Trump on Trial (Trump indicted for a fourth time in Georgia. Expands his record of most indictments by a former president)

[Ball Security]

Shout out to @Cooked Crackfor the Adam Klasfeld recommendation. IMO, he has the best play by play.

[Ball Security]

White Todd is not endearing himself to this judge.

 

”There’s two systems of justice in this courtroom? That’s what you’re saying”

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

Quote

Katie's Sidebar: Todd Blanche is struggling to respond to Judge Merchan. Trump sits there with a frown on his face. 

 

Blanche argues that the People aren't claiming that Trump violates the gag order each time he reposts. 

 

Merchan responds that just b/c the People don't seek to hold Trump in contempt for each violation doesn't mean that he hasn't violated the court order.  

 

Merchan: What is your caselaw that supports your position that your client can repost and that doesn't violate the gag order? 

 

Blanche: I don't have any cases. It's just common sense. 

 

Katie's Sidebar: DON'T do this in court. 

 

Merchan: Reposting is not passive conduct. Someone had to do something.

 

Edited April 23 by Califan007 The Constipated

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

Merchan's getting snarky lol...

 

Quote

Now, Merchan asks Blanche (if this is) what Jesse Watters, in fact, said. 

 

Blanche: No. 

 

Merchan: "So your client manipulated what was said and put it in quotes? 

 

Blanche: I wouldn't say it was a manipulation.  

 

Merchan: This isn't a repost at all. Your client had to type it out. Use the shift-key and all.

 

 

Yikes...might have been wrong earlier--judge is being pretty direct here:

 

Quote

Merchan: Do you have any caselaw you want to hand up or any other arguments you'd like to make? 

 

Blanche: This gag order: we are trying to comply with it. There is no doubt that Trump is being very careful with your Honor's Order. 

 

Merchan: You are losing all credibility with the court, I have to tell you right now. Is there anything else you want to tell the court? 

 

Katie's Sidebar: It is never a good day for a lawyer if the judge presiding over your jury trial tells you that you are losing all credibility with the court. You don't ever want to trash your reputation or lose your credibility over a case or client or a client's position.

 

[China]

The prosecution should have pointed out Trump's fundraising email which said:

 

Quote

“Friend, in 24 hours, the hearing on my GAG ORDER will begin. I COULD BE THROWN IN JAIL AT THAT VERY MOMENT!” 

 

which means he knowingly and willfully violated the gag order, despite the defense's claims otherwise.

 

Link

[@DCGoldPants]

Can't the prosecution use anything he says in the hallway during the trial against him DURING the trial?

[Califan007 The Constipated]

2 minutes ago, @DCGoldPants said:

Can't the prosecution use anything he says in the hallway during the trial against him DURING the trial?

 

 

I was wondering that, too...or at least, wondering if the prosecutors did indeed use that stuff but it wasn't posted on twitter.

 

Edited April 23 by Califan007 The Constipated

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

"Merchan says he's going to "reserve decision on this," after brutal arguments for the defense."

 

Trump supporters on Twitter are not handling the judge's comments too well lol...

[China]

Reserve decision?  WTF is he waiting for?  The more time he takes, the more time Trump has to intimidate witnesses and the jury.  BS.

 

 

Edited April 23 by China

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

[China]

While we may not have heard this previously, I think we already assumed it:

 

Trump co-defendant in classified documents case was told he’d be pardoned in a second term, notes in FBI interview say

 

Donald Trump’s valet Walt Nauta was told that if he was charged with lying to the FBI, the former president would pardon him when he won a second term in 2024, according to notes from an interview with a witness in the federal classified documents investigation.

 

A redacted summary of the November 2022 interview given to the FBI by the witness – who is identified as “Person 16” and described as someone who worked in Trump’s White House – was made public in newly unsealed court filings in the criminal case on Monday.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Califan007 The Constipated]

6 minutes ago, China said:

Reserve decision?  WTF is he waiting for?  The more time he takes, the more time Trump has to intimidate witnesses and the jury.  BS.

