Rep. Gaetz threatens Michael Cohen ahead of public hearing

[GMDino]

This is beyond the pale. (Bold mine)

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/26/matt-gaetz-michael-cohen-1189581

Quote:Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, threatened Michael Cohen on Tuesday with the release of damaging personal information, the latest in a string of increasingly aggressive attacks on Trump's former lawyer as he testifies before Congress this week.



"Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot...," Gaetz, a sitting Florida congressman, wrote on Twitter on Tuesday afternoon.

Gaetz's tweet came one day before Cohen is scheduled to testify publicly before the House Oversight Committee. Cohen is planning to offer up potentially damaging informationabout the president to Congress, including a document that he claims will show the president engaged in criminal conduct related to a hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, according to a person familiar with his planned testimony. Gaetz is not on the Oversight panel.


Still, the remarkable online threat prompted immediate speculation about potential consequences for Gaetz. Some raised the prospect that Gaetz could be in legal trouble, while others warned he could face serious backlash from his colleagues in Congress.


"I encourage all Members to be mindful that comments made on social media or in the press can adversely affect the ability of House Committees to obtain the truthful and complete information necessary to fulfill their duties," Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement, adding that the House Ethics Committee should "vigilantly monitor these types of statements, which may not be protected by the speech or debate clause."

Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, called Gaetz's remarks "despicable."


"We will not respond to Mr. Gaetz’s despicable lies and personal smears, except to say we trust that his colleagues in the House, both Republicans and Democrats, will repudiate his words and his conduct," Davis said in a statement. "I also trust that his constituents will not appreciate that their congressman has set a new low — which in today’s political culture is hard to imagine.”


Gaetz shot back when reporters asked about the tweet: "This isn't witness tampering, it's witness testing."



Later Tuesday, during brief remarks on the House floor, Gaetz defended himself. "I think it is entirely appropriate for any member of this body to challenge the truthfulness and veracity and character for the people who have a history of lying and have a future that undoubtedly contains nothing but lies," he said. 


"That is the story of Michael Cohen. We’ll see it play out tomorrow and I for one can’t wait to get to the bottom of things."


The White House and Trump's outside allies have launched a fierce counter-offensive against Cohen, arguing that he can’t be trusted because he pleaded guilty to, among other things, lying to Congress. Cohen is slated to report to prison in May for a three-year sentence.


“Disgraced felon Michael Cohen is going to prison for lying to Congress and making other false statements,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement Tuesday. “Sadly, he will go before Congress this week and we can expect more of the same. It’s laughable that anyone would take a convicted liar like Cohen at his word, and pathetic to see him given yet another opportunity to spread his lies.”

Cohen was once one of Trump's most loyal aides, having worked alongside him for more than a decade. But the two men had a drawn-out, public falling out in the aftermath of the FBI's raid of Cohen's office last year, after which Cohen made it clear he was willing to cooperate with authorities.


Trump has sometimes employed the lingo of mafia bosses to deride Cohen, referring to him as a “rat” last year on Twitter. The president has also appeared to suggest that investigators should look into Cohen’s father-in-law.

The person familiar with Cohen’s testimony said Cohen plans to discuss the president’s critical tweets — which he believes amount to witness intimidation — during his appearances before Congress.


In a text message to POLITICO earlier Tuesday, Giuliani challenged Cohen on the notion that the president’s comments on Twitter amounted to witness intimidation, arguing he was simply pointing to allegations in the public domain.



Giuliani then forwarded links to a half dozen news articles dating to the spring of 2018 — published in the weeks after the FBI raided Cohen’s home, office and hotel room — alleging the former Trump lawyer's business dealings had ties to the mob.



In a subsequent text message 15 minutes later, Giuliani added, “Remember the father in law was convicted of tax crimes in 1993 in an investigation involving money laundering."


Even some of Cohen’s former colleagues turned on him Tuesday.


“I think it’s pretty difficult to figure out when Michael Cohen is lying and when he’s telling the truth. We know that from what he’s plead guilty to and we know that from the things he’s running away from,” Michael Caputo, a former Trump adviser predating his run for the presidency, told POLITICO .

“I think the senators and the congressmen on Capitol Hill have a lot to work through,” Caputo added. “Trying to decide what is actually factual is the biggest challenge they have with Michael Cohen. I wish him well in his next life. And I think he looks good in orange.”


Caputo, who has been a witness in the Mueller and congressional probes, said he was surprised by Cohen’s guilty plea and the concession that he lied to Congress. “The things he’s said and accused the president of, I didn’t think he’d do this. I didn’t find him the kind of person that would be so dishonest and so disloyal. But since he’s chosen that path, I’d like to urge him along it because we know where it ends up.”


One person familiar with the thinking inside the White House about Cohen's testimony said the only concern aides have is that "anecdotal things" could come out that "might be embarrassing." But this person insisted that "there’s significant less concern" about any new substantive allegations emerging, despite Cohen's plans to essentially call Trump a criminal.


