This is why the Stormy Daniels story is so dangerous

[babylonsister]

https://thinkprogress.org/why-the-stormy-daniels-story-matters-3aa5c9a5ac64/

This is why the Stormy Daniels story is so dangerous
A sex scandal that is actually important.
Judd Legum
Jan 17, 2018, 12:43 pm

snip//

The story indicates Trump is willing to lie about his sexual encounters with women.

Trump’s lawyer is distributing a statement denying any sexual relationship between Daniels and Trump. But there is a mountain of evidence that suggests this statement is a lie, including historical interviews by Daniels herself, the existence of the $130,000 payment, and the contemporaneous accounts by friends of Daniels. The president’s willingness to lie about his interactions with women is important: There are more than a dozen women who have accused Trump of sexual assault. Trump has denied those claims, but the Daniels story suggests he’s willing to lie.

The story has parallels to other women’s claims of sexual assault by Trump.

In October 2016, another adult film actor, Jessica Drake, accused Trump of sexual assault. The women’s stories diverge dramatically: Daniels’ sexual contact with Trump was reportedly consensual, but the material circumstances of their stories indicate some parallels. Drake, who says Trump assaulted her, said that she met Trump at a “2006 at a golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.” This is the same golf tournament where Daniels met Trump. (This fact is not in dispute — there are photos of Trump and Daniels at the event.) Drake said that “Trump invited her to his hotel room, but she didn’t feel entirely comfortable going alone, so she brought two other women with her.” According to press accounts, Trump also invited Daniels to his hotel room. Drake says that when she arrived at the hotel room Trump “grabbed each of us tightly, in a hug and kissed each one of us without asking permission.” While Daniels’ account is dramatically different from Drake’s, it does indicate that Trump was pursuing sexual encounters with women at his hotel room at Lake Tahoe in 2006, when and where Drake says Trumped assaulted.

The story suggests Trump is vulnerable to blackmail and extortion.

According to reports, Daniels was able to extract a $130,000 payment to keep quiet about her affair with Trump. How many other women have stories about Trump that he does not want told? This is potentially a very dangerous predicament for a sitting president. In the unverified Steele dossier, there is an allegation that Russian officials have information about Trump’s interactions with sex workers in Moscow that Russian agents are using as leverage. There is not evidence that this is true (although Trump’s bodyguard confirmed he was offered the sexual attention of prostitutes) but Daniels’ story suggests similar circumstances may be possible. Trump, reportedly, has things to hide and is willing to go to substantial lengths to hide them.

[JI7]

1. and where did the money to pay her off come from needs to be looked into

[oberliner]

2. Rachel talked about that on her show last night

[Blue_Adept]

4. Isn't that what charity money is for?

[Laf.La.Dem.]

13. Sad but funny!

[Blue_Adept]

14. And likely true - and possibly criminal?

[TlalocW]

48. I always give a lot of money to Charity

Whenever she's dancing at my favorite gentlemen's club.

TlalocW

[Calista241]

15. In most cases like that, it's a payment directly from the law firm

that negotiated the settlement. The firm also likely has a long standing relationship with Trump, and has handled these kinds of settlements before. Meaning that he's probably been paying them some number of millions of dollars for a decade or more.

And most likely the settlement was not paid off in one lump sum. Settlements are usually paid out over some number of years, that way payments can be withheld in case of violation of the non-disclosure.

Since this was negotiated in 2016, i would bet Stormy Daniels has several years worth of payments coming to her in the future, and she won't violate her non-disclosure unless someone else pays her more money. I would also bet that Trump will not break the agreement, despite it being public, because she'll be on every TV station she can find if he does.

[Jarqui]

3. More troubling to me is the money laundering from Kazakhstan

As Maddow pointed out, this guy, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, has the financial evidence for money laundering from the failed bank in Kazakhstan
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/kazakhstan-is-a-kleptocracy-ruled-by-an-autocrat-its-also-an-increasingly-important-strategic-ally.html

There's a good chance Putin got it too.

A little blackmail from a sex scandal is a problem but I do not see Trump fearing going to jail over it.

Blackmail for money laundering from Kazakhstan ... evidence like that can put a guy in jail - even the President of the United States. This was the area Steve Bannon claimed Trump was vulnerable.

This sex stuff is merely a distraction by comparison.

[roscoeroscoe]

5. Two words:

"I did not have sex with that woman."

[Jarqui]

7. which got Bill Clinton an impeachment debate in Congress ...

so did "I have nothing to hide" by Tricky Dick

But so far
"I did not collude with Russia" (in spite of evidence to the contrary)
and
"I did not launder Kazak money" (in spite of evidence to the contrary)
isn't getting the GOP congress very excited about impeachment hearings

They have no problem with a president who pays a porn star who reminds him of his daughter for sex while his new wife nurses his baby son.

[aggiesal]

47. Clinton was impeached by the House ...

But no conviction from the Senate.

House impeaches, Senate holds the trial.
Much like a Grand Jury indicts, Court holds the trial.

