seth waxman got it right, when that doorbell rings and the guy says i'm from the fbi, let me tell you, it's every man for himself. so that suggests to me that the longer he waits, the worse it's going to get. i think they're going to go

seth waxman has served as an assistant u.s. attorney here in washington and criminal defense attorney, joins us now to take your legal questions about palm and afford and michael cohen. i want to start the charges that have garnered the most attention, the campaign-finance violations that michael cohen pled guilty to. can you explain the exact laws that he broke and why this seems to be -- the charges are getting the most attention? guest: there limits on campaign contributions so the system is transparent so the american public and see who is cuter meeting -- contribute in. if an injury vigil -- if an individual donates over certain amount, that history reported. it is for transparency sake. there was a $130,000 payment that were funneled through star, toto the porn mistress and not reported. michael cohen has played guilty. post: the obama campaign had campaign-finance violations that were takien care of with a fine. why was that a fine? oranges. is apples and there was delegation president obama was in any way individually i

as people around you think. >> all right, joining me now is nbc news analyst howard fineman, and seth waxman who spent eight years prosecuting organized crime figures like some of those we saw portrayed on tv. seth, let me begin with you, you've been in this position before. is the way trump acting a sign that he feels backed into a corner, the language, the posturing, is it defensive in nature? >> of course it is. it is exactly that. you know, when i was a federal prosecutor, i used to sit on wiretaps for weeks or months. this is the kind of language that hardened criminals would use. kingpins and drug dealers. who's flipping? who do we want to go after? who's on our side? i mean, listening to this is like listening to tony soprano. this is shocking to me, this kind of language. i don't want to go too far, washington, lincoln, jefferson might be rolling over in their grave to think a president of the united states is criticizing people who own responsibility, plead guilty and decide to change their life, but yet, you know, standing by the person who isn't going to be a rat. it's really, rea

with me now, former federal prosecutor, seth waxman. seth, thanks for being here and thank you for being willing to turn on a dime here and talk about a slightly different topic. this is perhaps earlier in the week than we had expected prosecutors to call rick gates, who of course was manafort's right-hand man. and we know from the opening of this trial that the defense is essentially going to try to argue that rick gates was really the one who did everything here that was illegal. walk us through -- you've been in the courtroom for high-stakes cases like this. walk us through what we're about to see in this trial. >> the defense wants to set this up as a he said/he said. this is a paul manafort versus rick gates matter. you, the ladies and gentlemen of this jury, if you can't believe rick gates, you've got to walk my client. the prosecution, on the other hand, is going to say, yeah, we have rick gates and he is an important witness, but look at the accountants, the documents, the tax records, the e-mails, everything that corroborates mr

seth waxman has served as assistant u.s.orney here in washington and criminal defense attorney, here to take your legal questions about paul manafort and michael cohen. i want to start with the charges that have garnered the most attention, the campaign finance violations that michael cohen pled guilty to. do you explain the exact laws he broke, and why this seems to be the charges that are getting the most attention? there are limits on campaign finance contribution, and they are transparent so that the people can see how much of individual contributes. if they interviewed over a certain limit, that needs to be reported, corporations contribute, and he like. the law broken here is that there was a $130,000 payment and winter $50,000 payment funneled through cohen to acorn star -- 28 morningstar -- to a porno star and mistress that were not reported. why is this a guilty plea in a federal court? guest: it is really apples and oranges. there was no allegation that president obama was in any way individually involved in his ca

for more insight, we are joined by former federal prosecutor seth waxman. to us from washington right across from alexandria. seth, welcome. you have tried cases like this. maintain thet to credibility of your witness who has admitted to criminal activity? seth: that is what cooperators have to do. to confess their wrongdoing but the key for the cosecution's coo -- oberation. there are other facts and other evidence that shows you that he is telling the truth. that comes in the form of other witnesses and documents. we are hearing there were emails showing mr. manafort was directing to mr. gates to engage in this activity. they will convince this jury that he could be trusted in the can bed that it proven. david: have they done a good job in: robert -- a good job in corroboration? seth: it is extensive. multiple witnesses have been saying about it was mr. manafort that was a criminal mastermind and then you have the emails that show that same sort of thing. when prosecutors evaluate a case, they do not put all of in that basket, as it is a he said, she said

