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Common Cause Files Two Complaints Charging That Trump’s $130,000 Payout To Porn Star Violated Federal Law

download-2The watchdog group Common Cause on filed a complaint on Monday with the Federal Election Commission and the Justice Department alleging that Donald Trump violated federal law with his secret payment of $130,000 to a porn star known as Stormy Daniels.   Daniels gave a long interview to In Touch magazine detailing a yearlong affair with Trump but later accepted the money and signed a statement denying such a sexual relationship.  Common Cause argues that the payment was “an unreported in-kind contribution to Donald J. Trump for President, Inc., and an unreported expenditure by the committee — because the funds were paid for the purpose of influencing the 2016 president general election — in violation of the campaign finance reporting requirements.”

download-1We recently discussed how Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen used shell companies and fake name to pay the money to Stephanie Clifford (aka Stormy Daniels).   Cohen in 2011 threatened to sue the publication if they ran the interview.  It worked in 2011 but last week the magazine defied him and ran the story.

I have long been an avid supporter of Common Cause which has a legendary record of public interest advocacy and continues to be a strong voice for good government. However, on these complaints I am a bit unclear on a critical nexus.  The complaints admit that they do not know the source of this money.  While they may view the complaints as the only means for confirming the source, it is a highly speculative filing. Moreover, the suggestion is that the effort to silence Clifford was clearly done for campaign purposes.  It certainly could have been done for that purpose but it could also have been done for personal and marital reasons.  After all, in 2011, Cohen threatened to sue the publications of these allegations before Trump’s run for the presidency.  He reportedly did so to protect Trump’s celebrity status and reputation.  It is possible that this money came from Trump (through his personal lawyer) and was done to protection his professional reputation as opposed to his presidential aspirations.  The point is that none of us know, including Common Cause.  The organization is hoping that the filing will force the confirmation of the funds and the identity of the “John Doe” who facilitated the payment.

The filings could be dismissed as speculative.  However, the concern is a substantive one.  Cohen should confirm that the money came from Trump or explain why a donor would given such money unless as way of supporting his candidacy.

Here are the two filings: Common Cause complaints.

194 thoughts on “Common Cause Files Two Complaints Charging That Trump’s $130,000 Payout To Porn Star Violated Federal Law”

  1. https://twitter.com/CREWcrew/status/955827857221193728

    “President Trump is accused of paying $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels to hide an affair a month before the election. In what is probably just a coincidence, the Trump campaign transferred $130K to the Trump businesses a month after the election.”

    Congrats to all those Trumpsters for their campaign donations that helped pay DT’s hush money to his porn star mistress.

    1. And congratulations to all those anti-Trumpers for giving us Justice Neil Gorsuch. The gift that will keep on giving. 🙂

  2. ” it is a highly speculative filing” nuff said!

    All this coverage of Stormy deflects from real issues

    the FISA memo
    FBI missing texts
    Assange being held hostage despite diplomatic status
    Clinton emails
    Paki operative Imran Awan & DWS
    the situation in Syria
    scapegoating Iran (again!!)
    Why US troops are still in Afghanistan
    VA problems not fixed
    Drilling off US coasts – state’s rights vs feds
    Contaminated water all over U.S.
    Sessions
    Cost of flying Trump to Mar A Lago and campaign trips
    the impact AI will have on workers

    …………and on and on and on

    2. Well tell your dear orange leader to keep his pants on with da porn stars, quit tellin da hookers to pee and sexually assaulting other women. That would be a start.

  3. “The complaints admit that they do not know the source of this money.”
    **********************************************
    I see Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t limited to individuals. Even “common” organizations can get it too. “I don’t know where Sam got all that cash,” CeeCee told the investigating officer, “but he must have robbed a bank, for it.”

  4. Waiting…waiting….waiting for a blog post that covers the same territory that Talking Points Memo exposed on Jan. 19. Highlights from the TPM timeline “more dark money was spent in the 2016 election by the NRA than any other dark money group”, the NRA’s President, David Keene, subsequently became the op ed page editor at the Washington Times”, G. Kline Preston quote, “The value system of southern Christians and Russians are very similar”.

      1. Probably. But that’s all right ‘cuz the NRA is blessed by God, and the Russians had only the noblest of motives.

        1. Alternet published “The Roots of Stalin in the Tea Party Movement” (April 16, 2010).

      2. IMO, there’s a nexus of the Koch’s, the NRA and the John Birch Society, which is deduced from them dragging into U.S. politics today, the name, Stalin, to condemn their opponents. Media Matters reported that NRATV heavily promoted a video against Sen. Jeff Flake, in which he was compared to Stalin’s leader of Pravda. (In one recent year, it’s reported that the Koch’s channeled almost $5 mil. to the NRA.)

