The Trump Investigation(s) Thread

[Unagi]

I also ignore anything suggesting that TFG should regret anything

Sorry, but what does TFG stand for? Obviously it's meant to refer to Trump / team Trump, but I can't figure out the acronym. The Fucking Guy? Trump's Fucking Guys? Trump's Friend Gary?

The Former Guy.

Ah, so this is like a Drumpf thing?

That Florida Guy ?
…is what I’ve been assuming.

[Kraken]

Brief summary of where the major trump investigations are at, for those of us who lose track. Helluva ex-presidency the former guy has going.

New York State

Long before he became president, by many accounts, Trump played it fast and loose in business. The question is whether any of that violated the law. For years, according to his own associates, he inflated the value of his various properties to obtain loans.

Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, has been examining his business practices for more than three years to determine if they constituted fraud. When she summoned Trump to testify in a deposition, he invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to respond to questions on the grounds that his answers might incriminate him more than 400 times.

Trump has assailed James as a partisan Democrat who is coming after him for political reasons.

But Trump’s lawyers recently sought to settle the case, which could indicate concern about his legal risk, only to have their bid rejected by James. Because her investigation is civil, not criminal, she would have to decide whether her findings warrant a lawsuit accusing the former president of fraud.

Manhattan

The Manhattan district attorney’s office, now led by Alvin L. Bragg, has looked into some of the same issues as part of a criminal investigation and is about to bring the Trump Organization, the former president’s family business, to trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion starting Oct. 24.

Allen H. Weisselberg, the longtime chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, has pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, admitting that he conspired with the company to carry out a scheme to avoid paying taxes on lavish perks. Weisselberg is obliged as part of his plea agreement to testify at the upcoming trial. But Trump is not a defendant, and Weisselberg has refused to cooperate with the broader investigation.

Georgia

Trump put himself in possible legal jeopardy in the swing state of Georgia on Jan. 2, 2021, when he called Brad Raffensperger, the secretary of state, and demanded that he “find 11,780 votes,” just enough to reverse the outcome and take the state away from Joe Biden. During the call, Trump warned Raffensperger, a Republican, that he faced a “big risk” if he failed to find those votes, an implied threat the Georgian defied.

Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has cast a wide net, pressing for testimony by Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican from South Carolina, and informing Rudy Giuliani, the former president’s lawyer, that he is a target of her investigation.

Willis appears to be building a possible case of conspiracy to commit election fraud or racketeering through a coordinated effort to undermine the election. In addition to Giuliani, multiple allies of the former president have been told they are targets, including the state party chair and members of the slate of fake electors.

Congress

The House committee investigating the Capitol attack of Jan. 6, 2021, composed of seven Democrats and two Republicans, has done more to lay out a possible criminal case against Trump in the public space than any of the former president’s pursuers.

Its series of hearings over the summer, which could resume Sept. 28, showcased testimony by Trump’s own advisers indicating he was repeatedly informed that the 2020 election was not stolen, that what he was telling the public was not true, that there was no basis to challenge the outcome, and even that the crowd he summoned on Jan. 6 included some armed people.

The committee documented just how wide-ranging Trump’s efforts to hold onto power were — how he pressured not just Raffensperger but officials in multiple states to change the outcomes, how he contemplated declaring martial law and seizing voting machines, how he tried to force the Justice Department to intervene even though he was told there was no case, how he plotted with congressional allies to orchestrate fake electors, and ultimately how he sought to strong-arm his own vice president into blocking Biden’s victory.

But though lawmakers cannot indict Trump, they are debating whether to make a criminal referral recommending that the Justice Department do so. That has little substantive meaning, but it would raise the stakes for Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Jan. 6

Garland remains in some ways the biggest mystery as Trump seeks to thwart investigators. An even-tempered, widely respected former prosecutor and appellate judge, Garland has said little to tip his hand, but his department is clearly pursuing multiple strands in its investigation of what happened leading up to and on Jan. 6.

The department has interviewed or brought before a grand jury former White House aides like Pat A. Cipollone and Marc Short; seized the phones or electronic devices of Trump’s allies like John Eastman, Jeffrey Clark, and Mike Lindell, and even a member of Congress; and blitzed out some 40 subpoenas recently to former White House aides like Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino and others close to the former president.

Classified documents

The latest threat to the former president stems from his insistence on flying home with thousands of documents owned by the government, including hundreds marked with varying classified designations, and his failure to give them all back when asked.