inwelcome back seth waxman washington, a criminal trial lawyer in the district of columbia. ome back. seth: thank you for having the greatest david: as a former prosecutor, give us a window into how the prosecutors against paul manafort are feeling right now? is it surprising you it has been taking this long, given the 18 counts, and at what point would you get nervous? seth: it would not be surprising to me sitting on the outside looking in that we have gone through deliberations for a couple of days. as a prosecutor, you have convinced yourself that you have the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. you have the documents and the emails. the bank records. so as the days where on, your heart sinks a little bit further each day. but two full days of deliberations is not unusual given the gravity into various counts. and it could be a case where we have a split jury. so you never know where the jury sits. david: we are all trying to read the tea leaves and one is a request from the jury to have a redefinition of exactly what reasonable doubt means. isn't it standard for the jury

former federal prosecutors john flannery and seth waxman.eration room because it's fascinating and you know more than i do and most of us do. but let's start just with is it normal for a u.s. president to speak like this while a jury is deliberating about the defendant? >> no, it is not usual at all, but this president is not usual and doesn't care about the law or constitutional rights and doesn't care if he affects the outcome, which he plainly hopes to do. it's interesting -- >> why isn't it jury tampering? >> well, it is jury tampering. everything he does, practically, is obstruction, whether it's issuing statements that you will no longer have security clearances or he gives this speech. >> if judge ellis were here, he would give you a hard time when you say everything trump does is obstruction, you're being fair, accurate or precise. >> i would have an argument with judge ellis then. i don't believe judge ellis appreciates the threat to our judicial system, particularly by this president. he apparently had concern about two things, pub

i'm joined now by seth b. waxman, he's currently a criminal defense lawyer in e practice and previousl worked as a federal prosecutor at the u.s. attorney's office in washington. welcome to the newshour. >> thank you. >> brangham: so rick gates testified yesterday and again today, laying out really the arc of the prosecution's case, all these alleged financial crimesrt that paul manaallegedly carried out-- bank fraud, hiding income, trying to avoipaying taxes. thus far, what do you make of the prosecution'case? >> yeah, i mean, it seems pretty solid at this point. nesses whoeveral w have all said that this activity went on, from accountant and other experts in those sorof areas. now have the star witness mr. gates breathing life into the various documents and emails we're seeing. you have po think at thnt the prosecution feels pretty good about where they sit. and course we're into cross-examination of rick gates, where it's up them to set this up for them. >> brangham: rick ges yesterday, admitted to prosecutors tha

with me now, former federal prosecutor, seth waxman. here and thank you for being willing to turn on a dime here and talk about a slightly different topic. this is perhaps earlier in the week than we had expected prosecutors to call rick gates, who of course was manafort's right-hand man. and we know from the opening of this trial that the defense is essentially going to try to argue that rick gates was really the one who did everything here that was illegal. walk us through -- you've been in the courtroom for high-stakes cases like this. walk us through what we're about to see in this

. >> seth waxman. >> and jon. >> pickup turning to twitter, of course, hammering jeff sessions, call him to investigate democrats and other political poe pee opponents. >> out pouring support from both sides of the isle. and voice of the people, do american voters in the hartland. >> do they really care about the president's legal trouble. >> we'll head to nebraska, the state fair is happening in hush hush -- russia. we'll ask voters about that question. to look at me now, you don't see psoriasis. you see clear skin. you see me. but if you saw me before cosentyx... ♪ i was covered. it was awful. but i didn't give up. i kept fighting. i got clear skin with cosentyx. 3 years and counting. clear skin can last. see if cosentyx could make a difference for you. cosentyx is proven to help people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis find clear skin that can last. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting cosentyx, you should be checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection o

