NY - Former President Donald Trump charged with 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records, Apr 2023

[Deleted member 39678]

I really hate these links to the New York Times because I can't read them with the paywall blocking me.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I really hate these links to the New York Times because I can't read them with the paywall blocking me.

I can see some of them with a free account, but some I can't.

 

[Niner]

Trump adds new attorney to legal team​

Hallie Jackson, Vaughn Hillyard and Adam Reiss
Trump's latest legal filings reveal that he has added lawyer Todd Blanche to his legal team.

Does this mean he now has 6 lawyers??

 

[margarita25]

Does this mean he now has 6 lawyers??

Beans compared to Michael Cohen.

 

[Niner]

I am going to post the long list of other investigations going on - just for this first post & then will leave them off as this case progresses.

Tuesday, April 4th:
*Arraignment Hearing (@ 2:15pm ET) – NY - Donald John Trump: Indicted (3/30/23) – with document fraud & 30 counts of falsifying business records. Trump’s lawyers are Susan R. Necheles,. Joseph Tacopina, Alan Garten & Todd Blanche. 4/3/23: Trump adds new attorneys to legal team: Hallie Jackson, Vaughn Hillyard & Adam Reiss.
Prosecutors in New York are investigating alleged hush-money payments ($130K) made on Trump's behalf to Stormy Daniels, a former adult film star who went public with claims the pair had an affair. Trump denies they had sexual relations. Trump has been invited to testify to a grand jury. Experts suggest this indicates he could soon face criminal charges, but it is not clear what these could be. If prosecutors proceed, it would be the first criminal case ever brought against a former US president.
The first sign that an indictment was imminent on Thursday came just before 2 in the afternoon, when the three lead prosecutors on the Trump investigation walked into the Lower Manhattan building where the grand jury was sitting. One of them carried a copy of the penal law, which was most likely used to read the criminal statutes to the grand jurors before they voted. Nearly three hours later, the prosecutors walked into the court clerk’s office through a back door to begin the official process of filing the indictment, arriving about two minutes before the office closed for the day.
3/30/23 Update: A Manhattan grand jury indicted Donald J. Trump on Thursday for his role in paying hush money to a star, according to people with knowledge of the matter, a historic development that will shake up the 2024 presidential race & forever mark him as the nation’s first former president to face criminal charges. On Thursday evening, after news of the charges had been widely reported, the district attorney’s office confirmed that Mr. Trump had been indicted & that prosecutors had contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender to authorities in Manhattan. Mr. Trump is likely to turn himself in on Tuesday, 4/4/23, at which point the former president will be photographed & fingerprinted in the bowels of a New York State courthouse, with Secret Service agents in tow. He will then be arraigned, at which point the specific charges will be unsealed. Mr. Trump faces more than two dozen counts, according to two people familiar with the matter. New York prosecutors are looking to charge Trump over 'hush money' of $150K payment made to a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal.
4/2/23 Update: A group of news organizations, including NBC News, The Associated Press & The New York Times, have asked Judge Juan Merchan (Motion) to immediately unseal the Trump indictment & to allow cameras in the courtroom. "Because of the overwhelming public interest in the contents of the indictment & because no valid purpose is served by keeping the indictment under seal pending arraignment, we respectfully request that it be unsealed without delay. Indeed, any delay only allows speculation about the content of the indictment to proliferate," a law firm representing the media coalition wrote. In a separate petition, the coalition urged Merchan to allow audio & visual access to the arraignment expected Tuesday: "The gravity of this proceeding — unprecedented & historic arraignment of a former U.S. President — and, consequently the need for the broadest possible public access, cannot be overstated."
3/2/23 Update: A court official said on Sunday that the judge has asked both sides to submit their positions on whether cameras & video should be allowed in the courtroom & will decide on the issue on Monday, 4/3/23. Trump team tells judge to deny media request to have cameras in court for historic arraignment, arguing it “will create a circus like atmosphere…raises unique security concern and is inconsistent with Trump’s presumption of innocence.”
4/3/23 Update: Acting New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan wrote his Monday night order that the media’s request to broadcast the arraignment of former President Trump was understandable, but that the news organizations’ interests in providing the broadest possible access to the proceedings must be weighed against “competing interests.” In rejecting the request to broadcast the arraignment live on television, Merchan still wrote about the historical significance of the proceeding in stark terms. Judge Juan Merchan said that cellphones & laptops cannot be used in the courtroom during Trump’s hearing tomorrow. Cameras will be allowed in the courtroom before the arraignment begins, Merchan said, and then in the hallways after that.