Garland’s team has indicated in court filings that it is looking at not only criminal charges related to mishandling classified documents but also obstruction of justice. A lawyer for Trump signed a document stating that he had returned all classified papers in his possession, which proved to be false when FBI agents searched Mar-a-Lago and found boxes of them. Investigators indicated the files were probably concealed and moved rather than turned over.

[pr0ner]

I also ignore anything suggesting that TFG should regret anything

Sorry, but what does TFG stand for? Obviously it's meant to refer to Trump / team Trump, but I can't figure out the acronym. The Fucking Guy? Trump's Fucking Guys? Trump's Friend Gary?

The Former Guy.

Ah, so this is like a Drumpf thing?

That Florida Guy ?
…is what I’ve been assuming.

No, it's definitely The Former Guy.

[LordMortis]

I also ignore anything suggesting that TFG should regret anything

Sorry, but what does TFG stand for? Obviously it's meant to refer to Trump / team Trump, but I can't figure out the acronym. The Fucking Guy? Trump's Fucking Guys? Trump's Friend Gary?

The Former Guy.

Ah, so this is like a Drumpf thing?

That Florida Guy ?
…is what I’ve been assuming.

I always assumed it was that fucking guy a derivative of don't be that guy.

[Zaxxon]

I also ignore anything suggesting that TFG should regret anything

Sorry, but what does TFG stand for? Obviously it's meant to refer to Trump / team Trump, but I can't figure out the acronym. The Fucking Guy? Trump's Fucking Guys? Trump's Friend Gary?

The Former Guy.

Ah, so this is like a Drumpf thing?

That Florida Guy ?
…is what I’ve been assuming.

No, it's definitely The Former Guy.

That's silly. He's still a guy, not a former guy. But he's definitely that fuckin' guy.

[hepcat]

[Alefroth]

How long before Dearie is tarred as a Deep state RINO?

What happens if Cannon replaces him?

[malchior]

How long before Dearie is tarred as a Deep state RINO?

What happens if Cannon replaces him?

I mean Cannon is probably not super psyched that Drearie seemed to have asked...wtf am I doing here...this should be with the judge who issued the warrant in the first place. But the whole thing is madness. It is fairly unpredictable. So who knows. Anything is possible in these calvinball times.

Edit: To dash in a little flavor we have the following bit of modernity.

[Daehawk]

The amount of stupid around that one man is incredible.

[malchior]

So it appears Drearie is not going to allow delays at least. The DOJ said we're ready to give the docs to a vendor to start processing for review tomorrow. Trump's team is like...how about Friday...judge says tomorrow sounds good.

Edit: Special master also asked them about what to do with the classified docs if 11th doesn't weigh reject Cannon's decision. We'll consider "other appellate options" at that point. That's SCOTUS and delay town out of everyone's control.

[Smoove_B]

I was half expecting him to try and object to having Dearie involved. Some type of legal maneuver to suggest his suggestion was ill-advised given how this has all unfolded.

It's almost like there's an intentional effort at every step to log-jam the legal process. Weird, right?

[malchior]

I was half expecting him to try and object to having Dearie involved. Some type of legal maneuver to suggest his suggestion was ill-advised given how this has all unfolded.

It's almost like there's an intentional effort at every step to log-jam the legal process. Weird, right?

They probably wouldn't raise that complaint to Drearie. They'll go back to Cannon and complain about this hearing if that is their plan.

[stessier]

[LordMortis]

I was half expecting him to try and object to having Dearie involved. Some type of legal maneuver to suggest his suggestion was ill-advised given how this has all unfolded.

It's almost like there's an intentional effort at every step to log-jam the legal process. Weird, right?

What can he do? He's always under audit.

[malchior]

Spoiler - not astounding the prosecution is saying they don't need to see the documents. They just need someone to tell them they were classified. That's the point. This is them tearing away at legitimacy. They are saying things in open court that are seemingly designed to become grievances on the right. 'My lawyers were told they couldn't even see my own records. Witch Hunt!'

[Octavious]

I'm barely paying attention at this point as it's pretty obvious this will be like everything else. Stall, appeal, stall, appeal forever... This particular judge doesn't seem to be in their pocket at least. I wonder why they suggested him?

[malchior]

I'm barely paying attention at this point as it's pretty obvious this will be like everything else. Stall, appeal, stall, appeal forever... This particular judge doesn't seem to be in their pocket at least. I wonder why they suggested him?

