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Ladybbird · 21-05-23, 05:15

Playboy Model Karen McDougal: ‘I Ended My 10 Month Affair With Donald TRUMP, For Bruce Willis’

Karen McDougal says she ended her "10-month affair" with Donald Trump to be with Bruce Willis.

BBC 21 MAY 2023

The 52-year-old model has claimed she began a relationship with the former US president - who has been charged with business fraud over hush-money payments to ex-porn actress Stormy Daniels - in 2006 and explained that while she was "in love with him" for a period of time

She eventually ended things a short time later so she could strike up an even shorter reunion with 'Die Hard' star Bruce.

She told the Daily Mail: "His people have denied it, but he's never denied it. A reporter asked him: 'Did you have an affair with Karen McDougal?' and all he said was: 'I've done nothing wrong.' He knows I'm telling the truthI was in love with him.

He was in love with me. I know that because he told me all the time. He'd say 'You're my baby and I love you'. He showed me off to his friends. I'm portrayed as the disgruntled woman, but I am not that woman. I ended it. A family member came to town and we went to a bar and I met a lovely man named Bruce [Willlis]."

The Playboy star went on to add that she wasn't "cheating" on Donald - who has been married to Melania Trump since 2005 - but had been talking to Bruce, who at that time had already divorced Demi Moore and did not marry current wife Emma Heming until 2009, "alot" so it "made it easier" for her to just end things.

She added: "'I wasn't cheating on Trump but Bruce and I were talking on the phone a lot already so that made it easier to end it. Why would I stay with a married man when Bruce was a nice guy, and single?'

Karen claims she had met Donald after he attended a party for contestants of 'Celebrity Apprentice' - on which the billionaire businessman served as a judge - Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion, where she says it was noticed that he "followed her found like a puppy."

She added: "He followed me around like a puppy dog, trying to get my attention. He took to me so much that the Bunny Mother (the woman charged with looking after the women working as Playboy bunnies) said: 'Wow, he really has a thing for you'.'

"I was saying goodbye and he was standing next to his bodyguard Keith Schiller (who later got a top job at the White House, before being fired) and he said, 'Keith, get her number,'.'

'"He called a few days later and asked me to have dinner with him at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I'm ashamed about it now because I knew he was married but at the time it was out of sight, out of mind. I was a different girl then, having fun and not thinking about things too deeply."

Ladybbird · 15-02-24, 17:15

Judge Sets March Date For TRUMPS’ Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Trial

Judge DISMISSES TRUMPS’ bid to throw out Stormy Daniels case and sets trial for 25 March after TRUMP said there's 'no crime' and ripped into 'dirty' New York for focusing on him rather than migrants 'beating up cops'

MailOnline 15 FEB 2024

A judge has thrown out Donald Trumps' bid to dismiss the Stormy Daniels hush-money case and has set a trial date for March 25 in a blockbuster hearing in a New York court.

The 77-year-old will be the first former president to stand in a criminal trial when he faces the jury accused of paying the adult film star $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged affair before the 2016 election.

He scowled at the packed courtroom as he walked to the front and sat back in his chair as Judge Juan Merchan rejected his bid to toss the case.

As he entered the building surrounded by cops, Trump insisted 'there is no case' and said New York should be focusing on violent crimes and the surge of migrants rather than 'made up crimes'.

He ripped into the 'dirty' and 'crime-ridden' Big Apple, claimed President Joe Biden is targeting him because he is ahead in the polls and insisted there is 'no crime' even 'if I am guilty'.

Trump was also open about how he wants to delay the trial ahead of the general election and said this was the latest 'interference' plot by his opponents.

'We want delays, obviously. I'm running for election again,' he defiantly told reporters before walking into court.

This is not a crime — and when you look at what's going on outside on the streets, where violent crime is at an all time high, it's a great double standard... what it is is election interference. It's being run by Joe Biden's White House

'I love this city and I love this state. They have to focus on violent crime... You have a new form of crime now, you have migrant crime.

'Migrants are trying to beat up our police officers... and they're after me for doing nothing wrong....

