Jennifer Rubin's theory about the Stormy Daniels matter:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

She thinks there might be a slush fund and a form NDA that Michael Cohen routinely has used on Trump's behalf to pay off a whole bunch of people. This on MSNBC just now.

[femmedem]

1. That's what I thought when I heard about the paternity section n/t

[hatrack]

17. That's what struck me about it - it's boilerplate

Just another legal template on file at the Trump Organization, with details to be filled in as the need arises.

[Nitram]

47. Me too. The paternity thing was standard, "just in case."

[writes3000]

2. Interesting theory.

[mpcamb]

43. And right out of the Nixon playbook.

[Zoonart]

3. Cohen is 2Scoops'

Bag man.

[poboy2]

4. I recall this being said a month or so ago about Cohen. That this was routine for him.

Old hat. Form a shell co., do the payoff. Standard OP for him/them.

[Achilleaze]

5. Dig Dirty Donnies* deplorable deeds

America will feel better after a massive republican enema - to clear the shit out of their systems.


* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief

[BigmanPigman]

6. Also, this is routine behavior for him.

Russia could have a ton of compromised info from when he stayed in Russia and his phones were bugged, etc. This is a huge national security issue!

[HipChick]

7. Didn't Bannon already say this? That they had to pay off hundreds of women?

[poboy2]

9. YES...I can confirm this. -nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

10. Yes, something to that effect was in Wolf's book.

But the stuff that's coming to light now makes that allegation a whole lot more credible.

[3Hotdogs]

42. You are implying there are hundreds of women so desparate for $$$, they would

even go so far as to look at that fat carcass, unclothed?

[Eliot Rosewater]

8. Over the years he has done so many vile things to so many people.

Over 3500 lawsuits and every single one of them for him not paying hard working people.

There is not a single thing about him that is good, he NEVER gave to charity EVER until he was embarrassed into doing it and even then he didnt

[gratuitous]

11. He just has a pad of NDAs

Fills in a couple of blanks for the parties, tears it off, and time to sign. Real time-saver, and he gets to bill for creating the entire agreement every time.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

15. Hell, he's got a van full of NDAs

If there is a slush fund and someone (journalist, lawyer, special prosecutor) can locate it and link it to Trump, it will be interesting to see how his evangelical supporters explain that away.

[BadgerMom]

29. He has binders full of women

and their NDAs.

[Mr. Ected]

12. So if that slush fund bank account is subpoenaed and made public

Would we be able to determine how many payoffs and to whom?

And wouldn't that be fascinating?

[Pluvious]

40. That's prolly what's in his TAX RETURNS !! (n/t)

[Tatiana]

13. I think she's right... and that there are other baby's mamas out there.

Are they porn stars? Who knows? But the paternity thing is not something one would casually include unless it was extremely relevant.

[janx]

18. See the link I posted below. At least one other porn star and

a notable "playmate" have been mentioned so far. There are probably others. He seemed to have a habit of taking them to a bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel. His bodyguard delivered them.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

19. What if it can proven that IQ45 got women pregnant and paid for their abortions?

Would that have any effect on anything? He's gotten away with stuff that would kill any other politician's career (e.g., Gary Hart, John Edwards, Eliot Spitzer) and it all seems to roll right off Trump's back.

[blue cat]

22. My guess...

Probably not.

[Tatiana]

23. If it can be proved that he made women have abortions, it hurts him.

Republicans have had to eat many issues due to Trump's hypocrisy, but I think the abortion thing is the one issue were the fundies might draw the line.

The Republicans would lose a swath of single-issue abortion voters if it came out that Trump encouraged, paid-for, or otherwise assisted women in obtaining abortions. That takes the issue completely off the table.

[dhol82]

28. If he can shoot someone on Fifth Avenue without consequence then he can insist on an abortion

and the fucking evangelicals would say boo.

[Tatiana]

32. This is the only kind of murder the fundies care about.

Illogical, but true. I have been fighting this battle with many of them for decades. There is something about abortion that makes them go insane. Death by firearm... no problem. Death by lack of health care... too bad. Death by starvation because of poverty... them's the breaks.

But they go ape$hit over abortion. Probably Falwell's legacy. I do think it is the one issue that could erode his support.

[EffieBlack]

35. Most Republican politicians proven to have paid for abortions don't fare well.

[Tatiana]

37. Even asking for one spells trouble.

Rep. Tim Murphy resigns from Congress after allegedly asking woman to have abortion

Rep. Tim Murphy said Thursday that he will resign from Congress this month, a day after the eight-term Pennsylvania Republican announced that he would not seek reelection amid a personal scandal.

