Generally, there’s a crime and the prosecution makes a case. With Trump, the order is reversed. New York prosecutors picked their man, now they search for a crime, after a trial has started.
If you have been following the trial of Trump, and you are the least bit honest about things, you know its a kangaroo judge and prosecution. It remains to be seen how corrupt the jury is or isn’t.
Democracy on Trial
The Wall Street Journal comments on The Trump Trial and Democracy
Outside of New York a reasonable person might think that such promises—identifying the defendant first, with charges to be named later—ought to be disqualifying for any fair prosecution since they are antithetical to American justice. Inside a New York jury room, reasonable people might wonder why Mr. Bragg would want to talk about an unrelated civil case if he really has the goods to make his own criminal charges stick.
Trump Indictment Is a Perversion of Campaign-Finance Law
Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley Smith wrote for the Journal last year Trump Indictment Is a Perversion of Campaign-Finance Law
To recap how we got here: Ms. Daniels, a pornographic film performer, alleges she had a fling with Mr. Trump in 2006, nearly a decade before he entered the Republican primary for president. Once Mr. Trump became a candidate, Ms. Daniels began demanding money in exchange for her silence. Mr. Trump obliged, and his company, the Trump Organization, sent $130,000 to Ms. Daniels through Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The expense was apparently recorded on the company books as “legal fees,” which the indictment is expected to allege was a falsification of business records.
Mr. Bragg’s political problem is that this charge is chump change, merely a misdemeanor under New York law. To ratchet it up to a felony indictment, the district attorney has to show, among other things, that the falsification was designed to conceal another crime. That crime is believed to be a campaign-finance violation—an illegal corporate contribution by the Trump Organization to the Trump presidential campaign—which the false business reporting was meant to conceal. Here’s where Mr. Bragg’s legal problem comes in: Was the hush money a campaign contribution? The governing statute, the Federal Election Campaign Act, provides that a contribution is any donation made “for the purpose of influencing any campaign for federal office.” The Trump Organization, says Mr. Bragg, paid Ms. Daniels to prevent revelations that would have hurt Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. Thus the payments were “for the purpose of influencing” a federal election—and, since corporate contributions to a campaign for federal office are illegal, the case is closed.
Not so fast.The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that because campaign-finance laws infringe on core First Amendment activity, they can’t be dependent on vague, subjective interpretations. Accordingly, the clause “for the purpose of influencing any federal election” is an objective standard. As another section of the statute states, an obligation isn’t a campaign expenditure if it exists “irrespective” of the campaign. In other words, campaign funds pay for campaigning—the campaign manager’s salary, ads, campaign travel, venues for rallies, polling and so on. They don’t pay for personal expenses not created by the act of campaigning, even if the candidate intends for them to benefit the campaign.
The statute’s objective nature is demonstrated by a noninclusive list of things that campaign funds may not be spent on no matter how much they might benefit—or be intended to benefit—a campaign. For example, if a candidate wants to look good in a debate and purchases a $4,000 suit he would never have bought if he weren’t running for office—that is to say, he buys it with the subjective intent to influence an election—it still can’t be purchased with campaign funds, because he would have to buy clothing anyway. A country-club membership can’t be purchased with campaign funds, no matter how much the candidate intends for it to benefit his campaign by giving him a place to schmooze donors.
In other words, the “crime” that Mr. Bragg claims is being covered up isn’t a crime at all. Worse still, one is left with the distinct impression that if Mr. Trump had used campaign funds to pay Ms. Daniels, Mr. Bragg would be alleging that the underlying crime the business records were intended to cover up was the illegal conversion of campaign funds to personal use. This is a classic Catch-22 that undermines the rule of law.
Porn Star Stormy Daniels Ridiculous Testimony
Time Magazine has this recap of Porn Star Stormy Daniels’ Testimony
The testimony carried all of the bawdy details one would expect in a made-for-tabloid tryst. There were silk pajamas. The porn star spanked the billionaire “right on the butt” with a magazine featuring him on the cover. He shared pictures of his wife, who was nowhere near the hotel penthouse. She alleged she felt a power imbalance that left her feeling like she had few options but to proceed with the unprotected and “brief” sexual engagement. She even seemed to suggest the whole affair may not have happened with consent. And that was just the first of at least two days of this.
On the legal front, you can already see the seeds for a Trump appeal taking life as his lawyers repeatedly objected that the details being presented by Daniels were so prejudicial that it would undoubtedly taint the jury’s decision. But Merchan declined their request for a mistrial.
“There will be grounds for appeal. But I don’t think it’s enough to win an appeal,” says Elie Honig, a former federal prosecutor who is watching the case closely and has been critical of the state’s strategy. “Not every error is going to cause a mistrial or a win on appeal.”
The enmity between Daniels—born Stephanie Clifford—and Trump was on full display for jurors and judges from afar alike to see. Trump muttered profanity during her testimony and his lawyers were telegraphing on Wednesday that the next day could bring harsh questioning. Daniels was far from circumspect about her motivations, acknowledging she wanted to hurt Trump by coming forward with her story. These two, it is incredibly apparent, loathe each other and want to see the other destroyed—which may make for great drama, but not immediately useful in the court proceedings. In a microcosm, they are fairly good proxies for how half of this country sees the other.
The Washington Post Transcript
The Washington Post offers this transcript of What Stormy Daniels said happened in Trump’s hotel suite
At the opening of Tuesday’s court session, Trump’s attorney Susan Necheles began by objecting — in advance of testimony by Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford — to the prosecution seeking “any details of any sexual acts.” The charges, the defense noted, are not over alleged sexual acts.
Susan Necheles, defense attorney: We think that this is irrelevant. It has nothing to do with the charges in this case. And to the extent that it has any relevance, it’s unduly prejudicial. And there really is no reason for it to be coming into the case about books and records here.
