And my secret lawyer isn’t secret, anymore:
New: @seanhannity denies Michael Cohen is his lawyer: pic.twitter.com/rXLL3If1H3
— Paul Farhi (@farhip) April 16, 2018
Besides the fact that it’s probably bullshit (unless Cohen’s attorney was inclined to end his career with a bang by telling a bald-faced lie to a federal judge), what the fuck does that statement even mean?
The other day, Betty posted about her experience as a child watching her mom watch Watergate. I’m a few years older that Betty, and I was a weird kid, so I remember watching the Watergate hearings, by choice. This Hannity thing reminds me of the day that Alexander Butterfield testified that Nixon taped conversations. It’s probably nowhere near as important as Butterfield’s revelation, but it came completely out of the blue and shocked everyone, savvy or not.
? Martin
Well, if Hannity wasn’t a client, maybe we have the relationship wrong. I think this can only mean that Cohen paid off Hannity after Trump got him pregnant.
trollhattan
I just don’t think we’re capable of being shocked anymore, but will happily welcome being proven wrong in this case.
Villago Delenda Est
I lived through Watergate, and this whole thing is like Watergate on steroids. It’s one outrageous out of the blue revelation after another, and they’re coming faster and faster now.
MomSense
I had so much to get done today. When / if we get through all of this trump mess, I’m going to have so much deferred work and house chores to deal with.
Yarrow
It means Hannity is hoping no one (Mueller) takes a closer look at his actions, but he’s too late for that. He now knows he’s caught and he hopes if he bluffs he can wriggle away. Not going to happen. He is a traitor. He will pay.
Baud
@MomSense: Getting rid of Trump could be an economic stimulus for that reason alone.
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
How can all these people be running around free after what appears to be years of white collar crime?
lamh36
TFW, you don’t get signal at work…so when you finally read the news of the day about Sean KKKlannity being Micheal Cohen’s client 3rd client…and KKKlannity was blindsided!!!!
So how can KKKlanity say he hopes the conversations were privileged, if he wasn’t a client? Lawyers tell me…can a person involke attorney/client privilege if they are NOT a client?
trollhattan
@Villago Delenda Est:
If only we had Nixon’s Democratic congress and liberal Supreme Court to buttress the other two arms of government.
? Martin
@Villago Delenda Est: To Nixon’s credit, he was only a part-time criminal, and he was generally pretty smart. Trump has been a lifelong criminal and is dumb as dirt. The only reason Trump wasn’t busted earlier is that he had enough money to pay people off, and because nobody gave a shit about some ignorant reality tv show host. Nixon at least had to survive the scrutiny that came with being in Congress. Trump didn’t even have to deal with the scrutiny of being a public employee.
OzarkHillbilly
Then there is no lawyer/client confidentiality. Which leaves Broidy (who got shook down for $1.6 M) and trump, for whom he did very little actual legal work. This will not end well for them.
Barbara
It means that Cohen is trying to make it seem like he has more clients than he does.
Rommie
So, was Hannity lone-wolfing it there at Fox News, or…INTS, blah blah blah. It’s always the cover-up, right?
Baud
Meanwhile, somewhere in Russia, Putin is meeting with his HR department about increasing core competency requirements.
? Martin
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
Because they were rich white men in service of the social order. That has always been excused.
lamh36
In the real world…KKKlannity would be fired. This is basically lying to your employer about a conflict of interest.
Whatever the case…if he had ANY interaction with Cohen, he should have disclosed it…or the Faux News folks should have kept KKKlannity as far away from the Cohen news as they could.
OzarkHillbilly
@lamh36: No money, no privilege.
JPL
@lamh36: According to Ari Melber, yes. Sean almost always spoke to him about real estate but not the third party kind. hmmm
WereBear
Decades of Republican influence.
The SEC suspected Bernie Madoff, but the W administration told them to not prosecute much…
WereBear
I will buy a dump truck full of popcorn if Hannity is in trouble!
MomSense
@Baud:
Oh my god yes. MANA
Make America Normal Again.
oatler.