Other investigations ongoing:
2) New York - The business practices of his family company, the Trump Organization, are being examined by prosecutors. The criminal investigation into the Trump Organization has already yielded convictions. The company was found guilty in December, 2022 of fraud & falsifying business records & fined $1.6m (£1.31m). Allen Weisselberg, the organization's chief financial officer, was sentenced to five months in jail in January.
3) New York - Letitia James, the New York attorney general, is leading a civil investigation (which cannot result in criminal charges) & has spent years looking at whether the company committed various acts of fraud over several decades. In the civil case, Ms James has filed a lawsuit against Trump & three of his children accusing them of "astounding" fraud & deception. The lawsuit alleges that the family inflated their net worth by billions & is seeking $250m that was allegedly obtained through fraudulent means. It's also seeking bans on Trump & his children from serving in a leadership role in any New York business. A Manhattan judge has denied Trump's bid to delay the trial, saying the scheduled date of 10/2/23 is "written in stone".
4) New York - A criminal investigation is being led by the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg & is looking at similar issues.
5) DOJ - The Dept. of Justice is looking into the removal of government documents from the White House, which were then taken to Trump's Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after he left office. Investigators are assessing how these documents were stored & who may have had access to them. The former president's sprawling beach side property was searched in August, 2022 & 11,000 documents were seized, including around 100 marked as classified. Some of these were labelled top secret. Trump has also argued that some of the documents are protected by "privilege" - a legal concept that would prevent them from being used in future proceedings. An independent lawyer is reviewing the seized material to determine if this is the case & that process continues. But Trump has not directly addressed the key question of why the documents were at Mar-a-Lago in the first place. This is an active criminal investigation & could result in charges being filed. Among other statutes, the justice dept. believes Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information that "could be used to the injury of the United States". In addition to charges relating to the classified documents themselves, prosecutors are also looking at obstruction of justice as another potential crime. Trump's team are now locked in a legal battle with the justice department over the investigation. The department has appointed an independent lawyer, or special counsel, to oversee all of its criminal investigations into Trump. Jack Smith will lead its various inquiries & will ultimately decide whether to bring charges.
4/2/23 Update: Justice Dept. & FBI investigators have amassed fresh evidence pointing to possible obstruction by former president Trump in the investigation into top-secret documents found at his Mar-a-Lago home. The additional evidence comes as investigators have used emails & text messages from a former Trump aide to help understand key moments last year, said the people, who like others interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing criminal investigation. The new details highlight the degree to which special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the potential mishandling of hundreds of classified national security papers at Trump’s Florida home & private club has come to focus on the obstruction elements of the case — whether the former president took or directed actions to impede government efforts to collect all the sensitive records. Investigators now suspect, based on witness statements, security camera footage & other documentary evidence, that boxes including classified material were moved from a Mar-a-Lago storage area after the subpoena was served & that Trump personally examined at least some of those boxes, these people said. "In the classified documents case, federal investigators have gathered new & significant evidence that after the subpoena was delivered, Trump looked through the contents of some of the boxes of documents in his home, apparently out of a desire to keep certain things in his possession. 4/3/23 Update: Multiple secret service agents connected to [the] former president” have received subpoenas to testify Friday to a Washington DC grand jury regarding the return of classified documents.
6) DOJ - Trump's alleged role in the attack on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the building in an effort to stop the confirmation of President Joe Biden's election victory, is under scrutiny from several federal government bodies. The most visible has been a congressional committee that spent 18 months looking into Trump's actions. They held a series of televised hearings laying out their case that his election fraud claims led directly to the riot. Following these hearings, the committee accused Trump of inciting insurrection & other crimes.