Judge Merchan: So when you say that some details are necessary, can you give me a sense of what you have in mind?
The prosecution argued that the details are important if the jury is to understand why Trump would have been motivated to pay money to prevent a story about the alleged encounter with Daniels from appearing in news reports.
Daniels, who appeared nervous and spoke quickly, gave an incredibly detailed account of the evening she went to Trump’s suite at a Lake Tahoe resort following a golf event, where she said they had sex.
Daniels’s account also included how she stared at the ceiling during sex, since she was “trying to think about anything other than what was happening there” — to which the judge sustained an objection. She also said Trump didn’t wear a condom, and described the position in which they had sex. After the encounter, Daniels said she remained silent as she gathered her possessions.
Daniels said they stayed in touch because she hoped Trump would let her appear on his hit reality show, “The Apprentice.”
Immediately after the lunch break, Trump’s attorneys argued that Daniels’s testimony about the sex act was irrelevant and prejudicial to the point that it warranted a mistrial.
Trump’s lawyer Blanche: The Court set guardrails for this testimony. And the guardrails by this witness, answering questions from the government, were just thrown to the side.
In particular, Trump’s attorney argued that many of the details were simply intended to embarrass his client and “inflame the jury” in a trial fundamentally about business records, including any suggestion there were “safety concerns” in the encounter.
The judge said it “would have been better” if the prosecution hadn’t gone into certain areas, but suggested that “in fairness,” the witness was “a little difficult to control.”
Merchan: I do think that there were some things that were better left unsaid. Having said that, I don’t believe we are at the point where a mistrial is warranted.
All of this is what happens when a trial starts while the prosecution is still in search of a crime.
Any fair person should hope that if there is a conviction, it will be overturned on appeal.
Trump is not above the law. No one is. But Trump should not be beneath the law either. And that’s clearly what is in progress.
The Trump Trial Opening Statements Confirm a Zoo Spectacle
On April 22, I commented The Trump Trial Opening Statements Confirm a Zoo Spectacle
Sadly, but expectedly, things have gotten much worse.
The crimes are 175.10 and 175.05 below; whether they should really apply to this might depend on the legal meaning in New York of “intent to defraud.”
A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the first degree when he commits the crime of falsifying business records in the second degree, and when his intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.
175.10 – Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree. New York Penal Law Class E Felony
SECTION 175.05
Falsifying business records in the second degree
Penal (PEN) CHAPTER 40, PART 3, TITLE K, ARTICLE 175
§ 175.05 Falsifying business records in the second degree.
A person is guilty of falsifying business records in the second degree
when, with intent to defraud, he:
1. Makes or causes a false entry in the business records of an
enterprise; or
2. Alters, erases, obliterates, deletes, removes or destroys a true
entry in the business records of an enterprise; or
3. Omits to make a true entry in the business records of an enterprise
in violation of a duty to do so which he knows to be imposed upon him by
law or by the nature of his position; or
4. Prevents the making of a true entry or causes the omission thereof
in the business records of an enterprise.
The article Mish posted omits that the second degree is a felony. Please be more careful with what you post Mish
“his intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime.”
To survive statute of limitations challenge, the falsified records must be in furtherance of another crime.
Prosecution has never specifically identified the “other crime.” (How can one prepare a defense “due process” on charges not set forth by prosecution)
Assume the “other crime” is violation of federal campaign contribution laws. Feds, however, passed on filing charges (See John Edwards fiasco).
Will state court be asked to consider whether conduct violated “federal” campaign contribution law the feds determined not worthy of pursuing.
Not a huge fan of DJT but this is Stalinesque.
Considered voting for RFK before but now will crawl across glass to vote for someone whose temperament, I believe, is beneath the office. Not alone.
(Full disclosure, would never vote Biden – unfit for office even before impairment of mental capacity.)
May come as a shock to many but United States has something called a Constitution which is Supreme Law of Land. This means that all Judicial proceedings flow from that document.
What is being attempted in NYC has already been done in other times before.
That is why there is a Bill of Rights to Give the Citizen power to challenge the State.
Lot of opinions here in these posters, primarily attempting to smear, but not much in the way of any real Law.
Alvin Bragg still has to come up with a crime that this Trial is supposed to be about.
He is not doing so well as his prime witnesses keep blowing up his case.
Well so far the jury has heard audio evidence of Trump ordering the payment, and Cohen is expected to testify that Trump ordered it also. In fact Cohen already was convicted of carrying out the orders under Trump’s direction and served his sentence. Why should Trump not be convicted also?
However it plays out Daniels admitted she had a story to sell and it got sold.
Selling a story is not illegal. Matter of fact that is how whole publishing world operates. What the purchaser of a story does with it then becomes the decision of purchaser.
Daniels was revealed as a serial Liar who makes up stories to suit her needs.
Bragg has yet to do anything linking this to Campaign violations based upon intent.
However Zerohedge has article that Missouri attorney General filed Freedom of Information act. This aimed at finding out How much involvement Bidens’ White House and DOJ had coordinated with James, Willis and Bragg.
Also Ergoron is being investigated that he violated ex parte rules of procedure during Trump Trial.
Judge Cannon has effectively shut down the Classified document case until the matter of Jack Smith evidence tampering gets resolved.
Not a healthy look for Biden but rather sordid attempt to Influence upcoming Presidential Election.
By the way Trump also had his picture taken with Epstein.
That is not being used as while Trump met Epstein, opening up anything along those lines would bring in Bill Clinton and surely some other High profile people whose names are not to be spoken.
Are you suggesting Trump is to be prosecuted for following his attorneys actions ?