        The Koch’s well-funded political machinations undermine America and its highest values. (1) Their organization, ALEC, bears significant responsibility for the the U.S. as the most imprisoned population in the world. It’s charged that ALEC’s “Stand Your Ground” law targets Black people. The singling out of Trayvon Martin to follow and shoot, gives substance to the claim. (2) The GOP President employs Stalin’s tactics against the press. Flake, but no wealthy GOP-backers, like the Koch’s, lift a finger to assure a free press.
        (3) And, the GOP, dominated by wealthy Republicans, uses strong arm tactics to suppress the vote.

        There is evidence of an unholy convergence of thought and action by the NRA, Putin oligarchs, the GOP and the Koch’s, with promotional messaging using evangelicals “who share a value system very similar to the Russians”.

      3. If there was money laundering, it’s unlikely we will learn about it in the Washington Times?
        (Until recently, a former NRA president was the op ed page editor). The Times was described by Thomas Franks, as “putting one in mind of those official party organs one encounters when traveling in authoritarian countries.” In one of the ironies or hypocrisies that the GOP is so comfortable with, the Times founder, Moon of the Unification Church, said he “would spend as many billions as needed to keep the paper competitive”. Yes siree, that’s the way free enterprise works.

        Others have described the Times as the “Republican right’s most devoted media ally”. Wikipedia reports that a Times editor was accused of racist editorializing and sexist comments. In the past few years, a joint venture between the Times and Kommersant/ Valdei Club in Russia resulted in the program, U.S.-Russia Crosstalk.
        An Egyptian paper described the Times as rabidly anti-Arab, ant-Muslim and pro-Israel. And, in a summary coup de grace, Wikipedia mentions the Times’ attack on the National Education Association.

    2. Y’all need to get off Mad-Cow and the rest of the liars at MSNbc

      Aaron Maté‏Verified account @aaronjmate

      The reporter who broke the “explosive” story on Russian $ going to the NRA says there’s just one little thing: it maybe “did not happen at all.”

  5. ALL women get paid by males for their providing sex. Wives marry guys so that they get support i.e. money the rest of their life. Women doll up to attract men. Why is Megan Kelly so dolled up on her news show? If her boss asked her for a roll in the hay would she call it abuse and join the Me Too jerks?

    The person involved here who Trump allegedly porked was supposedly getting paid for a roll in the hay. Duh? All women do. Or want to be paid. The only time that money goes the other way is when the male knows where the G spot is and knows how to massage it. Few men know this. Few men know how to bring a female to an orgasm.

    Speak to the truth America. Legalize whore houses and put the truth front and center.

    1. Whore houses are legal, the red lights are on Capitol Hill and 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

  6. What should CC do? Eat spit and bark at the moon they are just another SOROS affiliate.

  7. Has anyone made a connection from the guy that actually took the money to anyone else other than the bimbo?

    1. Not sure I understand your comment. Do you mean, has Trump paid off any other Sweet Young Things?

  8. Why would Mr Trump have wasted $130,000 when he knew that he could go out in the middle of 5th Ave and shoot someone and his supporters would still support him?

      1. Melania’s in a tough spot. As more and more of DJT’s liaisons come to light, she can’t be very happy. But she is in no position to initiate divorce proceedings. I’m sure if she tried, word would get back to His Trumpiness in mere microseconds. But she has to think about Barron.

        1. It’s likely Melania knew, going in, that she was a trophy wife. It was the 3rd marriage for the egomaniacal Trump. And, the creepiness involving the Ivanka attraction would have been on her radar.

        2. I’m sure the money angle was worked out in a prenup, along with Baron’s support in the event of divorce. Melania is a purchased accessory by choice. Her job is to dress up in designer clothes, wear the 4 inch CFM pumps and occasionally hold fatso’s fishy-smelling hand that has been in other women’s crotches. She doesn’t look happy, but it’s the bed she made, so she has to sleep in it. Just don’t try to pretend she’s an Eleanor Roosevelt, for example, because that will piss people off.

          1. Natacha – Eleanor had her fishy smelly fingers in other women while she was married to FDR.

            1. No, she didn’t. She was a woman of strength and integrity who endured more pain than you apparently have any idea of. It is sacreligious for you to say cheap, untrue things like this, because you don’t know much about her at all. After FDR’s death, she could have been elected President. She was that highly thought of.

              1. Natacha – she had a long-term affair with a woman and later a shorter one with a man. You really need to get up to date on your first ladies.

