Michael Cohen says that he paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 hush money out of his own pocket, just because he’s a good guy.
Let me get this clear, Trump wanted a night with a porn star. Michael Cohen paid her money after services rendered. This is clearly prostitution.
— Paul Young (@palavid) February 14, 2018
Legal standard for fed election law is not whether a person pays from personal funds. An in-kind contribution is any "expenditure made by any person in cooperation, consultation or concert with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate’s campaign." Cohen is in big trouble. https://t.co/jPyJ5WaCoQ
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 14, 2018
Written statement last night by Pres Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen about 2016 payment to porn actress "Stormy Daniels." pic.twitter.com/yvQwP0GezI
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) February 14, 2018
Rob Porter’s abuse of his wives isn’t going away, so this may be the sex scandal that doesn’t go away for our president*.
It’s hard to give North Korea a soft power edge, but our boys [word advisedly chosen] managed to do it.
An awful lot of smart people don’t want to hear that North Korea diplomatically outmaneuvered the Trump administration in Pyeongchang. That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. https://t.co/GfV9Fd2fQz
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) February 12, 2018
Adding to one of last night’s stories,
In a twist out of a political thriller, it turns out that a key witness in the corruption case against Netanyahu may be Yair Lapid, his former finance minister turned opposition leader who is angling to succeed the prime minister. @halbfinger @IKershner https://t.co/c9LvZlienq
— Peter Baker (@peterbakernyt) February 14, 2018
More from yesterday’s congressional hearing.
Russia Sees Midterm Elections as Chance to Sow Fresh Discord, Intelligence Chiefs Warn https://t.co/ABXYAMgcN4
— Jonathan Chevreau (@JonChevreau) February 14, 2018
Bob Corker is reconsidering leaving the Senate because the Republicans are afraid they’ll lose the seat.
As god is my witness, I do not understand the Bob Corker trial balloon.
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) February 14, 2018
In other news, it’s Valentine’s Day. Also Ash Wednesday.
Happy Valentine's Day! ? Sharing one of our favorite Soviet posters from 1925:
"I'm not yours anymore, now I'm Senya's: he took me to the local Soviet to listen to Lenin's speeches". pic.twitter.com/qAwLEmfw9G
— Soviet Visuals (@sovietvisuals) February 14, 2018
Open Thread!
different-church-lady
Well, it’s good to see them admit there’s money laundering going on.
Cermet
There is so much fail but the right wing noise machine is both hiding this and lying – imagine even one of these events for President Obama and the right wimg would go nuclear. Like the all the american fake christians (all that are in the thug party) lying is their only methods to deal with reality.
Cheryl Rofer
It continues…
dr. bloor
The weird thing is that for the most part, it had gone away, chased off by a dozen subsequent violations of law and sensibility by the Gish Galloper in Chief. They just brought it back to front and center.
Jeffro
@Cheryl Rofer: Trumpov response to Johnson’s comment: “But…but…I KNOW things, ok? Things you don’t! What would you know about Wisconsin, huh? YOU. DON’T. Not like I do”
He’s all yours, GOP!
Back to the Cohen thing: these geniuses really can’t think more than 1 step ahead, can they? “I’LL TAKE THE DANIELS ‘BULLET’ FOR YOU MY EMPEROR!!” Like anyone is buying this story, and like it really gets Trumpov off the hook. Puh-lease.
Waldo
And then, just when they thought the Stormy had passed …
Heh.
Droppy
Geez, you pay money to have sex with a porn star, and all of a sudden people assume it’s prostitution. After all the delicate nuance with which Secretary Clinton and President Obama were treated for their many, many scandals involving much worse stuff, like email protocols and not being white, how could this even be put in the same category, I ask you now.
Lapassionara
Why the phrase “to facilitate a payment,” do you suppose? And the first story was that the money came from an LLC, then a few days later, there was a story that the Trump campaign showed a $130,000 expense.
It would be irresponsible not to speculate.
oatler.
