BUSTED: National Enquirer admits it committed a felony 'in concert with' Trump's campaign

[ButSeeYa]

[link:https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/busted-national-enquirer-admits-committed-felony-concert-trumps-campaign/|

American Media, Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid, admitted on Wednesday to committing a felony campaign finance violation “in concert with” Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

As announced by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, AMI admitted to making a $150,000 hush-money payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal “in order to ensure that the woman did not publicize damaging allegations about the candidate before the 2016 presidential election.”

SDNY said that it has chosen not to prosecute AMI for the illegal campaign contribution at this point provided that the company continues cooperating with the investigation.

The office also acknowledged that AMI had provided “substantial and important assistance” with its investigation into the illegal campaign contribution.

The revelation that AMI has admitted to making an illegal payment to a former Trump mistress with the specific intent to swing the outcome of the election will undercut the president’s claims that paying off Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels was a simple business transaction.

Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that AMI CEO David Pecker had been granted immunity by prosecutors in exchange for providing information about his company’s role in the hush-money payments.

[Achilleaze]

1. republican "ethics" and "morals" are formed of cesspool skuzz

[Arkansas Granny]

10. And those words should always be surrounded with quotation marks when referring to Republicans.

[Drum]

2. Wowza!

[Lochloosa]

3. American Media, Inc.did not make this payment.

A person did!

[0rganism]

14. unfortunately, corporations are people too :(

in this case, providing legal cover for the assholios who used their corporation for criminal purposes

[Marcuse]

44. But Senator, you've made a living buying, dismembering and selling off corporations.

It’s been illegal to do that to people for over 150 years.

[SWBTATTReg]

4. Another felony...how surprising. nt

[YessirAtsaFact]

8. I wonder if Individual 1 was involved?

How ironic that this info came from a guy named Pecker.

[LuckyLib]

21. Isn't that the best? You can't make this stuff up!

[YessirAtsaFact]

22. Maria Butina has a plea hearing tomorrow

That should add more fun to the mix for Donnie Boy.

I’m downright giddy.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

26. Can't wait for the impeachment hearings to start!!

[HopeAgain]

5. So how many times will Individual 1 be an unamed co-conspirator before something is done?

[Atticus]

38. Sadly, "IOKIYAR" (It's OK If You're A Republican) is still a viable defense/excuse

in the US Congress. I love my country, but I'm ashamed of my government.

[thbobby]

6. The dominoes continue to fall! nt

[Iliyah]

7. The crimes are stacking up.

Resign shithole.

[gratuitous]

27. This is how it has to happen

Keep piling up the crimes so that the conclusion is irresistible, so compelling that even the most partisan Republicans have to concede that Trump must go. This is how it went with Watergate. For two years Nixon and his cronies tried to brazen it out, and in some circles appeared to have weathered all the storms. But finally, inexorably, as Peter Rodino was drawing up articles of impeachment in the House (including a count for obstruction of justice), Republican officeholders went to the White House to inform Nixon and Kissinger that the jig was up, and if impeachment proceedings went ahead, they weren't going to be able to save Nixon.

Within a week, Nixon went from stubborn defiance to flying back to the west coast.

[SammyWinstonJack]

35. He's hiding behind his fake title and the republiCON Congress, for now.

[pecosbob]

9. Another example of the way corporations can violate the law with no repurcussions

Chain them like the chicken-killing dogs they are.

[superpatriotman]

11. In a post-truth world

Is a crime a crime anymore?

[Scurrilous]

12. K&R

[pangaia]

13. How could paying her off even be considered a campaign contribution?

I don't get it.

Wouldn;t a campaign contribution be going from her to the trump campaign?

[LakeSuperiorView]

16. AMI made a contribution to tRump's campaign by paying her off.

[pangaia]

29. Oh, get it.. thanks...

[marylandblue]

17. American Media used the money for a campaign purpose and coordinated with Trump

That is, by definition, a campaign contribution even if the money never went into a campaign account.

