Cal Thomas, Joe diGenova, Tom Fitton and Tom Bevan joined WMAL on Wednesday!

Mornings on the Mall

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Hosts: Mary Walter and Vince Coglianese

Executive Producer: Heather Hunter

 

5am – A/B/C LATEST ON MICHAEL COHEN:

• Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former longtime personal attorney, has pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in arranging hush money payments to two women who allegedly had affairs with Trump. Pundits debate how much potential legal jeopardy the president faces.
• PRESIDENT IN LEGAL PERIL? –  Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney, admitted Tuesday to violating federal campaign finance laws by arranging hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal “at the direction” of then-candidate Trump …  In entering the plea, Cohen did not specifically name the two women or even Trump, recounting instead that he worked with an “unnamed candidate.” But the amounts and the dates all lined up with the payments made to Daniels and McDougal.  In total, Cohen pleaded guilty to five counts of tax evasion, one count of making false statements to a financial institution, one count of willfully causing an unlawful corporate contribution, and one count of making an excessive campaign contribution. The deal does not involve a cooperation agreement with federal prosecutors. Cohen is set to be sentenced Dec. 12. In a statement, Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani said: “There is no allegation of any wrongdoing against the President in the government’s charges against Mr. Cohen. It is clear that, as the prosecutor noted, Mr. Cohen’s actions reflect a pattern of lies and dishonesty over a significant period of time.” Cohen attorney Lanny Davis told FOX News that Cohen’s involvement in the Trump-Russia investigation does not end with the plea deal, but in fact “it is only the beginning.” Scholars disagree over how much potential legal jeopardy Trump faces. George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said on “Special Report” that President Donald Trump may end up an “unindicted co-conspirator” in the case. However, Harvard Law Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz told “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that Cohen’s guilty pleas may cause some trouble for Trump, but that they are not “lethal” to his presidency.
• Trump avoids mention of Cohen, Manafort at West Virginia rally
• Michael Cohen says he worked to silence two women ‘in coordination’ with Trump to influence 2016 election
• Michael Cohen admits violating campaign finance laws in plea deal, agrees to 3-5 year sentence
• Michael Cohen, President Trump’s longtime personal attorney, admitted Tuesday to violating federal campaign finance laws by arranging hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal “at the direction” of then-candidate Trump. In entering the plea, Cohen did not specifically name the two women or even Trump, recounting instead that he worked with an “unnamed candidate.” But the amounts and the dates all lined up with the payments made to Daniels and McDougal.
• Cohen is set to be sentenced Dec. 12.
• JOHN ROBERTS: Plea agreement stipulates that ⁦@MichaelCohen212⁩ will spend between 46 and 63 months in jail
• COULTER: This is neither illegal, nor evidence of a campaign finance violation: “Cohen made the extraordinary admission that he paid a pornographic film actress ‘at the direction of the candidate’..to secure her silence about an affair…” – NYT

5am – D/E     MANAFORT VERDICT:

• Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces up to 80 years in prison after a jury convicted him of eight counts of bank and tax fraud; President Trump called Manafort’s conviction a ‘disgrace’ that has nothing to do with Russian collusion
• ‘NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIAN COLLUSION’: A federal jury in Virginia convicted former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort on eight counts of bank and tax fraud, making him the first campaign associate of President Trump found guilty by a jury as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe … But after four days of deliberations, the jury told Judge T.S. Ellis III on Tuesday afternoon that it could not come to a decision on 10 other counts related to financial crimes. A mistrial was declared on those counts.  “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort,” Trump told reporters Tuesday evening after landing in West Virginia for a political rally. “It has nothing to do with Russian collusion,” Trump added, calling Mueller’s probe a “witch hunt.” The government has until Aug. 29 to decide whether it will move to retry the 10 deadlocked counts.  Manafort is facing a maximum sentence of 80 years in prison.
• Manafort convicted on 8 counts; mistrial declared on 10 others
• CNN Wants To Know The Names Of The Jurors: Who was on Paul Manafort’s jury of his peers?

6am – A/B/C MOLLIE TIBBETTS NEWS:

• An illegal immigrant has been charged with murder in the death of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, whose body was believed to have been recovered Tuesday, more than a month after she was reported missing. The suspect will make his first court appearance Wednesday.
• SEARCH FOR MOLLIE COMES TO TRAGIC END: The suspect in the killing of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts is a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been living in the area for up to seven years, officials revealed Tuesday … Cristhian Bahena Rivera was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of the 20-year-old Tibbetts, who was reported missing more than a month ago. Rivera is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Wednesday at 1 p.m. local time in Montezuma, Iowa. Tibbetts was last seen jogging July 18 near Brooklyn, Iowa in Poweshiek County, where Rivera lives. A body believed to be Mollie Tibbetts was discovered in a cornfield, and Rivera led authorities to the location, said Rick Rahn, special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.
• Tibbetts’ alleged murder and the revelation that suspect Cristhian Rivera is an illegal immigrant sparked almost immediate comparisons to the death of Kate Steinle, who was shot and killed on a San Francisco pier in 2015. Investigators said the suspect, Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, was in the U.S. illegally. A jury acquitted him of murder, manslaughter and assault last year but convicted him of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
• Tibbetts murder suspect worked less than 3 miles from where she was staying
• ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT CHARGED WITH MURDER OF IOWA COLLEGE STUDENT MOLLIE TIBBETTS
• Tibbetts murder suspect ID’d as Cristhian Rivera, 24, living in US illegally
• Suspect in Mollie Tibbetts’ murder worked on farm owned by Iowa GOP family
• MSNBC Guest Dismisses Mollie Tibbetts as Some ‘Girl in Iowa’ ‘Fox News Is Talking About’

6am – D         INTERVIEW – CAL THOMAS – Syndicated columnist – discussed the politics of Manafort / Cohen.