Cohen’s going to have to put on his pimp hat and fuck that deadbeat john UP
Cheryl Rofer
@Jeffro: Yeah, that was what I thought when the Cohen news came out. The Stormy Daniels story had just about gone away, and they resurrected it. Along with the Rob Porter story, which isn’t going away, it might have legs.
Baud
Brutal. Also, gives me some ideas for Baud! 2020!
propagandamessaging.clay
@Jeffro: Yeah, it’s like when Trump’s lawyer said he wrote that one tweet of Trump’s that happened to seriously incriminate him.
Trump sure has a lot of lawyers who conveniently do things that would get him into a lot of trouble!
Cheryl Rofer
Huh –
NotMax
“The stacks of hundreds taking up space were an eyesore and a real dust magnet; it was such a relief to be able to get rid of them. Allergies, you know.”
clay
@Lapassionara: I noticed that “facilitate the payment” too. It’s an odd phrase that doesn’t (to my non-lawyer eyes) explicitly say that Cohen was the one who actually coughed up the cash.
Cheryl Rofer
Would be too embarassing if they had to make an example of these chain migrators –
mai naem mobile
@Jeffro: sad part is that Ron Johnson ain’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. Does that make Dolt45 the very dim blinking light bulb about ready to go out?
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
guachi
@Cheryl Rofer: Ayup. At least it seems less dangerous than the incident in 2015 where someone was killed driving through the gate.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Cheryl Rofer:
Not only legs, but also a rolled up magazine.
NotMax
Always wondered if this place’s sales go up at Valentine’s Day time. Although I fear the answer will be yes.
The Ancient Randonneur
I seem to recall John Edwards being prosecuted for doing something similar to this when his mistress was paid off. The jury deadlocked so he was never convicted. Maybe I’m misremembering.
Lapassionara
@clay: Maybe it is legalese for “money laundering.”
Kay
@Droppy:
We had a business dispute here that went to a jury trial. A woman and her business partner were running a company where they would set up loads for independent contractor truckers and handle the trucker’s accounting. The business partners were splitting up and one was accusing the other of embezzling. In the course of the trial it came out that they had been paying truckers “girlfriends” – almost like an employee benefit- and running it thru as an employee perk. The average payment was 400 a month per trucker, month after month after month.
danielx
@NotMax:
Also too, a large amount of cash money smells awful unless it’s brand new. So they tell me.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: So divorces among Ohio truckers really spiked after that?
Jeffro
@Cheryl Rofer: nickel bet that, unfortunately, it’s a pizza-gate style RWNJ come to check out Deep State HQ
OzarkHillbilly
@danielx: Good thing my sense of smell ain’t what it used to be. I’ll be happy to dispose of those piles for them for a low low price.
chris
OT With cats! Many cats!
If you live in southern Ontario or northwestern New York and you’re looking for a kitty (or several!) the Welland SPCA has 146 candidates.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
I don’t know. I was fascinated because you’re like “are they mistresses or is this all different women?”
I have many unanswered questions :)
I love that they expensed it.
Spanky
@guachi: That one was 2 cross-dressing (male) prostitutes in a stolen car. Gonna be tough to top that one.
Today’s isn’t so clear what happened yet. Seriously f’ed up traffic, though.
kindness
The very same Evangelicals who demanded Clinton resign because of oral sex are totally cool with Trump doing the whole monkey with a porn star & paying her $130 large afterwards.
These Evangelicals….I wonder if they know this guy Jesus I’ve heard so much about. Somehow it sounds like no, they have no idea who he is.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
I also feel like it’s very DC that they are analyzing this under a campaign finance rubric.
These are boring people. They need to be sleazier to cover Trump. Open your MIND people!
NotMax
@Kay
First you put your two knees close up tight
Then you sway ’em to the left, then you sway ’em to the right
Step around the floor kind of nice and light
Then you twist around and twist around with all your might
Stretch your lovin’ arms straight out in space
Then you do the Eagle Rock with style and grace
Swing your foot way ’round, then bring it back
Now that’s what I call “Ballin’ the Jack”
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: You just never know what will come out in court. I was on the stand in a protective order hearing for my sons against my exwife’s current abusive husband. I had never got one between him and me because I hoped he would do something really stupid, but he only did half stupid things like leave threatening messages on my voice mail. Which I recorded.
