John Dean: cohen is signaling prosecutors he is ready to talk.

[triron]

Link to tweet

[MLAA]

1. Crazy Cat?

[lagomorph777]

11. A cat like this

[MLAA]

32. Perfect!

[Leghorn21]

2. Thank you, triron, thank you Mr. Dean (who should kinda know about these things, I hear!)!

I’m just here remaining calm.........kinda.......

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Or signalling Trump to pay the balance of his bill ASAP via wiring of funds.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

5. Or make with the pardon, quick like

I trust John Dean but I don’t see how Cohen has to signal anything to the prosecutor.

Rile up trump and force his hand against what his legal advisers are saying? Yeah.

[triron]

6. Cohen would then be even more free to testify.

Doubt that.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

9. You may be right.

Or trump may realize this is the guy that can bury him so he pardons him anyway. Cohen refuses to testify based on attorney client privilege. Then that goes all the way to the Supreme Court if need be.

They probably have enough on trump anyway without Cohen. I just wish they would use it.

[grantcart]

14. Once pardoned he loses his right to not to self incriminate

And would face legal jeapordy for refusing to testify.

He also faces a mountain of state charges.

Working with fed and state prosecutors is his only way forward.

That is why Trump stopped paying legal fees.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

30. Why can't Trump pardoned him for any criminal charges brought as a result of contempt of court?

And if New York doesn’t change their law anytime soon, a federal pardon will preclude any state charges due to their very defendant friendly double jeopardy law

[zentrum]

19. Exactly.

It's a weird way of saying he's ready to talk. Smells fishy to me.

[JI7]

33. Someone on msnbc said it's unlikely because he said he believes Russia did

Interfere in the election. And if he wanted something from trump he wouldn't say that plus some other things which went against what trump has said.

That more is about his own reputation.

[PoliticAverse]

4. You don't need to "signal" a prosecutor that your lawyer is free to talk to...

you may need to "signal" someone you don't want to be seen (and/or can't be) having any contact with.

[FakeNoose]

12. He made the same move that Michael Flynn made just before he flipped

This is finally moving forward, now we need to get Manafort!



Go Robert Mueller!

Link: http://www.businessinsider.com/michael-cohen-ends-joint-defense-agreement-trump-flynn-mueller-2018-7

[RainCaster]

21. To hell with Manafort

Mueller doesn't need him. Let the traitor rot in jail.

[Mr.Bill]

23. Manafort is too wrapped up with the Russians.

He knows damn well they will kill everyone in his family.

[zentrum]

20. Agreed.

[awesomerwb1]

7. Couldn't he just have his lawyer tell the Federal agencies

to pick a song to sing to?

I don't get this need to have to publicly send a signal he's willing to cooperate.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

8. The for-real signal would be a negotiation for a proffer.

His lawyers would tell the prosecutors that Cohen has information to provide, and then a written proffer agreement would be drafted in which he'd agree to provide the prosecution with useful information. The statements he makes in accordance with the proffer can't be used against him if there is a subsequent trial instead of a guilty plea, but the government could introduce statements he made during plea negotiations if his trial testimony or defense arguments were inconsistent with those statements.

Dean makes the point that regardless of what Cohen might be trying to signal (if his signal is directed at Trump), if Trump does anything for him at this point, like pay his legal fees, and then Cohen clams up, the big neon "Obstruction Of Justice" sign would start flashing. It's too late for Trump to help Cohen, if he had ever intended to in the first place.

[triron]

10. Dean is savvy.

[zentrum]

27. It's too late in Normal-World.

But not in Trump-World. He seems free to do anything, say opposing things in one hour, lie, encourage violence and on and on and on——and the GOP and his base ignore all of it. There are no consequences for him. He can break laws, abuse children, none of it matters or is stopped. Especially now with a new Supreme Court Justice.

[pnwmom]

13. Why couldn't he have just picked up the phone instead of sending signals?

More likely he was trying to signal DT, who he couldn't just phone.

[MontanaMama]

17. Right?? Maybe he should just

pick up the phone and call the orange dotard...I mean if Stuttering John Melendez can call AF1, anybody can do it.

[eleny]

15. According to Bob Ney on the radio today Cohen's lawyers have stopped talking to Trump's

And asserted that this is significant.

[triron]

16. Dr. Dena Grayson thinks he's already flipped.

Link to tweet

[eleny]

18. A good start for the week!

[Xipe Totec]

22. Biggest hint was when he tossed his trump card in the discard pile. nt

[redstatebluegirl]

24. You have to wonder if Cohen's wife told him she was not ready to sacrifice

their family for the Orange wonder.

[YOHABLO]

25. It could be a cry for financial help from the likes of the Mercers et al

[oasis]

26. Danny Cevallos of MSNBC is working overtime spinning the opposite.

He's their resident legal "ANAL"lyst

[hughee99]

28. If Cohen wants to let prosecutors know that

He’s ready to talk he doesn’t need Stephanopolous to do it.

[matt819]

29. I wonder whether he's already started talking

And the current rash of family/country and interviews is all after the fact.

Whatever the timing, I hope he has the kind of dirt that will stick to trump and his sycophants and begin to crack the cult.

[Scurrilous]

31. K&R