When Nixon was impeached, the Senate had enough votes to convict, so
Nixon resigned so that he could keep his post-presidential benefits.
Then Ford pardoned the impeachment.

I believe that's how it went.

[padfun]

49. Nixon wasnt impeached

He resigned.

[NewJeffCT]

25. If I recall

the exact quote was "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky."

I remember because their was a lot of discussion about the meaning of "sexual relations" versus him saying "have sex with"

[TexasBushwhacker]

33. I know this sounds dumb

But there are still men out there that don't consider oral sex to be "sexual relations". Only intercourse counts. Many don't consider oral sex to being cheating on their wives either.

[bigbrother05]

44. Ken Starr defined sexual relations and his list didn't include what occurred

WJC got a lot of flack, but Starr is the one that opened the door for the parsing language.

All sentient people understood that Bill was covering up consensual activities, but he was really impeached for his misleading public statements.

[babylonsister]

12. dt entertained Nursultan Nazarbayev at the wh this week.

I guess he fears nothing!

[Jarqui]

20. Or he trying to secure the evidence that could put him in jail ...

[tikka]

37. Not the only sketchy deal in Kazakhstan

Ivanka is neck deep in this one.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/13/donald-trumps-worst-deal

[Jarqui]

38. For sure, that's bad and these are not the only two

But the bad thing about Kazakhstan, as Rachel Maddow pointed out, is Kazakhstan allegedly possesses the evidence of these bogus Kazakhstan (now defunct) bank banking transactions that can implicate Trump in money laundering. Trump doesn't care how many places he laundered money nearly as much as which places he stands to get caught doing so. The American people and their national security should be concerned that the president could be blackmailed with this evidence. That's why at the moment Kazakhstan is a larger concern.

Having said that, if someone has similar evidence for that hotel in Azerbaijan, then ditto. Because it was a paper project and not bank records, I suspect it would be tougher to incriminate Trump.

[Zoonart]

6. The sheer weight of all of this would

crush anyone else. So... I keep asking myself....self, who is the invisible hand propping all of this up?
It's not as simple as the GOP or his base of 25-35% morans. I think the coup has already occurred.Everyone is just going through the motions of democracy.
Protesters were arrested at the White house yesterday as they protested the death od DACA. Let's see how the protesters are treated on Saturday at the woman's marches.

[bdamomma]

9. I think the coup

has already taken place also, but how far up the ladder has it gone, we know don the con is up to his eyeballs in it, also I wouldn't doubt it includes Congress too, esp. McConnell and Ryan and who knows who else. Russian fingerprints are all over this. Payoffs, blackmailing, threatening family members are all involved as far as the Congress is involved. That is why the fucking repigs aren't saying anything.

Also I think the arrests of protesters will not stop them we are force to be reckoned with.

[rainin]

24. Yes, the coup has already taken place.

And only this week have I started to hear people point fingers at congressional republicans as part of the problem. Calling out trump only gives all the accessories to crime cover.

[Ilsa]

26. "... who is the invisible hand propping all of this up?"

Good question. Someone working for the Mercers or their equivalent? An agent of a foreign, hostile government?

How many people are "in the know" within the law firm or foundation about the transfers of funds? Or cash? Are they taking special precautions not to become a patsy or are they compromised now?

[NewJeffCT]

30. I think the GOP is propping Trump up for 2 reasons

1) Trump is a weak leader who will sign whatever they put in front of him because he's totally clueless on the issues. He gives them a front while Pence and Congress wreck the lives of minorities and/or the working class and middle class. (Federal Judges are being appointed at a breakneck pace...)
2) Some in the GOP has admitted that they are scared of Trump's "Deplorable" base - while most of them are all talk, some are probably scared of that one looney tunes guy that will take it too far (i.e., like the Pizzagate killing)

[pangaia]

8. And now fox series on monica

Strange coincidence, eh.

[rainlillie]

10. The woman who claimed Trump raped her when she was 13

Said the same thing that Stormy said. Trump told her she reminded him of his daughter.

[Ilsa]

29. Geez, how creepy. Makes ALL of the

pageant stuff disgusting, and not just regarding the younger contestants. Trump clearly has incestuous fantasies that he tries to act out with vulnerable women. I wonder if he wants his daughter to be as vulnerable with other men as the women he picks for his escapades?

[Hekate]

52. He acts as though his daughter is his personal possession, always available to him...

As such, hands off to other men, but he could and still does boast about her sexual attractiveness to him. I notice that as an adult she ducks his petting when she can.

[dlk]

11. Follow the Money - That's Where The Crime is Most Likely to be Found

With a long history of not paying his bills and filing bankruptcy, Donald is a deadbeat. It's important to find the source of this payoff because, given his sketchy history, it's likely there's a crime involved.

[Ligyron]

16. I sure hope so 'cause Dump is beginning to realize the base doesn't care about his affairs.

Once that fact sinks in, there will be no more money paid out to these women and similar stories, sexual assault or otherwise will be little covered by the media. Hell, most of his fans probably think this just proves what a manly stud he is.