Somewhere, somehow, a nebulous abstraction is laughing and signing on an Ally McBeal reboot. (sorry, that’s where “secret lawyer” had me going)
Yarrow
@MomSense: I hear you. I have lost today. Glued to the live tweets of the courtroom and half watching cable news to see what lawyers there say.
sukabi
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): white collar crime. It’s all about privilege and ‘class’. Rich, white and male that’s all you need.
Litlebritdifrnt
I used to listen to Hannity in the car because that is what my local station aired. You have to understand that he is like every other RWNJ Grifter, simply that a grifter. When Sleep Number beds were sponsoring his show he gave a glowing testimonial about how “I used to have insomnia” until he got a sleep number bed and then he slept like a baby. After some boycott because of what he said on any particular issue Sleep Number dropped him and the Pillow guy took over, sure enough Hannity started his pitch with “I used to have insomnia then I got my pillow and now I sleep like a baby” It is all about the money, always with these people, which is why he managed to milk the rubes out of millions for his “Veterans” concerts, they made money on the tickets from the rubes and then Hannity billed the organization for the entire amount of the ticket sales for his appearance, travel and expenses. Nothing went to the veterans. I know most of you don’t listen to him therefore you never understand how he operates, but for someone with a functioning brain it was obvious what was going on. It was always about the money.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Villago Delenda Est: It’s Watergate on steroids with stupid people on steroids. I can’t keep up. But I’m really busy at work and we’re moving in 2 weeks, so I’ll be scarce until May. Though I’ll lurk to let y’all curate the news for me. If you could titrate it while you’re at it, that would be great.
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Villago Delenda Est: It’s Watergate on steroids with stupid people on steroids. I can’t keep up. But I’m really busy at work and we’re moving in 2 weeks, so I’ll be scarce until May. Though I’ll lurk to let y’all curate the news for me. If you could titrate it while you’re at it, that would be great.
Gelfling 545
Well isn’t that something that would cause one’s spouse, if any, to ponder?
The Moar You Know
@lamh36: Hannity did not say he wasn’t a client. He’s avoiding that question, oh yes he is, as hard as he can. Hannity said he’d never PAID Cohen, which is different.
Because if you’re not a client you certainly cannot invoke attorney/client privilege.
beef
It’s a misquotation.
Hannity denied that Cohen is a lawyer.
lamh36
@JPL: So far Ari is the only pundit/lawyer who is saying he does
different-church-lady
@Villago Delenda Est: “Look, forget the myths the media’s created about the White House–the truth is, these are really really stupid guys, and things were never in hand.”
Betty Cracker
@lamh36: That’s an excellent point. Hannity has basically perpetrated fraud on his core viewers, though I suspect they’ll be far too dimwitted to perceive it.
TenguPhule
@Villago Delenda Est:
I think we have to reconsider our choice of drugs here.
LSD, Opium or Pot all seem better choices at this point.
Jager
“Cohen said Hannity is a client, but Hannity is a clown., both words begin with the letters C-L, so it’s an easily explainable mistake, completely understandable under the circumstances.”
…my buddy Glen in an email minutes ago.
TenguPhule
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
Police and FBI more interested in killing black folks and spying on environmentalists who everybody knows are the real criminals. //
Mary
So he just waived any possible claim to privilege. That doesn’t seem very smart.
TenguPhule
@OzarkHillbilly:
Pro Bono.
lamh36
Somone on CNN pondered did Stormy have to be there for Cohen’s hearing…IDK…did those Bill C accusers that Chump “invited” to the debates…HAVE to be there…
oldgold
Sean Hannity has now secured new and much better counsel to represent him in this matter: Cousin Vinny.
Kelly
@MomSense:
On the bright side if we all end up homeless refugees fleeing the chaotic collapse of the Republic we won’t have to catch up on the housework before we flee.
FlipYrWhig
I feel like this keeps going back to the question of WTF Michael Cohen was doing. He seems like a person who’s a lawyer who’s doing his friends A Solid in an unprofessional capacity, rather than a lawyer who’s doing actual lawyering on a professional basis, with, like, billing.
