BOOM: Trump Used DOJ to Get Dirt On McGahn!

[berni_mccoy]

https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/13/politics/don-mcgahn-justice-department-apple-account-records/index.html

Apple informed former White House counsel Don McGahn and wife that their records were sought by DOJ in 2018

(CNN)Former Trump White House counsel Don McGahn and his wife received disclosures from Apple last month that their account records were sought by the Justice Department in February 2018, while McGahn was still the top lawyer representing the presidency, according to a person familiar.

The New York Times first reported McGahn's situation on Sunday.
The pursuit was under a nondisclosure order until May, indicating the Justice Department went to a judge multiple times to keep it secret throughout former President Donald Trump's years in office.
It is extraordinary to subpoena a White House counsel's records.
The Justice Department appears to have accessed McGahn and his wife's information the same month the department swept up Apple's data related to dozens of phone numbers and email accounts connected to the House Intelligence Committee, including for two of its Democratic members.

Not only was he abusing his power to get dirt in his enemies but also his closest allies. Explains how so many GOP who weren’t really fans became complete lap dogs.

[renate]

1. Next up... Lindsay Graham

We all knew he was being blackmailed but now there’s proof that this is Trump’s m.o.

[Pachamama]

2. +1000000

Indeed

[wnylib]

30. Would like to see evidence of Russian spying on

Rs before or during the 2016 campaign. I'm sute it happened, but Putin would be harder to trace. Maybe some record will turn up of Trump receiving the info, like a discussion about it or a witness able and willing to talk.

[SWBTATTReg]

36. Thanks. I would like to see too (evidence)...remember when rump cleared the room and only

he and the Russian guy were the only ones left, and then trump took the translator's translations too, so no written record would remain? Traitor.

[wnylib]

40. I'd bet that he was bought before

he ever ran for office - a condition of him receiving bail outs for his debts.

"Sure, we give you money, Donald, but we need favor."

Russia needs a regime change.

[niyad]

52. The f'n murdering orange traitor has apparently been a russian asset since about 1984.

[Captain Zero]

65. Exactly when Russian Mafia moved into NY City

And Rudy Giuliani was prosecutor for SDNY busting the old Italian Mafia. Trump was an informer. I am a coincidence theorist.

[SheltieLover]

46. Weren't congresspukes' emails hacked along with Dems?

But pukes' email info was not made public.

I believe so.

Page out of putin's playbook.

[Mad_Machine76]

48. There just can't be any doubt about that!

His public statements and behavior before and after golfing with Trump back in 2016-2017 are just so disparate and irreconcilable.

[BigmanPigman]

61. My first thought too!

Is there such a thing as "Abuse of Power"? Really, can an ex-POTUS be charged with that along with "Obstruction of Justice" and 5,000 other crimes?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100215477685

[calimary]

64. Oh YEAH. I bet we'd see a "whole new Lindsey."

Lindsey we hardly knew ya.

[EarlG]

3. Damn

Paging Republican Congressmen and Senators who have also been notified by Apple...

If he was spying on his own White House counsel, you know he was also spying on Congressional Republicans as well as Democrats.

Who was in charge of this project at DOJ? Sessions was still AG in February 2018. Did he know this was going on?

[Sanity Claws]

4. Paranoia? Or getting dirt to keep people in line?

Interesting how they got communications from both husband and wife. With that addition, I think it is getting dirt to keep people in line.

[Pinback]

15. Mob tactics.

I bet Trump has always operated this way. Helps explain how such a mediocre hack could become “successful” and skate away from so many crimes and scandals.

[malaise]

5. I'd bet real money that he has the goods on every elected ReTHUG

He is the original Slobfather mobster criminal president. He belongs in prison screaming about people spying on him while he was spying on everyone.

[erronis]

16. He was merely doing putine's orders. When you have a mole like trump in the gov't

who needs spies?

Of course the dumpster was only dimly aware of his actions and couldn't have planned his way out of an open door. I don't know if he was permanently drugged, hardwired to controlling devices, or just genetically disposed to being stupid.

