg]

47. In this country,

we often treat white collar crimes like they are no big deal, but possession of drugs or talk back to a cop and they'll throw the book at you.

This is what we end up with when we let people like Trump get away with pretty much anything he wants.

[DownriverDem]

49. And

trump didn't think he get elected either. The case to watch is in the SDNY. trump can't do a thing about it either.

[PatSeg]

50. He used to be a sort of big fish in a small pond

Nothing in life prepared him to be in this position on the world stage. Anyone who runs for president knows they will be open to extreme scrutiny and its almost impossible to keep anything hidden. He thought it would all be fun and games with lots of media attention. Now he's seeing the downside of that kind of attention.

Maybe he should have hired someone to do opposition research on himself like other serious candidates do, but his short-sighted arrogance got in the way and he never thought he'd win anyway.

[Power 2 the People]

58. +1

[Tom Rinaldo]

5. Idiot.

That's like saying people don't commit crimes if they think they may go to jail for them.

In this case it depends on the stupidity and arrogance of the person (high) and how sophisticated the cover up operation was (relatively high).

[MaryMagdaline]

6. We never said Trump was smart

[rickyhall]

7. But Trump isn't "most people"

He thinks he can lie his way out of any situation. It's what mediocre con men do.

[Iliyah]

8. STFU

please.

[LibDemAlways]

9. No, Lindsey, they write checks because they

think they can get away with anything. It was an act of brazen arrogance by the most narcissistic of narcissists -- the kind of guy who tells the world he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and get away with it.

I would love to find out what Trump has on little Lindsey that has him planting his lips so firmly on Trump's fat ass. Bet it's good stuff.

[radical noodle]

10. Of course they do

Businesses have plenty of ways to hide money. You label it as something legitimate. It's easily done.

[Desert grandma]

11. What universe does Lindsey live in?

Of course Donald would write a check. He would categorize it as "legal fees" so he could deduct it from his taxes. Con men like him are too arrogant to think they will ever get caught.

[UpInArms]

13. The "I can shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue" thinks he can get away with murder

so, why would he think that he needs to cover his tracks, you freak Lindsey Graham.

Go away and STFU ... you show how stupid you are every time you open your mouth

(not directed to the poster of this article)

[Botany]

14. What did Trump tell or show Graham on that golf outing that they went on?

He is so totally in the bag for Trump.

[CTAtheist]

16. Large cash withdrawls/deposits are far worse

They get flagged asap.

Checks are... hidden... unless exposed by the parties or some other lead resulting in a warrant.

It's almost as if Lindsey... isn't a lawyer.... o.O

[True Blue American]

43. That one put

This guy in jail.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/18/us/dennis-hastert-released.html

[The_Counsel]

62. Absolutely.

+1.

Hell, + 1,000,000,000.

[essaynnc]

17. NOT TRUE !!

When Jerry Springer was mayor of Cincinnati, he got caught going to a prostitute because he WROTE A CHECK FOR HER SERVICES !!! Some people have no brains.......

[True Blue American]

44. $25.

[Xipe Totec]

18. So money laundering is not a crime. Check. nt

[thegoose]

19. God, what a worthless piece of shit

These fuckers were always as filthy and corrupt as Dump before, weren't they? But in the post-integrity world of Bloatus, they feel free to come out of the closet, don't they? What scumbags.

[BeyondGeography]

20. When pure bullshit sounds authoritative

White guys are good at that stuff. We built a whole country that way. Tore it down, too.

[Cracklin Charlie]

22. Come clean, Lindsey.

Tell us what he’s got on you. Do it through a surrogate, then run off and hide. Do it for your country.

Go talk to Brother Cummings, he will help you.

[True Blue American]

23. Oh yeah?

Jerry Springer wrote a $25 check to a prostitute! That cost him his job as Mayor of Cincinnati,Ohio!

That is the arrogance. Republicans are trying to say Trumps checks are retainers!

[IronLionZion]

24. Jussie Smollet wrote a check

being stupid is not an excuse for criminal behavior

[underpants]

34. Charlie Sheen, Jerry Springer, & Shirley Douglas

Charlie and Jerry both wrote checks for prostitution

Shirley is Donald Sutherland’s ex-wife (Keifer’s Mother) who got caught writing a check to the Black Panthers for, and possibly mentioning on the check, hand grenades. Clint Eastwood was directly “Kelly’s Heroes” in Yugoslavia and he had to tell Donald about it. The story goes that Sutherland fell to the ground laughing. They divorced in 1970.

[EarlG]

25. So has

telling the judge “I didn’t know I was committing a crime, your honor” ever actually worked as a defense?

I mean if that’s the best excuse Graham can up with, they’re really screwed.

[trof]

27. "Trump wouldn't be stupid enough to write a check...oh, wait."

[onetexan]

28. and this guy has a law degree?

he should be disbarred for making such wreckless statements

[GWC58]

29. But, but, but

20 years ago Lindsey Graham, then a member of the U.S. House, tried his best to get William Jefferson Clinton, 42nd president of the United States, convicted in the U.S. Senate and removed from office. Trump has done much worse to this nation, from the Oval Office, than a bj! 😳

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

32. If Fat Donnie got a bj every now and then, we'd be much better off.

Where's Ivanka when you need her?

