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President Donald Trump faces a potential legal and political danger when it is proven that he knew in advance a meeting between his son and campaign aides with Russians promising to promise dirt to Hillary Clinton, according to former federal prosecutors. Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, adds an explosive twist to the famous Trump Tower meeting in June 2016. Robert Mueller's investigation into whether someone in the campaign Trump conspired with Russia to interfere in the latest US presidential election
Trump and his current lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, deny that Trump knew about the meeting in advance and say that Cohen is lying. "I did not know the meeting with my son, Don jr," tweeted the president Friday morning. "It seems to me that someone is trying to tell stories to get out of an unrelated jam."
Trump said that he did not know about the Trump Tower meeting until a year later, when he dictated a statement on behalf of his son, that the discussion was mainly about a dispute over the adoption of Russian children. This proved misleading at best after revelations that the organizer of the meeting had promised information detrimental to the Russians on Clinton but the participants ended up discussing the lightening of US sanctions against the Russia.
million. Renato Mariotti, a former federal attorney who is now a partner in the Thompson Coburn LLP law firm in Chicago, could face a new legal danger in the cases that Mueller is denouncing: conspiracy with Russia for s & # s 39: Interference in Elections and Attempts to Interfere with His Inquiry
"Many Different Steps"
"Do not think that crimes are committed at a specific date and time," said Mariotti . "Typically, a white-collar crime is something that happens over a long period of time and involves many different steps."
Donald Trump Jr. could be accused of lying in Congress if Cohen's allegation is verified.
Cohen is ready to testify that he and others were present when Trump was informed of an offer of prejudicial material to Clinton prior to the June 2016 meeting, CNN said Thursday, citing people having a knowledge of the question. Adding an element of mystery about anonymous sources, Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, said in a statement to MSNBC, "I have to wonder why Trump people could put that out."
Cohen makes the subject of an investigation by the US lawyer in the southern district of New York, and FBI agents broke into his office, his house and his hotel room in April In an interview on CNN Thursday night, Giuliani labeled Cohen a "pathological liar."
This raises an important question about Cohen's claims: Who has more credibility, the president or his former attorney?
"I would not place My faith in the credibility of Michael Cohen, "said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan." The reason prosecutors earn so many convictions is that they never rely on one person. "
" You need other evidence " she said. "Cohen's statement may be a gun, but how do you support that? You look at the evidence and the surrounding circumstances. You see Trump saying, around the same day as the meeting, we will have an important speech to discuss Clinton. You look at the fact that he had a long-standing relationship with the Agalarov, who helped to organize the meeting. "
Prosecutors are also asking jurors to use their common sense," said Rocah. "Does it make sense for Trump to know about the meeting? You look at all the circumstances together and use your common sense. "
If Cohen's claims were true, Rocah agreed that Trump could have legal exposure
" If Trump knew in advance that the Russians had stolen information. and understood its importance, which puts it in danger, in legal danger, to be part of the conspiracy that the Russians were accused of defrauding the United States, "she said.
Collusion, Obstruction [19659006] Harry Sandick, former federal prosecutor at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler If the reported version of Cohen is correct, "it would be very difficult for Trump to say that there was no collusion", he said, "There would also be a charge of potential obstruction, because he tried to prevent prosecutors from knowing what had happened."
Although the charges The most serious criminals concern conspiracy and obstruction of justice, there are also minor offenses.It is illegal to knowingly solicit political contributions from foreign nationals and provide stolen emails could be considered a contribution "in nature. "The execution of a violation of
If it is the Federal Electoral Commission, it is a civil case, the heaviest sanction being a fine. The Department of Justice can lay criminal charges for deliberate violations of the federal electoral law, although its record of successful convictions has been mixed. The maximum penalty for violation of electoral laws is five years imprisonment, according to the offense.
If Cohen testifies that Trump has repeatedly lied about his knowledge of the Trump Tower meeting, it could put Trump Jr. in legal jeopardy. 19659004] The President's son testified before Congress that he did not tell his father, according to a transcript issued by the Judiciary Committee of the Senate
"Have you informed your father of the meeting or the underlying offer before the meeting? " Trump Jr. was asked. "No, I did not do it," he replied.
"Blocked" Number
Democrats within the House Intelligence Committee, however, said that Trump Jr. was in contact with a "stuck" number while he was in the middle of organizing the Trump Tower meeting with Russian contact, Emin Agalarov. When asked about this, the young Trump testified that he did not know who owned the blocked number.
Trump's main residence at the time – Trump Tower – had a stuck number, according to a separate testimony from Corey's committee. Lewandowski
Lying in Congress is a crime punishable by five years in prison.
Cohen could face legal problems if he did not tell the truth to the intelligence committees of the House and Senate when he was questioned. in their Russian polls.
The biggest problem for the president is politics. His own longtime lawyer portraying him as a liar of collusion with Russia would hurt the president's account that the Russian investigation is a "witch hunt" invented by Democrats as a pretext for losing the election presidential election
. many badysts to reclaim the House of Representatives, allegations reported by Cohen could bring the needle closer to the indictment – a possibility that Democratic leaders have downplayed until now – and at a minimum will reinvigorate efforts to investigate what happened.
The Trump Tower meeting figures all escaped the lights of a public hearing, while Republicans have recently formed much of their fire on the Justice Department, not Trump.
They can all expect a very different treatment
"If recent reports are true that President Trump knew in advance about the Trump Tower 2016 meeting, he suggests Donald Trump Jr. may have misled the staff of the Judiciary Committee about the meeting when he was interviewed last fall, "said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Democratic's highest-level member of the Judiciary Committee. Senate, in a statement. "This further demonstrates the need to bring it before the committee to answer our questions."
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