Special counsel Robert Mueller has evidence that Donald Trump's personal lawyer and confidant, Michael Cohen, made a secret late-summer trip to Prague as the 2016 presidential campaign was in its final stretch, reports McClatchy.
[I]nvestigators have traced evidence that Cohen entered the Czech Republic through Germany, apparently during August or early September of 2016 as the ex-spy [Steele] reported, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is confidential. He wouldn’t have needed a passport for such a trip, because both countries are in the so-called Schengen Area in which 26 nations operate with open borders. The disclosure still left a puzzle: The sources did not say whether Cohen took a commercial flight or private jet to Europe, and gave no explanation as to why no record of such a trip has surfaced. -McClatchy
If true, it would confirm a portion of the infamous "Steele Dossier" used to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on a Trump campaign associate. The dossier was created by former MI6 agent Christopher Steele, and relies heavily on Kremlin officials and other Russian sources.
Of note, the FBI would not pay Steele $50,000 when he couldn't verify the claims in his dossier.
Mr. Steele met his F.B.I. contact in Rome in early October, bringing a stack of new intelligence reports. One, dated Sept. 14, said that Mr. Putin was facing “fallout” over his apparent involvement in the D.N.C. hack and was receiving “conflicting advice” on what to do.
The agent said that if Mr. Steele could get solid corroboration of his reports, the F.B.I. would pay him $50,000 for his efforts, according to two people familiar with the offer. Ultimately, he was not paid. -New York Times
The dossier claims that during Cohen's secret trip to Prague, he met with a prominent ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, purported to be Konstantin Kosachev.
In response to McClatchy's claims, Cohen hit back on Saturday.
“Bad reporting, bad information and bad story,” Cohen tweeted, calling out the reporter behind the story, Peter Stone, by name. “No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven!”
Bad reporting, bad information and bad story by same reporter Peter Stone @McClatchyDC. No matter how many times or ways they write it, I have never been to Prague. I was in LA with my son. Proven! https://t.co/ra7nwjUA0X
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) April 14, 2018
Following the release of the Steele dossier, Cohen tweeted a picture of his passport, along with the hashtag #fakenews.
I have never been to Prague in my life. #fakenews pic.twitter.com/CMil9Rha3D
— Michael Cohen (@MichaelCohen212) January 11, 2017
Cohen has had a rough week. On Monday, his home, office and hotel room were raided by the DOJ, who seized documents, bank records, and other evidence potentially related to porn star Stormy Daniels, a taxi medallion business Cohen ran, and other activities.
Then on Friday, the DOJ announced that Cohen has been "under criminal investigation" for months in New York over various business dealings.
Later Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen arranged a $1.6 million payoff to a former Playboy model in late 2017 who says she was impregnated by a top Republican fundraiser, "according to people familiar with the matter" (96 hours after the raid).
Michael Cohen, whose office, home and hotel room were raided by federal agents this week, arranged the payments to the woman on behalf of Elliott Broidy, a deputy finance chairman of the Republican National Committee with ties to Mr. Trump, the people familiar with the matter said. Mr. Broidy, a Los Angeles-based venture capitalist, works on the Republican committee with Mr. Cohen, who is also a national deputy finance chairman.
The deal, which hasn’t previously been reported, prohibits the Los Angeles woman from disclosing her alleged relationship with Mr. Broidy in exchange for $1.6 million to be paid to her over two years in quarterly installments, these people said. The first payment was due Dec. 1, according to one of the people.-WSJ
The Broidy agreement resembles a $130,000 deal in which Cohen agreed to pay former porn star Stephanie Clifford - prohibiting her from discussing an alleged sexual affair with President Trump from 2006. The Broidy agreement "uses the same pseudonyms for Mr. Broidy and the woman with whom he was allegedly involved - David Dennison and Peggy Peterson," according to the WSJ.
Bring in the Taint Team
As the DOJ sets about grundling around in Cohen's records, federal prosecutors have reportedly set up a "taint team," also called a "privilege team," which is tasked with reviewing materials obtained in the raid prior to them being handed over to the prosecutorial team.
"The taint team lawyers review the documents and remove anything that is covered by the attorney client privilege," CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin wrote in an email. "They pass the non-attorney client material to the investigators, who are not 'tainted' by contact with the privileged material."
"Attorney-client privilege is dead!" tweeted President Trump on Tuesday morning - referring to the legal privilege protecting the majority of communications between a client and their attorney.
Attorney–client privilege is dead!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 10, 2018
"Not so", said former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and onetime head of Trump's transition team.
"Attorney-client privilege is not dead, because of the way the Justice Department is going to approach this," Christie said. "There's going to be a taint team. They call it a taint team because you don't want to taint the prosecutors who are actually investigating it by seeing potentially privileged information that they have no right to see."