                1. I’ve read multiple biographies of Eleanor Roosevelt by respected authors. Have you? If you did, you’d never repeat that stupid gossip about lesbianism. Here’s a news flash for her: women can be close emotionally with other women and with other men without being lovers. If you understood all of the emotional abuse Eleanor underwent beginning in her childhood, you’d understand. For instance, her mother, who was very beautiful, never lost an opportunity to tell her how ugly she was. Her father, Elliott, brother of Teddy, asked her to wait outside a bar, because he’d “only be a minute”. Ten hours later, she was still there, standing in the rain, waiting for him because he forgot about her. That’s just two incidents involving just her parents, just for starters. Her own daughter arranged liaisons between her father and his lover. Eleanor was not a lesbian. She was a strong, courageous woman who rose above and captured the respect and admiration from everyone who knew her. She is famous for the quote: “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

                  1. Natacha – some years back the letters between Eleanor and her lesbian lover were discovered and published. As I said, you need to catch up.

          2. Melania is a stunningly beautiful woman who speaks 5 languages and by most accounts is very bright. So what if it is an open marriage? That’s between her and the Donald.

            We have not had such a fascinating woman in the White House since Jackie O. And her hubby was a philanderer too.

    4. It’s for the sake of the religious radicals whose support he needed. Melania was and is, irrelevant.

      1. The only way the religious right dumps Trump is if he has sex with another man. And that would cost Trump a lot more than $130,000 to hush up. And it would have to be Trump’s own money.

        P. S. You’re obviously right about Melania not being anything even remotely like Eleanor Roosevelt.

        1. Very true…Melania isn’t bat shit crazy talking to ghosts or whatever nonsense ole Eleanor was up to while FDR was screwing things up so badly they put term limits on the Presidency after his fourth term.

              1. You’ll have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company if you don’t use the Colonel’s name.

          2. But far more to the point, andrewknaveryshop, Eleanor Roosevelt was, amongst many other things, the single greatest wartime First Lady in the history of The United States of America. Nobody did more for our troops than she. And they loved her dearly for it. And so should you, ingrate.

            1. A) I’ve actually been a war time troop. Have you?

              B) What did E. Roosevelt do for the troops?

              C) Thank you for admitting that Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama both sucked as war time Presidents. Granted, Somalia, the Balkans, and ONW/OSW weren’t “wars” per se.

                1. Here’s a small sample to whet your appetite:

                  The First Lady was allowed to go to Guadalcanal where she visited many hospitals and again made offers to write to the families of wounded soldiers. During the course of her trip she had visited 17 islands and it was estimated that she saw over 400,000 soldiers. In the end Admiral Halsey said, “she had accomplished more good than any other person or any group of civilians that had passed through my area.”

                  If ER was good enough for Admiral Halsey, then “Rover” ought to be good enough for andrewworkshop.

                2. Here’s another sample:

                  While touring England, Eleanor Roosevelt’s typical day began at 8:00 AM and ended at midnight. Each day included writing a My Day column. She visited clothing distribution centers, military and naval bases. She spent time with hundreds of wounded servicemen and offered to write to their families when she returned home. She collected hundreds of names and followed through on her promise.

                  There was nothing that she did not want to see and experience. At one point she even inspected a parachute battalion and insisted on having the pilots help her into the seat of a cockpit of a plane. One reporter wrote, “She walked 50 miles through factories, clubs and hospitals. She walked me off my feet.”

                  There’s a lot more where that came from.

                  1. Diane – and while Eleanor was on tour the future Queen Elizabeth II was actually fighting the war as an auto mechanic. Elizabeth was doing something substantive, while Eleanor was gloss and polish.

                    1. E. Rover logged beaucoup miles in both hemispheres comforting the wounded and consoling their families back home. Calling that gloss and polish is just plain spiteful. And you know it. And you don’t care.

                    2. Diane – I am not a fan of Eleanor and she could have done the whole thing as a backstroke and I would not be impressed. If it makes you feel any better, I am not a fan of FDR either.

                3. To bring this back full circle, what does any of this have to do with Stormy Daniels and her publicity stunt to sell tickets for her current tour?

  9. By Common Cause’s reasoning, buying toothpaste would be an in-kind campaign contribution because a bright smile would make the candidate appear more appealing and, hence, tend to influence the election.

    1. Vince, maybe toothpaste expenditures are reported under “miscellany” along with hair-care products.

      1. Also, has anyone ever been successfully blackmailed under the threat of public revelation of that person’s poor dental hygiene or disheveled hair?

    2. It depends on who is buying the toothpaste. If Donald buys his own toothpaste, so what? But if some politically relevant supporter donates toothpaste to Trump, then it certainly could be a campaign contribution.