Mary
@TenguPhule: “Michael Cohen has never represented me in any matter.” That’s a pretty definitive statement.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
Jake Tapper on Hannity/Cohen: “Go home, 2018, you’re drunk.”
@TenguPhule: I agree. Something mind-altering seems more appropriate, although even pot couldn’t make this any stupiderer.
trollhattan
@Betty Cracker:
This is “why is your face attacking my fist?” territory. Liberals stole O’Reilly from them and they’ll damn sure not let lhat that happen again.
rikyrah
@Yarrow:
Traitor ?
rikyrah
Oh please let him be on tape ??
trollhattan
@oldgold:
“Dis large yoot…”
sukabi
“Go home 2018, you’re drunk.”
Jake Tapper’s take on the Cohen / Hannity connection.
Do you think some of our ‘esteemed journalists’ are regretting they didn’t exercise even a tiny bit of curiosity about Drumpf and his cronies prior to the election, when it would have made a difference?
MomSense
@Kelly:
If my house gets much worse I may want to flee.
TenguPhule
@Mary: Technically you can consult with a lawyer even if they don’t actually represent you to another party and the communications is still protected. His statement is the very definition of legal weasel wording. And I should know, since I have to deal with decrypting this kind of shit all the time.
TenguPhule
@sukabi:
No. Because this dumpster fire is ratings gold for them now.
They hated President Obama for making their jobs difficult and forcing them to actually do some work for a story.
WaterGirl
OT, but since the Cohen and Hannity thing is such happy news, I thought I would share some happy news of my own.
Henry’s surgery cost $3,500, and pet insurance covered 3,000 of it. $150 deductible, and my policy has me paying 10% after deductible. Check should arrive later this week. I wasn’t sure whether insurance would cover the 12 sessions of water treadmill therapy, the cold laser therapy, the plasma rich protein injection for healing, etc, but they covered everything. (Except the deductible and my 10% copay.)
I love Pet Plan.
Immanentize
Just a quick note — the attorney/client does not depend on payment or “representation”. When anyone seeks legal advice froman attorney, that creates an attorney/client relationship. And the person seeking the advice can assume the conversation would be held in confidence. Similarly when an attorney offers any opinion or advice that is legal in nature, that is practicing law.
Of course there are a bunch of exceptions, but those are the two basic rules that are in play here. The biggest exception is that prosecutors are NOT lawyers for victims, although they pretend they are every day. Wrote an article about that once….
sukabi
@TenguPhule: it was rhetorical…here’s hoping more of the knob polishers get swept up in this mess.
We need a good cleaning.
eclare
@WaterGirl: Great news!
Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)
@WaterGirl: Good for you and Henry.
MomSense
@WaterGirl:
That’s great news. Hopefully you and Henry will both be back on all paws very soon.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: Wow! Excellent for you and for Henry. That health insurance thingy really changes the calculus.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Holy Crap!
But of course – Cohen has to be the “back channel” to Assange. This is why the search warrant on Cohen sought communications btwn Cohen and Drumpf after the Access Hollywood tape surfaced. Mueller must have intercepts and or evidence showing Drumpf asked Assange (thur Cohen) to release Podesta’s stolen emails, which occurred immediately after the “grab ’em by the püssy” tape surfaced.
jl
It was represented to the court that a third party was covered by attorney/client privilege, and that third party is Hannity. So seems to me that someone lied to the court, or Hannity is spinning evasive BS.
If it was about mundane real estate deals, not, say, with sketchy financing from Russia for example, not sure why Hannity would be so touchy about it. But then, why wouldn’t Hannity go get a reliable and mundanely competent real estate lawyer who knew what he or she was doing when they did legal stuff? And didn’t put him unethical position at his job?
It’s very odd, and so many questions.
Baud
@WaterGirl: Very cool.
lamh36
The moment when the news broke on Fox News that the 3rd client was named: Sean Hannity!!