3/25/23 Update: In a sealed order last week, Judge Beryl Howell rejected Trump's claim of executive privilege for Meadows & a number of others, including Trump's former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, his former national security adviser Robert O'Brien, former top aide Stephen Miller & former deputy chief of staff & social media director Dan Scavino. Former Trump aides Nick Luna & John McEntee, along with former top DHS official Ken Cuccinelli, were also included in the order. The ruling paves the way for testimony from Mark Meadows and others. Separately, a Trump lawyer appeared before a grand jury looking into the former president’s handling of classified documents. The recent ruling by Judge Beryl A. Howell paves the way for the former White House officials to answer questions from federal prosecutors, according to two people briefed on the matter. Judge Howell ruled on the matter in a closed-door proceeding in her role as chief judge of the Federal District Court in Washington, a job in which she oversaw the grand juries taking testimony in the Justice Dept.’s investigations into Trump. Judge Howell’s term as chief judge ended last week. See more info here:
[I]https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03...rk-meadows-executive-privilege-jan-6.html[/I]
Word of the ruling came as the Justice Department pressed ahead in its parallel investigation into Mr. Trump’s handling of classified documents after leaving office & whether he obstructed the government’s efforts to reclaim them. The twin federal investigations are being led by Jack Smith, the special counsel who was appointed after Mr. Trump announced his latest candidacy in November. 3/29/23 Update: Trump’s lawyers have filed an appeal on Judge Howell’s decision.
3/27/23 Update: A federal judge has ordered former Vice President Mike Pence to comply with a subpoena in the investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, according to a source familiar with the decision. The ruling from Judge James Boasberg, the chief judge of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requires Pence to testify before the grand jury tied to the probe led by special counsel Jack Smith. The ruling, which was issued Monday, remains under seal because it involves grand jury matters. The order was a partial victory for Pence & his argument that he was shielded from having to testify about Jan. 6 because of his constitutional role as part of the legislative branch. Pence's team has argued that the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution, which can protect lawmakers from being compelled to discuss legislative activity, granted him immunity from testifying. Judge Boasberg ruled that while Pence does have some limited protections because of that, the immunity does not prevent him from testifying about conversations related to alleged “illegality” on Trump’s part.
7) Georgia: The criminal investigation was opened after the disclosure of an hour-long phone call between the former president & the state's top election official on 2 January 2021."I just want to find 11,780 votes," Trump said during the call to Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger - a reference to the number of ballots needed to give him victory in the swing state. A grand jury investigating the case was dissolved earlier this year after filing a final report, which remains sealed. Trump has also attacked the legal official leading the inquiry - the chief prosecutor of Fulton County, Fani Willis - as a "young, ambitious, Radical Left Democrat... who is presiding over one of the most Crime Ridden & Corrupt places". The 26-member grand jury did not have indictment powers but may have recommended charges. Among the potential crimes it looked into were the solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government officials & racketeering. It is not known whether Trump is being directly investigated, but some of his allies are known to be part of the inquiry. For a criminal conviction, however, prosecutors would ultimately need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that those involved knew their actions were fraudulent. In January, 2023 a prosecutor working on behalf of Fulton County said the district attorney's office believes the report should only be released after prosecutors determine whether or not to bring charges.
3/20/23 Update: Former President rump in a new court filing Monday, 3/20/23 sought to block potential prosecution of him & various allies for crimes related to his efforts to reverse his loss to President Joe Biden in Georgia’s 2020 election. Trump asked a judge to quash the report of a special grand jury in Atlanta & to bar any evidence from that panel from being used to prosecute individuals. His court filing also sought to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, which has been conducting the criminal probe, from being involved in the case. The Atlanta grand jury earlier this year finished hearing testimony & reviewing evidence submitted by prosecutors. The panel then recommended the filing of criminal charges against a number of people, who have not been publicly identified. The grand jury focused particularly on a Jan. 2, 2021, phone call, during which Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes” for Trump. Trump’s 483-page court filing argues that the grand jury “was conducted under an unconstitutional statute, through an illegal & unconstitutional process.” Trump’s filing asks that the motion be ruled on by Chief Judge Ural Glanville of Fulton County Superior Court & not Judge Robert McBurney, who has been supervising the grand jury.

