NY - Ex-President Donald Trump, charged with 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records, Apr 2023, Trial 25 Mar 2024 #2

[BayouBelle_LA]

How do you know it's leading nowhere?

How do you know it‘s leading somewhere? We have to wait and see what’s in it.

Just like the topic of this thread - the big 34 count indictment - every media outlet and reputable expert on all sides said we don’t know what‘s in it. Well now we know. And even pundits on the left have used words like underwhelming and thin.

imo

 

[Emma Peel]

Or stop investigating and charging him.

Clear example: all the discussion about his taxes... why doesn't he turn over his taxes? what's he hiding in his taxes? Every other presidential candidate has turned over their taxes, why hasn't he? Finally his taxes are made public and what happened - nothing. All of this only emboldens him. I said it earlier, he would have been gone a long time ago if he weren't constantly being attacked or investigated and with nothing coming of it.

Nothing?
IMO, check your news feed on trump-related tax evasion and bank fraud cases b/c ... you may have missed a few things.

So far ...
- There's someone in Rikers who might take issue with this - he's standing in responsible for *part* of the Trump Corp's tax fraud
- There's 3 of his kids who clearly disagree with this assessment as they fight off the NY AG v. Trump Corp re: tax and bank fraud at this moment.
- There's 3 of his kids who's charity was dissolved and pronounced by the Court to have been used as a money-laundering operation; with each of them banned from ever serving on a Charity Board.


Each of these are well-known cases. Headline news. (these other cases are not the case topic of this thread ... but ... they are all readily searchable.)

... I may have missed other pending civil cases pending that get less press ...
All pending b/c - turns out - he did hide his taxes and - shamefully - used the power of the Presidency to do so. Also b/c a monied defendant's ability to use stalling tools: objections, claims of privilege, appeals.

We can agree that he's running for 2024 b/c he has hopes a 2nd Presidency and a 2nd round of abuse of power that will put a permanent end to these serious investigations/prosecutions.

MOO.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Donald Trump calls for defunding federal police after his arrest in New York

Trump and a handful of allies in the Republican-led House favor cutting money for the Justice Department and the FBI ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.

www.nbcnews.com

So #defundthepolice is good now? Interesting.

 

[anneg]

Does he come up with this stuff on his own? Do people write it for him? Do they remember weaponizing law enforcement against minorities for gee, I don't know, like 200+ years.

Not to mention DT weaponizing his AG/DOJ during his presidency...
MOO

 

[mickey2942]

Alvin Bragg's "Soft on Crime" policies face scrutiny as he goes after Trump

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is accused of being soft on crime. But he's no softie when it comes to investigating Donald Trump.

www.newsweek.com

It seems to me, that anything to do with election funds is a federal offense. Looks like an incorrect statute was charged here, and that Trump may not have even known that his attorney used the wrong account to pay off Stormy Daniels.

This appears to be politically motivated. I would personally think that the DA in NYC has far more work on his plate than pursuing Trump. JMO. And do the taxpayers in NYC want the DA's office spending time and money on this type of criminal activity?

 

[everybodhi]

It likely has something to do with the legal aspect which I can totally understand. But it would be nice to have the option to read something in it’s entirety rather than just the cherry-picked parts. imo

Thanks for your kind offer to share through DM.

I gift on Twitter and FB theoretically giving millions access and there are no legal problems.
If the NYT’s didn’t want us to gift articles with our subscription they wouldn’t have made it possible and made press releases encouraging it.

 

[Charlot123]

While in general I view this whole situation as yet another political circus with an odious main player, I wonder if the decision to prosecute Trump might backfire. I grew up in the country where the cult of martyrs had created several historical cataclysms, and even observed one such situation. (It was Yeltsin, a lousy politician single-handedly turned into a martyr by Gorbachev, and remember what came out of it. I always thought it was a typical Russian mentality, to almost deify martyrs, but maybe it is a human one, too). From this standpoint, arresting Trump might be a faux pas. We can have rules here, not to discuss this or that, but one cannot forbid the electorate to do the same, and that is the problem.

There are two things that stand in the way of Trump making the most of it. First, he is getting old, and so does his electoral base. (No big deal in using Twitter, but now, it is the time of ChatGPT, for example). Second, any martyrdom requires a core group supporting you, and Trump is anything but a team player. I think it might be related to his main psychological trait, but any election needs organizers, and who would dedicate his life to a man known to publicly throw his staunchest supporters to the wolves, and many times?