The correspondent said: “So moving on”…BWHAHAHAHAHA
FNC 04 16 2018 15 03 04 https://youtu.be/SstOz03k2wQ via @YouTube
ETA: And Shep is supposed to be the “honest” one…come on now…he went STRAIGHT to the Stormy move over the Hannity news!
JohnO
From this point forward, nobody should ever refer to Sean Hannity in print as anything other than, “Sean ‘Full Disclosure’ Hannity.” LOL
JCJ
@FlipYrWhig:
The problem is “a solid” from this guy is a turd
Mnemosyne
@Comrade Colette Collaboratrice:
Dang. I’m kind of shocked that the comments at The Hill are so … rational. Not what I remembered at all.
jl
@TenguPhule: Covering Obama WH, you had to ‘know stuff’, which is boring and sissy and very very unsavvy. Biden might roll his eyes and give them that ‘oh gimme a break, don’t you know anythng?’ look, which wasn’t nice. They might have to sit there and endure Obama explaining stuff to them.
It was a damned outrage.
rikyrah
@WaterGirl:
Yeah ?
WaterGirl
@eclare: @Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady): @MomSense: Thanks for sharing my joy at the happy news.
If you ask Henry, he will tell you he is ready to be out of the crated and back to normal RIGHT THIS MINUTE!
Now he is supposed to walk 15 minutes, twice a day for a week, then increase that every week. I obviously can’t do it, but today I thought about the 12-year old girl whose house is right behind me. Called her dad at work today and asked if she would like to do the dog walking. Crossing my fingers!
lamh36
@lamh36: An 8:48 from Shep and they spent 8:30 on Stormy and NOT Hannity news..
Cermet
@WaterGirl: Laser therapy? That is snake oil – period. And “plasma rich protein injection” a lot of “medically sounding” word salad that means you pay $$$ for something that is not useful – just let the dog eat his dinner and his own ‘plasma’ will get all the protein it can handle or need – of course, excessive protein via injection isn’t exactly helpful to the kidney’s. That vet is selling you a lot of very questionable treatments that will mostly just empty your bank account rather then aid the dog’s recovery.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@WaterGirl: I share a house with a herd of
pantherscats. Can you be so nice to mention your insurance company.Elizabelle
Hannity’s the top of the hour recap on NPR. “Real estate matters.” Uh. Maybe, maybe not. Dog forbid Hannity end up a sympathetic weasel here, an innocent dragged through the mud.
debbie
@WereBear:
I heard a couple audio clips today, and there was none of his usual swagger. I’m hoping he’s scared shitless.
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: I swore after I lost my kitty soulmate in 2010 that I would never be without pet insurance again. And I haven’t – I call the day I get my pet. Totally worth it.
I knew they would cover the 2,500 for the surgery itself, so I was able to get Henry the best chance of recovery because I figured I could do the other 1,000 if I needed to. So awesome that they covered it all!
My boy kitty has chronic inflammation that makes him really prone to urinary tract infections and crystals. Pet Plan cut me a check for $916 last week – that’s what he cost me last for issues related to that condition. ( $150 deductible and 10% copay applied)
jl
@lamh36: Trump/Cohen/Davidson crooked NDA with Stormy is the ‘safe’ story now?
Bobby Thomson
@lamh36: clients and prospective clients; e.g., “hey, do I have a case.” Lawyers can accidentally create an attorney-client relationship and commit malpractice without getting paid, but Hannity just closed off that avenue of escape. I am not your lawyer or the lawyer of anyone here.
Yarrow
@rikyrah: It has been reported that Michael Cohen tapes a lot of conversations. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of people are on those tapes.
raven
@Cermet: Laser therapy helped the Bohdi last year.
jl
@Elizabelle: I guess it’s possible, After the hearing Avenatti said Cohen threw Hannity under the bus to protect Trump, and was not necessary for issues at hand. IANAL so I don’t understand. Avenatti said he’d let the Trumpsters sort that mess out by themselves and walked off, so it kind of left me hanging.
debbie
@Litlebritdifrnt:
I would listen driving home when I worked second shift. I remember the period when he was convincing listeners who were unemployed to move up to North Dakota to join the oil/fracking boom. They would call in and thank him, saying they’d sold everything they owned and were on their way up there. It was toward the end of the boom; I wonder how many of them ended up totally screwed.