Christie added that the team would "separate it into stuff that's privileged and stuff that isn't. And then of the stuff that's privileged, is there any evidence of a crime or fraud?"
We're sure the taint team will be of the same ethical caliber as the rest of the DOJ, so Cohen and Trump have nothing to worry about. It would be unlikely that the water-tight, leak-proof Justice Department would find compromising - yet privileged evidence against Trump, and then use it as leverage over he or his associates in a leak similar to, we assume, the Broidy agreement.
Comments
You're toast, Cohen.
Wishin and Hopin.....Dusty Springfield
In reply to You're toast, Cohen. by junction
For those who wondered why trump flip flopped on bombing Syria...
Hillary must be in a very good mood these days.
And Cohen should just call Saul while trump meets his fate:
https://www.jta.org/2018/03/28/news-opinion/trump-meets-chabad-rabbis-o…
----
It's okay not to be a Jew.
In reply to Wishin and Hopin.....Dusty… by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
@Adolph
Wanna know how bad it is? OK ~ so there's ZERO to my comment here (except to noodle on it as a metaphor), but here goes...
Let's say you WERE, actually, Hillary Clinton:
- 1 week ago you'd be passed out, drunk, slobbering, stinking, crapping in your depends, hoping somebody would buy your book, hoping even more NOT to get arrested
- Now? You're calling up the Podestas asking them if they think you'd stand a chance in 2020 & can they help.
In reply to C by Adolph.H.
Bomb Prague now.
They sure gas their own people. Those Czeck animals.
In reply to @Adolph Wanna know how bad… by DillyDilly
More like bomb fucking London.
These slimey cunts have their tentacles dipped in lots of trouble spots, from the US to Syria.
White Helmets, Christopher Steel, Cambridge Analytica, Skirpal, to name a few recent ones.
In reply to Bomb Prague now. They sure… by Belrev
O Lawdy...How long must we see bonehead Mueller in the 'headlines'?
Don't get you hopes up liberal ding dongs. A going away present for Syria, and your 'heros' are next.
In reply to More like bomb fucking… by Brazen Heist
You'll start seeing Mueller more in the headlines...
After Trump's colossal bonehead move here in Syria... He's probably gonna finally have to do a hail mary and finally fire Mueller & Rosenstein...
mosley will think it's 16-D chess... It won't be... It'll be purely defensive... Trump had the ball for awhile ~ but he fumbled in the RED ZONE...
In reply to O Lawdy...How long must we… by IntercoursetheEU
The taint team is there for leaks and the appearance of propriety. If Mueller runs or if canards to chase there will be a timely half true leak. The Mueller investigation will persist, at all costs, until the conclusion of the 45th presidency.
In reply to O Lawdy...How long must we… by IntercoursetheEU
The FBI seems to be operating like the old KGB now. "Show me the man, and I'll show you the crime" ~ J. Stalin
In reply to Wishin and Hopin.....Dusty… by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
Indeed. And of course there's his other famous related quote, "no man, no problem".
In reply to The FBI seems to be… by truthseeker47
2016: Trump colluded with Russia.
2017: Trump colluded with Russia, the evidence is just around the corner.
2018: Trump, Cohen, Manafort, Gates, Flynn, Flynn's son, Sessions, That Dutch Attorney guy, Don Jr, Stormy Daniels mother, Don King, Herschel Walker and possibly Mike Tyson and definitely Zuckerberg colluded with Russia to steal the election from that smart likable popular honest Hillary Clinton. The evidence is overwhelming and will be released soon.
2019: Trump colluded with Russia, everybody knows that but Trump is such a snake we haven't been able to prove it yet, it's coming! TRUST ME!!!
2020: Trump re-elected.
In reply to Wishin and Hopin.....Dusty… by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
This is a BIG - so effing what?
In reply to 2016: Trump colluded with… by Gusher
Re-elected? I doubt it.
Hopefully impeached and tossed out on his ass
In reply to 2016: Trump colluded with… by Gusher
Hey Mueller...
Why haven't you indicted foreigner Christopher Steele for meddling in our election??.. 🤔
In reply to You're toast, Cohen. by junction
Trump looked out the window
to see he is surrounded by Snow Goons, creeping ever closer:
In reply to You're toast, Cohen. by junction
I think Cohen and Davidson are running a hustle using Trump vs the hoes:
https://thinkprogress.org/keith-davidson-trump-cohen-sex-lawyer-c1848770d7e6/
https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-cohen-davidson-syndicate-again
In reply to You're toast, Cohen. by junction
Meh. I'd wager there are only a relative handful of "go-to" lawyers who specialize in fixing shit like this at the highest (i.e. seven-figure) levels. Obviously, Cohen and Davidson are two of them. Suggesting that because two of them are on opposite sides of several related cases means that they must be colluding is kind of a stretch.
