Update II: As many probably suspected, Trump attorney Michael Cohen is under investigation for possible fraud and campaign finance violations, the Washington Post reported.
The FBI has seized documents - including emails, tax documents and other records - related to Cohen's $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Meanwhile, President Trump has stepped up to defend his longtime personal attorney, calling the raid "a whole new level of unfairness" and going as far to say it was an "attack on our country, on what we stand for before heading into a meeting with top military leaders." He also described the special counsel's team as "the most conflicted group of people I've ever met" and said the raid was "a disgraceful situation."
Trump added that the raid happened after Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein - who is supervising the Mueller probe - approved a referral that Mueller brought to the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York.
Jeff Sessions also came under fire as the president bashed him once again for recusing himself from the Mueller probe. Trump also exclaimed that "no one is looking at the other side" referring to Clinton's 30,000 missing emails.
"I have this witch hunt constantly going on," he said.
Of course, Trump has every reason to defend Cohen. As Trump's longtime lawyer, Cohen knows where the bodies are buried. And the fact that the FBI likely seized privileged material between the president and his lawyer is certainly troubling.
* * *
Update: Michael Cohen's lawyer says the FBI seized privileged communications between Cohen and his clients - a group that notably includes President Trump. And thus, we have what could quite possibly be an ulterior motive for the search.
While initial reports suggested the raid on Cohen's home wasn't related to the Mueller probe, CBS is reporting that it's unclear whether the raid was in relation to Stormy Daniels, the Mueller probe or something else.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Cohen's office in Rockefeller Center was searched along with his home and hotel room. The search was executed by the Manhattan US Attorney's Office which is carrying out an independent investigation in coordination with Mueller.
Cohen has of course already turned over his emails to the special counsel.
* * *
With stocks pulling off yet another stunning intraday reversal, in which the Dow Jones saw an 800 point round trip as trade tensions and an ominous OMB report sapped investors of what little confidence they gained over the weekend...
... the New York Times dropped a bombshell that helped drive them to their session lows when it reported that the FBI has raided the offices of Trump lawyer Michael Cohen.

Notably, the NYT says that the search doesn't appear to be related to the Mueller probe - but rather separate charges being explored by prosecutors in New York; it is likely linked to recent events involving Cohen, Trump and porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen, who has been a long-time lawyer for the Trump Organization, has said he paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement related to an affair she claims to have had with Trump. Cohen said he made the payment without Trump’s knowledge using his own money.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan obtained a search warrant following a referral from Special Counsel Robert Mueller, Cohen's lawyer Stephen Ryan told the NYT, adding that the search was "completely inappropriate and unnecessary."
"Today the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York executed a series of search warrants and seized the privileged communications between my client, Michael Cohen, and his clients," said Stephen Ryan, his lawyer. "I have been advised by federal prosecutors that the New York action is, in part, a referral by the Office of Special Counsel, Robert Mueller."
A person who had reportedly been briefed by the FBI on the matter said questions about Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to former adult film actress Stephanie Clifford - better known as Stormy Daniels - were one of several topics being explored by investigators.
As the NYT adds the FBI seized emails, tax documents, business records and payments to Stormy Daniels from Cohen's office under several search warrants.
The White House has not commented on the raid yet. Last week, Trump repeated that he was unaware of the payment made by Cohen to Daniels.
Comments
Michael, get out from under the bus...
Riiiiight. Unrelated but .......oooh! Look what we found.
They eavesdropped on Trump Team's phone calls. Now they are searching his lawyers office. Riiiight.
.......have the FBI raided and check their offices. Turnabout is fair play.
In reply to Michael, get out from under… by SloMoe
"Cohen."
Oddly, I'm OK with this today.
In reply to Riiiiight. Unrelated but … by DownWithYogaPants
Could be the Cohenite den of sexual psychopaths, where Potus could be compromised.
In reply to "Cohen."… by ThanksChump
Strzok leading the charge into the building...
Totally impartial FBI, of course.
