NY vs. Trump - Hush Money Trial

[YellowKing]

Behaviors, no. Success rate of those behaviors? Quite possibly. We've already seen the party splinter without Trump at the helm. Much harder to pull off MAGA stunts if you don't have a captain at the helm keeping the dissidents in line.

[waitingtoconnect]

I have no idea how people can argue with a straight face that Trump's trials are purely political when the judiciary is stacked with Republicans.

It takes way less cognitive effort for me to accept that Trump is extremely dodgy and escapes courtroom consequences due to a stacked Republican biased judiciary, being an ex president, and being able to throw heaps of (other people’s) money at lawyers.

[Blackhawk]

Given the last couple of years, it still baffles me how he can find a lawyer willing to represent him. Every one will eventually be shamed and either fired or quit, if not disciplined for the level of nonsense required of them, and it's questionable whether they'll ever actually get paid

[Isgrimnur]

Turns out some people will work for exposure.

Hepcat, NO!

[gbasden]

I have no idea how people can argue with a straight face that Trump's trials are purely political when the judiciary is stacked with Republicans.

It takes way less cognitive effort for me to accept that Trump is extremely dodgy and escapes courtroom consequences due to a stacked Republican biased judiciary, being an ex president, and being able to throw heaps of (other people’s) money at lawyers.

Because apparently nobody on the right wing gives a crap about consistency of thought at this point. It's all about what scores you short term wins.

[Kurth]

I have no idea how people can argue with a straight face that Trump's trials are purely political when the judiciary is stacked with Republicans.

It takes way less cognitive effort for me to accept that Trump is extremely dodgy and escapes courtroom consequences due to a stacked Republican biased judiciary, being an ex president, and being able to throw heaps of (other people’s) money at lawyers.

Because apparently nobody on the right wing gives a crap about consistency of thought at this point. It's all about what scores you short term wins.

Or facts. Don’t forget about facts as a chief thing that nobody on the right wing gives a crap about at this point.

[Alefroth]

The two definitely go hand in hand.

[waitingtoconnect]

I have no idea how people can argue with a straight face that Trump's trials are purely political when the judiciary is stacked with Republicans.

It takes way less cognitive effort for me to accept that Trump is extremely dodgy and escapes courtroom consequences due to a stacked Republican biased judiciary, being an ex president, and being able to throw heaps of (other people’s) money at lawyers.

Because apparently nobody on the right wing gives a crap about consistency of thought at this point. It's all about what scores you short term wins.

Or facts. Don’t forget about facts as a chief thing that nobody on the right wing gives a crap about at this point.

The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe, for the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because his handle was made of wood he was one of them.

[LordMortis]

Contempt I guess is trivial for someone of his stature.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tria ... ork-judge/

Judge Juan Merchan said Trump violated the order nine times in recent weeks in posts on Trump's Truth Social platform and campaign website, many of which targeted Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, key witnesses in the case. Merchan fined Trump $9,000, or $1,000 for each violation, and ordered him to delete the posts.

[Unagi]

Any crime with only a fine means it's completely legal to do if you are rich enough.

[GreenGoo]

Any crime with only a fine means it's completely legal to do if you are rich enough.

Exactly my thought when I read about the fine.

"ok, ok, you can violate the court order, but you need to buy a permit first."

[Pyperkub]

Any crime with only a fine means it's completely legal to do if you are rich enough.

Exactly my thought when I read about the fine.

"ok, ok, you can violate the court order, but you need to buy a permit first."

Alternatively, setting up an appeal-proof jail time consequence for contempt. He's stupid and impulsive enough to do it again. Then we'll see...

[Hyena]

Man, you guys are really letting me down here...haven't seen anything posted on the last few days of the trial. C'mon, I can't be be expected to SEARCH for info, why else would I pay the premium $100 a month here if I can't just log in and get my news!?

[Isgrimnur]

Once you get to 10k posts, you get a Members Only jacket and a discount.

