According to recent court filings, President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen told federal prosecutors that he was directed by the then-candidate to pay hush money to two women to help sway the outcome of the 2016 election. Even though Cohen admitted he had previously lied under oath to Congress, ABC and NBC spent part of their Sunday morning news programs suggesting it was all over for the Trump administration.
“We now have a president of the United States who has essentially been implicated in a felony by his own Justice Department,” boasted ABC anchor Dan Harris to chief global affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz during Good Morning America. “Democrats are reportedly talking about impeachment. Does that seem likely to happen to you, impeachment?”
Raddatz noted that Democrats had been trying to stay away from the idea of impeaching Trump right away, but now it seemed more likely than ever:
But The New York Times today quotes the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee saying – Jerry Nadler saying, “if the campaign finance case as laid out by prosecutors is true, Mr. Trump would be likely to meet the criteria for an impeachable offense.” And he said he would “instruct his committee to investigate” when he takes over in January. So, I do think things have moved since last Friday.
“As we have said, the President is moving into a perilous period,” Harris touted.
Meanwhile, on NBC’s Sunday Today, anchor Willie Geist seemed excited that “the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, not Mueller yet, but the prosecutors said they see a path where the President directed payments to Stormy Daniels and to another woman during the campaign that could have influenced the election.”
“Yes. A felony. Okay? Pure and simple. Yes, there may be some questions. There's a reason they're not quite ready to call him an unindicted co-conspirator, but that doesn't mean they might not…” Meet the Press moderator Chuck Todd was quick add.
Todd also noted that in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s sentencing memo, Cohen says his false testimony to Congress was circulated among top White House officials. The NBC moderator seemed excited to see who else would get taken down by the accusations from an admitted liar. “That just shows you that the obstruction case that Bob Mueller can build against the President is a lot stronger and I think a lot deeper than any of his defenders have ever thought it would be,” Todd gloated.
He felt it was “inevitable” that the Democrats were going to impeach President Trump:
You know, there is so much alleged lawbreaking that has taken place that if Congress at all wants to be a watchdog for the Executive Branch, I think it's inevitable. So look, I think it’s inevitable that an impeachment inquiry is going to get opened. And as Jerry Nadler says, that doesn't mean they will end up impeaching him, but I think the investigation is going to open sooner rather than later.
“They at least have to go there,” Geist justified.
This comes after the liberal media were reluctant to elevate President Bill Clinton’s impeachment.
The transcripts are below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s Good Morning America
December 9, 2018
8:10:36 a.m. EasternDAN HARRIS: Let's dive a little bit more deeply into these investigations. We now have a president of the United States who has essentially been implicated in a felony by his own Justice Department. The Justice Department says Trump directed Michael Cohen, his then personal attorney, to send hush money to two alleged former mistresses in the middle of the 2016 campaign. Democrats are reportedly talking about impeachment. Does that seem likely to happen to you, impeachment?
MARTHA RADDATZ: Well, I think probably before Friday and before these filings, it was unlikely. Because you had House leadership shying away there that and not wanting to be the focus of next year. But The New York Times today quotes the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee saying – Jerry Nadler saying, “if the campaign finance case as laid out by prosecutors is true, Mr. Trump would be likely to meet the criteria for an impeachable offense.” And he said he would “Instruct his committee to investigate” when he takes over in January. So, I do think things have moved since last Friday.
HARRIS: As we have said, the President is moving into a perilous period.
NBC’s Sunday Today
December 9, 2018
8:07:07 a.m. EasternWILLIE GEIST: As Kelly said, the President repeated, no collusion. He also said these reports—these filings that we saw from both the special counsel's office and from prosecutors here in the Southern District of New York, quote, “totally clears the President.” That's not true at all, of course. But what should the President be most worried about here? Because as Kelly did report, the prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, not Mueller yet, but the prosecutors said they see a path where the President directed payments to Stormy Daniels and to another woman during the campaign that could have influenced the election.
CHUCK TODD: Yes. A felony. Okay? Pure and simple. Yes, there may be some questions. There's a reason they're not quite ready to call him an unindicted co-conspirator, but that doesn't mean they might not if they have more evidence to know that the President knew he'd be breaking a campaign finance law in advance.
But Willie I think the more troubling accusation is in Bob Mueller's memo on Michael Cohen's sentencing memo wherein there Michael Cohen is alleging that in his false testimony to Congress that the prepared testimony, which he knew was false, which he has pled guilty to, had been circulated among those in Trump's orbit at the White House. Well, who?
And more importantly, that means, in advance, there are those at the White House, those around the President, maybe he himself knew this, they knew in advance that Michael Cohen was going to mislead Congress. That just shows you that the obstruction case that Bob Mueller can build against the President is a lot stronger and I think a lot deeper than any of his defenders have ever thought it would be.
GEIST: And also shows outreach to Russians and contact with Russians dating back to 2015.
Chuck, as you know, Nancy Pelosi, other Democrats have been careful about using the word impeachment. They don't necessarily want to go there. But we did hear yesterday from Congressman Jerry Nadler, the New York Democrat who will take over the Judiciary Committee come January, he started talking about, quote, “a massive fraud against the American people”. What he's talking about is that prosecutor's document where President Trump directed Michael Cohen to pay off these women because that, in the view of prosecutors, may influence the outcome of the election. Are we going to hear more of this in January from leading Democrats, that maybe there are impeachable offenses here?
TODD: I think it's inevitable. And, in fact, I think there's going to be a point where House Democrats are going to feel as if they don't open an impeachment inquiry over what they've seen so far, then what would be the trigger?
A future Congress in 25 years may be upset that this Congress -- that this next Congress didn't do it. You know, there is so much alleged lawbreaking that has taken place that if Congress at all wants to be a watchdog for the Executive Branch, I think it's inevitable. So look, I think it’s inevitable that an impeachment inquiry is going to get opened. And as Jerry Nadler says, that doesn't mean they will end up impeaching him, but I think the investigation is going to open sooner rather than later.
GEIST: They at least have to go there.