He recently (within the last few years) ruled against the government a few times in matters in front of the FISA court related to Carter Page. They just thought he was in the bag for Trump.

[stessier]

I'm barely paying attention at this point as it's pretty obvious this will be like everything else. Stall, appeal, stall, appeal forever... This particular judge doesn't seem to be in their pocket at least. I wonder why they suggested him?

He ruled on the Carter Page FISA warrant. I believe the conspiracy theory is that the ruling demonstrates he hates the FBI and thus would be more amenable to Trump's arguments. Law Twitter seems to highly respect Dearie, though.

BAM'd - doh!

[Octavious]

I'm sure they knew they screwed up when the DOJ was like sure you can use him.

[Grifman]

The special matter just told Trump’s lawyers to put up or shut up regarding “declassification”;

[Octavious]

Finally someone gives them the middle finger. It's so ridiculous. I might have declassified them, but I'm not saying if I did. Nevermind that it doesn't FN matter if he did. I'm having the biggest party ever the day this ahole croaks.

[El Guapo]

I'm sure they knew they screwed up when the DOJ was like sure you can use him.

At the same time DOJ had to be doing the Vincini 'poisoned cup' analysis when they got his name. "Wait, he seems like a sensible choice. But they know that we would know that he looks like a sensible choice, which means that they must be suggesting him because of something else. But they know that we know that they must know something, which means that..."

[LordMortis]

I'm having the biggest party ever the day this ahole croaks.

This'ill be on repeat.



I reserve "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" for McConnell.

Edit: Had to find a version that mentioned Jeff Davis.

[Daehawk]

I'm sure they knew they screwed up when the DOJ was like sure you can use him.

At the same time DOJ had to be doing the Vincini 'poisoned cup' analysis when they got his name. "Wait, he seems like a sensible choice. But they know that we would know that he looks like a sensible choice, which means that they must be suggesting him because of something else. But they know that we know that they must know something, which means that..."

Vizzini

[Skinypupy]

Can't Cannon just dismiss Dearie at any time? Especially if he keeps saying things they don't want to hear?

I heard that was written in somewhere, but not sure what process would follow after that.

[Alefroth]

Can't Cannon just dismiss Dearie at any time? Especially if he keeps saying things they don't want to hear?

I heard that was written in somewhere, but not sure what process would follow after that.

She could. That ought to be a huge red flag.

[Holman]

Can't Cannon just dismiss Dearie at any time? Especially if he keeps saying things they don't want to hear?

I heard that was written in somewhere, but not sure what process would follow after that.

She could. That ought to be a huge red flag.

It would reek of Watergate's Saturday Night Massacre.

[Skinypupy]

Can't Cannon just dismiss Dearie at any time? Especially if he keeps saying things they don't want to hear?

I heard that was written in somewhere, but not sure what process would follow after that.

She could. That ought to be a huge red flag.

In a sane timeline, it certainly would.

In ours, I'm sure it would be spun as simply "dismissing an obviously biased Special Master"...and all the drooling morons would nod in agreement.

[Carpet_pissr]

NPR: What to know about Judge Raymond Dearie, the Mar-a-Lago search special master

People interviewed by NPR who know Dearie describe him as "fair"
Andrew Weissmann, a federal prosecutor, a former senior member of special counsel Robert Mueller's team and a special master himself, described Dearie as "compassionate" and "fair" and the "platonic ideal of what you want in a judge."

"If you asked both prosecutors and lawyers, they would say the same thing, that he is just so fair," Weissmann said. "It's unusual to have a judge where both sides just have enormous praise for somebody."

When Weissmann was starting out as a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, the judge was late for a court appearance. "A few days later, I got in the mail a handwritten apology from him," Weissmann recalled. The defense lawyer got the same letter from the judge. "It was just remarkable because judges have a lot of power — they don't need to do that," Weissmann said.

And in a statement to NPR, Daniel R. Alonso, partner at Buckley LLP and a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, called Dearie an "old-school gentleman and unfailingly polite."

"Judge Dearie is a judge who, though unfailingly fair, would never tolerate the kinds of arguments that Trump's lawyers tend to put forward," Alonso said.

To be "fair", this sounds a LOT like what was said about Bob Mueller before that whole clusterfuck as well.

[malchior]

And by clusterfuck...we clearly mean the time an AG sabotaging a criminal inquiry, lying to the public, and when this was proved to be true the elite yawned because it was water under the bridge. And then recently we found out one of the top FBI agents might be under investigation for taking Russian cash as well...