Sounds like a State Bar problem here. oh wait a moment…
The whole spectacle is the most bizarre thing I have ever seen. Trump is charged with a variety of charges. He doesn’t seem to ever deny any of them, and in fact, frequently posts on social media posts that admit all the elements of the crimes that prosecutors will need to prove. His defense in the various cases seems to be either that he should be above prosecution, or that he is immune to prosecution. It appears likely that very soon the Supreme Court is going to rule that Presidents can freely commit crimes as they wish, and are immune from prosecution. That will free Trump, but what sort of precedent will it set for the future?
As a Libertarian, I believe that no one should be above the law. No one should be above the law because they are rich. No one should be above the law because they are influential. No one should be above the law because they are President. I am appalled by the thought that, despite our founding fathers trying to set up the Constitution so as to protect us from an over-reaching government, we will freely, even eagerly, condone the conversion of the office of President into an office with unlimited power to do things never before imagined to be legal.
This
I am also a libertarian. I think you are full of boloney.
It’s all polarizing theatre meant to inflame a bifurcated society. Each side gets to take turns gloating while the other side rages. Libs are gloating – soon some T cases will be dismissed and the reds will gloat.
There is only one party in the US.
Voting does not matter…
“No one is more hopelessly enslaved than those who think they are free.”
Okay, so “She Said”, “He Said”. Whomever you believe that is actually telling the “God’s honest truth” is up to each of us. Why does anyone care if DJT had a one night stand w/ this woman? If he did, who gives a flying Fu**? If you were running for president wouldn’t you give a measly $150K for this story to go away? …even if it was true or not? He is protecting his wife/family from this accusation. They are trying to prosecute (based on the notion) that the $$ came from campaign funds. ….which is a big no, no. But even if DJT wrote a damn check out of his personal account for the sum….why are so many people butt hurt? We all have a past that we want to forget. Why doesn’t the public sympathize? Who cares about this nonsense!? Stop voting for personality vs policy. If DJT rubs you the wrong way, but you’re finding out that you are worse off for it…..you’re an idiot. Biden is the dumbest human ever elected in our history. His record shows that, and you know what also shows…..people would rather vote in a president that is dumber than a box of rocks, than a President who actually got sh** done. I want to give you an analogy: If you were in a bar fight with 1 of your friends, and you had to pick between a friend that was a really “nice” guy and the other friend that was a complete assho**, but the assho** friend was an MMA fighter….who would you chose? ….Get your priorities straight people. The USA is at stake.
Mish you might not be a Trump supporter but your selective commentary on his myriad political, economic, and legal transgressions are not doing Conservatism any favors. First the Republicans absorbed the religious right and were able to keep them at bay and maintain the order needed to govern responsibly. Now they’ve absorbed the MAGA crowd and I fear it’s too much. You continue to handwave everything away to please your zerohedge/MAGA readership. It is a mistake . Stand up for true conservatism.
Maybe you could start by reporting on Trump’s majority ownership of DJT stock being the most transparent vehicle for bribery and conflict of interest of a presidential candidate of all time.
Note the legitimate comments in the threads are only a portion. The others are to inflame passions whereby you abandon rationality in the coliseum spectacle.
Tell me Anon?
Conservatism; what is it?
Is it ardent Zionism and evangelicalism
Is it Putin the stable family is the core of a civilization.”
Is it looking down on the unfortunates.
Is it putting black flags with blue lines on your pickup truck
Is it supporting the troops.
Is it supporting the slaughter of anyone we want?
Is it spare the rod Christianity.
Is it whatever fox news tell you it is.
Is it celebrating a government full of dual nationals?
Is it the Reagan illusion?
Why don’t you tell us what flavor of conservative you are so I can dissect the fallacies planted in your head?
Comrade Beria would certainly approve, but if he were still alive and kicking he’d point out that a trial without a real crime defeats the whole political purpose of show me the man or mam to be politically disposed of by a real crime that probably didn’t happen in the first place. And, thanks to Stormy. all common everyday street hookers have to do is get paid for a non-disclosure agreement covering free sex services rendered, retain a copy, and there’s no crime of prostitution since they were not paid for sex. Trixie and Donnie just had a free love date in the Tenderloin with flowers in their hair.
“Ms. Daniels began demanding money in exchange for her silence. “
Definition of extortion right there, isn’t it?
That’s one-high-paid Whore, might be a world record.
Hasn’t this horrible crime exceeded the statue of limitations??? Why is this not even mentioned am I missing something. And yes as others have posted I am voting for him b/c as a result of this malicious persecuton. I was going to not vote at all for lack of qualified candidates. I am certain he will be found guilty by the libtard lynchmob in NYC,m how effed up has out country become. We are circling the drain.
Lol! Statute of Limitations… what WILL you innumerate fools think of next?
Can you please explain to me what crimes Trump has been convicted of as of today May 9 , 2024.
Throw out the impeachment as just like Bill Clinton, throw out both biased impeachments.
What crimes has he been convicted of?
He has not yet been convicted of any crimes, nor has he been acquitted.
We will just have to wait and see what happens. I will say that Trump doesn’t seem eager to have any of the various cases resolved.
That subject has been discussed ad nauseam. Consider using a search engine,
I’m a Buffett admirer, and when he taught Notre Dame students during the ’90’s why Trump was a terrible businessman, I took notice. I also recognize that had he simply placed the assets he inherited from his father in a passive index fund, he would be far richer today.
I don’t trust his judgement in asset or value matters. And I’m bothered by his inability to control his childish courtroom behavior. I don’t want him anywhere near the button.
By lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 to 21% made me a lot of money. But his denial of an exponential event like Covid in January 2020, probably killed a lot of elderly and disabled. As a lifelong Republican, I wouldn’t vote for him, ever.
You’re right. But that’s zero excuse to throw out the rule of law just to nail him.
You have TDS, got it. Thanks for playing.
In my long comment, I wrote, “I have never liked Donald Trump, and it goes back well before he got into presidential politics.”