 

[Ladyotm]

<modsnip - quoted post was off topic>
It is a sad day when our country's leaders publically attack the work that the legal system and everyday citizens (jurors) do. If they feel he is innocent, they should simply say to let the legal process run its course. Instead, they threaten investigations, encourage others to protest, have emotional breakdowns, and constantly offer their opposing opinion. It all comes off as an attempt to obstruct justice. Gone are days of respect for institutions and the right way of doing things. And that in itself is very scary.

 

[Sillybilly]

I really hate these links to the New York Times because I can't read them with the paywall blocking me.

It's available on the Wayback Machine

How Alvin Bragg Resurrected the Case Against Donald Trump

A year ago, the investigation into the former president appeared from the outside to be over. But a series of crucial turning points led to this week’s indictment.

web.archive.org

 

[margarita25]

Trump is heading to court. Here's what to expect​

Donald Trump is the first sitting or former US president to be criminally indicted.

From the above link:

“WILL TRUMP WALK OUT OF THERE?​

BBM

“In all likelihood, yes. New York’s bail laws have been overhauled over the past few years, meaning Trump would be released without bail because the anticipated charges against him don't require that bail be set. But it's possible that Judge Juan Merchan could decide that Trump is a flight risk and order him held in custody, with or without bail. Trump's lawyers would argue that the former president's ties to the US are strong, and because he's a presidential candidate, he has no reason to flee and should be allowed to leave.”

——

Wouldn’t that be something...If the Judge holds him...I doubt that would happen, but wow, what if...

What would happen? January 6th the Second? April 4th?

 

[margarita25]

My opinion, this is the beginning of endless legal troubles for this man.

Whatever happens tomorrow, whether regular court proceedings, dates set, etc., it’s all going to have to come to a head at some point.

All this has been in the works for a while, and the documents and charges I anticipate to be thick and substantial.

Some people want to spin this as politically motivated and about star scandals, but ultimately this is about illegal misuse of campaign funds, breaking the law, fraud, etc., which we will see outlined tomorrow (today) in detail.

There’s the Georgia legal stuff ahead, Classified documents at MAL, tax stuff, Jan 6th...this is the beginning of endless legal troubles, imo.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

My opinion, this is the beginning of endless legal troubles for this man.

Whatever happens tomorrow, whether regular court proceedings, dates set, etc., it’s all going to have to come to a head at some point.

All this has been in the works for a while, and the documents and charges I anticipate to be thick and substantial.

Some people want to spin this as politically motivated and about *advertiser censored* star scandals, but ultimately this is about illegal misuse of campaign funds, breaking the law, fraud, etc., which we will see outlined tomorrow (today) in detail.

There’s the Georgia legal stuff ahead, Classified documents at MAL, tax stuff, Jan 6th...this is the beginning of endless legal troubles, imo.

That's politics in America now. Countless impeachments and investigations without end. JMO.

 

[Deleted member 39678]

After reading the New York Times article about DA Bragg I want him to run for President in 2024.

That guy is awesome.

 

[JennieM]

A historic day in New York​

Dulcie Lee

It’s a historic day, as no sitting or former US president has been inside a courtroom to answer criminal charges before.

This afternoon’s appearance is very much the first stage - where Trump will formally hear the charges against him and enter a plea.

There’s still a lot we don’t know - including at what time exactly the former president will leave Trump Tower, accompanied by his secret service detail, before making his way to court.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65167017

 

[JennieM]

The story so far... in 100 words

Donald Trump is due to appear in court later today after being indicted in New York last week.

A payment to ex-p-o-rn star Stormy Daniels is at the heart of the case.

Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which he denies.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 (£100,000) to keep quiet before the 2016 US election.

The case likely revolves around how this was recorded. The payment may violate election finance laws.

Trump will be fingerprinted and brought before a judge.

The exact charges are not yet known but will be disclosed in court.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65167017

 

[JennieM]

Heightened security in New York

Police in New York are on high alert ahead of the Trump’s court hearing.

There are barricades around Trump Tower and the court building where the former president will appear later, and many streets in the area will also be closed.

Other courtrooms in the building will be shut for Trump’s appearance.

Plus, there are “dozens upon dozens” of secret agents deployed to the area.

New York Mayor Eric Adams warned on Monday that people protesting violently during Trump’s court appearance would be arrested and held accountable - “no matter who you are”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65167017

 

[JennieM]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-us-canada-65167017

 

[JerseyGirl]

Giuliani argues that Trump’s hush money payments were a ‘business expense’

Rudy Giuliani argued Monday that hush money payments, such as those at the center of the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Trump, are a “business expense…

thehill.com

Abrams posited that “it seems” that the former president had falsified business records by writing the hush money payments off as a legal expense instead of a personal one.

