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demmiblue

(36,823 posts)
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 11:59 AM Dec 2018

Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting

Source: McClatchy

WASHINGTON- A mobile phone traced to President Donald Trump’s former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen briefly sent signals ricocheting off cell towers in the Prague area in late summer 2016, at the height of the presidential campaign, leaving an electronic record to support claims that Cohen met secretly there with Russian officials, four people with knowledge of the matter say.

During the same period of late August or early September, electronic eavesdropping by an Eastern European intelligence agency picked up a conversation among Russians, one of whom remarked that Cohen was in Prague, two people familiar with the incident said.

The phone and surveillance data, which have not previously been disclosed, lend new credence to a key part of a former British spy’s dossier of Kremlin intelligence describing purported coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia’s election meddling operation.

The dossier, which Trump has dismissed as “a pile of garbage,” said Cohen and one or more Kremlin officials huddled in or around the Czech capital to plot ways to limit discovery of the close “liaison” between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Read more: https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/investigations/article219016820.html

52 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Cell signal puts Cohen outside Prague around time of purported Russian meeting (Original Post) demmiblue Dec 2018 OP
Drip, drip, drip.... Pachamama Dec 2018 #1
Sounds like a flood to me! pnwmom Dec 2018 #20
The Steele Dossier is true. nt NCjack Dec 2018 #40
Exactly. BadgerMom Dec 2018 #41
Why wouldn't Cohen disclose this? It's the smoking gun (NT) louis c Dec 2018 #2
He already might have as part of his plea deal. cstanleytech Dec 2018 #4
If Cohen disclosed this and has proof, he doesn't deserve a day in jail. It ends Trump's presidency louis c Dec 2018 #7
Cohen would not "disclose" that his cell phone was picked up by a tower near Prague jberryhill Dec 2018 #26
He could have disclosed the meeting itself, however, pnwmom Dec 2018 #28
Yup jberryhill Dec 2018 #37
Confirmation Cosmocat Dec 2018 #45
Roll the Pee Pee Tape FightingIrish Dec 2018 #3
That and exposing Mike Pence's roll in this conspiracy are about all that's left ffr Dec 2018 #34
Ping! Cracklin Charlie Dec 2018 #5
Holy fuckazoley. If this is true, Michael Isikoff is busy today! FreepFryer Dec 2018 #6
I think you mean substantiated (as in documented) salin Dec 2018 #10
I did mean that, but also meant substantial in terms of how much "Reality" there was to it. FreepFryer Dec 2018 #11
I like the news for both words/reasons :) salin Dec 2018 #13
Indeed. Hopefully we will know everything we need to know, and everything that should be secret... FreepFryer Dec 2018 #14
In my opinion....Grammar Nazi behavior... FarPoint Dec 2018 #15
Wasn't about grammar salin Dec 2018 #17
In this case my grammar was impeccable so I'm fine w it. Come at me bro! :) FreepFryer Dec 2018 #18
I agree PatSeg Dec 2018 #19
A smocking gun? UpInArms Dec 2018 #8
I remember Lanny Davis PatSeg Dec 2018 #21
Any lawyer will tell you that it's not unusual for clients to lie to them. The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #30
True PatSeg Dec 2018 #31
Maybe the Prague trip was a bean he wasn't quite ready to spill The Velveteen Ocelot Dec 2018 #32
Yeah PatSeg Dec 2018 #44
And no doubt with Prague being a modern city surveillance cameras must be all over the place too Botany Dec 2018 #9
Yes, maybe Cohen met and paid off hackers, using the $50K that the indictment pnwmom Dec 2018 #29
And the Trump Trust is either campaign funds or Russia money that Cohen "washed through" Trump Botany Dec 2018 #35
It might be the biggest one to ever get publicly exposed. pnwmom Dec 2018 #36
Maybe this was one of his burner phones FakeNoose Dec 2018 #12
Why keep burners? flibbitygiblets Dec 2018 #16
You already got it... GetRidOfThem Dec 2018 #22
I would think Cohen wouldn't disclose until he absolutely had to. It's a get out of jail free card. Pepsidog Dec 2018 #23
K&R gademocrat7 Dec 2018 #24
Never ceases to amaze me how Steele's dossier KPN Dec 2018 #25
Thank you! This is ALMOST as good as a new indictment today, pnwmom Dec 2018 #27
There is something almost delish about this revelation... salin Dec 2018 #33
K & R BadgerMom Dec 2018 #38
All that is left now , is the pee tape jpak Dec 2018 #39
Dossier confirmed James48 Dec 2018 #42
Not a damn thing in that dossier has been refuted! SunSeeker Dec 2018 #46
True, but I really don't need to see that FakeNoose Dec 2018 #49
So far there's nothing in the dossier that hasn't been confirmed. calimary Dec 2018 #51
This is really big news Renew Deal Dec 2018 #43
AND it's the connection to Trump's campaign FakeNoose Dec 2018 #50
BABOOM! Calling Mr. Isikoff... SunSeeker Dec 2018 #47
"four people with knowledge of the matter say." herding cats Dec 2018 #48
What's more, this is precisely when began using the geographic location feature on his twitter Perrenial Voter Dec 2018 #52

BadgerMom

(2,770 posts)
41. Exactly.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 02:32 PM
Dec 2018

It’s never been a drip. The sea of facts have been there since the late 80s, during the campaign and after the election. It’s long past time to call out the media and, frankly, the law enforcement and intelligence communities for not making all of this public some time ago.

cstanleytech

(26,236 posts)
4. He already might have as part of his plea deal.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:06 PM
Dec 2018

We might not have heard about it though if its part of another ongoing investigation involving someone else.

