Section: TPM (USA)
Some Background on Michael Cohen
As we get ready for the questioning today I wanted to flag some early posts from early 2017 as I was looking into Michael Cohen’s background, his business history, ties to Russian emigres and Russian organized crime and his relationship with Trump himself. They hold up pretty well, though we of course know much more now. It’s All So...
Annals of Curious Defenses
In the first of what will certainly be many attacks today, Rudy Giuliani is out with a round of attacks on Michael Cohen. A central one is that Cohen was “connected to Russian organized crime” and that – relatedly – he got his money from his Ukrainian immigrant father-in-law Fima Shusterman. You’ve seen me writing for months about...
Putin Spokesman’s Daughter Secures Internship At EU Parliament
BRUSSELS (AP) — The daughter of the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin has secured an intern’s job at the European Union’s legislature at a time of increasing political confrontation between the EU and Russia. Right-wing French lawmaker Aymeric Chauprade on Tuesday defended his decision to hire Elizaveta Peskova, the...
Manafort Claims No ‘Evidence’ Of Collusion As He Asks Judge For Leniency
In asking for a federal judge in D.C. to hand down a sentencing “significantly” lower than the statutory maximum, former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort claimed that special counsel Robert Mueller had found “no evidence” of Russian collusion while suggesting the special counsel sought to pressure Manafort to flip on others. His attorneys...
Mueller Calls For Harsh Sentence In Manafort Case, Citing ‘Gravity’ Of Crimes
Special counsel Robert Mueller advocated for a significant sentence for Paul Manafort in a Feb. 22 sentencing memo, citing the “gravity” of the former Trump campaign chairman’s criminal conduct. “For over a decade, Manafort repeatedly and brazenly violated the law,” Mueller writes. “His crimes continued up through the time he was first...
Ex-GOP Candidate To Plead Guilty After Allegedly Bilking Donors For Cigars, Escorts
Rep. David Cicilline’s (D-RI) 2016 Republican congressional opponent has been charged with wire fraud and violating election law for using political donations for things like cigars and escort services. He has reached a plea deal with prosecutors, the Providence Journal reported Wednesday night. Prosecutors alleged in a Feb. 12 court filing...
What’s The Story Behind The $125,000 Paul Manafort Lied To Mueller About?
It’s one of the stranger episodes in Paul Manafort’s bizarre journey from Trump campaign chairman to the inside of a jail cell. Even the special counsel seems unsure what to make of a $125,000 payment that went towards paying down a debt of Manafort’s in the summer of 2017, while he was under investigation. The payment went to...
Putin Threatens Retaliation If US Puts Missiles In Europe
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin sternly warned the United States against deploying new missiles in Europe, saying Wednesday that Russia will retaliate by fielding new weapons that will take just as little time to reach their targets. While the Russian leader didn’t say what specific new weapons Moscow could deploy, his...
Merkel Defends Iran Deal, Pence Accuses Europe Of ‘Undermining’ US
MUNICH (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel robustly defended European nations’ decision to stand by the Iran nuclear deal in a spirited backing Saturday of her multilateral approach to global affairs, but U.S. Vice President Mike Pence promptly accused Europe of once again undermining the United States. Merkel’s comments at the...
Manafort Faces More Than 19 Years In Prison, According To New Mueller Filings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Manafort, the one-time chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, could spend more than 19 years in prison on tax and bank fraud charges, prosecutors said Friday. Court documents filed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s office reveal that Manafort faces possibly the lengthiest prison term in the Russia...