“Upon further discussion with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position” effective Oct. 21, Murphy wrote in a letter to House Speaker Paul D. Ryan. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served the people of southwestern Pennsylvania and to have worked with the talented and dedicated men and women of the United States Congress.”

(more...)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/rep-tim-murphy-resigns-from-congress-after-allegedly-asking-woman-to-have-abortion/2017/10/05/7a68a414-aa08-11e7-850e-2bdd1236be5d_story.html?utm_term=.1a69766d382f

[dhol82]

38. Great, we go back to the 80s and Jerry Falwell.

ERA Ammendent goes down in flames. Roe v Wade becomes a rallying cry.
Damn.
These people are not that major a population in this country. How do they control the government?

Money!

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

48. You don't have to be in the majority to effect change, good or bad.

Remember the voting rights movement in the 60s -- the majority of the populace in the South were against the idea of "colored people" (as they were called at that time) voting. John Lewis, Martin Luther King, Jr., and a small group of like-minded individuals formed a core of people committed to changing that, first legally, then physically, then by changing the opinion of the majority.

Unfortunately, now we have a small group of determined people lead by Kris Kobach and his ilk, who are just as determined to reverse every bit of progress that has been made in the last 50-plus years. (Fuck you, Scalia, may you rot in hell for gutting the Voting Rights Act.)

As Margaret Mead said: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

[nature-lover]

30. Maybe they went to Planned Parenthood.

[spanone]

46. the evangelicals would only praise him...they have lost any moral compass they pretended to have

[Sophia4]

14. I would not be surprised at all.

[janx]

16. She is not the only one who thinks so--

especially concerning the form NDA.

Remember this article?

https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-a-playboy-model-and-a-system-for-concealing-infidelity-national-enquirer-karen-mcdougal

He had a system.

[Tatiana]

26. Yuck! He doesn't use a condom!

In the 2011 interview with In Touch Weekly, Clifford said that Trump didn’t use a condom and didn’t mention sleeping with anyone else.

Wow... good find!

[janx]

33. A link to this New Yorker article was posted here some time ago.

So I really didn't find it, but thanks. This guy had a system, as the article points out. Good source, solid reporting, as usual. Keep in mind that Trump is from NYC. People from that city know his history. It looks as if some of this stuff is rearing its head legally now.

[fierywoman]

20. Hmm ... put the body guard under supoena?

[IluvPitties]

21. I hate this presidency so much.

It pollutes our minds and senses.

[janx]

27. I agree with you so much.

This man represents everything negative about American culture, with nothing that is good about it. Just please try to remember that this is temporary. We will survive it.

[SayItLoud]

24. What will the God fearing hypocritical Evangels do when..

it's discovered that their savior on earth, The F'n MORONG paid for abortions?

I would bet there is a little Vladdy tRUMP running around Moscow and Putin knows just where the mom and kid are living.

[Mr.Bill]

31. Give him another Mulligan. n/t

[Tikki]

34. Could trump paying child support be a reason we cant see his taxes!!!!

Tikki

[EffieBlack]

36. I suspect there's a loooong list of reasons, of which this may be one.

[Ilsa]

39. He won't be able to deduct it for 2018!

I wonder how much he claimed last year?

[duforsure]

25. Jennifer is absolutely right,

She's understands well what these people are up to now. Its all caving in on them , and they are desperately trying to avoid what's coming at them all. They'll failed badly.

[LTG]

41. Granted this is all likely true, but

I’m not sure what crime was committed to investigate. If a form NDA was used it certainly is evidence of a potentially large number of affairs. No crime there.

If the slush fund was Trump’s money used by an associate to pay Trump “settlements, I not sure if that is a crime, or just more evidence of a deplorable human being.

Paying for an abortion, assuming no rape or duress, is not a crime, but has political ramifications.

Without some evidence of a crime I’m not sure a subpoena for records is likely. That could be developed through interviews but absent some evidence I’m not sure Mueller can dig very far. His mandate is to follow evidence of crimes, not social scummy, hypocritical or politically damaging behavior.

Was there something in the article? Thanks for any elucidation anyone can provide.

[world wide wally]

44. So, he gets multiple Mulligans...

And no penalties for lying, bearing false witness, stealing,...

[True Blue American]

45. Denny Hastert went to jail for paying blackmail

What is the difference here?

[Honeycombe8]

49. Well, I thought we all knew that that's a given. Right? nt

[sharedvalues]

50. I can't believe I now regularly agree with J Rubin nm