 

louis c

(8,652 posts)
7. If Cohen disclosed this and has proof, he doesn't deserve a day in jail. It ends Trump's presidency
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:12 PM
Dec 2018
 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
26. Cohen would not "disclose" that his cell phone was picked up by a tower near Prague
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:17 PM
Dec 2018

Cohen wouldn't even know that.

pnwmom

(108,955 posts)
28. He could have disclosed the meeting itself, however,
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:26 PM
Dec 2018

and possibly provided some proof.

Maybe he will now, if he hasn't already, in an effort to get a further reduction of his sentence.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
37. Yup
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 02:02 PM
Dec 2018

Although they have probably already presented him with the external evidence that they have.

Cosmocat

(14,559 posts)
45. Confirmation
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 03:04 PM
Dec 2018

I assume given that he will be horrible witness from a standpoint of being a lifelong scumbag, that in any potential prosecution, that they can't just have him testify to things. They will need provable information that supports any of his claims.

ffr

(22,665 posts)
34. That and exposing Mike Pence's roll in this conspiracy are about all that's left
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:45 PM
Dec 2018

before this is a wrap!

Hillary should have been resoundingly elected president, if not for 77,001 rubes who fell for the false Clinton Dynasty monikers.

Rubes!

FreepFryer

(7,077 posts)
6. Holy fuckazoley. If this is true, Michael Isikoff is busy today!
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:11 PM
Dec 2018

He recently stated that he believed the Cohen/Prague allegation was the least substantial of the dossier’s non-prurient allegations.

salin

(48,955 posts)
10. I think you mean substantiated (as in documented)
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:27 PM
Dec 2018

rather than substantial (as in really important).

FreepFryer

(7,077 posts)
11. I did mean that, but also meant substantial in terms of how much "Reality" there was to it.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:29 PM
Dec 2018

Different than how much “proof” has been produced.

Definition 1b:

substantial adjective
sub·​stan·​tial | səb-ˈstan(t)-shəl
Definition of substantial
1a : consisting of or relating to substance
b : not imaginary or illusory : REAL, TRUE
c : IMPORTANT, ESSENTIAL
2 : ample to satisfy and nourish : FULL
a substantial meal
3a : possessed of means : WELL-TO-DO
b : considerable in quantity : significantly great
earned a substantial wage
4 : firmly constructed : STURDY
a substantial house
5 : being largely but not wholly that which is specified
a substantial lie

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/substantial

salin

(48,955 posts)
13. I like the news for both words/reasons :)
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:46 PM
Dec 2018

And the knowledge that Mueller knows far more than we do.

FreepFryer

(7,077 posts)
14. Indeed. Hopefully we will know everything we need to know, and everything that should be secret...
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:46 PM
Dec 2018

...will remain so.

FarPoint

(12,288 posts)
15. In my opinion....Grammar Nazi behavior...
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:52 PM
Dec 2018

It's just not necessary here in DU...It's actually a distraction from discussion and can be demeaning..... Shall we just be nice?..I think we have plenty of negativity in our political parties to focus on instead..

salin

(48,955 posts)
17. Wasn't about grammar
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:57 PM
Dec 2018

and I rarely do this. I had seen an interview with David Corn regarding his co-author's comments re the Prague visit (and seemingly backing away). His response (Corn's) was about substantiation - so in the context of this story and this comment - I added my attempt at clarification.

Note that with the response (to my comment) - I agreed that both words applied. This was all about content - nothing about Grammar or spelling.

Oh, and is this tutting tutting any different than the behavior being tut-tutted?

PatSeg

(47,279 posts)
21. I remember Lanny Davis
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:00 PM
Dec 2018

emphatically denying that Cohen was in Prague. So I wonder if Cohen lied to his own lawyer or did his lawyer lie to the public?

PatSeg

(47,279 posts)
31. True
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:39 PM
Dec 2018

At the time, we were told that Cohen was spilling the beans on Trump, so I am surprised that he didn't fess up about the supposed trip to Prague.

PatSeg

(47,279 posts)
44. Yeah
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 02:52 PM
Dec 2018

With Cohen, it is hard to know what to believe. I'm glad he is testifying against Trump, but I don't really trust him.

Botany

(70,447 posts)
9. And no doubt with Prague being a modern city surveillance cameras must be all over the place too
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:19 PM
Dec 2018

and I'm sure Mr. Mueller knows all about this.

BTW I have read on the internet* that Jared and Ivanka were there too.