[Hyena]

Once you get to 10k posts, you get a Members Only jacket and a discount.

Damnit...*sigh* ok, guess I'll get to posting...only 7K+ to go...

[Isgrimnur]

Five takeaways from day 10 of Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial

Prosecutors seek further Trump fines
[T]he prosecution indicated it had further potential violations of the gag order to review, and Thursday’s return to court opened with those allegations.

Four examples were presented to the court. One, about National Enquirer editor David Pecker, was quickly brushed aside by Judge Merchan.

But Merchan had a heated exchange with Trump’s defence team over a different comment he made about the composition of the jury. On April 22, Trump told a right-wing TV network that the jury was “95 percent Democrats”.
...
Davidson returns for conclusion of his testimony
Once discussion of the gag order concluded for the day, the trial turned its attention to Keith Davidson, a lawyer who previously represented Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal, both of whom claim to have had affairs with Trump.

Davidson returned for his second day of testimony, as prosecutors pressed him for details about alleged “catch-and-kill” schemes to suppress negative coverage of Trump during the 2016 presidential race.
...
A new witness takes the stand
The second witness to testify on Thursday was a forensic analyst for the district attorney’s office, Douglas Daus.

He was there to describe the contents of two cellphones that Cohen, the former Trump lawyer, surrendered to law enforcement.
...
But Daus took the witness stand primarily to authenticate surreptitious recordings Cohen made on his phone, capturing his interactions with his then-client Trump.

The prosecution played excerpts from those recordings to the court on Thursday, including a segment where Trump and Cohen appeared to be discussing the hush money payments.
...
Judge shoots down request to review Trump posts
In the midst of Thursday’s proceedings, one of Trump’s lawyers, Susan Necheles, made a request to Judge Merchan to review articles the former president planned to repost on social media.

Necheles referenced the gag order, which bars Trump from speaking out on certain aspects of the trial. She said the order created ambiguity around what Trump could or could not post on his Truth Social account.

Judge Merchan, however, did not appear to buy the argument. There “is no ambiguity, I believe, in the order”, he replied, rejecting Necheles’s request that he approve various articles in advance.
...
Trump addresses reports he sleeps in court
“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today,” he wrote. “I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”

[Hyena]

Trump addresses reports he sleeps in court
“Contrary to the FAKE NEWS MEDIA, I don’t fall asleep during the Crooked D.A.’s Witch Hunt, especially not today,” he wrote. “I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”

Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me? I mean, I know he's petty and childish and all things drumphf, but really? "I'm not asleep, I'm just resting my beautiful blue eyes and taking it all in!" Sounds like something my dad used to say when we caught him nodding off during movie night after a long day at work.

Or something Stormy Daniels said to drumphf once or twice.

[Isgrimnur]

[Unagi]

Sounds like something my dad used to say when we caught him nodding off during movie night after a long day at work.

My mom, in a similar scene... "I was just resting my eyes..."

[Isgrimnur]

Checking my eyelids for holes.
- Dad

[Carpet_pissr]

Checking my eyelids for holes.
- Dad

Ha! Never heard that one.

[Brian]

When I was in the Navy I would use, "Verifying water-tight integrity on my optical hatches."

[TheMix]

My mom went to a Quaker meeting for a while. One of the guys in the meeting used to "meditate deeply" (and apparently snore).

[LordMortis]

Or any elementary school kid trying to stay up to watch TV past 2200.

[Grifman]

Any other defendant would go to jail for contempt fir this continued violation of the judges order:

[Victoria Raverna]

If someone else other than Trump keep doing that, what is normally happen to them?

[Jaymann]

What the heck is steak hill?

[Blackhawk]

And do mushrooms grow naturally on it?

[Isgrimnur]

Trump fined $1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time

The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s hush money trial fined him $1,000 on Monday and warned of jail time for future gag order violations while jurors heard testimony for the first time about the financial reimbursements at the center of the case.
...
The $1,000 fine imposed Monday marks the second time since the trial began last month that Trump has been sanctioned for violating the gag order. He was fined $9,000 last week, $1,000 for each of nine violations.