In reply to Guess the underaged girls… by beepbop
Central Bureau of Intelligence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98daQTWh75w
In reply to Strzok leading the charge… by Killtruck
I'm making over $14k a month working part time. I kept hearing other people tell me how much money they can make online so I decided to look into it. Well, it was all true and has totally changed my life. This is what I do... http://disq.us/url?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Jobzon3.com%3Ab8eR_DQLwGRPVGtFv…
In reply to Central Bureau of… by SethPoor
FBI is the new gestapo?
In reply to Well at least they didn't… by RhinoSilver
Shit, they just fucked with the wrong guy.
In reply to FBI is the new gestapo? by IridiumRebel
Revenge of the deep state....
In reply to Shit, they just fucked with… by SilverRhino
DEEP. STATE. OUT. OF. CONTROL.
In reply to Revenge of the deep state.... by Stan522
Yeah, I'm sure the Mueller investigation will be wrapped up shortly. Any day now. Man, if Trump gets a second term this investigation will still be going on after 8 years. It's NEVER going to end. Mueller is the permanent presidential investigative committee.
In reply to DEEP. STATE. OUT. OF… by The First Rule
First rule of investigating your political enemies and their ilk: E-X-P-A-N-D the probe(s).
In reply to Yeah, I'm sure the Mueller… by NoDebt
Let me get this straight.
Cohen pays a porn star for Donald's one night stand, and we're supposed to be outraged?
He didn't even get a sex tape for $130K. How much does that whore make per film?
In reply to First rule of investigating… by Creative_Destruct
Yea....
I'm going back to bed...
ZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....
In reply to Let me get this straight… by cdog
So no more client attorney privilege in the USA. I have some bananas for you guys. The public should be off the charts outraged. Did they raid OJ's attorney's offices just to find out if he was a criminal? What in the fuck is going on down there?
In reply to Yea… by Shillinlikeavillan
That was my first thought too.
Client attorney privilege...and it's gone.
In reply to So no more client attorney… by BurningFuld
Thats exactly what those assholes just did and Sessions & Rosenstein had to know. Fire them both, all they're doing is covering Grand Inquisitor Mueller's ass anyways.
Lets get this "constitutional crisis" started ;-)
In reply to That was my first thought… by Kassandra
WTF does Trump's attorney paying a whore $130,000 have to do with campaign finances?
In reply to Thats exactly what those… by nmewn
I have no idea, the ummm, "liaison"...supposedly happened back in 2006 well before the election so no campaign funds could have ever been used and if the attorney took it upon himself to shield the affair from the public (these some odd ten years later) so what, she accepted the terms as the money grubbing gold digger she is.
In reply to WTF does Trump's attorney… by Whoa Dammit
Show me the man I'll show you the crime. If this is all that there was for the rationale of the raid, if the FBI saw fit to breach the attorney client privilege for what was essentially a civil affair then this is going to get really ugly in the future. There had better be some significant "there-there" and that communicated really quick to the public or i'd say that most people get the concept of attorney client privilege and if the FBI just broke into all of the law offices of America they could solve some crimes.
Uhhhmm there had better be some significant "there-there" something incredible or sensational to warrant what has been done.
In reply to I have no idea, the ummm, … by nmewn
The NY District Attorney's office acting on a "referral" from the "independent" Grand Inquisitor Mueller's office, carried out by the FBI...lol.
It has all the trappings of the Night of the Long Knives ;-)
In reply to Show me the man I'll show… by Dilluminati
I really wish I could still care.
The US reputation for fairness is known worldwide.
Yes, everything is an attack on or a threat to our country. BTW, what do "we" actually stand for? I know that "we" stand against truth, justice, freedom, property rights, contract law, dignity, and anything else with a shred of decency, but what do "we" stand for?
In reply to The NY District Attorney's… by nmewn
What's the purpose of privilege of the FBI can seize it?
Since they can apparently do this, when are they going to raid some Democrats?
I don't particularly like Trump but this is troubling and blatantly partisan.
In reply to I really wish I could still… by Shemp 4 Victory
i guess just a COINCIDENCE that the potus has to make a decision within 24-48 hrs now about...