The subject of them came up in the hearing and his smirky so much better than a lowly union carpenter lawyer was like “I don’t believe my pillar of the community client would ever do something like that.”
To which I replied, “Well I recorded them and if you’d like I can play them for you.”
“No more questions your Honor.”
ETA her current abusive husband at the time. he is now dead and I make monthly pilgrimmages to his grave with the remains from my cat’s litter box.
Frankensteinbeck
I don’t think this will make anyone who likes Trump turn away from him, or anyone who dislikes him like him less, and I don’t give a fig about the prostitution angle. Making fun of Trump is fun, I suppose, and money laundering is very relevant to his serious crimes. That angle matters.
@kindness:
They know he’s white.
I wish that was a joke.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
My rule for Donald Trump is the real story is worse than the first lie. Head in a more tawdry direction. Can’t go wrong. Kelly didn’t just lie about Porter. He ordered others to lie.
Also- this may be my bias because I find him absolutely repulsive but that woman and Donald Trump? I don’t think so. That’s a contractual relationship.
Spanky
@Spanky: Should have fired up the time machine for that one.
On the topic of the day, I notice that people are wearing ashes on their foreheads, made of the burnt valentines of last year. Such is love.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay:
Guaranteed.
Barbara
@Cermet: You don’t have to imagine too hard — remember when Bunny Mellon made payments that, essentially, paid off John Edwards’ mistress? I don’t remember all the ins and outs, but it was considered a scandal and she wasn’t a porn star.
NorthLeft12
I think it is impossible to get Trump’s base riled up against him no matter what he does. They are in full blinder mode and will continue to ignore any of his scandals. They really are not worth trying to convert or even understand.
Deadbeat Donald is doing everything in his power to wipe out President Obama’s achievements, smear Hillary Clinton, enrage progressives, and punish minorities so as far as his base is concerned, he is doing a great job.
Kay
@OzarkHillbilly:
I love that part of it. I had one where the litigant was secretly an Elvis impersonator. This was revealed like he was secretly a child sex trafficker. WTF? You may not LIKE Elvis but I believe this is a wholesome enough…hobby.
he did a little spur of the moment gig up there. He was bad at it. Didn’t sound like Elvis at all. I loved that man for showing and telling like that. Fly that flag proudly.
NotMax
@Kay
Power and/or money. You may be too young to remember the arm candy hanging on to Henry Kissinger (not exactly Mr. Centerfold) during the Nixon and Ford years. Or the Fanne Fox and Wilbur Mills Tidal Basin scandal.
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay: Which just goes to show that being a lawyer is no protection against the stupid.
Betty Cracker
I’m finding it difficult to predict which scandals will gain traction and which will languish in this scandal-rich environment. I guess it doesn’t matter much which scandal hobbles the administration, as long as it is paralyzed and unable to effectively enact its thoroughly evil agenda.
BTW, anyone got a link to a good explainer about the court action on DACA?
Waldo
None of which explains why Cohen is writing six-figure checks to porn stars, so I’m just going to assume he’s gone into the movie biz.
Immanentize
Shouldn’t Cohen be disbarred — just on the basis of his own statement?
sdhays
@Cheryl Rofer: Oh, oh, I know this one! Their immigration status is “white”.
germy
laura
The spouse and I met on an Ash Wednesday on a blind date I spent 10 weeks trying to weasel out of. Lunch in a well populated restaurant because, “victim was last seen with” then he took me to the Rubicon where we feel deeply in love at table 13.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Immanentize
@Kay: A friend of mine, early in his career was in the Manhattan Us Attny’s office and was second chairing a construction/mob trial. The Government had flipped the accountant who testified to the double set of books they kept. Very damning stuff.
