BREAKING! FBI Raiding Michael Cohen's ofc

[RandomAccess]

Just heard it on MSNBC

[BigmanPigman]

1. Yep, "it was completely unnecessary".

So he says.

[RandomAccess]

3. Better safe than sorry

[Mariana]

32. Of course, Cohen's attorney should say exactly that.

It is his job to defend his client.

[BigmanPigman]

34. They raided his room at the Regency Hotel in NYC too.

Completelyrosecutors in Manhattan obtained the search warrant after receiving a referral from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, according to Mr. Cohen’s lawyer, who called the search “completely inappropriate and unnecessary.”

SURE! I bet Manafort said the same thing.

[Honeycombe8]

46. Yeah, right. He gave all those documents to Nunes, after all.

To be buried forever by Nunes, no doubt.

[onecaliberal]

2. About damn time

[Gothmog]

4. Yeah

[lamp_shade]

5. NYT link is in LBN

[RandomAccess]

11. LINK ---

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/us/politics/fbi-raids-office-of-trumps-longtime-lawyer-michael-cohen.html

[malaise]

6. KABOOM! Get thee to the greatest page

NOW!

[kentuck]

7. Did they move or destroy all the documents?

relating to Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels?

[spanone]

8. Ohh lala....bet there's some heavy trump shit in those files.

[malaise]

9. Will he sing like a canary to save himself

Things sure are 'stormy'!

[spanone]

12. well, trump just threw his ass under the bus on friday

[malaise]

13. And there will be no pardon

NEW YORK!!!

[spanone]

18. SAYS WHO????

[RandomAccess]

21. ROFL

My favorite video from this whole sordid experience.

Well, almost -- this one's a contender too (and I NEVER pass up a chance to post -- and watch it, even if it is slightly dated by now) --

[spanone]

25. that one is priceless

[peggysue2]

40. LOL!!

This video never gets old. May the gods take note and make it so.

[Autumn]

51. Beautiful.

[malaise]

24. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaah

hahahahahahha

[Leghorn21]

20. He sure as hell did, span - and Cohen would TAKE A BULLET for his hair-brained mob boss

HAHAAAHAAA HAAAA

What a time to be alive!!!

[spanone]

23. it will be fun watching them munch on each other

[Leghorn21]

45. Oh look, its already in Mikies wiki page!!

...”Prior to this appointment he was Executive Vice-President of the Trump Organization and special counsel to Trump.[3] Cohen also previously served as co-president of Trump Entertainment and a member of the board of the Eric Trump Foundation, a children's health charity.[4] He joined the Trump Organization after having been a partner at Phillips Nizer.[4] On 9 April 2018 the FBI raided his office in connection with a criminal investigation.[2]”




——Ohhhh yeah, this motherfucker knows everything——

[spanone]

47. 😯👍🏼

[kentuck]

31. Mueller says, "Checkmate!"

Trump says, "Oh Shit!"

Cohen says, "Please, have mercy!"

[writes3000]

10. Was it the NY Prosecutors who did it? If so, no pardons for Cohen.

[RandomAccess]

14. Ohhh, GOOD POINT

They were saying this was a way for Mueller not to accused of "mission creep" -- but you're right. That's a BIG deal. Thanks.

[malaise]

15. Yep

Heheheheh

[NastyRiffraff]

53. The NY prosecutors executed the warrant

from a "referral" from Mueller. It sounds like Mueller found something that the NY people should know and let them know.

[Pepsidog]

55. No it was United States Attorney in NY-Federal not State

[NastyRiffraff]

56. Yes, you're right

So much info streaming in, it's hard to keep up!

[Pepsidog]

60. I agree

[sunonmars]

16. The office is in Trump Tower.

[csziggy]

27. Is it on the same floor where the fire was?

[RandomAccess]

28. Looks like Stinky the Clown

called it --

"May it prove to be a predictive metaphor"
https://www.democraticunderground.com/100210462288

[BumRushDaShow]

17. K&R

[Gothmog]

19. Special teams of FBI lawyers are involved

Link to tweet

[Tommy_Carcetti]

26. Opsie Doopsie.

You're fucked, Donald.

[SeattleVet]

39. There is NO attorney-client privilege ...

when the attorney and the client are engaged in a criminal act together.

[Gothmog]

43. That is why special teams of attorneys need to review these documents

[Gothmog]

62. I learned a new legal term "taint team"

I looked for the DOJ manual but got sidetracked with this article https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-cohen-attorney-client-privilege-goes-only-so-far-n864206

Of course, this raises a thorny issue: How do the agents and prosecutors review the documents for privilege status, if the entire point of privilege is that it's not supposed to be seen by people outside the lawyer's office, particularly members of law enforcement?

The U.S. Attorney's manual proposes a solution to that conundrum: A "taint team." Also called a "privilege team," this is a group, consisting of agents and lawyers not involved in the underlying investigation, brought in to review the privileged documents.

If this sounds like a strange fix, some courts agree, and have expressly disapproved of the government's use of taint teams to review documents, including the federal court in the same district where the search of Cohen's office occurred.