My dislike goes back to 1989, when I was at Wharton’s business school. My favorite professor there taught a class in entrepreneurship. He was a wild man, and would tell the truth in wacky phraseology. I will never forget him yelling, “Donald Trump is an a-hole!” His father owned half of Brooklyn, he explained, and his son had turned $100 million into $250 million. Big deal, he said, anyone with half a brain could do that.
Trumps issue for me boils down to character, and in his case as president, that is function of indiscipline. When he was elected, I hoped he would rise to the office, but he didn’t. It was evident right away, when he foolishly disputed the National ark Services crowd estimate at his inauguration. It went on and on from there.
On a range of issues, I tend to agree with much of what he did, but that’s not enough. As a national leader, he was an abysmal failure. Now, the presidency does at times call for pointed rhetoric. Both Roosevelts were no stranger to it, nor were Truman and Reagan. Nixon was purposely divisive, and for that I downgrade him, but Trump was the worst by far.
Trump is a classic outer borough New Yorker, with the hyperbolic truculence to match. But as president, he never stopped to understand that a president has to be more than an exposed nerve ending. He has been an insult monkey when he never had to be. It is a deep character flaw, and while understandable it is inexcusable, and therefore I could not vote for him.
That said, he had some important accomplishments. The Rs should have picked DeSantis, a highly intelligent man who could have carried it on. That they didn’t do so tells me that they are as degraded as the Ds, for different reasons. In the end, character and competence — both of those — are essential. This year we have a choice between two major party candidates who are manifestly unqualified for the office they seek. How sad, and scary.
By the way, I don’t worry about Trump being commander in chief and having launch authority. When it comes to that one, Biden worries me much more. One other thing about Trump is that he reminds me of Andrew Jackson, who won the 1828 election by railing against “The Corrupt Bargain” of 1824, which was indeed corrupt. Both of them, in their own way, were the voice of the ordinary American, and were blunt about it.
Still, by comparison, even Jackson in all his ferocity was a lot more disciplined than Donald Trump.
I see the “Lock Her Up”/”But Her EMAILS” crowd are upset that a career criminal is finally being held to account.
She never told them how very, very special they are, and how the world is mean to them.
Democrat has become a third world political party.
Judge Juan Merchan has exposed New York’s corrupt third world government and judiciary. Business flight out of New York will accelerate. Dallas, Texas is the new financial capital of USA.
I’m hardly fond of Trump, but this is dangerous precedent for all of us. And, it may inflame enough people to push him back in to the White House. Anyway, we are doomed no matter who sits in the oval office in 2025.
Getting punished for committing crimes is a dangerous precedent?
Being overly punished sets dangerous precedents (ask any African American).
If you Jay Walk, is the correct punishment a fine or a 10 year jail term?
Lets see what charge he’s actually accused of. So far we are just getting testimony but no actual charge. So how can we decide what’s appropriate punishment.
Any sane person with principles should be calling this trial out for the political hatchet job that it is, irrespective of their personal opinion of Trump. Unfortunately a significant number of people in the west have lost their mind. If you are giddy at the thought of them ‘getting’ Trump by any means necessary, how will you react when they go after someone you like or approve of in the same way? Better yet, how about when they come for you?
Thank god for 2A. Why do you think they are so steadfast in wanting to disarm law abiding citizens. Left unchecked these fascits libtards will continue to infringe upon our freedom.
Remember that t-shirt “The Last Act of Defiance”?
Replace the mouse with a fat guy in full tacticool battle rattle, tricked out AR in each hand, blazing away, and make the eagle a predator drone, as it releases the missile that will paint the surrounding area with the fluid that was him.
You aren’t going to hurt anybody that matters, and you aren’t going to change the US government with anything less than tactical nukes. If you try, you’ll get my hunting rifles taken away.
Stop it.
Seriously get an f- ing grip on reality. A frontal lobotomy might be helpful. Can you explain how the taliban expelled the most powerful army in the world?? You are a good little sheep please follow your dear leaders led by FJB>
“…Trump is not above the law. No one is. But Trump should not be beneath the law either…”
The reality is that human history is full of examples of those at the top of the hierarchy getting away with all sorts of crimes. Often this occurs against rivals. Just how it is.
John Hasnas wrote an excellent essay detailing that the rule of law does not and never has existed. Titled….”The Myth of the Rule of Law”.
Below is a relevant snippet from his essay.
“…it is designed to serve an emotive, rather than cognitive, function. The purpose of a myth is not to persuade one’s reason, but to enlist one’s emotions in support of an idea. And this is precisely the case for the myth of the rule of law; its purpose is to enlist the emotions of the public in support of society’s political power structure…”
The system we have is the best we humans have been able to muster so far. It’s been relatively fruitful for most so be happy with it. It is a fool’s errand to think Unicorns exist let alone to go in search of one.
This NY trial against Trump is nonsense in my view, but my view doesn’t count in the grand scheme of things. My view only counts within my sphere of influence (which is admittedly quite small). I believe that this holds true for the vast majority of regular Joes/Janes like me.
Your view counts as 1. So does the next Joe or Jane. But when millions have that same view then governments can be tossed at the ballot box or by revolution.
Exactly, Political corruption leads to civil war and hopefull beheadings or hangings.
Hey anybody else notice the total absence of Hasbara people on this thread
No one is above the law? Please…. OJ Simpson anyone? The rule of law has been dead for at least that long….probably longer
OJ and TRUMP are both Seedy in the Eyes of the Public and this may well be TRUMP’s undoing. It is all about perception and they are bringing this case in on the speculation that VOTERS will tire of TRUMP.
I would not bet on that I do not vote but simply watch for entertainment’s sake.
I am with you on that…I’ve voted my entire life, not this time around…think about, all the voting the public has done over the years and things are now worse than ever before. Gee, its almost like the voting has been rigged for years, go figure.
It has never existed and probably never will.
Be happy with what we got. It could be so much worse.