On cross, the attorney for the mobbed up defendant set up an easel and put up a big pin up picture of Betty Grable and asked the witness — “Who is this?” And the accountant answered “me.”. It seems he believed that he was actually Betty Grable (then dead). So the mob had a brilliant accountant who was totally bananas. Hung jury.
Tom Levenson
@OzarkHillbilly: There may also be a function where stupid hires stupid to represent it. Which compounds the hilarity.
charon
http://reason.com/volokh/2018/02/14/did-trumps-lawyer-pay-stormy-daniels-out .
Much longer discussion at the link.
Barbara
@germy: I learned this morning that Norton and NYT have “parted ways,” and thought that one good thing to come of our pervasive social media presence combined with the total loss of circumspection by many people trying to develop their “personal brand” is that the Quinn Nortons of the world are almost always going to put their nastiness on full view, complete with inexcusable racism and sadism. And even if you would prefer not to look for it (WTF NYT), you won’t be able to pretend it isn’t out there when others shove it in your face.
GregB
Can we get Cohen to pay for that effing wall?
Bobby Thomson
@Kay: don’t forget she’s a Republican.
Kay
@Waldo:
I knew they would say it was “lawful”.
No one knows it was “lawful” because no one knows what it was for. Well, Trump knows.
Ask them if there are other payments to this woman or other women! That’s the question.
Trump is so sleazy he LIKES that it’s being portrayed as hush money. That should tell them something. They actually handed him a cover story.
danielx
@OzarkHillbilly:
Way ahead of you.
Jeffro
@NotMax: I told my kids about mills one day when we were down on the national mall and tidal basin area seeing the monuments… they could not believe the man did not go straight to jail for 20 years
Kids and their naïveté are funny.
Bobby Thomson
@Immanentize: looks to me like they offered him a chance to protect his family.
Kay
@Immanentize:
People are odder than anyone can imagine. I feel like happy lawyers are interested in that and unhappy lawyers are appalled by it. I’m in the first category. I’m like “this is SO GREAT, how bizarre this human is!”
None of my kids wanted to be lawyers although they would inherit a small town practice and they all could have done it. I have hope for the youngest though, because if you watch him you realize that his area of interest is “other people”
He would be a happy lawyer. I love talking to him about school because he tells me the things I’m interested in, which is not “school” per se, but the people there. With my eldest it was like “blah, blah, MATH, whatever- what HAPPENED today?”
efgoldman
@clay:
I also NAL; but isn’t there something in the bar canons about commingling of funds, and something else about not advancing money to clients?
Steve? Omnes? LAO?
Brachiator
Fox News and Trump supporters have to do an incredibly complicated dance of denial to brush this off. Trump and the GOP kept telling the rubes that Obama was not respected and that He, Trump would bring white man power back and make the world tremble before America’s again greatness.
Instead world leaders treat Dear Leader Donald like a minor annoyance, or a chump, and roll him for his lunch money.
ETA. I was totally away from all media and the Internets last night and so missed Quinn Norton’s mercifully brief NYT career.
Betty Cracker
@Barbara: I’d never heard of Norton before yesterday but have been attempting to piece the story together. I gather it’s more complicated than “she’s a straight-up homophobic, racist Nazi.” But it’s fascinating that someone who is allegedly an expert in the ways technology distorts and enhances our ability to communicate with each other and understand the world and ourselves wouldn’t be more careful about how she communicates online. Or maybe that’s part of her shtick? I really don’t know.
In any case, huge fuck-up for the NYT. They managed to make WaPo’s decision to hire a hack like McArdle look almost sane in comparison.
Immanentize
@Kay:
This is why I love law too. I think the Brits are a lot more comfortable with the odd folks than Americans. But we probably have more once you scratch the surface. And on your earlier story, we once represented a guy on death row in Texas who was a (not so good) Elvis impersonator and a cheap hit man. On the gurney he said, “I hope people remember me for my sense of humor.”
I just love that….
germy
efgoldman
@Kay:
I worked for a guy, mid-1970s, who expensed his Jensen Interceptor, his Ferrari Testosterona, and the Thursday afternoon hotel room where he had “discussions” with the office manager – who’s husband ran the warehouse…..