The hoops the Evangelicals must have to jump through to support this clown is almost beyond cog. dis. resolution I should think.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Could she become a sort of American Christine Keeler to Himself in the Profumo role?

[ProudMNDemocrat]

18. Trump LIED and CHEATED on his first 2 wives.......

And he has done so with the third wife as well.

A man who cheats on his wife with his Mistress, will cheat on his Mistress once he has made her his wife. THIS is Trump's MO.

[louis c]

19. Where did the $130K come from?

Trump, for all his reported wealth, hates to spend any of his own money. Take a look at the Trump Foundation. He made donations from an account that was filled with other people's money and none of his own.

I suspect that, since the money was paid to Daniels in October 2016, he could rationalize that this payment should be made from his campaign account. I suspect the money was paid to Cohen (Trump's attorney) from the Trump Campaign for legal services and then wired to Daniels attorney, who then cut a check to Daniels. These actions would have violated Campaign Finance Laws.

This is pure speculation, and since I have no subpoena powers, I can't prove it. But still, it is a possible chain of events worth exploring.

[Botany]

22. My guess is that it came from the man who also owns the Stormy/Trump video too

[Ilsa]

31. I wonder how many people have personal knowledge

of these transactions? How do they protect themselves?

[gratuitous]

35. Is it irresponsible to speculate?

Or irresponsible not to speculate?

I wonder why at least two different media outlets had most of this story in October 2016, just before the election, and neither one of them felt they had quite enough information to run it. Of course, those standards went out the window when FBI Director Comey said that his investigation into The Republic-Destroying E-Mails of Death of Hillary Rodham Clinton wasn't quite finished, and then 10 days later it was.

In the realm of pure speculation, was Stormy Daniels the only one who got paid hush money to keep this story under wraps at a crucial moment in the campaign?

[heaven05]

21. this so called potus/pervert

Probably has a sex need because he wants to feel something and wants to feel "loved'...which I am sure this predator hasn't felt in decades...

[NewJeffCT]

23. Why is a progressive organization like Think Progress

is still saying that the Steele Dossier is "unverified" - it is mostly verified from what I've seen from several reliable sources, including Seth Abramson.

[wiggs]

27. If shooting someone on the streets of New York wouldn't lose him a vote, then

screwing around on Melania with porn stars and models wouldn't do it either. Deplorables and all....

Of all the lies, BS, stupid comments, misguided statements...that one about shooting someone stands out as oddly prescient, bold, and brilliant. Also tragic...

[yallerdawg]

28. These stories make Melania look like a grifter.

I wonder what hold and stories she has over The Dotard?

[Gothmog]

32. Putin has the pee tape

[SWBTATTReg]

41. or worse...

[Texin]

34. "...the Invisible hand"...

that is propping Shitler is undoubtedly Putin. But make no mistake about it, the rethugs are in bed with both Shitler and Putin, as they were well aware of the Russian interference ahead of the selection and decided that it would be beneficial to their party's chances to just go with it. Hell. I don't know if they financially benefited from Russia or not, but they were okay with Shitler's treason, which makes them all quislings in my book.

Vlad P is ex KGB, and he is putatively still part of the FSB and runs the show. He was responsible for cultivation of human assets for the cause and it's reported that Shitler was one of those being cultivated by the Russians as early as the '80s, but definitely into the '90s. A guy like Shitler that is a womanizer can be nothing less than vulnerable to blackmail and reprisal, and I've no doubt that Vlad has the goods on him, on tape, on video and a record of financial transactions and exchanges. Bet on it. And don't doubt that there's plenty of evidence out there to suggest that the Attorney General Keebler Elf has ties to Russia as well, along with Ryan and McConnell, along with lower-tier rethugs like Roharabacher of California.

[Blue_Tires]

36. Somewhere in N.C. John Edwards has to be fuming about now...

[BobTheSubgenius]

39. The US loses a great senator over evidence far flimsier than this??

But here, the media sees nothing beyond the salacious aspect of this tawdry tale and gives a more or less collective "Meh," totally missing the bigger picture.

[GETPLANING]

40. You would think a porn star has video

Please, please have video

[UTUSN]

42. R102 & K

[niyad]

43. k and r

[TheFrenchRazor]

45. lying no longer matters, don't ya know... nt

[Cosmocat]

46. When republican jackasses were screaming to impeach Clinton in the 90s

(When they were having affairs of their own) this was one of their big holier than thou talking points ...

[Gothmog]

50. This is going to be an important story

Link to tweet

[Gothmog]

51. There are some campaign finance laws broken here

Link to tweet

[bitterross]

53. No one is holding him accountable though. Ryan, McConnell, the others - no one.

I am not sure there is anything that will cause his base to wavier. If they saw it live on TV while he murdered a white baby girl they'd say it was all fake TV.

Until the issue becomes one that will prevent their personal re-election then none of the congress is going to do a damned thing.

[Honeycombe8]

54. I don't think the public cares about porn stars & affairs. Unless it's Bill Clinton, of course.nt