Let’s watch how it turns out. I am not thinking of prior presidents as “precedents”, but of the fact that in the group who once pecked Al Franken, no one made it a big political stride, later.

 

[RANCH]

Maybe it’s simply about policy. imo

Yes. He did a pretty good job the first time as President because of his policies. JMO.

 

[sds71]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1643373512592089089

 

[waldojabba]

How do you know it‘s leading somewhere? We have to wait and see what’s in it.

Just like the topic of this thread - the big 34 count indictment - every media outlet and reputable expert on all sides said we don’t know what‘s in it. Well now we know. And even pundits on the left have used words like underwhelming and thin.

imo

“Pundits” aka talking heads. If you listen to some of the better legal minds IMO they are not as optimistic that DT can beat this. Remember Pundits are there for the clicks and ratings and oftentimes talk out of any side of their mouth that benefits ratings.
ALL JUST IMO

 

[Charlot123]

.

Oh, great policies like ones that result in train derailments.

I tried not to follow politics in those four years, even left Twitter, but usually if economy is OK, presidents get re-elected. I think COVID was his undoing, in many ways. Likewise, the fact that we even got him as a president has to do with our electoral college.

 

[bestill]

I guess there is no middle ground with DJT and nothing said here is going to change that. I'm moving on.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Exonerated Central Park Five member mimics Trump with full page ad against former president

A member of the Central Park Five has taken out a full-page ad in The New York Times as an open letter to former President Trump after he was arraigned on 34 felony counts related to hush…

thehill.com

A member of the Central Park Five has taken out a full-page ad in The New York Times as an open letter to former President Trump after he was arraigned on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.

“Over 30 years ago, Donald Trump took out full page ads calling for my execution,” Yusef Salaam, a candidate for New York City Council, tweeted Tuesday. “On the day he was arrested and arraigned, here is my ad in response.”

Salaam detailed how his wrongful conviction, his time entangled with the justice system, and Trump’s ads and subsequent news show appearances was an experience that changed his life.

“Now, after several decades and an unfortunate and disastrous presidency, we all know exactly who Donald J. Trump is — a man who seeks to deny justice and fairness for others, while claiming only innocence for himself,” Salaam wrote.

Central Park Five member takes out full page ad on Trump arrest

‘On the day he was arrested and arraigned, here is my ad in response,’ Yusef Salaam says

www.independent.co.uk

The ad was headlined: “Bring back justice & fairness. Build a brighter future for Harlem.”

“For those asking about my statement on the indictment of Donald Trump – who never said sorry for calling for my execution - here it is: Karma,” Mr Salaam previously tweeted.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Democrat voters torch Bragg for 'tragic' Trump indictment as crime soars: 'Worst prosecutor in America'

Democrats slammed Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over the charges against former President Donald Trump, with one warning the unprecedented indictment will eventually "backfire."

www.foxnews.com

 

[Arkay]

GRT: I was unable to carry your post forward from the prior thread but I want you to know I agree with you about Bragg: I believe this is a political move. I hate it. It isn't that he isn't guilty of these allegations: we shall wait to see on that- but the timing of this indictment and arrest leaves him open to all kinds of concerns. I want Donald Trump to be punished for his serious crimes- we know what those are: this is a nothing burger and as you pointed out, could get him re-elected. All those talking heads are so excited about this cause they get to blab away endlessly on cable ----

I am not a fan of Alvin Bragg, at all. As a New Yorker IMO his bail reform, in accordance with Gov. Hochul, has led to the release of dangerous criminals.

However, also IMO there IS a crime here and although it seems minor compared to Trump’s other bad acts, I think this is just a fingernail scraping the tip of the iceberg which is heading Trump’s way.

It’s a shame IMO because he COULD have been a decent president if he didn’t continually put his own ego ahead of everyone and everything else. He wanted to be President to make Donald Trump great, not America.

The Abraham Accords alone should have been a major victory that he could claim, but it gets lost in the churning sea that is Trump’s vicious nature.

JMO

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Legal experts say Trump felony charges will be difficult to prove

Manhattan prosecutors accused Trump of taking part in a years-long "catch and kill scheme" to propel his rise to the White House.

www.cbsnews.com

Randy Zelin, a Cornell Law School professor who previously worked as a white collar defense lawyer and prosecutor, said Bragg could face significant hurdles in convincing a jury that Trump intended to commit or conceal another crime when he allegedly falsified business records to conceal the hush money payments.