Merchan said he had spoken to Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the January 6th trial in Washington, to coordinate scheduling.

The January 6th trial was due to start on March 4th but has been postponed until the Supreme Court decides matters of Presidential immunity.

Judge Merchan said: ‘There’s a lot of moving parts in the DC case and really nobody knows what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen.

‘We’re moving ahead to jury selection on March 25th.

Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche protested it would be a 'grave injustice' to move ahead on that date.

He said Trump was facing three different other cases in three other jurisdictions and he was in an ‘impossible position’ having to prepare for them all.

A frustrated Judge Merchan cut in and asked if there was anything else Blanche wanted to say.

When Blanche spoke again, Judge Merchan said: ‘You're not telling me anything you didn’t include in your prior request’.

Merchan said he didn’t have a hearing to set the trial date earlier than today because it would have been an ‘absolute waste of time’ given the moving trial dates for the other cases.

When Blanche tried to protest, Judge Merchan said: ‘Stop interrupting me, please’.

Blanche tried to protest that the date for the Florida case about Trump's mishandling of classified documents, set for May 20th, was firm.

In court were 17 court security officers and Secret Service agents who closely eyeballed journalists as they sat in the public gallery.

Extraordinary security was in place at the New York Criminal Court ahead of the hearing.

Roads around the courthouse in downtown Manhattan were closed off and barricades put along the streets with dozens of police officers standing guard.

Anyone entering the court had to go through two sets of security screenings: one on the ground floor and a second one on the 15th floor where the courtroom was located.

Trump is facing three other criminal trials for election interference and mishandling classified documents, but the hush money case will be first.

Trump has denied 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

The case hinges on the claim that the records for the $130,000 payment to Daniels with the Trump Organization, Trump's real estate business, were faked in order to cover it up.

The star witness is likely to be Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, who claims that his former boss reimbursed him with $35,000 checks from his personal funds.

Rather than being recorded as a campaign contribution they were marked as legal expenses in breach of the law.

In order for Trump to be found guilty of the felony offence, prosecutors would have to show he had an 'intent to defraud' which included the intent to commit or conceal a second crime.

Trump's lawyers will likely tear into Cohen, who served three years in jail after admitting tax crimes, lying to Congress and to campaign financial violations in 2018, all in relation to the payment to Daniels.

Daniels herself has said she will be testifying some time in March and could reveal embarrassing details about her affair with the former President.

If Trump is convicted is it uncertain if he will spend any time in jail as the charges are Class E felonies, the lowest possible under New York state law.There are also questions over where Trump could even serve his sentence as a conventional prison poses major security risks.

The hearing happened at the same time as an Atlanta court heard arguments about misconduct by prosecutors who have charged him with election interference in a separate case.

Ladybbird · 26-02-24, 23:18

Manhattan DA Asks Judge For a GAG Order in TRUMPS’ Hush-Money Case Ahead of Next Months' Trial

Citing "TRUMP has a long history of making public and inflammatory remarks" about people involved in his legal cases.

MailOnline 27 FEB 2024

TRUMP leaves Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York.

A New York judge says TRUMPS' hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting on March 25.

The Manhattan district attorneys' office asked for what it called a "narrowly tailored" gag order that would bar Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about potential witnesses and jurors, as well as statements meant to interfere with or harass the court's staff, prosecution team or their families.

"Self-regulation is not a viable alternative, as defendant´s recent history makes plain," prosecutors wrote in court papers. Trump, they said, "has a longstanding and perhaps singular history" of using social media, campaign speeches and other public statements to "attack individuals that he considers to be adversaries."

The requested gag order would not ban Trump from commenting about the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg.

Jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin March 25. Barring a last-minute delay, it will be the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial.

Judge, Juan Manuel Merchan, didn't immediately rule on the prosecutions' gag order request. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles said the defense will respond in court papers later this week.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's presidential campaign, called the request "election interference pure and simple" and called the case a "sham orchestrated by partisan Democrats desperately attempting to prevent" Trump from returning to the White House.