 

 

 

 

To that point lol:

 

"So at 11:00 a.m. ET, Trump posts on Truth Social calling Judge Merchan's courtroom a "kangaroo court" and calling on Merchan to recuse himself. Trump also assails the gag order, (falsely) claiming that he cannot defend himself.

 

This while we await a ruling from Judge Merchan on Trump's 10 violations of the gag order..."

[TradeTheBeal!]

Trump trying to do the old Brer Rabbit “don’t throw me in the briar patch!” trick, so he can really play up the persecution angle while incarcerated.  
 

Let’s see how that plays out for him…

[LadySkinsFan]

Sitting in jail overnight should give him a clue of what's ahead for him if he keeps defying the gag order. Wake up call.

Edited April 23 by LadySkinsFan

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

Pecker testimony...

 

 

Quote

"Court is back in session. Let's see if Merchan rules from the bench on the contempt motion before bringing the jury back in." 

 

"Ok so the jury is coming back into the courtroom. David Pecker has resumed his place in the witness stand."

 

"Pecker: "I have had a great relationship with Mr. Trump over the years." He recounts his longtime business relationship, starting with an idea for a magazine called Trump Style."

(talking about Pecker buying the National Enquirer, Trump being a close friend, Trump sending Pecker (heh) the ratings for The Apprentice so he could print them in the National Inquirer, etc.)

 

"Pecker was introduced to Cohen in 2007 by Trump. Trump said that Cohen had "done a lot of great things for me" and Trump said that all contact should go through Michael Cohen from now on. If there were any rumors in the marketplace about Trump and his family, that Pecker should let Cohen know."

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

More Pecker (that's what she said!)...

 

Quote

"After Trump announced his candidacy, Pecker's contact with Cohen increased. Contact at a minimum of every week and if there was something going on, even more."

 

Pecker: When Mr Trump launched the Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice, “the interest in Mr. Trump through my magazines, basically the national enquirer, skyrocketed.”

 

(prosecution is establishing that email addresses did indeed belong to him and Cohen) 

 

"The August 2015 Trump Tower Meeting: Trump, Hope Hicks, Michael Cohen and Pecker were present. Hicks came in and out of the meeting. Cohen said that "The Boss" wanted to see Pecker. Cohen would refer to Trump as "The Boss." Most of the time I received a call from Cohen it was b/c he wanted something."

 

 

LOL @ the bold lol...that'll be all over the interwebs soon.

[@DCGoldPants]

1 hour ago, Califan007 The Constipated said:

 

 

I was wondering that, too...or at least, wondering if the prosecutors did indeed use that stuff but it wasn't posted on twitter.

 

 

If they can use what he's saying right after he says it, but this time in front of a jury, let him run his fat mouth all he wants.

 

Also, I did laugh at some of the questions he ignored. I would love for some troll to be out there asking why his family isn't there supporting him by being there also. Also, questions about the stupid things he complains about. 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

 

Here we go...

 

Quote

"Pecker delivers blockbuster account of Trump Tower meeting with Trump and Cohen: Trump “asked me what can I do and what my magazines can do to help the campaign." Pecker said he could "publish positive stories about Trump" and "negative stories about his opponents." 

 

"Pecker: I would run and publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponents. Pecker told Trump: I will be the eyes and ears for you bc I know that [theTrump Org.] had a very small staff. I said that anything I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about you, I would notify Michael Cohen as I did over the last several years. And Cohen would be able to have them killed in another magazine or have them not be published or they'd have to purchased."

 

"Pecker: "I was the person who thought that a lot of women would come out to try to sell their stories because Mr. Trump was well known as the most eligible bachelor. And dated the most beautiful women. And it was clear that based on my past experience that when someone was running for public office like this, it is very common for these women to call up magazine like the National Enquirer to try to sell their stories.” 

 

"So far, Pecker's testimony aligns snugly with what prosecutors promised the evidence would show during opening statements."