In reply to What's the purpose of… by Mr. Bones
... what he'll say when they kick in Ivanka's door at 2 in the morning and drag her off nude, in front of her kids.
Time to act Don. roachenstein isn't waiting.
In reply to i guess just a COINCIDENCE… by ldd
If the public doesnt care about violating attorney client privs then they shouldnt be too bothered if Trump just closes down the FBI or better just jail the fuckers.. time for the SS to be created for real
In reply to ... what he'll say when they… by Oliver Klozoff
It's still not too late to activate the unorganized militia and call them into the service of the United States. Trump has the authority to do this.
We are so far outside the law now it's ridiculous (while activating the militia would actually be legal). Mueller's history is so checkered, the FBI is up to its neck in this, along with the justice department, the CIA, the goddamned Islamized British, the list is endless. These people do whatever the fuck they want. Force is the only thing they understand, and law is just a pretense. Who are we kidding? It's a Goddamned show and that's all.
Remember: it's these bastards who have made a joke of the law, not us.
In reply to If the public doesnt care… by dark pools of soros
Come on, do you really think this is going to happen? Trump calling up the civilian (Constitutional) militia?
That would never be scripted in. Trump is part and parcel of this Deep State. He's the ultimate actor and soothsayer. He's perfect for the role. He knows how to organize a spectacle. That's why he was chosen over Hillary.
They are all chosen. They are all Bloodline. Trump, Hillary, Obama, Bush, Clinton, and on and on, all related by blood.
This is all theater.
The militia will be called up when that last line is crossed, when an untenable demand is made of the people. In that case, there won't need to be a calling up, it'll be a rising up, spontaneous.
-chumblez.
In reply to It's still not too late to… by SWRichmond
violating attorney client privs
legal goobfest. apparently, once there is a third party involved it is open game.
In reply to Come on, do you really think… by chumbawamba
This is what you get when you give a street person internet access.
In reply to Come on, do you really think… by chumbawamba
Deep State attempting to overthrow an elected President. We are truly a Banana Republic now. The rule of law is dead and finished.
In reply to I really wish I could still… by Shemp 4 Victory
If people elect a fucking psychopath who surrounds himself with scumbag sheisters, this is what happens.
In reply to Deep State attempting to… by BidnessMan
choke and die on the next child cock you suck
In reply to If people elect a fucking… by asheylarry
All u fuckers obsession with pedofilia is really weird. Seriously, u guys probably think more about children getting molested than actual child molesters. I suggest stepping outside away from the laptop dungeon and getting some sun, maybe even talk with a real human girl. Ya might like it! Just sayin.
In reply to choke and die on the next… by dark pools of soros
No we are tired of the a$$holes who approve of the KGB in Merica USSA
In reply to All u fuckers obsession with… by asheylarry
Go back to Salon where you came from you fucking troll
In reply to All u fuckers obsession with… by asheylarry
always interesting when someone uses two first names. usually means...
In reply to All u fuckers obsession with… by asheylarry
fuck off asshole, lots of us have daughters and nieces and the thought of someone doing that shit to our loved ones is requisite for fkn blood rage. harming innocents is the worst of the fkn worst, you dumb fuck.
In reply to All u fuckers obsession with… by asheylarry
not advocating pedofilia, dumb fuck. Goddam its difficult trying to argue with retards. That being said, can you point on the doll where it will make you the saddest when President Pence doesn't pardon Trump?.......
In reply to fuck off asshole, lots of us… by detached.amusement
next on deck the Jared Sheister
In reply to If people elect a fucking… by asheylarry
His political opponents rip the constitution to shreds?
You deserve to live in a country like that. But most people don't. Might be better to just kill all the people like you.
In reply to If people elect a fucking… by asheylarry
all you dipshits assume I'm a lib. Can I please just call out the insanity and retardation we've gotten ourselves into?
In reply to His political opponents rip… by tmosley
You mean like Obozo did? Got it!