Some courts have even held that where the government uses a taint team, the government bears the burden to rebut the presumption that tainted material was improperly provided to the prosecution. Other courts have suggested that it would be preferable for the privilege review to be done by magistrate judge, and not a privilege team comprised of DOJ agents and lawyers

The term privilege team is better but I will not be able to get the term taint team out of my head

[Gothmog]

63. Here the DOJ manual

Here is part of the manual https://www.justice.gov/usam/usam-9-13000-obtaining-evidence#9-13.420

9-13.420 - Searches of Premises of Subject Attorneys
NOTE: For purposes of this policy only, "subject" includes an attorney who is a "suspect, subject or target," or an attorney who is related by blood or marriage to a suspect, or who is believed to be in possession of contraband or the fruits or instrumentalities of a crime. This policy also applies to searches of business organizations where such searches involve materials in the possession of individuals serving in the capacity of legal advisor to the organization. Search warrants for "documentary materials" held by an attorney who is a "disinterested third party" (that is, any attorney who is not a subject) are governed by 28 C.F.R. 59.4 and USAM 9-19.221 et seq. See also 42 U.S.C. Section 2000aa-11(a)(3).

There are occasions when effective law enforcement may require the issuance of a search warrant for the premises of an attorney who is a subject of an investigation, and who also is or may be engaged in the practice of law on behalf of clients. Because of the potential effects of this type of search on legitimate attorney-client relationships and because of the possibility that, during such a search, the government may encounter material protected by a legitimate claim of privilege, it is important that close control be exercised over this type of search. Therefore, the following guidelines should be followed with respect to such searches:]

Here is the part dealing with privilege teams or taint teams

Review Procedures. The following review procedures should be discussed prior to approval of any warrant, consistent with the practice in your district, the circumstances of the investigation and the volume of materials seized.
Who will conduct the review, i.e., a privilege team, a judicial officer, or a special master.
Whether all documents will be submitted to a judicial officer or special master or only those which a privilege team has determined to be arguably privileged or arguably subject to an exception to the privilege.
Whether copies of all seized materials will be provided to the subject attorney (or a legal representative) in order that: a) disruption of the law firm's operation is minimized; and b) the subject is afforded an opportunity to participate in the process of submitting disputed documents to the court by raising specific claims of privilege. To the extent possible, providing copies of seized records is encouraged, where such disclosure will not impede or obstruct the investigation.
Whether appropriate arrangements have been made for storage and handling of electronic evidence and procedures developed for searching computer data (i.e., procedures which recognize the universal nature of computer seizure and are designed to avoid review of materials implicating the privilege of innocent clients).

[Bettie]

22. This makes me smile

and he seems dumb enough or arrogant enough to document it all.

[Xolodno]

36. Or smart enough....

...should Dump go down, he can plea bargain and become states witness. Otherwise, all the documents are on Dump's side and he's already thrown him under the bus.

Or...he really is a dumb ass to the highest degree.

[Gothmog]

29. The FBI raided Cohen's hotel also

Link to tweet

[kentuck]

35. After the raid on Manafort's home....

One would think that Trump and his Lawyer would have moved or destroyed any evidence of criminal activity?

[honest.abe]

30. OMG.. this is it folks.

Going for the juggler.

[ecstatic]

58. That's what I'm thinking. Mueller is super strategic, so he wouldn't be doing this now

unless it was icing on the cake or something. He has trump completely cornered, I think. Every move trump makes will make his situation worse.

[samnsara]

33. whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? ive been off news for about 2r hrs due to family stuff....

...omg omg omg!!!!

[colsohlibgal]

37. Hopefully Game Set Match

Pence is a repressed religious fanatic but not the loose cannon like the orange grifter.

[peggysue2]

41. Pence is compromised through . . .

his 'work' on the transition team and covering for Flynn. This whole crew will eventually go down. There are no innocents within the Trump circle of Hell.

Dirty, all of them.

[backtoblue]

38. Yay!!!

Buckle up!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gothmog]

42. Statement from Michael Cohen's attorney

Link to tweet

[Still In Wisconsin]

44. So, looks like Syria is in for some Shock and Awe (TM) tonight...

Gotta distract people from this news!

[Gothmog]

48. It is not Mueller but the US Attorney for SD NY doing the searches

Link to tweet

[RandomAccess]

50. Thanks for adding that

[lindysalsagal]

49. Pundits saying probable cause had to be met at a higher level to get the warrant.

They don't allow this for any small-ball stuff. They're saying that the fbi must have had real solid nasty evidence in order to get it.

[Lucinda]

54. Yep!

[avebury]

52. Kicked the door of his office

open per Washington Post reporter just know on The Beat.

[ecstatic]

57. Love it!

[duforsure]

59. They must know there has been...

...destruction of evidence already going on. It'll be discovered elsewhere too I suspect. All the documentation will prove badly against many others now, and show destruction of evidence against others.

[Gothmog]

64. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[RandomAccess]

65. Good one. For those w/out access, it says --

The Michael Cohen raid and attorney-client privilege: What is a "taint team" https://cnn.it/2qphZmy

[Gothmog]

66. Former US Attorney Preet Bharara: "The likelihood that Michael Cohen is going to be charged is high

Link to tweet