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

Here we go, pt. 2:

 

Quote

"Trying to pierce Pecker's claim that the arrangement was mutually beneficial, ADA Steinglass notes that catch-and-kill of the alleged affairs didn't benefit AMI's magazines.

 

"Q: The purpose of that component was to benefit the campaign? Pecker agrees."

 

"Pecker: It was of the utmost importance that this had to be kept quiet. Leaks in our organization are prevalent. And I didn't want anyone else to know about this agreement with Trump."

 

 

Pecker inspects another exhibit: Enquirer headlines trashing Trump's rivals. "My conversations with Michael Cohen, and Michael Cohen would call me and say, 'We would like for you to write a negative article on [...] let's say, for the sake of argument, Ted Cruz...or Ben Carson, and we would embellish it from there." He clarifies that, "we," here, is the National Enquirer." 

 

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

Pt. 3, mostly about National Inquirer headlines and stories printed at Trump's request:

 

Quote

"Prosecutor: What did you understand to be the relation between Michael Cohen and the campaign?

"Trump's lawyer: Objection! Justice Merchan: Overruled."

"Pecker: Cohen was physically there in Trump Tower, the campaign office."

"Prosecutor: I introduce these articles" 

 

"Prosecutor: I show you these: "Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge in Patient's Brain!" "Ted Cruz Shamed by Porn Start" Did you run this in the National Enquirer?"

"Pecker: Oh Yes. We would sent the PDFs to Michael Cohen, pre-publication"

 

"(Another) headline: "Ted Cruz Sex Scandal - 5 Secret Mistresses! The romps that are rocking his presidential campaign!"

 

"More Enquirer headlines, now slamming Marco Rubio. "SHADY LADY WHO COULD RUIN MARCO RUBIO!" Rubio was rising in the polls at the time, the prosecutor notes."

 

"Pecker: "After the republican debates and based on the success that some of the other candidates had, I would receive a call from Michael Cohen, and he would direct me and direct Dylan Howard which candidate and which direction we should go.” 

 

"Prosecutor: Did Steve Bannon ever pitch articles to you?"

"Trump's lawyer: Objection? Justice Merchan: Overruled"

"Prosecutor: Did Steve Bannon ever ask you to run any article?"

"Trump's lawyer: Objection, may I be heard at the sidebar [Whispered sidebar ensues, then:] "

"Justice Merchan: Jurors we're going to have to discuss this, you may step out. [Jurors leave] "

 

 

[@DCGoldPants]

20 minutes ago, Califan007 The Constipated said:

 

Here we go, pt. 2:

 

 

 

We already know that his lawyers and he will say that what they did here isn't illegal and just part of politics and business. 

 

Also, someone in the press needs to talk to Rubio and Cruz on camera and ask them what they think about Trump doing this to them with fake stories when they were running for President. If just to make them defend Trump now.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Just now, @DCGoldPants said:

 

We already know that his lawyers and he will say that what they did here isn't illegal and just part of politics and business. 

 

 

I don't think that's the point...

 

I think what they are doing is strongly establishing Trump's apparatus for dealing with issues that hurt his campaign and that Cohen was an important and vital part of that apparatus. It disintegrates the argument that Trump simply paid Cohen for legal services, and sets the foundation for all the claims the prosecution made in their opening arguments. It also helps set up Cohen's testimony as being truthful, and for someone like him corroboration of the evidence he provides is absolutely vital.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Also:

 

 

[mcsluggo]

On 4/19/2024 at 4:36 PM, TradeTheBeal! said:

Is Trump attempting to intimidate the jury with his flatulence?!?

 

prosecuting THAT would be the rico trial of the century

[Califan007 The Constipated]

 

And they're back. Not sure what's happening, though lol...not seeing much tweeting outside of the DA saying they won't pursue any further questioning about Bannon, at least not at the moment, due to the objections raised by Trump's attorneys.

 

 

Edited April 23 by Califan007 The Constipated