6am – E         Former Democratic IT staffer Imran Awan avoids jail time. (Washington Examiner) — A former House Democratic IT staffer associated with ex-Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz was sentenced Tuesday to three months of supervised release along with time served after he pleaded guilty last month to lying on a bank loan application. During Imran Awan’s sentencing hearing in D.C., U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan condemned the “unbelievable onslaught of scurrilous media attacks” and “baseless accusations” that were “lobbed at [Awan] from the highest branches of government,” according to CNN. Chutkan added that Awan had “suffered sufficiently” and “has paid a price that he will continue to pay.” Awan, along with his wife Hina Alvi, were indicted by the federal district court in August 2017 for “conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on a loan or credit application, and engaging in unlawful monetary transactions.” Awan pleaded guilty in July to one court of bank loan application fraud. Awan was arrested in July 2017 after he was intercepted at Washington’s Dulles International Airport by members of the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police, and Customs and Border Protection over his alleged involvement in “double charging” for House Democratic IT equipment and possibly exposing private information online. Alvi voluntarily returned to the U.S. following an earlier flight to Pakistan.

6am – F         DUNCAN HUNTER & WIFE INDICTED:

• Rep. Duncan Hunter and wife Margaret indicted in use of campaign funds for personal expenses. (CNN) Republican Congressman Duncan Hunter and his wife, Margaret, routinely — and illegally — used campaign funds to pay personal bills big and small, from luxury vacations to kids’ school lunches and delinquent family dentistry bills, according to a stinging 47-page indictment unsealed Tuesday. The charges of wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations and conspiracy were the culmination of a Department of Justice investigation that has stretched for more than a year, during which the Republican congressman from California has maintained his innocence. The detailed indictment portrays the Hunters as living well beyond their means and said they “knowingly conspired with each other” to convert campaign funds to personal use. A spokesperson for Duncan Hunter said the congressman believes the indictment against him and his wife is “purely politically motivated.” Hunter’s team asked DOJ to recuse two prosecutors who they say attended a Clinton campaign event in La Jolla. According to letters to DOJ released by Hunter’s team, US Attorney Adam Braverman determined recusal was not necessary.
• Speaker Paul Ryan Pulls Rep. Duncan Hunter Off House Committees. (Roll Call) — Speaker Paul D. Ryan announced Tuesday night that he has removed Rep. Duncan Hunter from the three House committees he serves on after the California Republican was indicted for misuse of campaign funds. Hunter will be at least temporarily stripped of his assignments to the House Armed Services,  Transportation and Infrastructure, and Education and the Workforce Committees.  “The charges against Rep. Hunter are deeply serious,” Ryan said in a statement

 

7am – A         INTERVIEW – JOE DIGENOVA – legal analyst and former US Attorney to the District of Columbia – shared his legal analysis of Manafort/Cohen/Flynn.

• MANAFORT VERDICT: Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort faces up to 80 years in prison after a jury convicted him of eight counts of bank and tax fraud; President Trump called Manafort’s conviction a ‘disgrace’ that has nothing to do with Russian collusion
• MICHAEL COHEN:  Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former longtime personal attorney, has pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in arranging hush money payments to two women who allegedly had affairs with Trump. Pundits debate how much potential legal jeopardy the president faces.
• Trump avoids mention of Cohen, Manafort at West Virginia rally
• FLYNN: Mueller delays Flynn’s sentencing for fourth time. Special counsel Robert Mueller has again delayed scheduling a sentencing hearing for former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

7am – B/C     HIGHLIGHTS: TRUMP RALLY IN WEST VA:

• President Trump held a rally in West Virginia.  President Donald Trump held a get out the vote campaign rally for  state Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, the Republican running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D–W.Va.).. It will be his third rally in the state since the start of his presidential campaign in 2015.
• Trump stumps for Morrisey in West Virginia
• Trump avoids mention of Cohen, Manafort at West Virginia rally
• Other Rally Highlights:
• Trump introduces West Virginia governor as “largest, most beautiful man”
• He made a passing reference to Mollie Tibbetts while talking about the wall.
• Praised ICE, the Border Patrol, and law enforcement.
• Talked about the recent shootings in Chicago.
• Said 4 million people had been lifted off the food stamp rolls.
• Promised a 25% tariff on every car coming into the U.S.
• Talked about North Korea saying he had a good meeting with Kim but there’s no guarantee they will denuclearize.
• Trump Says He Told NATO Counterparts, ‘I Will Leave You If You Don’t Pay Your Bills’
• Speaking of trade: “We’re like the big, fat piggy bank that everyone wants to rob and we’re not going to let them rob us anymore.”
• ALSO, Trump stood up for free speech, saying tech companies shouldn’t censor anybody, and that we should tolerate “fake news” like CNN in that spirit.

