I can't see where paying hush money is illegal, so

[Goodheart]

wouldn't have been better for trump, and perfectly legal, if he had just paid Stormy Daniels directly and not tried to funnel it through bogus "legal expenses"? Michael Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels was an illegal campaign contribution because it exceeded $2700, and trump was the unindicted coconspirator because he instructed Cohen to do it and reimbursed him for it.


Seems to me he got really bad legal advice from Cohen and really bad accounting advice from Weisselberg.

[Walleye]

1. Don't forget he was in a panic in the wake of the access Hollywood tape

[onecaliberal]

2. Trump was telling Cohen and Weisselberg what do to, not the other way around.

[Goodheart]

5. Could be.

But we know from an audiotape that trump wanted to pay Stormy with cash and Cohen said "no, no, no", do it through the shell corporation.

[Ray Bruns]

3. That's a lot of thinking things through for trump.

[PJMcK]

4. It's Trump's history of lying

He lies when the truth is easier and harmless. He can’t help himself.

Look at Covid. If Trump had acknowledged the pandemic early and let the CDC do its job, he would have cruised to a re-election. But he didn’t because he’s a compulsive liar.

It’s pathetic.

Also, by paying Stormy, he admits the one-night stand. Otherwise, he paid the equivalent of blackmail.

What a wuss.

[taxi]

6. He needs to make people suffer.

Sometimes a whole country has to suffer.

[RockRaven]

7. Yeah, if TFG had just paid her with his own money it would have been legal... By itself.

But he still would have had to report it as a campaign donation/expenditure, IIRC. Which he didn't want to do, because then people would find out about it, because those are public records.

HOWEVER, there was a possible work-around. Perhaps he could have arranged to pay her close enough to election day that the payment wouldn't appear on the required reports until after the election. Perhaps that would not have worked, though, because she might not have trusted that she would get paid if she waited -- with his track record, there would be a legit concern he was trying to pull a fast one, and in fact he had discussed with Cohen delaying until after election day and then not paying.

[karynnj]

14. If he used his own money, it would not be a campaign donation

In addition, the candidate is not limited by the FEC.

[RockRaven]

21. While the limits do not apply to the candidate, they still must report, and expenditures of

personal funds on campaign matters are considered a donation. The FEC website here says so:

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/using-personal-funds-candidate/

Using the personal funds of the candidate

When candidates use their personal funds for campaign purposes, they are making contributions to their campaigns. Candidate contributions to their own campaigns are not subject to any limits. They must, however, be reported.

[Whiskeytide]

8. He has expensed all sorts of costs/payments to evade taxes ...

… his entire life. Why wouldn’t he do the same with this? You’re 100% correct that he could have an avoided all of this if he had not tried to write it off. But he’s incapable of thinking like that. He doesn’t believe he has obligations to the government. He believes it’s smart to cheat the IRS.

[former9thward]

12. There is no charge of tax evasion in the indictment.

[Goodheart]

19. Makes you wonder, though, if such a thing is coming from the IRS or NY Revenue Dept.

I'm thinking that was part of his plan.

[Whiskeytide]

25. Yes. I know. That is usually prosecuted by the Fed. I was ...

… merely pointing out that he has made a habit of falsifying business records since he was born. I suspect we’d find irregularities in his allowance reports from 1954.

[IHaveNoName]

9. That would have meant that the money...

...would have come out of his own pocket, rather than the pockets of the rubes who paid into his grift.

[former9thward]

11. It did come out of his pocket.

Campaign funds were not used.

[W_HAMILTON]

10. LOL!

Yes, poor Donald Trump, having all these people commit crimes and do jail time for his benefit! Boohoo!



Give me a fucking break.

[Goodheart]

15. Oh, he directed the crimes, no doubt.

But the way they were paid out and recorded in the books are likely things for which he accepted input and then OK'd, knowing they were not legit.

[W_HAMILTON]

24. Hence why he should be in jail along with the rest of them.

[WarGamer]

13. It was actually an NDA.

If he would have given her a check from his own personal account... perfectly legal.

Why wouldn't it be?

[yardwork]

16. Trump was hiding the payments. He funneled it through Cohen on purpose.

Trump didn't care that it was illegal. He's fine so many illegal things.

[Goodheart]

17. There's nothing in my post that should lead anybody to believe I didn't already know that.

[inthewind21]

18. Simple answer

YES . Writer her a check and be done with it.

[lame54]

20. I thought Trump called the shots

[Goodheart]

22. Of course he did.

He had final say on everything.

[lame54]

23. Illegal to pay for it up front...

Screw now pay later is perfectly fine

[ChoppinBroccoli]

26. It Was Just One Part Of "Catch And Kill," Which Is The REAL Crime

That's why Trumpers want you to think the indictment was "just about a hush money payment." It's not. That's why there are 34 counts, and "making a hush money payment" isn't one of them. This particular payment is one piece of the bigger picture, which is "Catch And Kill." It was the cover-up of this payment (the falsification of business records, etc.) that makes it a crime. And it's just one of 34 different incidents.

Yes, it was also an illegal campaign contribution, and because Trump reimbursed Cohen the money PLUS the taxes incurred on it, that makes it tax fraud too. But the New York indictment only deals with the falsification of the records to cover all that up. The other stuff will be covered in the (hopefully) soon-to-come Federal indictment.

[pnwmom]

27. His intention was obviously to save money on taxes by taking large deductions for attorneys fees.

There is no tax deduction for hush money.