Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

babylonsister

(171,057 posts)
Sat Jan 13, 2018, 10:36 PM Jan 2018

Paying a Pornstar Hush Money Would Have Ended Any Other Presidency

https://www.gq.com/story/porn-star-hush-money-presidency

Paying a Pornstar Hush Money Would Have Ended Any Other Presidency
By Luke Darby
9 hours ago
But for Trump, it's just a Friday.


On Friday, Wall Street Journal dropped a report that shortly before the 2016 election, Donald Trump's long-time lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid off an adult film star who was planning to speak to go public with claims that she and Trump had an affair years ago. Per the Journal:

A lawyer for President Donald Trump arranged a $130,000 payment to a former adult-film star a month before the 2016 election as part of an agreement that precluded her from publicly discussing an alleged sexual encounter with Mr. Trump, according to people familiar with the matter.

Michael Cohen, who spent nearly a decade as a top attorney at the Trump Organization, arranged payment to the woman, Stephanie Clifford, in October 2016 after her lawyer negotiated the nondisclosure agreement with Mr. Cohen, these people said.

Ms. Clifford, whose stage name is Stormy Daniels, has privately alleged the encounter with Mr. Trump took place after they met at a July 2006 celebrity golf tournament on the shore of Lake Tahoe, these people said. Mr. Trump married Melania Trump in 2005.


Other news organizations have followed up with stories that seem to corroborate the Journal's reporting, but, honestly, Trump could probably skate by this without bothering to deny any of it. There's been no shortage of botched crises or outright scandals already during his short tenure as president. He's said that he doesn't want non-white immigrants coming to the U.S., insulted a major ally over the physical location of an embassy, and decreed that oil companies can drill off the coast of every state—except, of course, swing states.

And those are just this week. But one of Trump's greatest assets is this unending siege of bad ideas, bad policy, and bad news. It's such a wall of noise around him that no one racist gaffe or nakedly greedy decision sticks to him for very long. It keeps his critics from being able to focus on one thread for longer than a news cycle and frees his supporters to brush off any criticism: The left is always calling Trump racist or corrupt or inept, they need to get a new line.

That's not to claim that he's masterminding an endless stream of scandals to keep himself safe. He's just so well-suited to the modern political environment that he could just stumble through this and be totally fine—because he's been stumbling blindly this whole time and remained totally fine.
15 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Paying a Pornstar Hush Money Would Have Ended Any Other Presidency (Original Post) babylonsister Jan 2018 OP
The complicit repugs are in charge of every branch of government, including the House which has to.. brush Jan 2018 #1
Yeah. If Obama had even been pictured being friendly with a porn star it would be front SweetieD Jan 2018 #2
Republicans love Trump's alpha male persona. IluvPitties Jan 2018 #3
Yes exactly. Willie Pep Jan 2018 #7
I don't disagree, but it isn't just males Cosmocat Jan 2018 #13
Yup RhodeIslandOne Jan 2018 #4
Who would have thought that the antedote for any political crime would be russian mobster $$? lindysalsagal Jan 2018 #5
No it wouldn't have. dawg Jan 2018 #6
THIS Cosmocat Jan 2018 #14
EXACTLY. MariaCSR Jan 2018 #15
'Cause of the traitorous monsters Cha Jan 2018 #8
Bingo dalton99a Jan 2018 #9
it's hardly a blip on the trump scale spanone Jan 2018 #10
Eh, maybe and maybe not. Calista241 Jan 2018 #11
And, any other civilized country would not tolerate Trump's blatant racism. L. Coyote Jan 2018 #12

brush

(53,771 posts)
1. The complicit repugs are in charge of every branch of government, including the House which has to..
Sat Jan 13, 2018, 10:43 PM
Jan 2018

initiate impeachment proceedings.

These gutless, craven cowards don't care about the country, just getting their agenda done, which trump will sign where instructed.

SweetieD

(1,660 posts)
2. Yeah. If Obama had even been pictured being friendly with a porn star it would be front
Sat Jan 13, 2018, 10:45 PM
Jan 2018

page news for weeks, let alone if there was a story that he paid one off and had an affair while Michelle was pregnant. With this story no one seems to care because it is Trump.

Willie Pep

(841 posts)
7. Yes exactly.
Sun Jan 14, 2018, 05:14 AM
Jan 2018

I think many Trump supporters, particularly the male ones, want to be like him. He is their idea of what they would do if they were really rich. "Man, if I were rich I would have everything covered in gold, get a hot Eastern European wife old enough to be my daughter and bang porn stars on the side."

lindysalsagal

(20,679 posts)
5. Who would have thought that the antedote for any political crime would be russian mobster $$?
Sat Jan 13, 2018, 11:12 PM
Jan 2018

As long as you feed it to the ruling party leaders.....

dawg

(10,624 posts)
6. No it wouldn't have.
Sun Jan 14, 2018, 01:03 AM
Jan 2018

It would have ended any Democratic Presidency.

It would not have ended *any* Republican Presidency.

Republicans don't care. They support their own, even to the point of treason.

That's why Reagan was "teflon". That's why Dipshit Donnie is "teflon". That's why W was allowed to get away with misleading the country into war.

There's nothing special about these men that makes them "teflon".

Just the (R) beside their names.

Calista241

(5,586 posts)
11. Eh, maybe and maybe not.
Sun Jan 14, 2018, 10:10 AM
Jan 2018

JFK had a steady stream of girlfriends moving in and out of the White House. It’s only recently that our candidates have had to be this virtuous character.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Paying a Pornstar Hush Mo...