“It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. Therefore going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction,” Merchan said before jurors were brought into the courtroom. Trump’s statements, the judge added, “threaten to interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. I cannot allow that to continue.”
...
Yet even as Merchan warned of jail time in his most pointed and direct admonition, he also made clear his reservations about a step that he described as a “last resort.”

“The last thing I want to do is put you in jail,” Merchan said. “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings.”

[Smoove_B]

Oh, so *now* he's on double secret probation?

Again, they're never (SEE: Never) going to throw him in jail. It's a lose/lose situation. So instead, he gets to campaign and bloviate, because freedom.

[hepcat]

Trump is breaking all the rules and his worshippers are eating it up. I honestly don't know how you deal with a two bit grifter like Trump when his followers worship the very ground he walks on. The moment he's in a jail cell, there'll be a photographer and a campaign photo 27 seconds afterwards. Then the t-shirts, mugs and bibles with that same photo will be for sale on his web site.

And I don't buy into the narrative that he's a political genius because of all this. He's breaking the rules not because he's intelligent, but because his cult is so friggin' stupid.

[Zaxxon]

Oh, so *now* he's on double secret probation?

I think this marks triple-secret.

[Carpet_pissr]

Oh, so *now* he's on double secret probation?

Again, they're never (SEE: Never) going to throw him in jail. It's a lose/lose situation. So instead, he gets to campaign and bloviate, because freedom.

I'm not sure it's because "freedom" but Trump is definitely showing that there IS a separate system for elites in this country, it's just that no one wanted to admit that previously (recently). This trial is so high profile, that even those who typically shy away from considering such things probably have to at least consider it.
The Paxton thing was somewhat an example as well.

"Justice for all", yes...with conditions. See disclaimer below.

[Smoove_B]

I'm not sure it's because "freedom"

His "wealthy" status is part of it, but the bigger issue is that we don't know how to handle some criminal politicians. If he's tossed in jail, he's now a political martyr - because he's being jailed as a candidate (clearly) and for speaking his mind about his opponents (freedom). As hepcat noted, the literal worst person in our timeline was (1) elected President and is without question (2) a criminal. He's not a political genius at all; he's benefiting from a system that is unable to address his specific existence - in part because he's still a net plus for a powerful political party (somehow).

Our society (and legal system) has no idea how to handle this. Or maybe more accurate, we know how to handle it but we aren't prepared to deal with how it looks or what it could mean.

[LordMortis]

He's not a political genius at all; he's benefiting from a system that is unable of benefactors that refuse to address his specific existence - in part because he's still a net plus for a powerful political party (somehow).

[Zarathud]

There were two ways to handle this — Impeachment — but the Republican Party had no shame or sense but self-preservation.

[Pyperkub]

Oh, so *now* he's on double secret probation?

Again, they're never (SEE: Never) going to throw him in jail. It's a lose/lose situation. So instead, he gets to campaign and bloviate, because freedom.

Eh, I read that on some of these contempt cases, the judge will order the person in contempt (usually a lawyer) to a few hours in detention.

I do think that may happen the next time.

[Smoove_B]

Zero chance. The minute he's put behind bars (even if it's only for a few hours) there's going to be another Supreme Court case he'll tee up for the current toadies to review.

[YellowKing]

I'm not sure Trump being seen as a martyr carries much threat. Anyone who would believe that is already part of the cult.

[Blackhawk]

I don't know that there's any jail in the country ready to handle what happens outside on the day that he's put inside. Putting him in jail would require a tremendous amount of infrastructure, planning, and manpower, which would need to be in place in advance. Put him in jail for the weekend, and you're going to have massive, possibly armed, likely violent 'protests' that look like Jan 6 by the first night. That's not what jails are set up to handle.

I wouldn't be surprised if avoiding that chaos mid-trial is a big part of the judge's hesitation to incarcerate him.