[pangaia]

31. Thanks... maybe I could get a campaign contribution for...... something...

[marylandblue]

33. Start up a PAC and I'll send you some dark money

[pangaia]

34. Deal.....

Send it to PANGAIA PAC c/o Pangaia, 174 W. Main St, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

No checks, cash only...
I'll send a receipt by return mail...

[forkol]

32. Another way I look at it...

If Trump were not a candidate, would he have even offered to pay her ANY money? I think
not.

So, he only needed to pay her because he was a candidate. And since it was done to advance his campaign, that's where they get it from.

[DURHAM D]

15. Aren't all of the bogus/made up Hillary stories they ran every

week an illegal campaign contribution also?

[StarryNite]

30. Good point!

[Sneederbunk]

18. Pecker waived.

[George II]

19. I'm still amazed at the irony of trump's sexual escapades being covered up by a guy named Pecker.

[Nitram]

20. He, heh. Heh, heh. His name is "Pecker." Heh, heh.

[lindysalsagal]

23. Nail 237 in 45's coffin. Motive is required to indict on the charge

Of campaign finance fraud.

Scotus can't unsee that. Mueller's office us probably at a bar somewhere, because this is a playing piece they needed but couldn't force. Beautiful.

[PWPippinesq]

24. Trump lost his Pecker . . .

. . . as soon as Pecker got immunity.

[workinclasszero]

25. Pucker factor +100 for Individual 1

[MrScorpio]

28. Now, let's see all the GOPrs who got NRA/Butina money try to downplay this

The pattern is clear.

[amcgrath]

36. Action

In 1989 in the UK, 96 people were killed at a football stadium in Hillsborough.

A national newspaper -The Sun - printed lies about the event, to assist the police and the government with their lies and idiocy that had led to the deaths.

The fans who died were Liverpool supporters. Initially a campaign was started in Liverpool to boycott The Sun. Very quickly and through public pressure, that newspaper was first removed from news stands. Later it was banned from public buildings, libraries and even on city transit.

There is nothing to prevent a similar campaign against a publication that lies for politicians in the USA

[X_Digger]

43. Actually, anything past the news stands wouldn't be constitutional here.

We have strong press protections, compared to the UK. (There's a reason so many libel cases are farmed out there.)

[Fritz Walter]

37. Has anyone started a petition or other groundswell initiatives

...To persuade grocery stores to remove AMI’s rag from the racks at their check-out lines? In all my long years, I’ve seen one, maybe two customers actually purchase that — or any other — tabloid. Maybe I shop at better stores/locations/times than do their target audience.

It’s not enough to hide the lurid headlines and gruesome photos with a semi-transparent piece of plastic. REMOVE THEM!

[C Moon]

39. If that had come out, we most likely wouldn't have this evil nut in our White House.

[DesertRat]

40. Donnie was fingered by a pecker?

[TeamPooka]

41. If Trump & Pecker directly discussed this (they were supposedly good friends) then Trump is in deep

trouble.
if Pecker directly testifies that Donnie knew and arranged it...
Look out.
Can't wait to hear trump call the National inquirer a rag though.

[central scrutinizer]

42. Well, fake news certainly applies

Unless Batboy really did father Hilary's secret love child, not Elvis

[LiberalLovinLug]

45. This is yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge!

[DENVERPOPS]

46. Makes you wonder

Trump paying over 100K to women for a one night stand, sorta makes you wonder how much he is paying Melania...

[LiberalLovinLug]

48. And I don't think Melania deserves any sympathy

She will live well for the rest of her life. I predict a divorce as soon as Donnie leaves office. But she has been a cheerleader, even if quieter, even if reluctantly at times, (like pretending to want to smile and walk with him) She married the orange Jabba for his money, and she has to live with the humiliation of what comes with the job.

[Achilleaze]

47. republican sleazebags of a feather flock together

republican "ethics and morals" are right out of the reeking cesspool of WRONG.