McCarthy says hush payments aren't impeachable offenses

[Zorro]

Source: NBC News

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told ABC's "This Week" that the hush payments President Donald Trump's former longtime attorney Michael Cohen made to two women before the 2016 presidential election "aren't impeachable" offenses.

Cohen pleaded guilty last year to a pair of campaign-finance violations among a longer list of felony charges. Those violations stemmed from hush money payments he made just before the 2016 election to silence two women who allege past affairs with Trump. Federal prosecutors alleged that Trump directed those payments.

This week, during his public testimony before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Cohen provided a pair of checks he said were reimbursements he received in 2017 for the hush payment to one of the women, porn star Stormy Daniels. One check was signed by the president and the other was signed by Donald Trump Jr. and Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Both were for $35,000.

"Listen, you know what concerns me? If you hire an attorney — if I hire an attorney to make sure I carry out the law, the attorney has a responsibility to tell me what's right and wrong in the process," McCarthy said. "I watched — this is a — if it’s a finance campaign, those are fines. Those aren’t impeachable in the process."

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/mccarthy-says-hush-payments-aren-t-impeachable-offenses-n978661

---

Wanna bet?

[catbyte]

1. But covering up a blow job is.

I really, really, really hate these hypocrites/treason weasels.

On edit: Apologies to actual, furry, 4-legged weasels.

[Achilleaze]

11. Republican hypocrisy is a huge stinking shithole of anti-morality

They persecute Clinton for a BJ between consenting adults. And totally look the other way when their draft-dodging casino hustling liar and cheat assaults unwilling women, and then pays them off with filthy cash he got by laundering money for the russian mob.

Sick republican morality is a curse upon the nation

[Botany]

33. But the Clinton BJ was a high enough crime for impeachment?

n/t

[PatSeg]

34. Seriously

I suppose Trump could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and THAT wouldn't be an impeachable office either. Republicans keep moving the goalpost.

[not fooled]

39. Wasn't it the lying?

Didn't pukes going after Bill Clinton claim that the impeachable offense was that he lied (over consensual sex )?

Well, dirty donnie has lied ad infinitum about not paying off the women, plus countless other lies.

That's of course not even considering all of dirty donnie's other bad conduct which the House Dems are going to investigate. There is enough to impeach on many fronts.

[forgotmylogin]

38. Campaign finance violations are subject to a fine.

Lying about campaign finance violations to the American people and instructing one's lawyer to cover them up and carry out the deed to offset culpability is fraud at a minimum.

[Zorro]

2. 'Those Weren't Concerns To Him': McCarthy Fine With Trump Granting Kushner Clearance

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said Sunday he was unconcerned with the New York Times’ report that President Donald Trump ordered that his son-in-law Jared Kushner receive a top-secret security clearance despite concerns expressed by the CIA, then-White House Counsel Don McGahn and others.

In an interview with McCarthy, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked whether Congress had the right, as Democrats have requested, to see the CIA’s concerns about Kushner’s clearance.

“I think the President has the right to pick, just as you said, whomever he wants around,” McCarthy responded.

Stephanopoulos tried again: “Does the Congress have a right to know the concerns about Jared Kushner, and why the President overruled the CIA’s concerns?”

McCarthy was dismissive.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/those-werent-concerns-to-him-mccarthy-fine-with-trump-granting-kushner-clearance

Fucking traitors.

[Zorro]

4. Trump Administration Denies President Was Behind Jared Kushner's Promotion To 4-Star General

https://politics.theonion.com/trump-administration-denies-president-was-behind-jared-1832993759

[oldsoftie]

18. HAAAAAA!!!

[jpak]

3. McCarthy can shove it

yup

[ProudLib72]

32. Whose hand is up this McCarthy's ass?

Pooty Poot's via the Rump? With a fist full of rubles?

[Brother Buzz]

5. Keven, Baby, an impeachable offense is whatever.....

a majority of the House of Representatives considers to be at a given moment in history. Just ask Gerald Ford.

[Solly Mack]

6. This from the party that thinks being black is an impeachable offense.

[raging moderate]

7. Isn't there a 1967 law against nepotism?

I thought there was a nepotism law that would have prevented Trump from stuffing his family members into all these government posts?

[LiberalFighter]

41. They got around it by not assigning them to cabinet positions or agency positions.

[EleanorR]

8. The republican party asked for Kevin's soul, and he said, here ya go.

McCarthy: There’s…there’s two people, I think, Putin pays: Rohrabacher and
Trump…[laughter]…swear to God.

Ryan: This is an off the record…[laughter]…NO LEAKS…[laughter]…alright?!
[Laughter]

Ryan: This is how we know we’re a real family here.

Scalise: That’s how you know that we’re tight.
[Laughter]

Ryan: What’s said in the family stays in the family.

[Squinch]

9. LOL. I guess they're no longer denying the hush payments.

[yaesu]

10. Hey McCarthy, YOU LIE! Well, all repugs lie every time they open their yaps so nothing new here nt

[japple]

12. You better believe they would be impeachable if Obama had made them.

eom

[ck4829]

14. Impeachment? They would have dragged Obama out of the White House at night

[ck4829]

13. So going from "Cohen is a liar" to "Cohen spoke the truth but it doesn't mean anything"?

[cstanleytech]

15. Its pretty much standard operating procedure for them these days.

[robleb]

16. Do I care what Kevin McCarthy (asshole-CA) thinks?

No I don't!