Sounds like a good Nuremberg-style defense.

[SWBTATTReg]

23. Putin was probably giving him stuff too on his gop lapdogs and others too, I bet. NT

[wnylib]

33. I'm sure of it. See my #30.

[dem4decades]

6. Obstruction of justice?

[empedocles]

7. Perhaps we may hear more from Mr. McGahn?

[berni_mccoy]

10. Abuse of Power; Blackmail; among others

[triron]

51. When will Garland's DOJ bring charges?

[H2O Man]

8. Recommended.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

9. Makes one wonder what tRump has on Graham, McConnell, and others as well...

looks like Billy, Rod, Jefferson have some esplainiing to do before Congress.

[Kid Berwyn]

11. Conspiracy to obstruct Russia investigation.

Traitor.

[wnylib]

34. Traitor indeed. A Russian agent in the WH.

[triron]

37. Way worse than Benedict Arnold.

[wnylib]

45. Worse than Arnold, Nixon, and the Bushes combined.

Fascist, mobster, and foreign agent.

[jalan48]

12. And, what will be done about it?

[Boomerproud]

21. Exactly.

As a DUer used as a username NothingShocksMeAnymore. McGahn will say nothing and nothing will happen.. Pffft.

[renate]

13. The RNC was hacked just like the DNC but we never heard anything about that

Putin told Trump exactly who to go after and what their vulnerabilities were.

[NCcoast]

19. Bingo!

I think you're on to something there.

[uponit7771]

22. yep

[bucolic_frolic]

14. My guess

this was outside the normal chain of command. Dedicated rogue operatives feeding information up to the president? Was something similar going on outside political life pre-2017? In hotels and casinos?

[berni_mccoy]

17. Imagine if there are Russian agents inside the DOJ

And they were working at Putin’s behest in coordination with Trump

[wnylib]

35. Very likely, IMO.

[calimary]

63. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

[gab13by13]

18. I know someone else who needs to be subpoenaed,

Rod Rosenstein. He is a snake in the grass.

[wiggs]

25. Other snakes to ask: Stephen Miller, Ivanka, Jared, Junior. nt

[Mickju]

49. All of the above

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

20. Hot deep does this shit go?

[PsakiPswirli]

29. Ask Jeffrey Epstine

Bill Barr grappling with the word "murder".

[gopiscrap]

74. welcome to DU

[Effete Snob]

42. Oddly enough, people were okay with it here at the time

https://democraticunderground.com/10142140231

“McGahn, the person said, expects to be questioned by federal prosecutors in New York about his knowledge of the payments, which were the basis for campaign finance charges against Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.”

[RANDYWILDMAN]

24. This explains a lot

Trump makes Nixon look clean and that is hard to do.

We still 74 million brain dead voters to deal with, thanks GOP

[WestIndianArchie]

43. And that is the real national shame

[twodogsbarking]

26. There will be more

you can be sure.

[gab13by13]

27. DOJ needs to step in

and lift the gag order on Apple and Microsoft, then subpoena them.

[wiggs]

28. who was it that said off the record that they had to stop Trmp from doing illegal

stuff all the time?

McMaster?

Kelly?

Tillerson?

Let's also ask them what this refers to and anything else they observed that was illegal? To what degree are we following up on 4 years of statements like this?

Also...don't we know that other countries sometimes know a lot more than we do? How about using their intelligence services? There'se got to be tons of evidence out there...when does it get wrapped up for an overall, clear case of crime and treachery?

[GB_RN]

38. Tillerson, IIRC

Kelly may have also said it.

[BobTheSubgenius]

31. Great.

J Edgar Hoover without the wardrobe.

[Mickju]

50. LOL!

[HAB911]

32. Fascists going fascist on fascists?!

TOO FUNNY

[wnylib]

39. I think a few of them weren't quite full-blown fascists

until they received offers to join up that they couldn't refuse.

