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[W:63]Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Desert Storm

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Former FEC Commissioner says Trump did not violate campaign finance rules:

https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/c...nce-spakovsky/

Former FEC Commissioner Hans Von Spakovsky debunked the argument that President Donald Trump broke campaign finance laws by paying women he allegedly had affairs with prior to becoming president.

The president’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was sentenced to three years in jail on Wednesday for a litany of crimes, including making an illegal campaign contribution amounting to $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, who alleges she slept with Trump in 2006, so she would keep quiet about the affair.

Despite the guilty plea, Spakovsky said that Trump should not be worried because it would have to be a “campaign-related expense” for the contribution break any campaign finance laws.

He also pointed out that the only other time the Justice Department tried to say payments like these were campaign-related expenses was with John Edwards. Donations to Edwards’ campaign actually went to paying his mistress, a woman who worked for the campaign and ended up having his child.

A jury, however, ruled that Edwards’ donations were not a campaign-related expense.

Spakovsky went on to say that Trump has nothing to worry about and that the U.S. attorney’s office is being “overly aggressive” in their pursuit of the matter
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

good luck with this strategy to undermine the President's crimes, but, I sincerely doubt it's going to change very many people's minds.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

good luck with this strategy to undermine the President's crimes, but, I sincerely doubt it's going to change very many people's minds.

What is not in doubt is that the correct reasoning from Spakovsky won't change YOUR mind.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

What is not in doubt is that the correct reasoning from Spakovsky won't change YOUR mind.

Well, his reasoning certainly didn't convince the courts, or either Cohen's lawyers, or even Cohen. Nor did it convince Mueller. So, that reasoning is not relevant to the people who actually matter. That indicates the reasoning is not 'correct'.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

What is not in doubt is that the correct reasoning from Spakovsky won't change YOUR mind.

imo, the genie's out of the bottle. Sorry, should've picked a more competent criminal for your President. :shrug:
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Apparently the SDNY is ill-informed as they are under the impression that Cohen broke a campaign finance law. So, too are Mueller's team and Cohen himself as Cohen testified in court yesterday that he did break an election law. So too were the prosecutors under the impression that Cohen broke the law at the direction and knowledge of Donald Trump. :roll:

Trump if you recall is the guy who denied having any relations with Daniels or McDougal. Later he denied making any payments to them. Trump, later, as we all remember, denied any knowledge and told reporters to "ask Micheal Cohen, one of my lawyers". On and on, denial and lies and lies. Until, oops, we discovered that Trump lied his ass off about it. At that point we discovered the truth and more.

David Pecker, CEO of AMI, which owns the National Enquirer, paid Daniels and McDougal (and more? Maybe, we don't know) for their Trump affair stories. Pecker then spiked the stories in a catch and kill. That's all fact and common knowledge now.

We also now know that Pecker was granted immunity if he agreed to truthfully answer questions from the special council. Yesterday, it was reported that Pecker stated that Trump paid the hush money for the purpose of keeping Daniels and McDougal (and possibly more) quiet so that their relationships with Trump wouldn't possibly destroy his campaign.

First, we know that we do not know everything. We don't know the full extent of what the SDNY or special council knows. We do know that Cohen said the above happened and that it happened at Trump's direction and knowledge and that the prosecutors and the judge felt that there was compelling evidence (that the public doesn't yet know) to support Cohen's statement regarding the matter.

Second, we also now know Pecker testified under an agreement of immunity. We know that Pecker has stated that Trump's intention was to prevent sex scandal stories from damaging his presidential campaign. We don't know if additional evidence was provided by Pecker and/or if the evidence involves letters, texts, recordings and/or additional witnesses. We don't know if there are other women that were also paid off.

Third, Allen Weisselberg, Trump Organization's long time CFO is talking to Mueller. Weisselberg signed the checks for Trump. Weisselberg was granted immunity by Mueller a month or more ago. How much does Weisselberg know about the hush payments Trump made? Does Weisselberg know Trump's intentions for making the payments? Does Weisselberg know about other women and other similar payments? We don't know.

Fourth, who else? Are there others who can corroborate the testimonies of all of the above?
 
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Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Former FEC Commissioner says Trump did not violate campaign finance rules:

https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/c...nce-spakovsky/

So let's see. Attorney Michael Cohen, Michael Cohen's attorneys, Robert Mueller, and the entirety of the SDNY are all wrong.

If this is what you have to hang on to in order to feel better, then do it. But nobody who thinks about it with a clear and fully functioning critical thinking process buys it.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

So let's see. Attorney Michael Cohen, Michael Cohen's attorneys, Robert Mueller, and the entirety of the SDNY are all wrong.