B.B.A.
@beef: He graduated from #2-ranked* Cooley Law School, I’ll have you know!
*#2 in rankings published by Cooley Law School. Even they don’t have the cojones to rank themselves above Harvard.
lamh36
Lawyers…agree/disagree?
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: My sweet big white kitty, Franz Josef, died of hemobartonella which they took forever to diagnose because it looks so much like other things. In the end, the blood work and biopsies where ex.pens.ive. I woulda liked insurance then. I will get it now for Toast. Thank you!
WaterGirl
@Cermet: You can think what you want. My vet was a physical therapist for humans before he went back to vet school, and he knows his stuff. i trust him. I told him at our visit last week that the orthopedist I am seeing for my broken ankle thinks the laser therapy is hoo-ha, and he said he doesn’t work a lot of things, but it does work for broken bones.
I can tell you that by the end of each laser session Henry would start to put his leg down on the table, and would start to use his leg more.
Not surprised that we disagree on this stuff because of other comments you have made about supplements and homeopathics We’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Immanentize
@Bobby Thomson:
Don’t be so sure!
Cermet
@raven: Using a visible He-Ne light has never been shown by any study I am aware to help heal any wound and their is no sound scientific bases that I have ever read. I would be open to reading any such article that has been peer-reviewed. Until then, as someone who has worked extensively with lasers and medical effects of said lasers (at many wavelengths), I know of no useful effect – again, any articles based on science will convince me. Normal wound healing occurs all the time, even with a laser (low energy.)
Immanentize
@Yarrow: I so hope this is true. And I am thankful Cohen did not name Assange as his client.
WaterGirl
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: Pet Plan. gopetplan.com
debbie
@sukabi:
All they had to do was ask anyone who lived in Manhattan. It would be difficult to live there and not have Trump in your face every other minute.
raven
@WaterGirl: The Reality of Cold Laser Treatment for Dogs
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@WaterGirl: gracias
debbie
@WaterGirl:
Nice! Now, how’s your recovery coming along?
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
HAHAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHHAHAHA
Immanentize
@lamh36: agree because it would be a conspiracy to obstruct justice. Think of it as a few Meatheads discussing how to bribe a juror.
Cermet
@WaterGirl: No issue here. I use science based procedures – but, that is how I roll. Glad your four legged fried is recovering well.
WereBear
Glad to hear you are both on the mend.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: ?
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: Yep, I swore I wasn’t going to let dollars influence my choices when another beloved pet got sick.
I spent about 6 hours researching pet insurance companies before I chose Pet Plan, and i have no regrets.Technically, you are supposed to submit your claims within 3 months, but they didn’t even blink when I submitted 9 months of claims last week.
Origuy
@TenguPhule:
It’s Watergate on bath salts.
Immanentize
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I am.somewhat surprised they didn’t argue that the client’s name was privileged, and ask for an in camera (judge only) review. This does look like a “SQUIRREL!” move.
raven
@Cermet: OK, the page I posted has a number of links to various other sites, I don’t know if there is anything new in there or not. I do know that when we had the DNA test on Bohdi my friends in genetics said “for entertainment value only”!
randy khan
@lamh36:
What makes you think he didn’t tell his employer?
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@Mnemosyne: “What if it turns out Hannity was running a child sex club in the basement of a pizza parlor?”
WaterGirl
@debbie: Saw the orthopedist for my 4-week visit last Wednesday (4/11). She said my x-ray looked good and I was healing really well. If all goes well at my 6-week x-ray on 4/25, I can come home in an ankle brace instead of another cast.
So I am counting the days, but also trying to use weasel words like ‘if all goes well” – but who am I kidding, I am so counting on getting rid of the fucking cast in 10 days. :-) I don’t recall where you live, but you will surely hear my loud cries of disappointment if i come hoe in another cast on 4/25.