OJ WAS prosecuted. We are talking about the legitimacy of a prosecution in this post. OK is inapposite.
I told you so Jeff Green.
Now you can’t even give away a Tesla hahahahahahahahaha
Free Tesla house: Returning expats buy the home but pass on the carhttps://www.oneroof.co.nz/news/free-tesla-house-returning-expats-buy-the-home-but-pass-on-the-car-45474
Returning expats ? That alone proves their poor judgement
What a shame that it appears you left out one little detail; another person already has served time for his role in the same crime.
Well, you tried.
Der PoopenFuherer is above crimes.
Everyone except hardcore Democrat elites and their paid shills believe this hoax. Even people that I know who voted for Democrats in the past see this as election interference. Democrat elites have this tendency to think people are generally dummb and they can manipulate them with this kangaroo court cases but people are smart and see it for what it is. Biden’s polls are tanking due to inflation, economic hardship. lawlessness, illegal immigration and degrading living standards in the US, so what Democrats do is to go after the political opponent to try to manipulate peoples perceptions with their media cohorts instead of working for the people. Such a shame.
Both sides are commies.
Trump supporters are the super state loving flag waving idolators of Mao.
Commies love flags and slogans and LOVE their Leaders. Completely uniform like Green Mao wear citizens (zero diversity.) and red hats. Ironic (((red))) is the theme color for both.
Biden supporters are more the Bolshevik’s in Russia’s style. Love the state – the leader is less important than the party. Wear all sorts of clothes.
Flags, while important are less in evidence than the Mao types.
It’s fake
It’s all fake
Your being played like a fiddle at a bluegrass festival.
Kill me now you worm, but I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Oh yeah, and I stand and take my hat off and put it over my heart for the Star Spangled Banner, even if I think it’s too long, too bombastic, and too hard to sing, and wish the national anthem was America the Beautiful instead.
You complete a-hole, I am a political independent. Unlike you I do not hate my own country and everything it has ever stood for. I love this country at the cellular level with a ferocity that would shock a supercilious idiot like you. Yep, that includes the flag that is our national symbol. You are a stupid, pathetic, worthless smart a**, a true POS. You know nothing, and you are proud of your ignorance. Not to put too fine a point on it.
Listen up chuckle head your being played like a fiddle.
Your under the influence of propaganda. You’re living in a illusion – a total fabrication of reality.
You have zero rights.
The time to resist has long passed.
They can do anything they want – you can and will do nothing about it.
9/11
1/6
JFK
The boot is smashing down on your face.
You seem relatively erudite why don’t you buy a box truck and cover it in images of the crimes ASSANGE exposed and go on a tour of America.
Then get back to me.
You only think you have rights because you have not tested your rights. The rights you think you have exist only in your head.
Those poor Guys in 1/6 prison made the mistake of thinking they had rights. Poor saps Trump set em up and they slow grind of prosecutions is to remind you YOU HAVE NO RIGHTS
Your living under fascist totalitarianism – the ex head of the East German Stasi helped create Homeland security.
Hate to be the one to break it to you. You only have the right to obey. No one will save you. Trump will not save the US.
It’s over here. You have some economic freedom and that’s it.
It will only get worse from here.
Would one expect anything different from neo Bolsheviks? Welcome to the USSA.
I look at this like a movie because it follows exactly the steps necessary in the making of a movie.
The first step is the development of the concept. In this case it would be titled as something like “Fall of Trump” or “Demise of a President”.
The next step would be the pre-production where all the logistics are set up, the scriptwriters and the actors chosen and hired. Money has to be found through donations. The actors have to be paid by job offers, book deals and fake awards.
Then comes production. This is the meat and requires careful coaching of the actors by the director, who is often a lawyer, as the process is initiated. In this gendre of movie, the director has little leeway when it comes to the story so the scriptwriters have to be topnotch for it to work. You can’t change the ending because it is preordained.
Now we have the post-production where scenes are cut or retaken to make the story tighter and more believable. This is where the film promotion comes in. You have to get the media onboard as quickly as possible so you give them trailers, interviews and privileged inside stories.
Distribution comes last. This is where the public judges. If it tanks at the boxoffice it’s all over. Fortunately for the Democrats the first production after the 2016 election was successful. The novelty of this new genre clearly interested the public so sequels and spinoffs were planned and set into motion.
However problems surfaced after the novelty wore off. The basic storyline had too many holes in it and audiences started to roll their eyes. The Kavanaugh spinoff tanked badly in the boxoffice mainly because the acting was terrible and the writing amateurish. The best directors and actors started avoiding the franchise and viewed it as career-killer.
Nevertheless sequels were churned out each worse than last and the audiences either ignored them or even started cheering for the bad guy. It started looking like the umpteenth version of Star Wars where they can only be looked on as a giant farce.
That’s my view.
Before one can say whether or not Stormy should have been allowed to testify, we must first decide if there should be a trial at all.
That answer is no. At best the prosecution took a misdemeanor and turned it into a felony on preposterous grounds.
Then even the very biased judge admitted the testimony was overreach. There is a very real chance that even if Trump is convicted the case is tossed on appeal, for numerous reasons.
Bear in mind, I am not a Trump fan.
Your opinion is that the judge is “very biased”. OK
Why wouldn’t you want Stormy to testify? She was a prime actor?
My comment was regarding the sleaze that these lawyers seemed to enjoy, ever glory in! They had the opportunity to stipulate all this stuff, but they were on their knees for hire.
I was a juror on a criminal case that seemed to be prosecutorial overreach. We were able to look beyond that, We were able to look beyond a sworn law officer who seemed to purger himself. I was impressed with the jury process.
Question is why is she testifying?
Has Trump claimed he didn’t pay her or claimed he didn’t bang her? She’s not refuting anything he said. She’s just there for a titillation factor of describing the experience.
This case is about campaing finance/election violations. She has NO knowledge of the financial transactions that occurred except who/how she personally received the money from.