If this is what you have to hang on to in order to feel better, then do it. But nobody who thinks about it with a clear and fully functioning critical thinking process buys it
Its possible Cohen lied when he admitted to campaign finance charges just so he could get a better sentencing deal
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Its possible Cohen lied when he admitted to campaign finance charges just so he could get a better sentencing deal

It's possible that Elvis Presley is still alive too.

The SDNY and Mueller's team have possession of all of Cohen's emails, computers, phone records, etc. They didn't name Individual 1 (Trump) on Cohen's word. They did it because they had the proof.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

The SDNY and Mueller's team have possession of all of Cohen's emails, computers, phone records, etc. They didn't name Individual 1 (Trump) on Cohen's word. They did it because they had the proof
And have you seen the contents of these emails??
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Are you here to ask stupid questions?

I use my brain. Don't you?
I'll take that as a no, you havent seen the contents of these emails. So how do you know if they are incriminating or not.
Cohen may have pled guilty to a non-crime to get a lesser sentence on a real crime
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

I'll take that as a no, you havent seen the contents of these emails. So how do you know if they are incriminating or not.
Cohen may have pled guilty to a non-crime to get a lesser sentence on a real crime

Yes, you're right. They all just did this on Cohen's say so. That's what Trump told you to say, and you obey.

I'll join the rest of the adults who know that Cohen didn't plead to something based on no proof. In other words, the people who think for themselves and don't let the reality TV game show host tell them to let common sense fly out the window because he's so awesomes.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Yes, you're right. They all just did this on Cohen's say so. That's what Trump told you to say, and you obey.

I'll join the rest of the adults who know that Cohen didn't plead to something based on no proof. In other words, the people who think for themselves and don't let the reality TV game show host tell them to let common sense fly out the window because he's so awesomes
Cohen couldve lied to get a better prison deal. This is quite possible since Cohen is a proven criminal who cheated on his taxes.
How you can you blindly trust someone like that??
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Cohen couldve lied to get a better prison deal. This is quite possible since Cohen is a proven criminal who cheated on his taxes.
How you can you blindly trust someone like that??

I don't blindly trust anyone. That's why I didn't vote for the confirmed liar named Trump.

If it makes you feel better making these scenarios up in your head, then have at it. Like I said, I'll continue to join the adults who know something about our justice system, and know something about life.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Its comical that we have gone from the constant clamoring of a smoking gun over "Russian Collusion" to "well...at least there is this......"

And about 'this'. If you are an attorney and your client requires that you do something you know or believe to be illegal do you a-do it or b-inform your client that it is illegal and cannot be done. IF you choose option a, then the responsibility and burden falls on a-your client who has hired you to provide LEGAL counsel or b-yourself?

Silly leftists........
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Former FEC Commissioner says Trump did not violate campaign finance rules:

https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/c...nce-spakovsky/


Didn't he express that before....

a federal judge ruled the finding of fact that Cohen violated campaign finance law, which was done in cooperation with and at direction of the president, and is implicated and therefore is an unindicted co-conspirator in that charge.



In short, he's wrong, given the above.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Cohen may have pled guilty to a non-crime to get a lesser sentence on a real crime

This is highly unlikely, and doesn't happen as often as it appears to on TV. It is a disbarment-level offense for a prosecutor to accept a guilty plea for a crime he or she knows a defendant did not commit. The defendant can lie, but prosecutors are supposed to thoroughly investigate and usually know everything there is to know about the defendant's crimes. 9 times out of 10 the defendant's guilt is not in question, the only question is whether or not sufficient proof exists to obtain a conviction. Overworked and underpaid prosecutors fresh out of law school in routine cases occasionally make this mistake, but it's thankfully rare.

To suggest that an attorney with Robert Mueller's level of experience and resources made this error strains credulity in the extreme. If Mueller agreed to Cohen's guilty plea, then I can all but guarantee Cohen committed the crime he admitted to. "It's not actually a crime..." is simply not a reasonable argument in this case.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Former FEC Commissioner says Trump did not violate campaign finance rules:

https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/12/c...nce-spakovsky/



John Edward's exoneration was made long before the election. Trump's crime was done a few weeks before the election.

A reasonable doubt was established with Edwards, but I doubt it can be with Trump, given the timeline.

I'm surprised an intelligent person cannot make that distinction, and thus understand that the two cannot be compared, that one is not a precedent for the other.
 
Re: Former FEC Commissioner: Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Former FEC Commissioner says Trump did not violate campaign finance rules

Unfortunately for Trump (but fortunately for Justice), this individual is not running the Mueller investigation.
 
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