[Carpet_pissr]

And by clusterfuck...we clearly mean the time an AG sabotaging a criminal inquiry, lying to the public, and when this was proved to be true the elite yawned because it was water under the bridge. And then recently we found out one of the top FBI agents might be under investigation for taking Russian cash as well...

Not really. I meant that the same "oh he's so fair, and such a straight shooter, he has bipartisan respect!" comments were made about Mueller, who I have no doubt WAS/IS that kind of person, but ultimately pulled punches (to allow 'the process' to work) when he should have been much more forthright, and stood up, vocally, for what he had submitted to Barr.

[Pyperkub]

NPR: What to know about Judge Raymond Dearie, the Mar-a-Lago search special master

People interviewed by NPR who know Dearie describe him as "fair"
Andrew Weissmann, a federal prosecutor, a former senior member of special counsel Robert Mueller's team and a special master himself, described Dearie as "compassionate" and "fair" and the "platonic ideal of what you want in a judge."

"If you asked both prosecutors and lawyers, they would say the same thing, that he is just so fair," Weissmann said. "It's unusual to have a judge where both sides just have enormous praise for somebody."

When Weissmann was starting out as a federal prosecutor in Brooklyn, the judge was late for a court appearance. "A few days later, I got in the mail a handwritten apology from him," Weissmann recalled. The defense lawyer got the same letter from the judge. "It was just remarkable because judges have a lot of power — they don't need to do that," Weissmann said.

And in a statement to NPR, Daniel R. Alonso, partner at Buckley LLP and a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, called Dearie an "old-school gentleman and unfailingly polite."

"Judge Dearie is a judge who, though unfailingly fair, would never tolerate the kinds of arguments that Trump's lawyers tend to put forward," Alonso said.

To be "fair", this sounds a LOT like what was said about Bill Barr before that whole clusterfuck as well.

FTFY

[Victoria Raverna]

I don't remember people are saying that about Bill Barr. From long before the "clusterfuck", he was always pro Republican's side and anti Democrat.

[malchior]

And by clusterfuck...we clearly mean the time an AG sabotaging a criminal inquiry, lying to the public, and when this was proved to be true the elite yawned because it was water under the bridge. And then recently we found out one of the top FBI agents might be under investigation for taking Russian cash as well...

Not really. I meant that the same "oh he's so fair, and such a straight shooter, he has bipartisan respect!" comments were made about Mueller, who I have no doubt WAS/IS that kind of person, but ultimately pulled punches (to allow 'the process' to work) when he should have been much more forthright, and stood up, vocally, for what he had submitted to Barr.

Well I think it's fairly debatable that Mueller pulled a punch. I would align that he is a rules follower even when the rules don't make sense. Still he had a legitimate issue in front of him when he contemplated the OLC memo that says he couldn't charge a sitting President. There has been years of debate about what he should have done but the real problem is Barr weaponized that gap in the case law to undermine the whole investigation.

In any case I see this less as a Mueller problem and more an indication that our system has major problems. One is that protections that only seem to effectively apply to the powerful are somehow cast as 'good order' and another is we have a lot of malevolent actors at the moment. Another thing I suspect is that the rot in this system has led to a power structure where there is inherent revulsion to accountability. The law warps, melts, and breaks down the closer it comes to holding the powerful accountable. This goes beyond Trump IMO.

[Grifman]

This kind of slipped under the radar, but more legal problems for Trump:

[pr0ner]

This kind of slipped under the radar, but more legal problems for Trump:

I'm not really sure that "slipped under the radar". It was in the news Trump was disposed recently and took the Fifth for hours, and the lawsuit just dropped about 15 minutes ago.

[Skinypupy]

This kind of slipped under the radar, but more legal problems for Trump:

Was this the "major news" that James was teasing yesterday? I've been a bit out of the loop this morning.

[Grifman]

This kind of slipped under the radar, but more legal problems for Trump:

I'm not really sure that "slipped under the radar". It was in the news Trump was disposed recently and took the Fifth for hours, and the lawsuit just dropped about 15 minutes ago.

You are right but for some reason I thought this was from yesterday?! Anyway, the legal bills are piling up. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

[Isgrimnur]

Like he pays those.

[malchior]

Looks like they'll also be referring criminal fraud out to SDNY. I'm not sure why they wouldn't take a stab at them in NYS based on what AG James said. Guess the details will be forthcoming.