US Politics December 2018: ~very legal and very cool~

Had no idea this was an hereditary position before today. Mind blown.

if it weren't for the fact that he needs a forever wall to fire up his idiots, i'd have expected trump to declare victory by now, adding a beautiful imaginary 2000-mile wall to his list of accomplishments that no other president has ever approached

maybe it has the same stealth technology as those fighter jets you literally can't see

admiring trump’s business acumen should be carceral offence in its own right

lotta thred titles in there

I would be honestly surprised if someone in the long train of Trump associates facing charges doesn't explicitly attempt a defense based upon having been brainwashed by what they now recognize to be a very bad and evil cult of personality.

Pauley: Cohen's cooperation "does not wipe the slate clean."

"This court ... believes a significant term of imprisonment" is justified, Pauley says.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) December 12, 2018

BREAKING: Cohen is sentencing to 36 months of imprisonment.

— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) December 12, 2018

eek

36 months is significant for a white man, yes

i bet he's out in less than 18

He'll have a lot more time to think about ways he could have cooperated more and/or earlier.

If it's a federal sentence, he has to serve 30 months and a few days absent a pardon.

36 months is significant for a white man, yes

was gonna say

It's federal.

In evaluating the 36 month sentence of Michael Cohen, remember:
1. The system CANNOT work if people don't plead guilty
2. People don't plead guilty without credit
3. The system also doesn't work without cooperators.

That's why even extremely imperfect cooperators get credit.

— ThankYouForNotSmockingHat (@Popehat) December 12, 2018

This, despite the outrage about it certain to ensue, is 100% typical for this type of case.

Not for, you know, people who can't afford hefty bail, but MURIKAhttps://t.co/4ztHa2WBjW

— ThankYouForNotSmockingHat (@Popehat) December 12, 2018

Also, just compare to Manafort, who's facing something like 20+ years already. Cohen and his team are probably thinking "3 years, off the hook otherwise? We'll take that."

tbf Manafort's list of crimes was considerably longer

you only do your first day and your last day, kid
*takes cig from behind ear, lights it, inhales deeply*

And pretty spiteful, considering they were going on while our boy was on trial lol

Xp

“He’ll also be shelling out a considerable amount of money: forfeiting $500,000, $1.4 million in restitution and a $50,000 fine.”

still a shorter sentence than Reality Winner

Cohen can also get hooked up if they recommend he be sentenced to a low security federal camp.. not quite club fed but close. I assume since he's a nonviolent offender and his sentence is kinda low he'd go there.

WORST LAWYER

admiring trump’s business acumen should be carceral offence in its own right

considering Cohen's main business was sitting on his arse and collecting money for licensing out a title to people who did an actual job, this tracks just fine

This tweet may have aged more poorly than any tweet in human history pic.twitter.com/dojbUoVWpz

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 12, 2018

Well well

#BREAKING: SDNY has reached a non-prosecution agreement w/ American Media, Inc. (National Enquirer, US Weekly, etc). As part of the agreement, AMI admitted that its "principle purpose" in paying Karen McDougal "was to suppress [her] story" in order to "influence the election."

— Caroline Orr (@RVAwonk) December 12, 2018

This coming after Cohen's sentencing is verrrry interesting. Also means that Trump Org's Weisselberg is the next obvious link, and like Packer/AMI there were already reports of negotiations/immunity with SDNY.

Cohen: sad man in him room

(Reuters/Jane Rosenberg) pic.twitter.com/xWhIqXZGnV

— Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) December 12, 2018

This coming after Cohen's sentencing is verrrry interesting.

yeah, directly contradicts Trump's blathering about these payments being a "private transaction"

Michael Cohen in court today, via courtroom sketch artist pic.twitter.com/BjnhXJ4z9s

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/svershbow/status/1072926286031523840

Also...

COHEN rep Lanny Davis says he’s ready to talk to Congress about Trump *after* Mueller finishes his investigation, suggests there’s more to tell. pic.twitter.com/NOlciiBSqx

— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) December 12, 2018

that doesn't seem particularly helpful

Cohen looks more like Manafort in those court drawings.

Just a reminder that Cohen, the Deputy Finance Chair of the RNC, is heading to prison.

The farm bill rule — which unrelatedly blocks Yemen resolutions from getting a vote — is narrowly adopted 206-203.

I believe five Democrats voted for the rule, saving Republicans from a self-inflicted failure.

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) December 12, 2018

It's 2pm

NBC reporting Trump has not yet come to work today.

— Adam Parkhomenko (@AdamParkhomenko) December 12, 2018

:O

Rolled into the office around noon. https://t.co/7GENTKdWmz

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) December 12, 2018

C/D: Sashaying into work 45 minutes late with a coffee in one hand and a delicious breakfast sandwich in the other?

he's just doing us all a favor

maybe he's got the shits

This would be the perfect time to impeach him.

The massive inefficiency with which the WH is run, which then extends to all departments of government, is one of the few saving graces of this administration. Imagine the damage that would be inflicted on us if Trump were ruthlessly efficient at implementing the agenda he espoused during the campaign. The stumblebum, ramshackle manner in which he runs things is a blessing.

so v true

he's absolutely a fascist, but luckily he is a totally incompetent fascist

remember that Cohen was Hannity's lawyer too

how easy would it be for this asshole to coast to a second term if he were even a bit less messy xp

NARRATOR: He coasted easily to a second term

I don't think he's gonna coast, this election is going to be insane