Giuliani responded by questioning whether Trump actually falsified the records, asking, “Did he? Did he enter the business records?”

Former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who served nearly a year in prison over his role in the scheme, made the payments before later being compensated by Trump.

Giuliani said that whether such an expenditure was legal expense or not, it would still be a business expense, noting that it would just affect someone’s “reputation.”

Abrams pushed back, saying, “Well, it’s not a business expense if you’re paying off women to not tell people about your affair.”

Giuliani responded that “it sure is” — and that the Internal Revenue Service would accept it as such.

The former New York mayor argued the case against Trump will be dismissed.

“I think there are too many legal — there are too many legal hurdles to overcome, unless there’s something else in the indictment,” he told Abrams on Monday.

 

[JerseyGirl]

Rudy Giuliani begs Trump supporters to 'send a buck' for 'his morale'

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Sunday urged supporters of Donald Trump to send the former president at least one dollar to improve his morale after being indicted by a New York grand jury.On his WABC radio program, Giuliani said supporters should not come out to protest when Trump is...

www.rawstory.com

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani urged supporters of Donald Trump to send the former president at least one dollar to improve his morale after being indicted by a New York grand jury.

On his WABC radio program, Giuliani said supporters should not come out to protest when Trump is arrested on Tuesday even if the former president asked them to.

"Do not protest," he insisted. "I'm telling you, Tuesday, Trump people, particularly the Trump people, you know, but even if you're not a Trump person, please don't protest don't. Frankly, I don't care if he asks you to or not."

Giuliani predicted that "they" would insert paid "agitators" to create violent conditions at the Manhattan courthouse where Trump will be arraigned.

The former mayor went on to make a plea for donations.

"Send him a buck if you can't afford anything else," Giuliani advised. "Send him a buck. That's all. He'll take that. I mean, he'll love it. You send him a buck."

"Do you realize how terrific it is for his morale to know that his fundraising is going through the roof?" he added.

 

[MrsWatson]

Trump surrenders in New York following hush money indictment

Extraordinary scene in Manhattan will mark the first time a former US president has faced criminal charges

www.theguardian.com

 

[JerseyGirl]

Trump sounds off on Biden, Alvin Bragg, Jack Smith on social media hours before arraignment: 'This is illegal'

Donald Trump ranted on social media about his indictment and upcoming arraignment at a Manhattan courthouse and told District Attorney Alvin Bragg to 'indict himself.'

www.foxnews.com

In a pair of posts, Trump addressed alleged leaks from District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office and said they are ruining his reputation. He then offered an "honorable" fix – indict himself.

"Wow! District Attorney Bragg just illegally LEAKED the various points, and complete information, on the pathetic Indictment against me," Trump unsubstantially wrote on Truth Social. "I know the reporter and so, unfortunately, does he. This means that he MUST BE IMMEDIATELY INDICTED. Now, if he wants to really clean up his reputation, he will do the honorable thing and, as District Attorney, INDICT HIMSELF."

Trump’s post was in response to a Yahoo News report published earlier in the day that revealed he would be facing more than 30 felony counts.

In a second post, the 45th president also claimed he was innocent and called the ongoing case against him a "mess." He also called for Bragg to resign.

"D.A. BRAGG JUST ILLEGALLY LEAKED THE 33 points of Indictment," Trump wrote. "There are no changes or surprises from those he leaked days ago directly out of the Grand Jury."

In yet another post, Trump brought up special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Biden’s Department of Justice to investigate whether the former president violated any laws when classified documents were found at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Trump also accused Smith of leaking "massive amounts of information" to the media.

"This is illegal," Trump added, calling Smith "totally biased."

The former president said: "Biden is guilty of Obstruction, I am not!"

 

[JerseyGirl]

Trump surrenders in New York following hush money indictment

Extraordinary scene in Manhattan will mark the first time a former US president has faced criminal charges

www.theguardian.com

Trump is scheduled to be arraigned in a Manhattan courthouse Tuesday at 2:15 p.m.