Zach
There’s a billion Trump-related organizations that aren’t “the Trump organization” or “the Trump campaign” … including, obviously, all of the super rich individuals who supported Trump’s campaign and Trump himself. At least as equally likely as Cohen paying out of pocket (with implicit agreement that he’ll be made whole later) is that Cohen’s admitting to not demanding compensation for his role in money laundering in making an extortion payment.
It still blows my mind that a major conservative paper wrote that the President was party to an extortion scheme and the story more or less died after a few days. The sex stuff isn’t a surprise coming from Trump; the extortion should be. I wonder if the existence of such an agreement would’ve prevented Trump from getting a security clearance if he didn’t get one by default?
Boatboy_srq
Watching this trainwreck of a maladministration, it’s like being the DM for a crew that decided to run all chaotic evil characters and rolled 1s for all their stats.
germy
Every day another bit of news like this:
The rot starts at the top and works its way down. Drumpf has set the tone and enabled horrible people everywhere to abuse their authority.
Brachiator
@Betty Cracker:
They will keep going, even if it is two steps forward and one step back. Fox News and conservative media will try to wash their sins away, and the GOP leadership will continue to have their back.
One thing, like looking at a crime scene, is to watch people get fired from or quit White House jobs, and the low quality of creeps who are happy to sign on as replacements. Competence is never a requirement and the fuck ups can only get more massive, requiring ever greater cover ups. Rinse and repeat.
germy
@efgoldman:
Sounds like a risky business. I’ve worked with my share of warehouse managers. They weren’t people I wanted to piss off.
Roger Moore
@Lapassionara:
FTFY. And yes, I am aware of all internet traditions.
Brachiator
@germy:
Everyday a new profile in evil from these people.
Lapassionara
@efgoldman: There is, iirc. But the more I look at his wording, the less I think “his funds” and the 130,000 are the same. So the statement “paid Stormy Daniels out of his own pocket” is most likely not accurate.
Gin & Tonic
@Kay: You’re saying there are happy lawyers? Every one I know hates his job.
cmorenc
@kindness:
Oh, they have a good idea who they think Jesus is – a convenient construct to reassure themselves about things that go bump in the grave, rather than who he really, inconveniently was in so many respects.
Roger Moore
@Kay:
It’s the easiest way to turn it into an explicitly political crime, which is what the politicians want to do.
kindness
@laura: The Rubicon? The brew pub in Sacramento? The one that (sadly) closed in the fall?
Zach
@Lapassionara: Also worth noting: 130k is very likely not the end of it. “Legal” non-disclosure extortion only works if there will be some consequence for breaking the agreement. There’s zero chance Cohen is going to go after Daniels in public for violating their agreement. Odds are it’s like any other extortion scheme with escalating demands for payment until there’s no money left. And it probably doesn’t end with Daniels… there was also the Karen McDougal story in November ’16 which is virtually identical with respect to the timeline of both the affair and the payoff.
germy
Roger Moore
@Lapassionara:
It’s clear that he’s trying to give the impression he paid Daniels out of his own pocket without technically lying about it. It just makes me more interested in finding out what he’s covering up.
Timurid
Cohen is now bringing the dank memes.
rikyrah
You can’t believe that Cohen paid that money…
whatever.
rikyrah
@Cheryl Rofer:
The Porter story has legs because it links to a larger issue.
Told you last night..
LarryO says that there are about FORTY PEOPLE IN THE WHITE HOUSE WHO DO NOT HAVE SECURITY CLEARANCE FOR THEIR JOBS!
rikyrah
@Kay:
That’s why I believe the pee-pee tape is real.
Uh huh
Uh huh
Barbara
@Betty Cracker: I don’t know squat about Quinn Norton but I am really tired of people being excused for their name calling and nastiness. If you want to do your part to increase hate and bigotry in the world then you should expect to be punished, not rewarded with plum jobs. Seriously, the attitude of a lot of privileged people with WASP names and affluent parents seems to be “it’s okay if I ruin your life but don’t you dare try to hold me accountable by ruining mine.”
cynthia ackerman
@Brachiator:
Have not seen it yet, but I will so totally not be surprised if the story becomes Drumph’s sabre-rattling is the sole reason the two Koreas have warmed to each other. By this logic, Pince’s stony demeanor is part of the unbelievably successful plan.