Stormy Daniels was an amateur compared to Monica Lewinsky. She had Bill Clinton getting her a job as an executive for Revlon for giving him BJs. This is an article from CNN way back then that describes it all in detail.
High crimes? Or just a sex cover-up? – September 21, 1998 (cnn.com)
Doug, you miss my point entirely!
Your point was how do his lawyers sleep at night. Between Trump and Daniels we had a straight forward simple transaction so his lawyers didn’t have to do anything highly illegal. Clinton’s lawyers and staff however went to many questionable lengths to keep it quiet and used their influence and Clinton’s telephone calls to get her a high-paying job that would have dwarfed Stormy Daniels compensation. I wonder how they slept at night considering Lewinsky was servicing him while he was on the phone talking to heads of states, senators and military leaders about the Kosovo war among other things. How do they sleep at night?
Doug, you miss my point again! I’m talking about behavioral interaction – look up behavior economics.
I have no interest in parsing a word salad.
Trump lawyer Susan seems to be covering herself in slime at the behest of her John – Donald Trump. I hope Yale is proud of her.
I was talking about behavioral interaction in a transaction and that Clinton’s lawyers and aides covered themselves with slim that stuck to them. None of them went on to do great things afterwards.
I thought by now everybody has downloaded the New York State election law, and read section 17-152. You don’t have to be a lawyer to realize that Trump committed a crime under NY state law if the prosecution’s facts are correct. Whether the facts are correct is up to the jury (and not political hacks) to decide. That’s our legal system. But that Trump is a super sleaze bag that should never have been allowed to be even close to the White House is by now pretty obvious.
Quite frankly, that’s bullshit. This is Federal law we are talking about. Please re-read my article especially the section by Former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley Smith
The Trial has WORKED ON YOU.
These show trials have guaranteed Trump’s election.
I’m no lawyer and I don’t play one on the internet, but doesn’t a defendant have to be charged with a specific crime, and then he or she pleads guilt or not guilty??
What crime was Trump actually charged with? How did he plead?
What am I missing?
“HE OR SHE?” You are behind the times. There are also “ITs” now.
I’m curious, how does Mish feel about the classified documents crimes? More political prosecution or open and shut case?
No one is going there because both Biden and Trump would have to go on trial.
Come to think of it, maybe we need that because we’d get 2 new candidates 🙂
Of coarse it is political prosecution. Did you not notice the classified documents in Biden’s garage and other locations?
It needs to stop. This happened in Europe. It led to brutal and barbaric political warfare. The President and former Presidents must be off limits unless it’s something involving murder or children and 100% matter of fact evidence. This is wrong for both sides. Don’t do it. It’s already gone too far.
Nobody is above the law. Nobody.
This isn’t the law.
This is Democrat election interference – by their own “standard”.
You just like saying things that make you feel good, don’t you?
The truth is that it is election interference. As law expert Jonathan Turley asked, “what is the charge?” The law is not being followed by the prosecution and the judge should hold the prosecution to the law.
There was indeed election interference. But, according to the prosecution, it took place in 2016. Trump would never have won the 2016 election without paying off Stormy Daniels through Michael Cohen.
In 2016 Jill Stein wanted recounts in several urban areas of Michigan. Trump had won the state, but not those areas. Team Hillary went to court to stop the recounts. Someone would notice 10 pounds of sh-t in a 1 pound bag.
You can prove that would have tipped the election?
People voted for Trump because they despised Hillary. They didn’t give 2 shits about whether or not he banged some porn star.
I am glad you used quotation marks.
Exactly what law?
Does that include FJB, Cankles, Pelosi and others for minor things like bribes, destroying evidence and insider trading?
I won’t even mention Seth Green or all the Arkencide surrounding Cankles and her cigar thrusting husband or about such upright institutions like the Clinton Foundation.
Seems Lawfare and show trials only apply to one side.
Not a Trump fan but when the choice is between a sleeze and a corrupt pedophile there is an easy choice.
Wait a minute: CONSIDER CONGRESS and the LOBBYISTS who are simply bribing them to STEAL FROM YOU.
I can’t wait until I’m on a traffic court jury!
Agreed. But what Trump did with Stormy is the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket or a parking fine.
You don’t go to trial for that nor do you get a felony charge. It’s a misdemeanor fine.
No bankers were prosecuted for crimes committed in the banking fraud during the housing bubble. Hillary was not prosecuted for her crimes with the server.
Yes, people are held above the law.
That hasn’t been true for quite a while
Its bizarre!! I don’t even like Trump, I’m a Haley, even Kennedy…but this is over the top. Trump is a martyr to many for a reason, if they can do this to him what will they do to us. My family hates Trump, so we wrote a $4K check for taxes this year, I reminded them we could be sent to Siberia under the new rules for owning! Unreal. I totally agree with the comment women will decide, its the Republican ‘defund the police’ moment. Politicians need to stay out of the bedroom; stay out of the kitchen; and stay out of religion. The trilogy.
Why can’t the Republicans field a decent, fiscal conservative with some social leanings? Defending Trump is a disaster.
They’re all in… some even wearing diapers in solidarity with Trump’s longstanding incontinence… I wish I were joking.
Cheap russian propaganda on facebook BROKE these people.
Are you sure it wasn’t Chinese propaganda? Or Democrat propaganda? How would you know, Comrade McCarthy?
Because the base won’t vote for it. The base is so furious with the Democrats and the extremist wokefascists that have hijacked the media, that they choose Trump as a giant finger to the establishment, it’s that simple.
Calvin Coolidge is still eligible for another term. Same with Jimmy Carter, who would win over Biden today.
Because there are only so many billionaires who aren’t connected politicallythat are willing to try to make America great again for ALL Americans.
MISH, you have turned into click bait. It’s sad.