jennifer rubin, seth waxman. it is a very short tape. these people are amazing, they are regimental in their defense. rob reiner is coming up to discuss what the democrats should do. first two congressional supporters have been indicted on corruption charge. and when in doubt, who does president trump blame? obama. about the end of the long, long legacy. this is "hardball" where the action is. as their spokesperson because apparently, i'm highly likable. see, they know it's confusing. i literally have no idea what i'm getting, dennis quaid. that's why they're making it simple, man in cafe. and more affordable. thank you, dennis quaid. you're welcome. that's a prop apple. i'd tell you more, but i only have 30 seconds. so here's a dramatic shot of their tagline so you'll remember it. esurance. it's surprisingly painless. >>> here is some good news for progressives. a brand new poll has exciting numbers down in texas. incumbent ted cruz is now leading his rival by just four points. 49% to 45%. o'rourke has stirred up. less than 80 days to g

strzok, what it means, let's bring in cnn criminal defense attorney, former federal prosecutor seth waxman, cnn politic national security analyst, sean turner, and our chief political analyst gloria borger. the ig said this is not good behavior. good he was taken off the mueller investigation. now you have the deputy director in effect overruling another senior fbi official. what do you see behind that? >> politics. and we have to report this out, but it seems to me that you know that rosenstein, rod rosenstein, has been in a fight with conservatives in congress who want him impeached. you know the fbi has been under fire by republicans in congress. you know how the president feels about strzok. and it seems to me that he may be a sacrificial lamb here. they may have just decided, you know what, let's just get rid of this once and for all. you remember that ten-hour hearing. he did not back down one minute. so you know, something has occurred here that would make them say, okay, we're not going to stick with protocol. instead, we're going to fire somebody who for a very long time was a res

joining me from outside the courthouse in alexandria, nbc news intelligence reporter kendelanian and seth waxman, partner at did inson wright. you said it's like a soap opera in there today. walk us through what's happening. >> well, katy, you explained some of the drama, of course, mr. gates long time pro to jay of paul manafort walking in to testify against his mentor. manafort stare beiing bullets a. today we moved into a different mode where gates is getting into the nitty-gritty and it's been very powerful testimony from gates because it doesn't just rely on his word. the prosecution is very cleverly using documents and e-mails, often with mr. manafort's own words to show participation in this tax fraud and bank fraud. first they showed that manafort and gates together knew about foreign bank accounts that weren't reported on manafort's tax returns and concerted effort to hide income by showing it as loans and most recently i stepped out of the courtroom where they were talking about 2016 when the business had collapsed and they had no clients and trying to lie and prop up income to get loa

. >>> joining me now, to try to make sense of it, seth waxman, criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor and cnn political analyst, mark preston. mark, let's start with the politics of this. i feel like it's more than the legal side of this at this point. no offense, seth. because it does seem like more of a pr strategy right now than a legal one. what is rudy guiliani up to, mark? >> he's doing a couple of things. one is, he's continuing to try to create an incredible amount of white noise around the situation, try to bring doubt into this investigation. if you heard him over and over again, saying, look, mueller has all of the information. if he wants to, you know, pursue something as a president, then he should do so. what's wrong with that logic and that thinking is that mueller isn't -- it's not his goal to try to go out and find if donald trump did something wrong. that isn't his goal. his goal is to find out if there was any collusion in -- you know, with russia and in between the campaign, as well as what other things happened around that. so what you are hearing from

let me bring in former federal prosecutor, seth waxman and anna palmer and white house correspondent for the msnbc news hour and friends of the show. si seth, the edwards case is being used by defenders of the president to say see, he did nothing wrong if you compare it. explain this, did or did not the president implicate himself in this fox news interview? >> slootly absolutely he did. michael cohen testified under oath in a plea that he engaged in criminal conduct and identified the president as a co-con spir tore. with with regards to comments he's making this morning, that could be tanamount to witness tampering. >> it it could be? >> yeah, they been arguing in fact he did nothing wrong that we decided to put it together and show you how much they've been making that point. >> president did nothing wrong. >> as the president stated on numerous occasions, he did nothing wrong. >> the president is an honest man, hasn't done anything wrong. >> he did nothing wrong. we've stated many times, he did nothing wrong. the president has done nothing wrong. what i can tell you about this is