"I think it will be difficult to prevail on the felonies," Zelin told CBS News. "The falsifying of entries misdemeanor — that's a slam dunk."
(…)
John Coffee, a Columbia University professor who studies white collar crime, said Trump's lawyers will likely seek to dismiss the case and to change the venue of the proceedings to another jurisdiction. Trump's attorneys, Coffee said, could argue that the case should be dismissed because prosecutors have not sufficiently demonstrated that the former president falsified records to conceal another crime.

"I think they have strong evidence that there were false documents filed for the misdemeanor but I don't understand what they're alleging was the federal offense or the state offense that was covered up," Coffee told CBS News.

 

[ilovewings]

I am not a fan of Alvin Bragg, at all. As a New Yorker IMO his bail reform, in accordance with Gov. Hochul, has led to the release of dangerous criminals.

However, also IMO there IS a crime here and although it seems minor compared to Trump’s other bad acts, I think this is just a fingernail scraping the tip of the iceberg which is heading Trump’s way.

It’s a shame IMO because he COULD have been a decent president if he didn’t continually put his own ego ahead of everyone and everything else. He wanted to be President to make Donald Trump great, not America.

The Abraham Accords alone should have been a major victory that he could claim, but it gets lost in the churning sea that is Trump’s vicious nature.

JMO

Happy Passover and Happy Easter to all who celebrate.

He could have been a decent president if he wasn't Donald Trump LOL

He can't help himself: he has been enabled his entire life- he is a big looking man with the personality of a tiny toddler who has tantrums and throws fits when somebody criticizes him or things don't go the way he wants them to go: I believe he is going to pay the piper for all the alleged criminal charges coming his way. I still don't agree with going forward with the New York case. Yes, It is tip of the ice berg -- but I want to see the ice berg and the other significant cases.

Even the Department of Justice is a tiny bit peeved that Bragg is bringing this case now. I think Posted an article awhile back where this is stated. I also believe Merrick Garland is not the man for the job- he has moved too slowly on the Jan 6 case the classified records case. You need a bull dog in that position to go against Trump and Garland is a putty cat!!!!!

 

[Emma Peel]

Alvin Bragg's "Soft on Crime" policies face scrutiny as he goes after Trump

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is accused of being soft on crime. But he's no softie when it comes to investigating Donald Trump.

www.newsweek.com

It seems to me, that anything to do with election funds is a federal offense. Looks like an incorrect statute was charged here, and that Trump may not have even known that his attorney used the wrong account to pay off Stormy Daniels.

This appears to be politically motivated. I would personally think that the DA in NYC has far more work on his plate than pursuing Trump. JMO. And do the taxpayers in NYC want the DA's office spending time and money on this type of criminal activity?

IIRC, Campaign finance law was referenced but not cited as the basis of the felony charge. Can you be more specific as to the incorrect NY statute charged here? My understanding that indictment left underlying statutes murky - a strategic choice by DA.

IMO ... "We will win dismissal because the DA is a dumbass, used incorrect statute, and has charged 34 felonies incorrectly" - is not the Defense's real strategy. It's the Defense's PR plan.

As for NY taxpayers, that's the funniest talking point ever, IMO.

 

[Smelly Squirrel]

Democrat voters torch Bragg for 'tragic' Trump indictment as crime soars: 'Worst prosecutor in America'

Democrats slammed Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg over the charges against former President Donald Trump, with one warning the unprecedented indictment will eventually "backfire."

www.foxnews.com

Here "Democrat voters" means a panel of 6 people where only 2 are alleged Democrats. And one of those Democrats, Marissa Caro-Cortese appears to be a professional Fox News anti-Democrat Democrat panelist.

Some Biden voters have buyers remorse as various crises plague White House | Fox News Video

Natalya Murakhver, Mikaela King, and Marissa Caro-Cortese joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss why they are upset with the direction the country is going in.

www.foxnews.com

Impact of the ‘mom vote’ in 2022 midterms | Fox News Video

Mothers Marissa Caro-Cortese and Syndie Li discuss key issues ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

www.foxnews.com

 

[RANCH]

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg cuts career criminal a sweetheart deal while busy prosecuting Trump

Rodney Johnson, a 53-year-old career criminal already on parole on a rape case, had his felony charges knocked down — even as the former president faces a controversial indictment.

nypost.com

“A major principle of our system is the more crimes you commit, the worse the punishment,” said defense attorney Mike Discioarro, a former Bronx prosecutor. “How is this guy getting a deal?


“Should we tell people to commit more crimes to get a better deal?”

Bragg has taken heat since he took office last year and announced he would not seek prison time on a slew of charges and would downgrade felony charges in hordes of cases — including armed robbery and drug offenses.