  10. Who cares where, when, how, what denominations. I’m more concerned about the FISA memo and the government abuses of the last administration and what did those weenies mean by “insurance policy” to stop President Trump from being elected. Every week it’s a different bull*%*t attack on a duly elected President and here we go again the e-mails are missing.

    1. I agree. Think through say, the past 18 months and every instance in which a “glitch” resulted in thousands of emails or texts – and let’s called them evidence since that’s what they are fundamentally – vanished. I’m tired of reading tabloid fodder like this Stormy story when it is clear that a coup was attempted and remains a possibility in this country.

    2. Bingo. Totally agree. Notice how everytime the heat gets turned up on the Dems (i.e., Hillary) or new evidence of impropriety at the KGB, I mean FBI, comes up, there is either a new Collusion x.0 claim or something like a government shutdown? Yesterday Bret Baier calculated that these two G-lovers were sending over 60 texts a day if the missing texts are all theirs. When did they have time for their love affair if they still had to work? Boggles the mind how fast we’re sliding into the abyss.

      1. It should be clear to you that Trump intends to decimate the FBI, and restaff it with politically loyal operatives. That is, to turn the FBI into his own private gestapo.

    3. Absolutely. There are two forces at work and only one of them is concerned with the rule of law. Progressives in either party will do anything for power. The anti-progressives seek to expose the corruption within government regardless of the party involved. Anyone following this blog can easily identify which group JT’s contributors align with. That divide is the secret sauce for this blog.

      1. The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda, it is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth. ..

        1. The point of modern propaganda isn’t only to misinform or push an agenda, it is to exhaust your critical thinking, to annihilate truth.

          It’s a good quote. You should identify the source. Garry Kasparov.

      2. There are progressives in the Republican party ??? Last one I know of was Teddy Roosevelt.

        1. There are progressives in the Republican party ???

          Of course. The party is simply a means to divide voters on policy. It’s an illusion promoting one party as the good and the other as the bad. How can you know the difference? While most people concern themselves with the ends of government, it’s the means to achieve those ends that differentiates the progressives from the anti-progressives.

  14. Of course, Jon Turley respects Common Cause. Common Cause is filthy Leftist hack organization. While the organization outwardly claims that it wants to reduce big money’s influence in politics, Common Cause continues to accept large contributions from Leftist groups and uses that money to promote the Leftist agenda.

    For example, Common Cause has received tens of millions of dollars in funding from George Soros’ Open Society Institute. Other big money groups that have heavily funded Common Cause include the Joyce Foundation (which President Obama previously served as a Board Member), and Arca Foundation (which donates heavily to Democratic Party individuals and groups).

    Studies of Common Cause have shown that in the 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010 and 2014 election cycles, every penny donated to political causes by Common Cause employees, officers and board members went to Democrats. In Barack Obama’s election year of 2008, Common Cause set an organizational record for contributions–all to Democrats.

    This again reaffirms that the Democrats are getting more and more desperate. They know their BS “Russian Conspiracy” hoax has proven to be just that. So, they have to resort to more bogus accusations to attempt to make President Trump look bad.

    Common Cause = Leftist Hack Organization = Soros-Funded Propaganda.

    ‘Nuff said!

    1. “Common Cause continues to accept large contributions from Leftist groups and uses that money to promote the Leftist agenda.“

      Didn’t Trump give money to Hillary and Schumer, et al., thus promoting the Leftist agenda? Fortunately that left-wing donor is nowhere near the White House, right??

      1. Didn’t Trump give money to Hillary and Schumer, et al., thus promoting the Leftist agenda?

        If your government is buyable, then buy them. That would be a sound business decision. Perhaps Mr. Comey will discuss this in his Ethics class.

    2. Ralph

      Not sure what your definition of “leftist agenda” is – but most of the public supports progressive positions on
      most issues, and it’s only thanks to the efforts of ring wing propaganda that most politicians are afraid to publicly support them out of fear that their rich supporters will stop funding their campaigns if they do so.

      Publicly funded campaigns would end your fears of progressive ideas getting enacted into law.

      1. Um, no. I don’t believe “most of the public” supports late term abortion (or abortion itself), sanctuary cities/states, open borders, high taxes, out-of-control entitlement programs, and so on. The country is quicklly splitting and we look to be in a state of Cold Civil War. Question is when it will heat up.

        1. Suze –

          you have a curious way of defining progressive policies. did you get your list from FOX news?