And D’s daughter at the Olympics is going to be the coup de grace, better than the second coming.
Mike in NC
Kelly is a dead man walking, per MSNBC. Maybe Possum Queen, too.
germy
@Mike in NC: Who will take the place of Possum Queen? Hope Hicks is a camera shy communications director.
Barbara
@Mike in NC: The thing is, I bet both of them thought that this was no biggie. That’s why they expected to get away with their “shaping” of the matter. Once called on it, they just kept lying because everyone who works in Trump’s WH has learned from a master that the last thing in the world you should do is accept responsibility for something. For one thing, Trump himself won’t and will finger anyone who does as a convenient scapegoat.
ETA: Sanders is just a messenger, and her exit won’t mean anything. Replacing Kelly will change things and in the mean time, chaos will reign.
Roger Moore
@germy:
Mooch II: The Return.
Tinare
@kindness: Not so much Jesus, just the God that gives them “blessings” and makes them special. It’s all about what God does for them with these people.
MisterForkbeard
@Mike in NC: Sanders? I don’t believe it. I mean, she’s awful at her job but I don’t know who would do better. I’m also not aware she’s been implicated in anything – she’s just trying to tone down the shit sandwich Trump gives her literally every day.
rikyrah
@Waldo:
The only one saying it was lawful is Cohen. …who is suspect.
Let’s hear from the AG as to whether it was lawful
rikyrah
@germy:
BWA HA HA HA HAH A HA HA HA HA
The Moar You Know
@Roger Moore: Heard him on the BBC the other day. He certainly is gunning for the job.
The good thing about Huckabee is that she is bullheaded and stupid. Scaramucci is pretty damn smart (the BBC guy took the gloves off and Scaramucci did not back down and managed to not look bad, which I was impressed by) and would do a very good job selling the GOP/Trump’s awfulness, and he’s kind of the last guy I want to see in the job.
MisterForkbeard
@rikyrah: Josh Marshall had an interesting POV on this – essentially, Cohen is a super-rich lawyer/fixer and can’t be thought of as “Trump’s Lawyer” in the usual sense. There’s no doubt Cohen was rewarded or reimbursed for doing this, but it would be done in such a way that it’s untraceable, as Cohen can actually easily afford to float the payment for as long as he wants.
In this case, it could be as simple as giving Cohen a WhiteHouse job in return for his continued loyalty (or even just Trump not turning on him) and there wouldn’t be any record of it anywhere. So while Cohen is obviously doing this on behalf of Trump and expects to be rewarded somehow, it might not ever be traceable or something that can be prosecuted. Certainly can be investigated, though.
Waldo
Josh at TPM does a good job plumbing the depths of Cohen’s relationship to the Trumpster, which is not so much attorney as mafia cleanup guy.
rikyrah
Philadelphia’s DA office keeps secret list of suspect police
FEBRUARY 13, 2018 — 5:42 AM EST
The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office last year secretly compiled a list of Philadelphia police officers with a history of lying, racial bias, or brutality, in a move to block them from testifying in court.
The confidential list of about two dozen was assembled by prosecutors on a special Police Misconduct Review Committee at the order of former District Attorney Seth Williams, sources familiar with the roster said. .
It was supposed to attack locally a national problem: police “testilying” — falsifying evidence, framing suspects, and lying about it in court.
The list has not been made public, but the sources said it included Reginald V. Graham, who in 2007 arrested the rapper Meek Mill, whose jailing for violating probation on those gun and drug charges has stirred widespread debate about the fairness of the criminal-justice system.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/philadelphia-police-misconduct-list-larry-krasner-seth-williams-meek-mill-20180213.html
Brachiator
Two takeaways from this.
Trump likes getting free stuff.
