Trump lawyer Michael Cohen used private firm and pseudonyms to pay porn star Stormy Daniels

[MelissaB]

Trump Lawyer Used Private Company, Pseudonyms to Pay Porn Star ‘Stormy Daniels’

Michael Cohen created limited liability company just before $130,000 payment

By Joe Palazzolo and
Michael Rothfeld
Jan. 18, 2018 5:48 p.m. ET


President Donald Trump’s lawyer used a private Delaware company to pay a former adult-film star $130,000 in return for her agreeing to not publicly discuss an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump, according to corporate records and people familiar with the matter.

The lawyer, Michael Cohen, established Essential Consultants LLC, on Oct. 17, 2016, just before the 2016 presidential election, corporate documents show. Mr. Cohen, who is based in New York, then used a bank account linked to the entity to send the payment to the client-trust account of a lawyer representing the woman, Stephanie Clifford, one of the people said.

Mr. Cohen’s decision to establish the company in Delaware offered him privacy and simplicity, hallmarks of a state that has attracted more than one million business entities. Unlike some states, Delaware doesn’t require companies to publicly disclose the names of their managers. In October 2016, the month Mr. Cohen created the entity used in the deal with Ms. Clifford, Delaware officials recorded 10,574 new limited liability companies.

Mr. Cohen’s connection to Essential Consultants LLC isn’t readily apparent in online searches of Delaware companies. However, on its formation documents, which were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, Mr. Cohen listed himself as the “authorized person” for the company, rather than hiring a lawyer or an agent to serve in that role, which some company owners do to further obscure their identities.

Link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-lawyer-used-private-company-pseudonyms-to-pay-porn-star-stormy-daniels-1516315731?mod=e2tw

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. Most media dont care and all republicans dont care.

IT has nothing to do with patriotism or the law, GOP hates black people, period.

[wishstar]

2. Numerous mainstream media knew about Steele Dossier and Stormy Daniels and kept mum

while promoting all the Hillary email attacks right up to the election. No wonder we kept hearing about an October surprise involving Trump scandals that was going to come out but it never happened.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

3. Says who? nt

[Gothmog]

4. There are some campaign finance laws broken here

[C_U_L8R]

5. Essential Consultants. No kidding.

But they'd have been better off hiring Winston Wolfe.

[pnwmom]

6. How many other LLCs did Michael Cohen form? n/t

[Brother Buzz]

10. LLCs are like throwaway cell phones and one time email addresses to these goons

[gratuitous]

7. Cohen went to great lengths to obscure a transaction he claims was perfectly legal and aboveboard

I wonder how Cohen got a bank account set up so quickly? For mere mortals like me, it requires a meeting at the cross roads at midnight, a blood oath and a signed contract for one (1) human soul. Setting up a bank account for a limited liability company that was that newly incorporated is evidence of the fine hand of a season professional.

I wonder if anyone else got a check from Essential Consultants, LLC? Maybe to spike a juicy story about a certain major party presidential candidate paying off a former adult-film star? The real-time silence of the media outlets in October 2016 is very curious indeed.

[SoCalMusicLover]

8. I Bet They Took It As A Business Expense

Isn't that called Tax Evasion? Perhaps someone should check his returns. Oh....wait....

[NightWatcher]

9. Remember that time Obama did this exact same... yeah right.

[Ilsa]

11. And what was the source of the funds that Cohen used?

Campaign money? Trump "business" expenses? That question needs to be answered. I bet Mueller finds out.

[Gothmog]

12. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet