Michael Cohen Strikes Again: How Secret Recordings Led to Massive Trump Inauguration Investigation

[DonViejo]

by Ronn Blitzer | 10:47 am, February 5th, 2019

Federal prosecutors in New York have issued a subpoena to President Donald Trump‘s inaugural committee as part of an investigation reportedly dealing with a litany of possible charges, including wire fraud, money laundering, false statements, and illegal donations. As it turns out, it could all be thanks to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.

Cohen, you may recall, made secret recordings of conversations he had in the past. Until now, the most notable of them had been one between him and Trump, where they discussed a payment made to former Playboy model Karen McDougal, a woman who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. That payment, and one to porn star Stormy Daniels, led to Cohen being convicted for campaign finance violations that he and prosecutors said were made at Trump’s direction.

The latest news, meanwhile, seems to have stemmed from another recording. This was a recording of an apparent conversation between Cohen and Stephanie Wolkoff, a former aide to Melania Trump whose company WIS received $26 million from the Trump inaugural committee. The committee reportedly spent $107 million related to Trump’s 2017 inauguration, about twice as much as Presidents George W. Bush or Barack Obama spent on theirs. It was reported in January that the recorded conversation between Cohen and Walkoff at least partially inspired the investigation of money coming in and going out of the inaugural committee.

The subpoena reportedly seeks records related to the inaugural committee’s vendors and donors, among other things. Senior officials from Bush and Obama inaugural committees have commented on the exorbitant nature of the fee paid to Wolkoff’s company. While most of the $26 million paid to WIS reportedly went to subcontractors, the company itself received a $1.6 million “supervisory fee.”

more
https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/michael-cohen-strikes-again-how-secret-recordings-led-to-massive-trump-inauguration-investigation/

[malaise]

1. Rachel Maddow first raised questions about the spending associated with the

inauguration from way back when. I knew then that a stink would follow

[triron]

2. Rachel is generally way ahead of the other pundits.

[malaise]

3. She raised this shortly after the inauguration

She is light years ahead of them

[SCVDem]

12. Don't forget Lawrence O

He was also on top of this.

[Achilleaze]

4. "grifting" is a core republican family value

as we see evidenced once again.

[triron]

5. knr

[Scurrilous]

6. K&R

[renate]

7. The last two years have been so hard to follow....

Would Michael Cohen’s records have been seized if it weren’t for Stormy Daniels? Do we owe all of this to her and to Avenatti?

[erronis]

8. I've wondered a bit about this also. The tangled web of conspiracies and treason

leave so many vulnerable points to attack or detect. Cohen and other ego-driven operatives like to let others know how important they are. These are important tells and can come back to haunt.

[Tanuki]

9. Millions in kickbacks to people who did nothing for the inauguration, while Marla Maples & Tiffany

Trump tried to stiff the poor hairdresser whom they wanted to style their hair for the big day.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/hair/news/a20013/marla-maples-tiffany-trump-inauguration-hairstylist/

"Just days before the Presidential inauguration, Washington D.C.-based hairstylist Tricia Kelly is speaking out about drama surrounding the Trump family. In an interview with The Washington Post, Kelly claims she was contacted by a member of the Trump camp to do both Marla Maples (Trump's ex-wife) and Tiffany Trump's hair for Friday's ceremony, but was offered no compensation in return.

Kelly was initially approached by Maples's assistant, who was looking for both hair and makeup services for Maples and her daughter on Friday. "I was told they had a $300 budget for both of them for hair and makeup," Kelly told the Post, even though her usual rate is $150 for travel in addition to the base cost of her service. The makeup artist agreed to a reduced rate of $150 for the day and Kelly agreed to $200, but that's when Maples's assistant asked if the services could instead be free, in exchange for exposure and a social media tag. "I was stunned," said Kelly. "I told them .?.?. I work for a fee, not for free." Unsurprisingly, Kelly declined the offer.

The Washington Post notes that while it's not illegal for Maples and Trump to accept freebies and gifts, it's frowned-upon within Washington circles. "There are people who make far less than they do who pay full price," Kelly said. "People on staff—the incoming White House and the outgoing one—pay full price. It seemed like they were trying to see how much they could get for free based on their names." While the President must report all gifts over $300 sent to him, his wife, or his minor children, neither Maples nor Trump are bound by those same regulations.

After the Post contacted Kelly's sources, the hairstylist received an odd message from the client who had initially put her in contact with Trump's team. "You are messing with the president of the United States...[Maples] is used to a certain lifestyle and you don't understand that," it read. A spokeswoman for Maples declined to comment to The Washington Post."

[LittleGirl]

13. Why is it that the rich

think they should get everything for free?

Just throwing that out there, not necessary to respond.

[2naSalit]

10. K&R

[pdsimdars]

11. Behind the sceness, Michael, like the little acorn that yields the mighty Oak, so many branches

[tclambert]

14. Does this mean Melania's going to prison, too?

A different prison, I should say, since she's already a kind of prisoner.

[calimary]

15. As Rachel would say - "stick a pin in this one..."

[Vinca]

16. From what I could gather this morning, over $40 million of the total amount donated is not

accounted for. I suggest they check Trump family bank accounts.

[Cha]

17. KICK!