To my knowledge, Trump has not said anything negative about Stormy Daniels, or tried to tear her down.
Three takeaways. Trump’s frolicking with a pr0n star does not faze his Christian fundamentalist supporters at all.
frosty fred
@Immanentize:
Wow. How long ago was that? I had a distant cousin in Houston who was shot by a cheap hitman/Elvis impersonator in 1980, and he did get the death penalty.
Not that I guess there’s any shortage of bad Elvis impersonators in Texas, but a person has to wonder.
laura
@kindness: And reopening in the coming weeks!
Kenneth Kohl
For something of that nature, I try to expense it through ‘Meals & Entertainment’. It’s a bit tricky to fit it into ‘Office Expense’. Although, a general S&A might work. ;)
Immanentize
@frosty fred:
It’s quite possibly the same guy. James Paster. He was executed in 89 or 90.
Miss Bianca
@frosty fred:
Not to trivialize what happened to your cousin, but I can’t help thinking that “cheap hitman/Elvis impersonator” would make a great dark farce – the Coen Brothers would have a field day with it.
frosty fred
@Immanentize: Son of a gun, it is. 20 Sep 1989. Small world.
frosty fred
@Miss Bianca: Oh, thanks, but I never knew him–this is one of those things you find when you start working on family history, and in fact my daughter said “this is the kind of story I’ve been waiting for you to turn up.” We’ve been saying it has a made-for-TV feeling to it. The Elvis impersonator angle was the finishing touch, but the whole story was bizarre.
ETA well, I suppose now it’s his last words that add the finishing touch.
Just One More Canuck
@efgoldman: They’re probably all busy trying to remember which pron stars they paid off for which clients
tarragon
@chris:
I would be reluctant to try and cross the border with a newly adopted cat.
Brachiator
@cynthia ackerman:
I think you may be very right about this.
I had forgot that she is supposed to be involved in something. Closing ceremonies, right?
Immanentize
@frosty fred: It is only this big:
| ————– |
TommoRolassi
@OzarkHillbilly: As a lawyer, I can assure you that being a lawyer is very often caused by the stupid. Other times, there’s merely a very high correlation.
Immanentize
@frosty fred:
Actually, James’ official last words were a restatement of his belief that he was innocent. My best friend in the office was lead attorney — if we ever want to do a screenplay, we have some very funny stories to tell ….
Joyce H
@Brachiator:
There is something that I do think would actually lose him some of his base, and that would be if convincing proof surfaced that Trump had arranged and/or paid for abortions. Personally, I am 100% positive that he has paid for abortions in the past, because he has a track record of unprotected sex. Even if Stormy Daniels is lying, he must have had unprotected sex with Marla Maples; the evidence is currently in law school. If he had unprotected sex with her, he had unprotected sex with a lot of women, and then paid up afterwards to make the inconveniences go away.
Some of his base would stick with him even then, would either refuse to believe the evidence or argue themselves around to it not mattering. But for a sizable chunk of the evangelical right, abortion isn’t the biggest issue, it’s the ONLY issue.
I don’t know how such evidence might be brought to light, but I sure hope someone is looking for it, because that’s the only thing that will crack the Fundy Wall.
Brachiator
@Joyce H:
Sadly, Trump supporters would not care, especially the religious ones. I’ve heard them in news stories erect the ultimate defense for their man. They are convinced that God has chosen Trump, or is working through him. So, no matter what Trump has done in the past, it is OK because it is Trump’s God-sanctified duty to make America great again. Forever and ever. Amen.
Captain C
@rikyrah:
That’s why I think the pee pee tape is the Blatantly Underage Svetlana tape (and there may be more than one).
Calouste
@Brachiator: Yep, for evangelicals it’s about being in the “in”-club that makes them special and promises life after death. They’ll turn on a dime if the con men who lead their cults tell them to.
No One of Consequence
Who wants to bet the peepee tape is actually a Lolita play with an Ivanka look-alike? Someone round about 13 or 14.
ewwwww.
Must go rinse brain out…
– NOoC