- Joined
- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 10,257
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Washington, D.C.
- Gender
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- Undisclosed
In some recent thread (I think it was this one, Whadda you know? Donald Trump was right..., but I'm not sure), another member, a Trumpkin (sycophant) endeavored to argue that Trump may not have known that the Daniels/McDougal campaign contributions were illegal. Well, that proposition just went down the tubes.
Additionally, Trump, during his interview with Larry King, stated, "I think nobody knows more about campaign finance that I do."
Why does this matter? It matters because knowing vs. not knowing is a key discriminant in determining the nature of one's culpability for campaign finance violations.
- Trump understands intricacies of campaign finance laws, old testimony reveals
- Trump Testimony From Decades Ago Indicates Knowledge of Campaign-Finance Laws
- Sworn statements by President Trump dating back several decades indicate he has a deep understanding of campaign-finance laws, legal experts say, which could be critical if investigators ever pursue a case against him over his alleged direction of hush-money payments in the 2016 campaign.
Trump’s statements were made as part of a 2000 regulatory investigation into his casino company and in 1988 testimony for a government-integrity commission. They contrast with the portrayal by some of the president’s allies that he is a political novice with little understanding of campaign-finance laws and therefore couldn’t be charged with violating them.
In December, federal prosecutors in New York directly implicated the president in campaign-finance violations to which his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has pleaded guilty, confirming earlier reporting by The Wall Street Journal. During the 2016 campaign, Mr. Trump directed Mr. Cohen to arrange hush-money payments for two women who alleged having sexual affairs with Mr. Trump, prosecutors said.
To obtain a conviction of violating campaign-finance law, prosecutors would have to prove Mr. Trump knew the rules and violated them willfully. Allies of Mr. Trump have contended that wasn’t the case.
- Sworn statements by President Trump dating back several decades indicate he has a deep understanding of campaign-finance laws, legal experts say, which could be critical if investigators ever pursue a case against him over his alleged direction of hush-money payments in the 2016 campaign.
Additionally, Trump, during his interview with Larry King, stated, "I think nobody knows more about campaign finance that I do."
Why does this matter? It matters because knowing vs. not knowing is a key discriminant in determining the nature of one's culpability for campaign finance violations.
- Violations borne of ignorance are handled as civil matters.
- Violations borne of willful intent (i.e., one knows one is breaking the law) are handled as criminal matters.
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