[Effete Snob]

41. So why was everyone okay with the Cohen investigation?

There is this site called Democratic Underground, where so-called Democrats were okay with this investigation at the time.


https://democraticunderground.com/10142140231

McGahn, the person said, expects to be questioned by federal prosecutors in New York about his knowledge of the payments, which were the basis for campaign finance charges against Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.

[berni_mccoy]

53. How are these even closely related to the same root issue?

[Effete Snob]

56. I read this on a site called Democratic Underground

They used to WANT McGahn investigated, if you can believe a crazy thing like that.

That was way back in 2018, though.

https://democraticunderground.com/10142140231

“McGahn, the person said, expects to be questioned by federal prosecutors in New York about his knowledge of the payments, which were the basis for campaign finance charges against Trump’s longtime personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen.”

[berni_mccoy]

58. I don't think the two investigations are related

And to be clear, one was an investigation involving McGahn covering up hush money payments for Trump… and the other was not an investigation and instead it was Trump trying to determine if and who McGahn might be spilling the beans to.

[Effete Snob]

59. Yeah, McGahn was a real angel

Like most people around Trump, he was squeaky clean. No reason to think there could have been a legitimate investigation into him. Must have been a witch hunt.

Trump always had ethical lawyers like Cohen, Giuliani and McGahn, who would never do anything questionable.

[Wednesdays]

70. Who ever said McGahn was an angel?

[Effete Snob]

71. Apparently, he was above being investigated

Unlike every other Trump lawyer, McGahn was beyond reproach and any subpoena seeking his information was a witch hunt. Cohen could be investigated, Giuliani could be investigated... no problem. But McGahn? Heaven forfend. As pure as the driven snow, apparently. No one in the DoJ should have ever been looking into him.

[onlyadream]

44. Just wondering

What kind of information could this provide from Apple? A contact list, a list of the apps you have? What else?

[berni_mccoy]

54. They were trying to see who was talking to what external sources

Because they felt like someone inside the WH was “leaking” info.

We don’t know exactly what info was seized but it could be everything a person has in their icloud storage.

[roamer65]

55. Nixon redux.

Didn’t Nixon do something similar with Martha Mitchell?

[leftyladyfrommo]

57. We are beginning to see what Trump did all day.

He speny his time trying to find info that he could blackmail people with.

God, what a creep.

[calimary]

60. I bet you're absolutely right.

What he did all day. Watch Pox Noise, tweet, and work on his enemies lists.

[MerryBlooms]

62. Yep!

[sprinkleeninow]

66. This really jumped out at me:

The pursuit was under a nondisclosure order until May, indicating the Justice Department went to a judge *multiple times* to keep it secret throughout former President Donald Trump's years in office.

[joetheman]

67. There should be hundreds of civil suits from this revelation. nt

[Wounded Bear]

68. Not surprising...narcissists trust noone...

[Botany]

69. 2 things

1) What judge signed off on this?

2) I hope McGahn and his wife sues the hell out of Trump and Barr.

[Effete Snob]

72. Sue them for what?

The legal remedy for an unlawful search is the exclusion of the proceeds of that search from being used in a criminal proceeding.

In other words, if the cops lie to get a warrant to search your home, then anything they find in your home can be excluded from being used as evidence against you. As a minor incident, they can be liable for damage to your home or stuff, but in this situation we are talking about electronic records held by a third party - i.e. Apple.

So, what is it that McGahn is going to sue Trump or Barr for, exactly (assuming it was them and not some other criminal investigation into McGahn)?

What damages have been incurred for which he would need to be compensated?

Quite obviously, nothing that was obtained is being sought to be used in a criminal action, so there is nothing to exclude as evidence. So what is it that the suit would be seeking to accomplish?

It's interesting how Cohen has been rehabilitated into someone on the right side of things. Now McGahn. I guess Giuliani is the next on the list of "Trump co-conspirators I'm supposed to feel sorry for".

[ScratchCat]

73. Trump was paranoid

That McGahn was going to roll-over on him because he knew McGahn had the goods. He had point blank asked McGahn to violate the law.