[Yonnie3]

17. Sorry Kevin, it is not up to you. n/t

[BlueIdaho]

19. It's always the coverup, never the crime.

A conspiracy to pay off Donny’s fuck toys occurred. That’s crime enough.

[Nitram]

20. McCarthy doesn't know what the fuck he is talking about. That's par for your average

GOP politician who doesn't consider campaign finance laws to be real, enforcible, laws.

[Evolve Dammit]

21. OK Mr. "I swear there are people Putin pays; Rohrbacher and Trump. But we're all family, right?.

We have a dangerous cabal on our hands.

[SWBTATTReg]

22. What/how would the hell would you know? You can't even tie your own damn shoes. Besides, ...

just give it a little more time Mr. McCarthy, you'll have lots of other evidence to consider before too long when Mueller finishes up w/ his stuff and the numerous subcommittees investigating also start wrapping up their numerous investigations, you have to be blind as a bat and clearly unpatriotic to still support this pretend, scumbag president.

Your party will also suffer serious ramifications as it should, for I feel like all of these things didn't go on in the dark by themselves as Paul Ryan told you to shut up one time when you were blabbing in the hallway.

[woundedkarma]

23. as far as I understand it...

It isn't the hush money, it isn't the blowjob, it isn't bribery, it isn't ... any other thing I think you guys mentioned.

As I understand it, (as a layman) it is considered an illegal contribution to trump's campaign and as such violates campaign finance rules. This violation is a felony.

Committing a felony of any kind should definitely be an impeachable offense. IMHO.

[beachbum bob]

24. Pretty funny...lying to the American people, telling others to commit perjury

Not impeachable?... lol

[TexasBushwhacker]

25. How the fuck would he know?

He's not an attorney or a judge. He got a degree in marketing from Cal State Bakersfield for crying out loud.

[fleabiscuit]

26. Anything the House wants to make impeachable they can. nt

[rpannier]

36. It's Why Impeachment is a Political Process, not a legal one

[happybird]

27. This is begging for the Really!?! treatment by Seth and Amy.

What an ass.

[Kensan]

28. So if the actual payments don't rise to the level of "high crimes"...

How about tax fraud? I'd be willing to bet the payments were deducted as legal expenses at Trump Org. Congratulations, you've just committed a crime at both the federal and state level at the same time.

How about discussing with Cohen the answers to provide to questions during his first Congressional Hearing? Can you say suborning perjury?

How about the answer he likely provided to Mueller's questionnaire about this specific item?

I could go on, but there's already enough here to impeach the MF'er.

[bitterross]

29. They weren't made by a Democrat, THEN they'd be impeachable offenses.

I think we all know how that works.

[rocktivity]

30. Hush money payments may not be a "high" enough crime or misdemeanor

but racketeering sure is.


rockivity

[elleng]

31. High crimes and misdemeanors

[rpannier]

35. Listen, you know what concerns me?

"Listen, you know what concerns me? If you hire an accountant — if I hire an accountant to make sure I carry out the tax law, the accountant has a responsibility to tell me what's right and wrong in the tax process,"

Said/thought hundreds of people in jail
You are responsible for your actions -- Ignorance of the law is no excuse

[The Liberal Lion]

37. ...but when Obama wore a tan suit

that was likened to high crimes by republicans.
When we saw a picture of Obama with his feet up on the Resolute Desk did they not catch the vapors?

My have times changed...

[nitpicker]

40. I think some Congresscritters live in glass houses

And are afraid of dirt being dug up on Them if they proceeded solely on the basis of payoffs.

[turbinetree]

42. Hey Kevin, can I call you Kevin, do you by some quirk of the imagination remember that other asshole

in your party Rohrabacher, when you made the comments with your former lying asshole Paul (eddie munster) Ryan, that Rohrabacher was on the take from the Russians and you and him laughed your asses off, and then Ryan said some asshole remarks about keep ing it quiet, and neither one of you did anything.

Because he could have been BLACKMAILED, and your passing laws at the time, with your corrupt right wing enabling fascist corrupt team of "REPUBLICANS, giving him and this trump asshole a free pass, because he could and more than likely in the present and even past term is being BLACKMAILED by the RUSSIANS ....................................in my book that is treason.......................so FUCK YOU and your horse that you ride on.......................and by the way your constituents that keep voting you into office are just as fucked up as you are.....................they are Russian enablers too..................

November 3, 2020 cannot get here fast enough....................

[Firestorm49]

43. Screw the "hush payments". There's a million other ways to nail him.

[kimbutgar]

44. Don'tcha ya know hush payments are impeachable if a democrat does them not a repuke?

Kevin is employing the standard response, “ iokiyar”.

Silly us to think otherwise

[maxsolomon]

45. Remember, it wasn't the Lewinsky affair itself.

it was the perjury.

Trump's lies will never be as cut-and-dried, as he never gives explicit orders. "Take care of that" is about as direct as he'd get.

With Trump, it will be the Tax Fraud.