But it was Gaetz's commentary that got people talking on Tuesday. The congresman's past Republican colleague in the Florida House, former Miami state Rep. J.C. Planas, jokingly compared Gaetz on Twitter to a mafia figure. “Matt Gaetz may also just show up at the hearing with Cohen’s brother like in Godfather 2,” Planas wrote.


It’s the second Godfather reference from a Florida Republican in the cases connected to Trump. The president’s former adviser, Roger Stone — who was indicted for lying to Congress and witness tampering — allegedly threatened a witness by mentioning the suicide of the movie character “Frankie Five Angels” Pentangeli. In the film, the character had been set to testify against the Corleone crime family, but opted instead to kill himself after his brother from Sicily was brought in to see him.

Cohen testified privately on Tuesday before the Senate Intelligence Committee and was scheduled to appear in a closed-door session on Thursday before the House Intelligence Committee.

[SunsetBengal]

So, you have issue with a Congressman questioning the character and ethics of a proven liar? I mean, if he is already convicted of lying to the FBI and Congress, what's to believe about him now?

[*bfine32*]

Uncalled for. Let him testify and then base in on merit and source.

[GMDino]

(02-26-2019, 11:31 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: So, you have issue with a Congressman questioning the character and ethics of a proven liar?  I mean, if he is already convicted of lying to the FBI and Congress, what's to believe about him now?

I have a question of an sitting Congressman speaking that way with anyone.  He wasn't "questioning" him.  He was threatening him.  Sad.

If Cohen lies again he gets more jail time.  Pretty simple.

[*bfine32*]

(02-27-2019, 12:08 AM)GMDino Wrote: I have a question of an sitting Congressman speaking that way with anyone.  He wasn't "questioning" him.  He was threatening him.  Sad.

If Cohen lies again he gets more jail time.  Pretty simple.

Let's go with being against any sitting Congressman that threatens anyone. You good with that? 

[GMDino]

(02-27-2019, 12:22 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Let's go with being against any sitting Congressman that threatens anyone. You good with that? 

Isn't that what I said?

(02-27-2019, 12:08 AM)GMDino Wrote: I have a question of an sitting Congressman speaking that way with anyone.

 

The rest was in response to Sunset saying he was "questioning his character".

[*bfine32*]

(02-27-2019, 12:33 AM)GMDino Wrote: Isn't that what I said?

 

The rest was in response to Sunset saying he was "questioning his character".

Cool, just making sure we agree. Just imagine if a sitting congressman threatened POTUS. We'd both be outraged. 

Agreeing is fun. 

[BrownAssClown]

(02-26-2019, 11:31 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: So, you have issue with a Congressman questioning the character and ethics of a proven liar?  I mean, if he is already convicted of lying to the FBI and Congress, what's to believe about him now?

Yes, I have a problem with it. If the PROVEN liar has DOCUMENTATION to back up his testimony tomorrow, Mr. Gaetz should keep his mouth shut. No one should be intimidated not to testify no matter who they are; what is Mr.Gaetz so afraid of? Let Congress and the American people decide if Cohen is "lying". This kind of intimidation, in my book, borders on witness tampering and being a borderline criminal offense.

[BmorePat87]

(02-26-2019, 11:31 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: So, you have issue with a Congressman questioning the character and ethics of a proven liar?  I mean, if he is already convicted of lying to the FBI and Congress, what's to believe about him now?

Questioning would have been fine. What he did was straight up threaten to expose extramarital affairs hours before Cohen testified. 

Big difference. 

[GMDino]

(02-27-2019, 12:37 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Cool, just making sure we agree. Just imagine if a sitting congressman threatened POTUS. We'd both be outraged. 

Agreeing is fun. 

I'm guessing this is going somewhere that will distract from what the OP was about and make it about someone going after your boy DJT.

But if you wish please continue.

[BmorePat87]

Cohen's opening remarks:

https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/27/politics/cohen-testimony-read/index.html

Highlights include:

-Cohen addresses credibility issues, says he's providing evidence to prove he is not lying.

- "He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat."

- Trump knew Roger Stone was talking to Julian Assange to find out when the DNC emails would leak

- He has a physical copy of a personal Check from Trump, written after he was president, to repay Cohen for paying off Stormy

-He arranged for someone to buy a portrait of himself, repaid them using his charity, and then hung the portrait up at one of his golf clubs

-Cohen says that negotiations with Moscow continued months into Trump's presidency, beginning during the Iowa caucus. Cohen said Trump did it because he didn't think he'd win and figured he'd make hundreds of millions from a Trump Tower in Russia. Trump never told him directly to lie about Congress, but had his other lawyers edit Cohen's statements before Congress. During the campaign while Cohen was actively negotiating land deals with Russia, Trump would always say to him "there's no business in Russia" as a way of saying "never admit this is happening".