So if Cohen met and paid off hackers along with Kremlin officials in the late
Summer of 2016 at the behest of Donald Trump will that be enough to make
Trump backers give up on him?

pnwmom

(108,955 posts)
29. Yes, maybe Cohen met and paid off hackers, using the $50K that the indictment
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:28 PM
Dec 2018

said the Trump Trust reimbursed him for, for "tech services."

Botany

(70,447 posts)
35. And the Trump Trust is either campaign funds or Russia money that Cohen "washed through" Trump
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:47 PM
Dec 2018

properties and then into the Trump Trust which like the Trump foundation was just a slush fund for
the Trumps.

Do you ever stop to think this very well might be the biggest criminal operation in the history of the world?

pnwmom

(108,955 posts)
36. It might be the biggest one to ever get publicly exposed.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:55 PM
Dec 2018

Let's hope that it does get exposed.

FakeNoose

(32,594 posts)
12. Maybe this was one of his burner phones
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:37 PM
Dec 2018

Remember when the feds raided Cohen's apartment and office last year? They got all his archives of documents, his computers and something like 20 burner phones that he (for some reason) never destroyed!

We had several threads on DU speculating about the burners too. It all makes sense!

flibbitygiblets

(7,220 posts)
16. Why keep burners?
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 12:52 PM
Dec 2018

I'd like to think "because he's stupid" but he also recorded everything. What could be his reasoning?

GetRidOfThem

(869 posts)
22. You already got it...
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:01 PM
Dec 2018

...because he is not the brightest apple on the tree...

Just imagine, a lawyer cooperating with the prosecution thinking he could get a deal, without negotiating first? No cooperation agreement...

Pepsidog

(6,254 posts)
23. I would think Cohen wouldn't disclose until he absolutely had to. It's a get out of jail free card.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:13 PM
Dec 2018

Definitely a Trump card.

KPN

(15,637 posts)
25. Never ceases to amaze me how Steele's dossier
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:16 PM
Dec 2018

is underhanded, corrupt fiction while Corsi ‘s Unfit for Duty (the swiftboat book) is historical fact for deplorables.

Though it really shouldn’t. These are many of the same people who will one day be raptured.

pnwmom

(108,955 posts)
27. Thank you! This is ALMOST as good as a new indictment today,
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:25 PM
Dec 2018

which I didn't expect to see happen till after Jan. 3 anyway.

I'm so glad there seems to be confirmation of a KEY Steele dossier allegation.

salin

(48,955 posts)
33. There is something almost delish about this revelation...
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 01:42 PM
Dec 2018

more so than some others. I think it is because the second Cohen stood up and waved his passport around claiming he had never been to Prague - the whole GOP latched on to this "evidence" as THE reason to dismiss and discredit the entire dossier. It is starting to feel like there is a little echo of a tick-tock counting down the time before this all blows up (like a massive glitter bomb of truth.)

jpak

(41,756 posts)
39. All that is left now , is the pee tape
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 02:08 PM
Dec 2018

All the other Prophesies of the Dossier have come to pass....

SunSeeker

(51,513 posts)
46. Not a damn thing in that dossier has been refuted!
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 03:13 PM
Dec 2018

Maybe we don't have corroboration for the existence of the pee tape, but that is it.

FakeNoose

(32,594 posts)
49. True, but I really don't need to see that
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 03:58 PM
Dec 2018

I already know everything else in the dossier is correct. If the pee-pee tape doesn't really exist, so what!



calimary

(81,125 posts)
51. So far there's nothing in the dossier that hasn't been confirmed.
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 05:07 PM
Dec 2018

Everything that’s been examined in it so far has proven to be true.

Renew Deal

(81,847 posts)
43. This is really big news
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 02:47 PM
Dec 2018

Anything about the Prague trip is really big news because it is the missing link in the dossier.

FakeNoose

(32,594 posts)
50. AND it's the connection to Trump's campaign
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 04:05 PM
Dec 2018

It really makes me wonder why Cheeto treated Cohen so badly. Cohen can really sink him (and his whole family) with all the evidence he has. Flynn, Manafort and the other guys are just icing on the cake.

herding cats

(19,558 posts)
48. "four people with knowledge of the matter say."
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 03:29 PM
Dec 2018

Mueller would already know this, of course. It's interesting for those of us on the outside to have more confirmation of the Steele Dossier.

This journalist who works for both the Atlantic and the Guardian is working on confirmation two additional news sources have this information. If try, it helps validate McClatchy's reporting even further.

Two sources tell me that at least one major news org (perhaps two) have confirmation of the Cohen/Prague trip and are working on reports.

Replying to
@ScottMStedman
This is in addition to McClatchy’s story.



 

Perrenial Voter

(173 posts)
52. What's more, this is precisely when began using the geographic location feature on his twitter
Thu Dec 27, 2018, 06:01 PM
Dec 2018

account, which shows him being in Los Angeles. I suspect that this was a deliberate effort to lay a trail of false evidence, demonstrating that a false narrative had been planned out in advance.

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