7am – D/E     INTERVIEW – TOM FITTON – President, Judicial Watch — analzyed the latest on the big legal decisions yesterday regarding Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort.

8am – A         INTERVIEW – TOM BEVAN – Co-Founder & President of RealClearPolitics.com — discussed Trump’s rally in West VA and Tuesday’s primary (Wyoming/Alaska).

• TRUMP RALLY:  President Trump held a rally in West Virginia.  President Donald Trump held a get out the vote campaign rally for state Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, the Republican running to unseat Sen. Joe Manchin (D–W.Va.).. It will be his third rally in the state since the start of his presidential campaign in 2015.
• WYOMING PRIMARY: The primary was crowded, with at least four credible candidates to replace outgoing Gov. Matt Mead, who enjoys strong popularity in the state. Megadonor FOSTER FRIESS was running against State Treasurer Mark Gordon, business executive Sam Galeotos, and attorney Harriet Hageman, the only woman on the GOP ballot. Those mega-donor dollars weren’t enough for FOSTER FRIESS. Neither was a last-minute endorsement from President Donald Trump. Gordon narrowly prevailed in Tuesday’s primary.
• ALASKA PRIMARY: Alaska State Sen. Mike Dunleavy won Tuesday’s Republican primary easily, as had been expected, and now his opponents have two weeks to figure out whether to team up and try to stop him or go their own way. The Alaska state senator received the support of former Gov. Sean Parnell — the outcome wasn’t really in doubt.

8am – B         MOLLIE TIBBETTS:

• An illegal immigrant has been charged with murder in the death of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts, whose body was believed to have been recovered Tuesday, more than a month after she was reported missing. The suspect will make his first court appearance Wednesday.
• SEARCH FOR MOLLIE COMES TO TRAGIC END: The suspect in the killing of Iowa college student Mollie Tibbetts is a 24-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been living in the area for up to seven years, officials revealed Tuesday … Cristhian Bahena Rivera was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of the 20-year-old Tibbetts, who was reported missing more than a month ago. Rivera is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Wednesday at 1 p.m. local time in Montezuma, Iowa. Tibbetts was last seen jogging July 18 near Brooklyn, Iowa in Poweshiek County, where Rivera lives. A body believed to be Mollie Tibbetts was discovered in a cornfield, and Rivera led authorities to the location, said Rick Rahn, special agent in charge with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

8am – C         ARETHA NEWS:

• Aretha Franklin left no will or trust, attorney says. The finances of an intensely private Aretha Franklin soon will become very public in Oakland County Probate Court because she apparently left no will or trust. Her four sons filed a document Tuesday afternoon listing themselves as interested parties in her estate. Franklin’s niece Sabrina Owens asked the court to appoint her as personal representative of the estate. The case is assigned to Judge Jennifer Callaghan. “I was after her for a number of years to do a trust,” said Los Angeles attorney Don Wilson, who represented Franklin in entertainment matters for the past 28 years. “It would have expedited things and kept them out of probate, and kept things private.”
• Madonna defends herself after Aretha Franklin tribute backlash (Reuters) — LOS ANGELES – Madonna on Tuesday hit back at critics of her speech about the late Aretha Franklin at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) show, saying she had been asked only to share an anecdote about the late Queen of Soul. The “Rebel Heart” singer sparked a backlash with a 10-minute speech focused mostly on her own early career at Monday’s live show, which organizers had said would pay honor and tribute to Franklin four days after her death at age 76. “I was asked to present video of the year by MTV! And then they asked me to share any anecdotes I had in my career connected to Aretha Franklin!” Madonna said in an Instagram posting on Tuesday. “I did not intend to do a tribute to her! That would be impossible in 2 minutes with all the noise and tinsel of an award show. I could never do her justice in this context or environment.”

8am – D          INTERVIEW — HANS VON SPAKOVSKY @HvonSpakovsky — former counsel to the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department,  former commissioner for the Federal Election Commission from 2006 to 2007, and senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation — discussed the Manafort verdict and Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws.

8am – E         Facebook is rating the trustworthiness of its users on a scale from zero to 1. (Washington Post) — SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook has begun to assign its users a reputation score, predicting their trustworthiness on a scale from zero to 1. The previously unreported ratings system, which Facebook has developed over the past year, shows that the fight against the gaming of tech systems has evolved to include measuring the credibility of users to help identify malicious actors. Facebook developed its reputation assessments as part of its effort against fake news, Tessa Lyons, the product manager who is in charge of fighting misinformation, said in an interview. The company, like others in tech, has long relied on its users to report problematic content — but as Facebook has given people more options, some users began falsely reporting items as untrue, a new twist on information warfare for which it had to account.