The trial is irrelevant. All the headlines on conservative drudgereport.com show Trump having a problem with his base. In Indiana, Haley got 20% of the vote. I suspect it’s mostly women which is what I’ve been saying, women will decide this election. Trump can’t afford to lose 20% of the vote.
link to newsweek.com
In Wisconsin, Biden showcased a new Microsoft investment where Trump’s foxconn failed miserably.
MAGA queen Marjorie was booed and went down in flames trying to oust Johnson in the House today.
Biden is out campaigning while Trump is having his Stormy a$$ spanked in a courtroom.
I could go on but the writing is on the electoral wall and anyone with no bias blinders on can see this election a mile away.
All we need now are some republican clowns doing something really dumb on abortion again and we all know these idiots won’t be able to help themselves so give it a week or two to further enrage women.
Biden will win then probably die and you’ll have President Harris as women’s vengeance on all the Trump & republican circus.
See you in November!
They’ll ignore all that and cry ‘rigging’… the last resort of the permanent loser.
As opposed to actually rigging an election, refusing to appear on debates, and being unable to walk, or talk? Relying on a corrupt media and tech giants and lawfare? That kind of permanent loser?
Wishful thinking.
The problem with Trump’s opponents is that they don’t focus on how abysmally bad their candidates are: Hillary, Biden, about as bad as you could ever get. Get some decent candidates, and Trump won’t be a problem.
…but you and all the TDS people know that your candidate is awful, and you cleave to Trumpophobia because you can’t change your candidate.
Your points are irrelevant here.
If you get President Harris then the vengeance will be on the Democrats. Come 2026 the Democratic Party will have split into the saner moderates that support women in sport, Israel, immigration control etc and the batshit far left that demand that you use their preferred pronouns, abortion up to the 60th week, Hamas and open borders. What will the lifelong Democrat base do when the locals in the ghetto are getting less than the illegals, illegals flood the streets and squat in the homes of the Chardonnay Liberals and suicide bombers make going to the Met and other rich lefties gathering places a risky proposition.
So the moderate left will become a tiny rump in government and the batshit left will be lucky if those in the ghettos don’t lynch them.
Then the R party will be running all 50 states and that will bring its own problems with its different factions each wanting their policies.
Interesting times ahead.
“In Indiana…” – it was team D crossovers for Nimrotta The War Monger, as nobody was running against grandpa crap pants.
“All the headlines on conservative drudgereport.com”
Shows how out of touch you are. It is also rather obvious you are not an independent, when you ignore Democrat Party corruption.
So Trump is a typical man after all. He uses the wrong part of his anatomy to do his thinking on occasion
That is not going to get overlooked by the woman jurors who were clearly turned off by Ms. Daniels court performance.
Judge what’s his name got what he deserved a Porn show in his courtroom.
He invited it in as what did he expect some sober minded woman on the stand who just happened to be an adult movie star. This guy is as big a jerk as Engoron ogling young woman at the Gym.
Not even in NYC are the people that blinded by prejudice to not see what is going on.
One of Jurors is going to simply say F this and acquit, if case even makes it there without a mistrial declared.
They are only claims, anyone can claim such things, doesn’t make it true.
There is that picture of him and Daniels together. Going to be hard to dodge bullet of insinuation. To me there was a lapse of judgement on Trumps part.
Yes that is because he is a man and men do stupid things around woman.
Daniels however is so far out there Trumps attorneys should be able to demonstrate just how Daniels is unable to tell a story line from the Truth.
In her mind, even with Bragg coaching she thinks she is on set at a Porn making film.
I doubt anyone really cares if they had a fling or not. Anyone with a shred of decency would be repulsed by this whole courtroom staged Drama.
Trump being a man would act to protect the thing that does matter to Him, which is his family. Business and anything else is secondary and of little consequence.
Bragg is going to have to do a whole lot of Lying to convince anyone Trump acted primarily because of an election.
Would add this whole series of Lawfare events demonstrates to the Nation just how sick and perverted democrat party has become.
I was on a jury where I was 99.99% sure the person was guilty of throwing an object at someone (“assault with a dangerous weapon”) but because the charge was trumped up to a felony (victim was over 60) and only the immediate family testified (no other witnesses at the bar chose to testify) the verdict was unanimous: not guilty.
Not a good idea to try to use the justice system to try to harshly punish someone for something trivial. It’s called jury nullification.
It’s likely that this jury was carefully selected and filtered.
Apparently, you’re a fan of #FalseEquivalence, which is a well-worn logical fallacy in many social media arguments.
You just compared one count, an incident, to a years-long pattern including multiple violations.
And, further, absolutely about your ‘not guilty’ verdict contains a single element of anyone attempting to manipulate the national political process through that act.
I have never liked Donald Trump, and it goes back well before he got into presidential politics. Rather than give a laundry list of reasons, let me just give my label: “The Rodeo Clown From Queens.” I compare him to the loudmouth in the local tavern who thinks the mayor is an incompetent **tch, runs against her on a dare, and God help him and us all, wins. Now what? (By the way, my view of Senile Joe is every last bit as negative, maybe more so.)
That said, the New York show trial is a circus, an embarrassment, and a shameful and scary Third World travesty. Okay, I laughed about him being spanked with a copy of Forbes. Kill me now, but I haven’t lost my sense of nothing-sacred humor. But that s*** never, ever belonged in a courtroom, and I think for that reason alone the trial should be closed and the indictment dismissed with prejudice.
The underlying crime strikes me as, at the very most, a political prosecution for bookkeeping errors. Even without Stormy Daniels, the case is thin, to put it mildly. This should never, ever happen in America. I hope, but given where it’s taking place do not expect, that the jury will acquit him.
I’m not going to vote for the Rodeo Clown From Queens or Senile Joe. I refuse to participate in that charade other than to write in Bozo The Clown or vote for Robert FU Kennedy Jr., who at least admits that he has a worm-eaten brain.