-"Over time, I saw his true character revealed. Mr. Trump is an enigma. He is complicated, as am I. He has both good and bad, as do we all. But the bad far outweighs the good, and since taking office, he has become the worst version of himself. He is capable of behaving kindly, but he is not kind. He is capable of committing acts of generosity, but he is not generous. He is capable of being loyal, but he is fundamentally disloyal"

-Trump referred to his campaign as the "greatest infomercial in political history", never expecting to win but expecting the campaign to do wonders for his brand.

-Trump knew the DNC emails would be leaked before they were

-When Obama was President, Trump asked Cohen to name one country with a black leader that "wasn't a shithole".

-He commented on a bad neighborhood in Chicago that "only black people would live this way" and that they were "too stupid" to ever vote for him

-Trump often directed Cohen to tell small businesses he did business with that they would either receive no payment or a reduced payment after work was completed

-Trump had Cohen take out a personal line of credit to pay Stormy so it wouldn't be linked to Trump. Trump then paid him back with a series of checks over a number of months

-Trump cut wages at his company in 2008 and then showed Cohen his $10m tax refund, calling the government stupid

-Cohen was directed to handle the PR for Trump's Vietnam deferments. When Cohen asked for information on treatment for the bone spurs, Trump said there was no surgery and “You think I’m stupid, I wasn’t going to Vietnam.”

-Cohen wasn't included on the Trump Tower meeting, but he recalls a time in the weeks before it when Don Jr walked behind Trump's desk (which no one is allowed to do) and quietly told him that the meeting was set. Cohen says that nothing was done in that campaign without Trump's approval, and that Trump did not trust Don Jr to handle anything important without him directly signing off on it.

[GMDino]

He is "going to delete" the tweet because it was "misunderstood"

Speaker, I want to get the truth too. While it is important 2 create context around the testimony of liars like Michael Cohen, it was NOT my intent to threaten, as some believe I did. I’m deleting the tweet & I should have chosen words that better showed my intent. I’m sorry. https://t.co/Rdbw3sTQJD

— Matt Gaetz (@mattgaetz) February 27, 2019

 

[GMDino]

Just saw this in his Twitter feed (before he said he would take down the tweet...because he thinks that means it didn't happen):

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2019/02/26/rep_gaetz_rips_cohen_on_house_floor_does_he_lie_to_his_own_family.html

Quote:Rep. Gaetz Rips Cohen On House Floor: "Does He Lie To His Own Family?"

Rep. Gaetz Rips Cohen On House Floor: "Does He Lie To His Own Family?"



Volume 90%






 

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) spoke on the House floor Tuesday night to condemn former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. On the eve of a Congressional hearing where Cohen will testify as a witness, Gaetz said he should be questioned about financers in his family. 

Gaetz courted controversy earlier in the day when he tweeted, "Hey @MichaelCohen212 - Do your wife & father-in-law know about your girlfriends? Maybe tonight would be a good time for that chat. I wonder if she’ll remain faithful when you’re in prison. She’s about to learn a lot..."

Just more "witness testing"?

[Vas Deferens]

(02-27-2019, 10:16 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: -Trump referred to his campaign as the "greatest infomercial in political history", never expecting to win but expecting the campaign to do wonders for his brand.

This right here.  

[jj22]

Defending this mob style treat is just disgraceful. But Trump supporters are beyond the mark of disappointment when it comes to standards and ethics.

All this means in the grand scheme of things is they know Trump is guilty and are willing to do anything including turning on this nation, our intel, our law enforcement and joining the likes of Putin and Kim all over the United States.

History won't reflect kindly on these anti Americans.

[*bfine32*]

(02-27-2019, 10:07 AM)GMDino Wrote: I'm guessing this is going somewhere that will distract from what the OP was about and make it about someone going after your boy DJT.

But if you wish please continue.

Nah, is goes to our agreement that Elected Officials shouldn't threaten. Why you always want to try to disagree? 

[*bfine32*]

(02-27-2019, 11:44 AM)jj22 Wrote: Defending this mob style treat is just disgraceful. But Trump supporters are beyond the mark of disappointment when it comes to standards and ethics.

All this means in the grand scheme of things is they know Trump is guilty and are willing to do anything including turning on this nation, our intel, our law enforcement and joining the likes of Putin and Kim all over the United States.

History won't reflect kindly on these anti Americans.

Glad I condemned the words. But I'd agree a Trump supporter might defend these words

[GMDino]

(02-27-2019, 11:47 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Nah, is goes to our agreement that Elected Officials shouldn't threaten. Why you always want to try to disagree? 

I didn't.

[fredtoast]

(02-27-2019, 12:37 AM)bfine32 Wrote: Cool, just making sure we agree. Just imagine if a sitting congressman threatened POTUS. We'd both be outraged. 

Agreeing is fun. 

Let me make sure we are agreeing with the same thing.

If Donald Trump colluded with the Russians would you be outraged if a congressman threatened to have him impeached?  How about if your Donald shot a man in the street? 

I know how you love to frame questions to fit your narrow point of view, so I want to make sure we are on the same page here..

[*michaelsean*]

So has this Gaetz dude blazed him yet?