Interesting statement from Novartis....

[jberryhill]

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/drugmaker-novartis-plays-down-its-deal-with-trumps-lawyer-tying-it-to-its-former-ceo-2018-05-09?siteid=rss&rss=1


“Novartis was contacted in November 2017 by lawyers from the special counsel’s office regarding the company’s agreement with Essential Consultants,” the Basel-based company said.

“Novartis cooperated fully with the special counsel’s office and provided all the information requested. Novartis considers this matter closed as to itself and is not aware of any outstanding questions regarding the agreement.”

[still_one]

1. Thanks Jerry. It means Mueller is well aware of this. This looks very bad for Cohen

[Cracklin Charlie]

28. Looks pretty grim for all of us.

Filthy thieving traitors.

[still_one]

29. That was a given after the first Tuesday in November 2016

[manor321]

2. Mueller is way ahead of us :)

And I love how the company doesn't want to answer any more questions. Ha! We got some questions for you!

[mobeau69]

17. Apparently, Avenatti is way ahead of us also.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. Hahahahaha

How many steps ahead of the rest of us is Mueller?

[BobTheSubgenius]

16. I have a ton of respect for RM, and I am in no way suggesting he's doing a poor job.

But, you have to admit, it's not that hard to build this case. The end result would probably be inferior to what we are going to see, but I submit that it would still be adequate. Almost every facet of it is glaringly obvious, and, just in case investigators might not be amassing copious enough evidence quickly enough in a given sub-facet, the targets go on talk shows wearing reflective safety gear waving those flashlights that ground crews use at airports and shouting. "Pick me. Pick ME! I want the next subpoena. I wanna be indicted, too!"

This group of miscreants must WANT to go to prison. They are truly a Confederacy of Dunces.

[Wounded Bear]

18. The "hard" part is what Mueller and his team seems to be best at...

Not leaking any of this. This has been the most "leak free" investigation I can remember, and I'm in my mid-60's.

TrumpCo have to be sweating bullets, because they can't figure out what Mueller has on them.

[Pluvious]

19. It was also glaringly obvious OJ was a killer, but he walked...

This Groper Gone Wild case is to crucial to prosecute in a rush.

We're certainly all impatient to this mess shutdown though,
while we still have a functioning Country !

[ooky]

23. How about putting them in prison for the evidence already collected and

THEN bargain with them for their freedom? Let Flynn start serving his prison sentence up instead of letting him run around stumping for right wing candidates. LOCK HIM UP! Manafort walking around with ankle bracelets on both legs? What's next, one around his neck? How about real JAIL? Let him start living the life and increase his anxiety to make deals. Isn't there anything we can have a quick trial and conviction for to let these guys get a taste of what their new lives will be like? After about a week they should be dying to talk about Donald Trump's crimes.

[Shrike47]

26. Manafort hasn't been convicted of anything. Slow down and think calm thoughts.

[ooky]

30. I know, is good advice.

I'm just feel like I'm starting to suffocate in all this smoke, and dying for people to start going to jail.

[democratisphere]

4. Novartis is crooked BIG PHARMA.

I'm sure Mueller et al will be getting back to you!

[lagomorph777]

20. Huge previous scandals in Greece and in the USA.

Novartis, AT&T, the Russian oligarch, and Korea Aerospace will all be shown to have made illegal bribes, and Pres. Turd will be shown to have acted in the interests of each and every one of these moneybags.

[NewJeffCT]

5. so, that was 6 months ago

and the raid on Cohen's office was only a few weeks ago

[jberryhill]

7. Correct

Mueller had all the bank records for Cohen's company more than six months ago.

[Hamlette]

11. But, Mueller turned Cohen over to the NY office to investigate.

Unless Mueller is still going after these recent payments and only sent the Stormy Daniels stuff to the NY office.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. Bribery

The President's personal attorney has been caught red handed accepting bribes. And it's plainly clear that he and Trump delivered value to those who bribed him.

These are serious crimes. We're so far down the rabbit hole that they'll be barely a blip by week's end. A $4.4 Million bribery slush fund would have ended any other presidency.

Here's how they get away with it, they invent a new whataboutism and then top that made up criminal act. Pay for play was all they could utter for months in regard to Hillary and so they actually commit the crimes they invented someone else committed. It's opposite world propaganda and is straight out of Nazi Germany, "Accuse the other side of which you are guilty of."

[jberryhill]

9. Or some other possibilities

The route by which money went from Cohen to Trump or the Trump Org is unclear. The cash flow seems to be that money goes to Cohen, and Trump does things.

The mechanics of that could work in some radically different ways than the obvious assumption, provided that Cohen has some other way to get Trump to "do things".

[lagomorph777]

21. Yep - the money may have technically never been in a Turd bank account.

But could still be used on Turd's behalf for hooker payoffs, 3rd-party campaign activities, dirty tricks, funneled to allies through a network of "foundations" and LLCs.

[jberryhill]

25. Or Cohen could have something on Trump

[lagomorph777]

32. Whatever negative info he has on Turd is not under his control anymore.

Either investigators already have it, or they will squeeze it out of him.

[unblock]

27. donnie already got benefit just from the money going to pay for his indiscretions.

even if the cash never made it directly into donnie's little hands, he still benefited by having things paid for that otherwise would have come out of his own pocket.

[KPN]

14. The Dumpster learned this filthy treasonous game -- how to consolidate personal power and

wealth -- from watching and talking to Putin no doubt.

[kentuck]

8. Also, did they change their leadership at the first of the year?

A new CEO?

[GusBob]

10. Outstanding question!

That its not allowed!

But yeah, they got a new CEO in Feb and blamed the agreement on the old CEO

AKA getting your hand caught in the cookie jar

[ooky]

24. Go get the old CEO and find out what the quid pro quo was he got from President

Dennison.

[klook]

12. Corporations are people, my friend.

So changing CEOs shouldn't absolve them. I'm sure there is a correct legal answer, but that's my take.

[KPN]

15. +1!

[lagomorph777]

22. That corporation deserves the corporate death penalty.

[C_U_L8R]

13. No no no the matter is not closed

There is a lot to answer for, Novartis... let's start with this apparent bribery.

[OnDoutside]

31. Very Swiss.