An MO For Other More Serious Crimes

First, bribe money can be laundered from the "client" through the lawyer as fictitious legal services. The lawyer can issue bogus invoices to the client in amounts sufficient to cover bribe payments, a commission to the lawyer, and a gross-up for any taxes the lawyer would have to pay on the fee income (bagmen, after all, don't want to be stuck paying taxes on amounts they pay out as bribes). Sound familiar?

Second, by disguising the bribes as payments for legal fees, businesses can try to write them off as expenses (bribes are not deductible). This is tax evasion, of course, but it is common practice for the corrupt. Third, the lawyer-client relationship can be an impediment to law enforcement. It can be very difficult for prosecutors to pierce what appears on the surface to be a legitimate attorney-client relationship.

So now we have Giuliani confirming that this is exactly how Trump and Cohen operated. Hush money to Stormy Daniels is one thing and certainly raises potential serious campaign finance violations, but she is not a public official. What I find most significant about Rudy's admission is what it says about the nature of the relationship between Trump and Cohen and how it suggests an M.O. for other more serious crimes.

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We now have serious SDNY public corruption prosecutors and FBI agents in possession of a massive amount of electronic data from his bagman. They likely already have all of his financial records as well. And Rudy has now given them the roadmap for how Trump may have laundered bribes through Cohen as purported legal fees or retainer payments. Every invoice Cohen has ever issued to Trump is suspect. Every corrupt payment Cohen has ever made or facilitated to building inspectors, councilmen, pornstars, or whomever can potentially be tied back to Trump. In addition, I suspect Trump and his kids had a false sense of comfort that their communications with Cohen would be privileged. I am convinced this is why Trump and his family are freaking out about the Cohen raid and the possibility he could flip. The SDNY is sitting on the mother lode of evidence and Rudy has given them the connection between purported legal fees and payments by Cohen to third parties.

"I never thought $130,000 -- I know this sounds funny to people there at home," he said. "I never thought $130,000 was a real payment; it's a nuisance payment. When I settle this, when it was real or a real possibility, it's a couple million dollars, not $130,000."

 The CIA clarified that Pompeo, an Army veteran, did not serve in the Gulf War, as frequently reported. Pompeo failed to disclose his Chinese business connections in confirmation paper work.  Pompeo was opposed to the Iran deal, but now says he will look at a "fix" rather than killing it. Samantha Bee has a succinct presentation on our new Secretary of State.

And a lot of other things.  This just happened on Hannity.  Avenatti is on Lawerence taking a victory lap.