In reply to I think Cohen and Davidson… by SloMoe
Why the LongFace Bob?
You were the sunshine, baby, whenever you smiled
But I call you Stormy today
All of a sudden that ole rain's fallin' down
And my world is cloudy and gray
You've gone away
Oh Stormy, oh Stormy
Bring back that sunny day
One horse sitting at a bar next to another horse asks: "Why the long face?"
In reply to Why the LongFace Bob? You… by JoseyWalesTheOutlaw
orange toast...best kind
that broidy woman should be wearing a leash
Needs to be wearing my avatar (or yours)
In reply to that broidy woman should be… by Walter White
You're a kinky fellow.
In reply to that broidy woman should be… by Walter White
Cohen is a sleazebag just like his lying backstabbing boss who brought us to the brink of war for no fucking reason.
Bolton has been brought on board to take the fall.
The military runs this country and Congress might as well fold up it's tent and fuck off.
$80 billion this year alone for a military that's been a foul-up since 1945?
This is what we get for $80Billion?
Those General Staff talking to the media can shove their yellow-belly medals up their ass.
Trump pulled the trigger because he knew there would NOT be a wider war. That's why the Syrians and Russians and Iranians all pulled their shit out of the area well before the attack. That's why there was no intrusion into the Russian security zone. That's why no human being was killed. He knew. They all knew. This was pablum for the masses. Theater. Saving a blusterous face. He's a fucking politician now. He's learned the game.
In reply to Cohen is a sleazebag just… by Robert Trip
Oh shit, I went to Prague and met a Russian in a bar and bought him a round.
The 'taint' team...?
Like taint the cock, taint the asshole?
Okay, got it.
Does the MSM know that Czech Republic is in the EU and not the Russian Federation (ex Warsaw Pact)?
There should be a provision that if the "taint team" experiences one fucking leak the lot of them go to fucking jail and pay BIG FUCKING FINES.
Taint team? What utter bullshit. Mr. Mueller...wait until you're under investigation, and the same tactic is pulled on you. What will be your defense? What law, constitutional protection, or justification precludes anyone doing what you have done? You and everyone else in Washington are inadulterated assholes.
BS....Mueller would not get that info from a raid on Cohen's office. He already would have that info from passport info. Cohen made a point way back of publically showing his passport and where he was when the FBI claims he was in Prague.
I am very surprised the amount of fake news that is making its way on Zerohedge. I would say 3 out of every 5 articles are complete BS.
I downvoted you.
u talk BS.
What passport info?
are a retard?
you do not need to travel with a passport across EU.
there is nobody, who would read it, once you crossed the border.
It is also in the article.
did you read it?????
In reply to BS....Mueller would not get… by belogical
So, we're back to the Russians meddled in the 2016 American election meme again? The office raid was just a few days ago and he already has evidence?
If true, which I doubt, this would be the most significant thing Mueller has found, as this would provide, at least partial, corroboration to the Steele dossier.
Several issues though. Cohen could travel on Schengen, but Kosachev couldn't. Do the Czech authorities have records of Kosachev entering the Czech Republic?
And the big issue. The raid on Cohen was conducted by the US Attorney in New York, not Mueller. Mueller had turned over the case to the regular prosecutors in New York, because it fell outside of his mandate.
Why would Mueller turn over a case as outside of his Russia Collusion mandate, that would be the biggest piece of evidence he had found to date to support collusion?
Smells like fake news and wishfull thinking by the MSM.
Anybody can enter eu at ANY entrance point, eg. in Rome and travel to Stockholm WITHOUT a passport.
He can enter in Croatia and travel to Amsterdam without a passport.
Capito?
you do not need any fucking passport within EU.Neither as Russian or American.
In reply to If true, which I doubt, this… by Cutter
Dotard J. Swamp is an idiot.
He has all powers to hit them
Mueller is accessory to a crime, he was covering-up 9/11.Dotard J. Swamp knows it and does not fight. A moron. Deserves to be impeached.hard, very hard and he does not use his power.
Dotard J, Swamp is afraid to open archives and declassify 9/11.
DOJ = EVIL
Ben Franklin was right...if we can keep it.
TJ was right...every 20 years or so
Chipped ham says The USA ain't what America used to be.
Who are that Kremlin officials?
They're all assholes. Nuke it all. Just give me time to build and stock a shelter.
i don't live in the usa. is it illegal for yoose farging bastages to travel to Prague?
Why would Kremlin tell anyone they had stuff on DJT if they wanted him elected so that they could control him? Unless it was the globalists in the Kremlin who actually wanted HRC to win because they had invested millions in the Foundation.
TAINT will take on a whole new meaning when they leak and taint all the "evidence".
Taint team or evidence tampering team????
Somebody spilled the beans on Cohen working with Manafort. Flynn? Gates? Palapolipapus?