[IronLionZion]

45. I still can't believe his presidency has lasted this long

while Bill Clinton got impeached for lying about a BJ

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

30. Here's what Lindsey and the rest of the GOP have to do to defend Fat Donnie:

[truthisfreedom]

31. So explain the $35k flat payment, Miss Lindsey.

[Scoopster]

33. Sure they do.

Jerry Springer did exactly that - paid a prostitute with a personal check.

[OldManTarHeel]

35. LOLLindsey . .

You're an idiot. Though a loyal idiot.

[LogicFirst]

36. Shows how arrogant Trump is.

Remember, Trump said he could shoot a person and nothing would happen to him. Well, in this case he wrote a check, and nothing will happen to him.

[Kashkakat v.2.0]

37. Okkaaaayyy... but Trump thinks its not a crime because its him doing it, and he thinks the

laws don't apply to him. Doesn't mean the legal system has to go along with that premise!

An interesting survey would be - how many of these enablers come from significantly dysfunctional households, are adult children of alcoholics and/or abusers.

[Greybnk48]

38. ignorance of the law is no excuse, dumb Lindsey. n/t

[KPN]

39. Hey fuckwad, "ignorantia juris non excusat".

In other words, no one is excused by ignorance of the law. But nice try you traitorous whore ... at least in my opinion. On the other hand, there is this:

In case you didn't know, the Heritage Foundation has been actively promoting the notion that there are so many obscure federal laws and regulations that include criminal penalties, that this basic dictum (ignorance is not an excuse) is antiquated should no longer apply. Their position is that people should only be held accountable for criminal offense when they knowingly and intentionally violate a law that they had full knowledge of. So this is the argument that Lindsey is essentially putting forth (and probably pushing to have tested in court, i.e., the SC).

It's insidious. They are basically making the legal case that "ignorance is bliss." Ask yourselves this, what kinds of laws/regulations do most of us lack detailed knowledge of? Hint: white collar.

[procon]

40. Either he's not very bright or he's lying.

From embazzlers, to check fraud, and bank fraud, to money laundrying, people knowing engage in these criminal activities.

[MLAA]

41. Since when is a crime not a crime just because the offender didn't think it was a crime?

[Maxheader]

42. gop politico wingers can say just about any piece of nonsense they

want...being from a state still fighting the civil war...

[rsdsharp]

46. Lil Lindsey, criminals are stupid. Trump more so than most.

And in any event, in this case, they were trying to disguise the hush money reimbursements as retainer payments. Typically those kinds of payments are made by check, or perhaps wire transfer. They aren't made in cash.

[Faux pas]

51. Go back under

your rock lindsey.

[agtcovert]

52. Guess that settles in then.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

53. Sure they do, if they call them something else.

If the checking account records listed the checks as "attorneys' fees," for example, that would be even more evidence of criminal intent.

[CincyDem]

54. Oh...I'm pretty sure there are more than enough folks who will tell you otherwise.

Lest we forget our former mayor and future TV family fight referee...(from 1982)

Jerry Springer, who is running for Governor of Ohio, is using a television advertisement in which he acknowledges that he once paid for the services of a prostitute.

In the commercial, the 38-year-old former Mayor of Cincinnati sits before the camera and says: ''Nine years ago I spent time with a woman I shouldn't have. And I paid her with a check. I wish I hadn't done that. And the truth is, I wish no one would ever know. But in the rough world of politics, opponents are not about to let personal embarrassments lay to rest.''

https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/25/us/ohio-candidate-tells-of-paying-for-prostitute.html

[brush]

55. They do if they think it's well enough disguised as a retainer fee.

[janx]

56. "...if there's another reason, like protecting your family or your wife..."

How would writing a check to a porn star to keep her mouth shut be "protecting your family or your wife" ?

[louis-t]

57. Oh, you're right Linty. He didn't know paying off someone

to keep their mouth shut about an affair that he had to cover his ass during an election and then lying about it was illegal. Nothing to see here. But Benghazi? Now there was sum crinimal activitees.

[The Wizard]

59. Will the gentleman from South Carolina

tell us how many times he used cash for hush money?

[The_Counsel]

61. Lindsay...Dude...Just Stop Already.

The guy's either stupid or compromised.

Or stupid AND compromised.

Either way, he really should stop speaking in public....

[Dave Starsky]

63. I have.a friend who is a forensic accountant.

He makes a COMFORTABLE living reading the checks that criminals and fraudsters write to cover up their misdeeds.

[sinkingfeeling]

64. They do if they believe they are above the law and that they

will never be caught.

[onenote]

65. Best news Jussie Smollett's gotten in weeks.

[riversedge]

66. Lindsey has gone deep deep deep into the stinking #TrumpSwamp.

[AndJusticeForSome]

67. Ask the IRS

how many checks they've received from people who knowingly cheated on their taxes.

[BlueIdaho]

68. Let's Remember...

Trump wanted to pay cash, Cohen wouldn’t let him...

[Penn Voter]

69. What about inflating assets

to obtain a loan? I guess Agent Orange didn't know that was a crime as well!