          1. So tell us McWilliams, at what calendar mark should abortion be illegal? Asking because there are progressives that say 2 years post-birth. If sanctuary cities are great why aren’t you giving space in your own home to harbor these people? When you get your “tax refund” this year will you keep it, spend it, or mail it back to the Treasury in the name of all those programs you want everyone else to pay for?

        2. It won’t because you types are sadly mistaken about the desires, wants and needs of the American people. You types are fooled into thinking your ridiculous conspiratorial, wingnut theories have any traction whatsoever outside of your little insulated cocoon of kooks. The truth is, the pathetically small,gullible,unknowing, sliver of the population who still buys into the big con aren’t powerful enough to form a coherent portion of any “hot” civil war. But by all means, invest in silver, stockpile tinfoil, buy camo underwear, and keep cheering for Hannity. You wonder why this isn’t the country you dream were “the good ole days.” Get a life.

          this is to “Merica was better when those people weren’t so uppity” suze

          1. Marky Mark re ” The truth is, the pathetically small,gullible,unknowing, sliver of the population who still buys into the big con aren’t powerful enough to form a coherent portion of any “hot” civil war.”

            Thank God for that – they are busy donning Pussy Hats and trading Russia Russia Russia conspiracy theories. At least they seem to have moved on from mourning HRC!

      2. but most of the public supports progressive positions on most issues,

        Let’s pretend for a moment that your wildly unprovable statement was true. It’s an ends statement with no legitimate relevance to the actual means to achieve it. The public and their elected representatives in government have every right to desire a certain outcome on policy issues. What they don’t have is the right to defy their oath of office by achieving those outcomes through unconstitutional means.

            1. David Benson – without a calculator, count 130k in one dollar bills. Think you can do it without having to restart a couple of times?

    2. It would be interesting to see just how many dollar bills would fit into a G-string. I’d like to watch !

  16. Common Cause, who I have NO respect for, is only doing this to embarrass the President. There is no cause for this suit since he clearly has enough of his own money, assuming he paid her off.

    1. He has had enough money to buy a lot of things, but instead had his charity pay for them. Since we know someone else actually made the payment, knowing whose money is a question worth asking.

      1. Meet me halfway? Let’s get full and open disclosure of the money that shuttled back and forth between Uranium One, Moscow, and The Clinton Foundation as well as disclosure of which DNC ally bought off Stormy Daniels. Is that a fair deal?

        1. Would you care to specifically spell out the quid pro quo that you believe happened re Uranium One? Who got what, who authorized what? And what the evidence is to back that up? Hasn’t the Uranium One episode been investigated a number of times already? Or is this just another “Benghazi,” that has to be investigated over and over and over again?

    2. Paul: it is not possible to embarrass fatso with a sex scandal. He thinks nailing Stormy Daniels is cool and that other men are jealous. Don’t you get it?

  17. When did this happen? When did he pay her off? Where did she do an interview? When did Trump run for president?

    Stormy, did you burn through Trumps money and now are you taking it from the DNC?

    This Stormy person is not important to anyone.

    Give me something that happened last year-heck, give me something within the last five years. I’m sure Trump’s voters recognized he is a flawed character.

    This is pointless and irritating. Meanwhile, there are much more important things for people to think about than this woman who is willing to have an affair with a married man. Trump’s not absolved, but we know his m.o.

      1. “Hey – look over there behind that tree. It’s crooked Hillary. She’s corrupt. Trump’s a Jesus man, just like Mike”.

      1. Good for her. She should drop out of The State of the Union Address, as well.

  18. “I have long been an avid supporter of Common Cause” Really? Seriously? The good they may have done doesn’t makeup for the evil! What next? support for the SPLC? Dude ….

  20. I believed they were premature in the filing. If the basis for their claim is not substantiated sufficiently it will hurt their case. The more hurried they act, without convincing facts their credibility suffers as it could be interpreted to simply be political gaming.

    1. Darren

      I might agree with you that their complaints are premature if there was some other means by which it was possible for CC to easily find out the source of the funds. Neither Cohen nor Trump are going to volunteer this information. How is CC supposed to figure out where the money came from on their own?

      The known facts are odiferous. What would you suggest that CC do or wait for before filing the complaints ?

      (Of course the money could have come from anywhere: Trump personally, Trump foundation, Russia, Vanuatu, Clinton Foundation, space aliens. …..)

      1. Maybe it was tRump’s share of the Uranium One deal or maybe it was his first qtr paycheck for prez.

    2. They don’t need convincing facts, Darren. All they need are the headlines, and then fade away quietly, with their smear job complete. In the meantime, I’m looking forward to lower tax withholding in my next paycheck.

      I still think it’s grand that we no longer have a drinking, smoking, illegal drug user as president.

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