I worry more than a little bit about this country’s decline in so many ways, and consider Trump (and Biden) to be an unqualified insult to everything this country has ever stood for. Still, I permit myself some sympathy for him. I don’t care how much of a ludicrous a-hole someone is, this should never happen to anyone, including someone I have never liked or respected as a man.
Now: Want to know what I really think? LOL
Thank You! Your comment is right on, we all struggle…what are we dealing with???
They got Al Capone on tax evasion. Whatever it takes to get filth off the street.
Tax evasion was a crime. I am not seeing one here.
Doesn’t seem to work for Joe or for his son, does it? Or those insider trading democrats like Nancy who vote for the continuing deaths of young Ukrainians to bump up their stock portfolio.
If Al Capone was alive in Chicago today he would be the one getting the filth off the streets.
Dude: Read his 2015 book “Crippled America”. His focus from that point was to SAVE the U.S. He knew he’d lose 1/2 or more customers and he donated his $400k / yr wage for 4 yrs, to Wounded Warriors. See the big picture.
Where’s the surprise…
The rule of law was Officially declared dead in July 2016.
Broadcast live, and half the citizenry cheered.
I did not have sexual relations with that jury.
They’re trying to go full-Navalny … and it looks like every bit as much like a tyrannical banana republic proceeding (complete w/a judge who contributed to the other candidate and whose daughter makes millions off of this circus). Sanity has left the building … the same way as on college campuses where they consider free speech to include damaging public and private property and imperialistically taking over spaces that don’t belong to them and thus making regular operations impossible. True costs are into the tens or hundreds of millions, but instead of the students/faculty involved, or the sponsors (Gates, Soros, Pritzker) … the taxpayers will pay it all. We live in a weird world.
Oh boo hoo. And the secret police are already knocking at your door for your dangerous ideas.
Simultaneously pathetic and hilarious.
They use the IRS in the USA, but the old Facebook police do come round to your house in Australia and in the UK, even the Irish police beating the voters just like in Tiananmen Square.
That is the only reason the IRS exists.
Careful… they’ll zap you with their space laser.
So you believe free speech includes destruction of private and public property, harassing and even attacking people you don’t like, and taking over facilities so that their owners can’t use them. Good for you. Stalin would have had you in his inner circle.
President Trump played hardball business in the crookedest city in USA, New York City. President Trump and all his children carry weapons. President Trump’s record is squeaky clean. Nobody in New York could find a legal fault and neither can the criminal Democrats.
Maybe you want to wait till the end of the trial first?
No not really we already realized the fix is in.. anybody with any deductive reasoning skills can discern that this is a clown show of a trial only for political persecution..
NOT the president. Improper to call an ex-president “President”.
It is a longstanding custom to use the honorific president for anyone who has held the office, at least in his lifetime.
As in ‘respect the president’ only when you’re discussing the one of your current preferences.
One typically uses the honorific in formal discourse, not in casual conversation.
Bowie – “do you remember…your President Nixon…….ooooo”
Except being banned in NY from running any charity, due to patterns of FRAUD, STEALING from a children’s cancer charity, a $10M FINCEN settlement for Trump Taj Mahal MONEY LAUNDERING, a $25M settlement for a FRAUDULENT ‘university’, which was also part of a pattern where both TX & FL attorneys general were BRIBED, an out of court settlement for inauguration FRAUD in DC, a BRIBE, er, ‘campaign donation’ to former Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance to remove the indictments of Ivanka & Don Jr for Trump SoHo FRAUD, and, so on, and, so on.
Trump enablers are fully committed to accidental, and, chronic cases of permanent memory loss, with the full intent of hoping that as many people as possible will cheerfully join them, in a somewhat, mob rule style.
Im think you really need to let the professionals do their job. No one is gonna waste weeks of their lives prosecuting a crime (albeit it aint murder but business accounting) that they arent gonna slam dunk win. Prosecutors across the country have 95% conviction records.
Fancy pants professionals in their ivory towers? What would they know, aside from the stuff they studied for a decade or more?
They are not professionals, and the US legal system is a laughing stock.
And your better system is .. what? The King decides?
The feds have a 90% rate. Local prosecutors, not so much. Example: the case against Kyle Rittenhouse, who was rightly acquitted by a Kenosha, Wisconsin jury. That said, I do expect Trump to be convicted by a jury in Manhattan, where he is very unpopular.
He might be found guilty but the verdict won’t stand on an appeal. I think they want a hung jury for this trial so they can retry him again and keep him off the campaign trail until the election.
If that’s the case, the prosecutors should be careful of what they wish for. A dismissal or successful appeal will only help him with the voters, the majority of whom see this trial for what it is.
Rittenhouse was such an anomaly that it made news for hours. Thats how rare it is to lose.
He might also just get convicted on a misdemeanor charge and have to pay a minor fine. At that point he might just let the whole thing drop.
To justify this trial and the expense to the tax payers he needs a criminal conviction which at this point is very unlikely to happen.
Sometimes the aims of a trial isn’t to get a conviction but to mess with the defendant.
How many millions will Trump lose on legal fees? How many embarrassing revelations be they true or false can they make about his alleged adultery? How many states and cities Trump can’t electioneer in as he needs to be in court?
How many millions will the DNC insiders pocket from their donors for this shit show?
And the next Republican candidate for any office might think twice about standing knowing that they face Lawfare that might bankrupt them and destroy their families
Pretty sure Trump can afford the legal fees. If not, he can just sell some more of his social media stock. That whole IPO was a thinly disguised way for MAGA supporters to donate money to Trump.
I think decent candidates will realize Donald is a rotten person who is getting what he and his criminal enterprise should be getting. And fortunately, when Donald is gone, nobody is standing behind him for another round of this nonsense. Nixons only come along every 50 years or so.