In reply to If people elect a fucking… by asheylarry
Apparently, about 99.9% of the "we" on this site, in this country, in the whole fucking world stand for hypocritical fake-ass bullshit dolled up as sanctimonious ideology. They will dutifully parrot the carefully prepared talking points of their chosen stupid little "teams" as if it were their own independent thoughts. If my side does ____, it's totally justified. If their side does it, they should all be imprisoned without trial and sodomized for eternity! All sorts of folks like to imagine they are some kind of badass rebels. Odds are they ain't no fucking rebel. They ain't no fucking badass. They don't actually hate the system, they just hate their position within that system. As long as they can get more for themselves and their particular "tribe", they will justify why that is right and good, support the system that enables that, defend that system with all manner of mental gymnastics and lofty rhetoric, and viciously attack any who do not support that system. Very few people seem to actually stand for any higher ideal than that. That especially includes the douchebags who run the system.
In reply to I really wish I could still… by Shemp 4 Victory
That is exactly right, and you find these sorts of people at all social strata. At the lowest layer are those that attack the government on the one hand while the other is palm up waiting for the next handout from the same government.
People have vested their own identities in the political players and struggles of this theater, and so their outcome is a defining aspect of their very being. Instead of buffering one's emotions and logic from the fiction playing out before them, Trump's every success and every failure is their own to celebrate or suffer. They are captured.
All I can hope for and wish on them is that they one day wake up and realize they are just in the audience, and they can get up and leave the theater at any time.
-chumblez.
In reply to Apparently, about 99.9% of… by Lower Class Elite
The US stands for pussy grabbing corruption.
Feel better already?
In reply to I really wish I could still… by Shemp 4 Victory
No the USA is over. The USSA begins...
In reply to The US stands for pussy… by youshallnotkill
Thanks for veering off topic.
BOT - Now that attorney client privilege and privacy are dead...let's haul in Hillary's lawyer...that schmuck Josh Kaul...beat the truth out of him.
What's good for the goose is good for the gander...lawlessness for all!
In reply to I really wish I could still… by Shemp 4 Victory
"Trump attorney Cohen is being investigated for possible bank fraud, campaign finance violations, according to a person familiar with the case" (WAPO)
and
"Trump unloads on Robert Mueller calling FBI raid on his attorney Michael Cohen 'an attack on our country and what we also stand for' after agents seize Stormy Daniels payment documents in campaign finance and bank fraud probe (daily mail)"
Now if I'm understanding this, the attorney is charged for the campaign finance charge not trump, and that leaves bank fraud, if the bank fraud case doesn't stick, then yeah the only actual fraud charge is that "anybody actually cared" that an adult entertainer (a,k.a. paid sex entertainer on film) was paid to have sex and keep quiet about it! I think most people are adult enough to understand that Stormy will stuff a dick up her ass on film in a crowded room and that all of her virtue signalling, or her claim that she wanted to "protect what her daughter was reading" in the news was an issue as she stated in her interview at 60 minutes, when she is now actively posing for Penthouse and that will of course include massive amounts of makeup (she needs it) and a fallopian tube spread shot. I feel sorry for her daughter and that begets another book in and of itself if she doesn't get her daughter to follow in her trade, or a book if she does.
I found Stormy to be one of the most disingenuous interviews I ever witnessed on TV and found it all the more compelling as she was frankly transparent in her actions and thoughts. If there isn't a quick charge and slam dunk bank fraud case, then I don't think most of America would care if Trump fired these people, because again nobody cared what Stormy said, nobody sensed a sex crime had occurred, and the campaign finance angle to all of this.. if that is all there is after a year long investigation and wiretaps.. if that is it. well I think the American public might laugh at that cow Stormy, laugh at Trump, but suckers for fairness overall and I think the reach too damn far. But to break into a lawyers office? There better be some "there-there."
People are not worked up about Stormy Daniels because a simple google search explains it all. In the movie Vendetta Stormy just stuffed that cock up her ass.. in a movie VENDETTA
http://www.iafd.com/title.rme/title=vendetta/year=2017/vendetta.htm
In reply to The NY District Attorney's… by nmewn
Pagination