enforcement attorney seth waxman. tom, you have been following this. you were downtown a little bit earlier today. here is a statement from collins' lawyer saying we will answer the charges filed in court and will mount a defense to clear his good name. it is notable the government does not allege that congressman collins traded a single chair of innate immunotherapeutics's stock. we are confident he will be vindicated and exonerated. collins did not sell his own stock? >> yes. as a matter of fact, the indictment makes that clear. he couldn't sell his own stock because this company, which was based in australia, they had halted shares pending the news that collins had received. so he was not in a position to be able to trade his hours. however, the issue that he has from a legal perspective, when you are on a board of directors, you can't take information that hasn't been released publicly yet and trade on that information or let other people know about it unless it's been released publicly. if he had known this information, and then the company put ou

her up early, national reporter for the "washington post" and msnbc contributor onset with me and seth waxman and senior reporter for the "washington post,"er rinne blake and anna palmer. carol, let me go to you. you are writing now about how the president sees this interview with robert mueller, how his legal team sees the interview. here's the thing, rudy giuliani is talking and talking and talking about this. you know who's not? roberts mueller. >> that's absolutely true, hallie. robert mueller has been silent and the president's lawyers have been la quashs. but one thing has not changed and that's the essence of donald tru trump, which is he believes he's his best lawyer and own best pr guy and own best thinker and diplomat and in this instance, he does believe and has as we were reported back in the spring, has always believed that if he could just sit down with these people, he could straighten this all out and explain no collusion, this is a hoax. now, his lawyers also have changed slightly in the sense that some put their foot down at the beginning and said you are not doing this inte

i want to bring in seth waxman, an enforcement attorney and former federal prosecutor. don't even understand that. giuliani directly contradicting himself. now, one could say he's trying to muddy the waters, but what does this do to the investigation? are there any consequences for the president or rudy giuliani that he is state up lying, either then or now? >> i don't think a sitting president's ever going to be indicted so there may be some ramifications if there are ever impeachment proceedings. mr. giuliani and mr. trump were put to the test. as we also heard mr. giuliani saying, he's arguing in the alternative. to me, he's arguing a reality. a false reality. his statements don't seem tied to the law or the facts. seems to say whatever comes to mind at any given moment. i can tell you that's very confusing for the american people. i'll give give you a quick example. i just had a murder trial where the defense lawyer stood up all trial and said the client didn't commit the murder, he was across town. then in closing arguments, he said but if he was on the scene and h

coming up thursday morning, attorney and former federal prosecutor seth waxman on the latest on the manafort and michael cohen convictions. on thenjamin storo trump administration efforts to roll back obama era coal power and emissions rules. and erin jones talks about the budget deadline and congressional spending. be sure to watch c-span's washington journal, live at 7:00 a.m. eastern thursday morning. join the discussion. announcer: thursday night at 8:00 eastern, the house energy and commerce committee hearing on the status of the 21st century cures act to help accelerate medical innovations. >> just last month, a team led by nih dr. steven rosenberg announced a novel modification of an immunotherapy approach that led to a complete regression, most likely at your, ,f widely -- most likely a cure of metastatic breast cancer in a woman with a previously fatal form of the disease. announcer: friday night at 8:00, the senate labor and commit -- labor and pension herein. watch in prime time on c-span, c-span.org, and listen with the free c-span radio app. announcer: today the president awarde

announcer: in about an hour, we will talk to criminal defense attorney seth waxman about the paul manafort and michael cohen 's c

seth waxman has served as an assistant u.s. attorney here in washington and criminal defense attorney, joins us now to take your legal questions about palm