They asked for my pain level at my visit last week. I said pain level zero, cast annoyance level was an 8. They laughed.
raven
@WaterGirl: We use Embrace. I used this site to evaluate but what I think is more important is how they handled reviews when I wrote them. I have submitted reviews twice and they contacted me to make sure they were legit before they published them.
sukabi
@debbie: I know, which is why it’s so maddening they did NO digging on him prior to the election. ?
WereBear
@debbie: heh heh
@WaterGirl: i wrote a post on helping cats with urinary issues in case it helps.
jl
@Immanentize: ‘ “SQUIRREL!” move. ‘
That is what I understood Avenatti to have concluded in his statement after the hearing, but IANAL and don’t understand the details. If it was a planned distraction, and there isn’t much to find between Hannity and Cohen, then the Trumpster team had it planned when they filed their papers with the court, from what I can tell.
debbie
@WaterGirl:
Glad you’re healing so well, and I hope to hear no shrieks!
Bobby Thomson
@Immanentize: I am highly confident.
WereBear
@debbie: link from Atlantic about it
Hint: nothing good.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Immanentize: This is turning into a Cohn Brothers movie
WaterGirl
@WereBear: Thanks. I have read that one in the past, and I got a kitty fountain and they kitties flipped me off, but Tucker liked it. :-)
I hadn’t noticed the D-Mannose.part, though. i might look into that.
I have Mr. Bear in pretty good shape – now the only time he gets a UTI is if he’s stressed. That means Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and sometime in the summer- when I’m away from home – and when I had the two 4-month old lab pups staying with us for 10 days. He’s quite predictable. :-)
WaterGirl
@WereBear: P.S. My friend just tops off the kitty water every day and changes it once a week. Makes me crazy – I tell him how important fresh water is, but he just poo poos it. Sigh.
Well, speaking of ankles, I am going to sign off for awhile. I am sitting on the bed at the computer, and my ankle is tired of that!
Kathleen
@Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho: Are you staying in the area?
Aleta
@WaterGirl: Such good news. I’m impressed.
Kathleen
@Kelly: Yes, but the foraging for squirrels and the sticks on which to roast them will be tiresome.
Kathleen
@sukabi: No.
Kathleen
@WaterGirl: I’m so glad it worked out well for you! And your healing is still proceeding well also?
debbie
@WereBear:
Sad but not surprising. As soon as you hear about a good deal, it’s already too late. I’ve been hoping someone would file a suit against Hannity, but I guess that’s expecting too much from his listeners.
Kathleen
@Elizabelle: That prospect makes NPR tingly.
Kathleen
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I can’t wait for the scene when Hannity’s legs are dangling from the wood chipper.
WereBear
They have been painstakingly taught that they will own their success which means when they are scammed they own their failure.
Frankensteinbeck
@raven:
I read that page and the links. The only link that even looked reliable was to Merck, and the Merck Veterinary Manual must have seriously lower standards than the human version, because laser therapy is listed right next to acupuncture and given similar respect. Everything I saw on your link and its links suggest it’s quack medicine, but I don’t actually know anything about it other than those links. This is the first I’ve heard of it.
danielx
@Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):
Ummm….they’re rich and white?
Alternative Fax, a hip hop artist from Idaho
@Kathleen: Yup! Thanks for asking. I’ll be right down the road from Ohio Mom & Ohio Dad.
Shana
Probably a dead thread but let me ask something: my understanding is that if a lawyer goes in house at a company they are no longer allowed to practice law. In other words theh can evaluate the legal advice they’re given for the employer but can’t give legal advice themselves. Does this apply at all with Cohen as a Trump Org employee or isn’t he actally a TO employee?
Ruckus
@Litlebritdifrnt:
It still is. And it will remain always about the money until they die or convert to human.
Jim Snyder
@MomSense: The Spousal Unit was amused when I read her your comment. (She didn’t snort coffee through her nose, perhaps because she had already finished her evening coffee.)
Corner Stone
@Shana:
Where in the world did you hear this? In-house lawyers retain their JD and the ability to be a lawyer. This is simply inaccurate.