Cohen received $500k through Oligarch front company

[_MeDotOrg]

From The New York Times:

A shell company that Michael D. Cohen used to pay hush money to a pornographic film actress received payments totaling more than $1 million from an American company linked to a Russian oligarch and several corporations with business before the Trump administration, according to documents and interviews.

Financial records reviewed by The New York Times show that Mr. Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer and longtime fixer, used the shell company, Essential Consultants L.L.C., for an array of business activities that went far beyond what was publicly known. Transactions adding up to at least $4.4 million flowed through Essential Consultants starting shortly before Mr. Trump was elected president and continuing to this January, the records show.

Among the previously unreported transactions were payments last year of about $500,000 from Columbus Nova, an investment firm in New York whose biggest client is a company controlled by Viktor Vekselberg, the Russian oligarch. A lawyer for Columbus Nova, in a statement on Tuesday, described the money as a consulting fee that had nothing to do with Mr. Vekselberg.

Other transactions described in the financial records include hundreds of thousands of dollars Mr. Cohen received from Fortune 500 companies with business before the Trump administration, as well as smaller amounts he

AT&T gave Cohen $200 grand. Listen to their explanation:

"Essential Consulting was one of several firms we engaged in early 2017 to provide insights into understanding the new administration," AT&T said Tuesday evening. "They did no legal or lobbying work for us, and the contract ended in December 2017."

So, you got that? No lobbying. Just ''insights and understanding". I spell a political corruption trial here. It's just amazing how much insight and understanding Michael Cohen seem to acquire after January 20, 2017.

If you ask me, Cohen is screwed, blued and tattooed. As one talking head said tonight, 'this is where the streams cross', the nexus of Trump's political and social corruption. Read the Times article about Cohen's background, and you can see the Nexus between Ukrainians, Russians, and the Russian underworld.

And, oh, by the way, the United States reneged on the Iran Treaty. In my mind it has become a race between how much damage Trump can do to this country before he is removed from office.

[_Jersey Girl]

Just off the top of my head, I think there's a good chance this guy is going to jail. We'll see...

[_subgenius]

I spell a political corruption trial here.

and back in 2009 what did you smell?

In Kiev and Kharkiv and other cities in Ukraine, American political consultants who worked against one another in Iowa and New Hampshire and then in the general election are facing off again in a somewhat surreal Eastern European replay of the 2008 campaign.

The firm headed by Hillary Clinton’s former chief strategist, Mark Penn, is helping run incumbent President Victor Yushchenko’s campaign. Meanwhile Paul Manafort, whose firm worked on Republican John McCain’s losing effort, and Tad Devine, a top strategist on the Democratic presidential campaigns of Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, are consulting for Victor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian frontrunner in the polls.
...
Chicago-based media consulting firm AKPD, the contract to help guide Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s campaign is part of a new, growth area of business that presented itself after the firm helped Barack Obama win the White House last fall.

https://www.politico.com/story/2009/11/ ... oad-029410

the political convenience for your olfactory concerns is not obscured by your sudden hair-fire.

[_MissTish]

"Mr. Cohen, a Bebe Rebozo is on the other line for you."

[_EAllusion]

Even if you ignore the Russia angle, the level of corruption that is being exposed is just staggering. I don't know if I mentioned it before on this board, but something that gets me is that Harding is often considered one of the worst US presidents because of Teapot Dome and we have Teapot Dome or worse level scandals coming out of this administration regularly.

A younger version of me didn't expect to live through the most corrupt presidency. You have this hope/expectation that things would just get gradually better and better.

[_EAllusion]

It's probably a good time to remind that a donor to Hillary Clinton's husband's AIDs charity tried to leapfrog the process to receive a special passport to secure a hostage release with N. Korea and this was treated in the press and by folks like subgenius as a major scandal revealing the dark depths of Clinton's ongoing corruption and limitless conflicts of interest.

Or, you know, that time Obama wore a tan suit.

[_Res Ipsa]

The legend holds that the band on the Titanic played Nearer My God to Thee as the ship went down. Actually, it played the popular Jim Morrison tune “Come on Baby Light My Hair on Fire.”

[_subgenius]

Even if you ignore the Russia angle, the level of corruption that is being exposed is just staggering. I don't know if I mentioned it before on this board, but something that gets me is that Harding is often considered one of the worst US presidents because of Teapot Dome and we have Teapot Dome or worse level scandals coming out of this administration regularly.

A younger version of me didn't expect to live through the most corrupt presidency. You have this hope/expectation that things would just get gradually better and better.

Teapot Dome had actual evidence, all you have on this thread is speculation, nay, a hopeful belief, for corruption on someone who is not even a member of the Executive Branch...or any other Branch.

[_Some Schmo]

Finding out AT&T was making payments to Essential Consulting is a little like it would be if you found out McDonald's french fries cause cancer. You didn't know that fact before, but it isn't the least bit surprising.

Or, put another way, you knew they'd kill you, you just weren't sure how exactly.

[_moksha]

The firm headed by Hillary Clinton’s former chief strategist, Mark Penn, is helping run incumbent President Victor Yushchenko’s campaign. Meanwhile Paul Manafort, whose firm worked on Republican John McCain’s losing effort, and Tad Devine, a top strategist on the Democratic presidential campaigns of Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, are consulting for Victor Yanukovych

Not to worry, Victor Yanukovych who was running against the pro-Russian candidate was poisoned with dioxin which ended up not killing him, but left him pockmarked.



Glad the Russians did not resort to that for Hillary.