"Today, the 2-tiered system of justice implemented against President Trump is on full display, with the request by another Deranged Democrat prosecutor seeking a restrictive gag order, which if granted, would impose an unconstitutional infringement on President Trump´s First Amendment rights, including his ability to defend himself, and the rights of all Americans to hear from President Trump," Cheung said in a statement.

Trump is already subject to a gag order in his separate federal case in Washington charging him with scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

That order was initially imposed in October by the judge overseeing the case and largely upheld by a federal appeals panel two months later, though the court did narrow the initial speech restrictions by giving Trump license to criticize the special counsel who brought the case.

Trump was also under a limited gag order in his New York civil fraud trial and was fined $15,000 for twice violating it. Judge Arthur Engoron imposed that gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump made a disparaging social media post about the judge's chief law clerk.

Ladybbird · 20-03-24, 10:09

Judge Rules Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen and Karen McDougal Can Testify in TRUMP Hush Money Trial

The judge overseeing TRUMPs’ criminal trial stemming from hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels has rejected the former presidents’ attempts to block her testimony...

Stormy Daniels Describes Her AWFUL 'Experience' With Trump

MSNBBC 20 MAR 2024

TRUMP appears inside Manhattan criminal court for a pretrial hearing in his hush money case on 15 February

New York Judge Juan Merchan also rejected Mr Trumps’ attempts to block testimony from Michael Cohen, his former attorney who allegedly supported a scheme to bury compromising details of Mr Trumps’ affairs leading up to the 2016 presidential election.

Judge Merchan also rejected Mr Trumps’ attempts to block testimony from former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who allegedly had an affair with Mr Trump before his presidency.

The case from the Manhattan District Attorneys’ office could rely on Cohens’ critical testimony that Mr Trump authorised his business to falsely file payments to Ms Daniels as legal expenses, part of an alleged effort to quash stories that could interfere with then-candidate Trumps’ campaign, according to prosecutors. Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records and has pleaded not guilty.

Jury selection was initially set to begin on 25 March, but Judge Merchan agreed to delay the proceedings 30 days after prosecutors said they had received a flood of documents to review less than two weeks before trial was scheduled to start.

Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the United States Attorney’s Office produced more than 30,000 pages of records and was expecting thousands more. Those records are likely related to the federal investigation into Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance charges stemming from the alleged scheme.

Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Mr Trumps business dealings with Russia, failing to report income, and for making payments to women who alleged affairs with Mr Trump.

In court filings, Mr Trumps attorneys sought to prevent prosecutors from arguing that the scheme sought to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, as well as making any mention of “catch and kill,” in which potentially embarassing stories were purchased through the National Enquirer, which then intentionally suppressed their publication.

Judge Merchan rejected those arguments from Mr Trumps' legal team in a lengthy set of rulings responding to several defence motions on Monday.

Crucially, the judge will not allow jurors to watch or listen to the so-called Access Hollywood tape from 2005 that resurfaced one month before the 2016 election.

But the judge suggested that prosecutors can discuss the tape and its contents to allege motive for burying hush money payments, without having to actually present the tape as evidence.

On 25 March, prosecutors and defence attorneys will return to the judges’ courtroom for yet another pretrial hearing.

This time, Judge Merchan is directing lawyers to provide him with a “detailed timeline of the events surrounding the requests for ultimate production of documents” after prosecutors accused Mr Trump’s legal team of failing to timely request federal documents that could be relevant to the case.

That timeline should include any subpoenas, emails and others messages so that the judge can “properly asses who, if anyone, is at fault for the late production of the documents, what prejudice, if any, was suffered by either party and what sanction(s) if any, are appropriate.”

Stormy Daniels Describes Her AWFUL 'Experience' With Trump

Ladybbird · 23-03-24, 11:29

Stormy Daniels: I Thought I’d Be Murdered For 'Taking On' TRUMP

Donald Trump's legal strategy so far? Delay, Delay, Delay

MSNBC 23 MAR 2024

Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has told a New York judge, "Enough is enough," meaning that there is no need to delay Trumps' criminal hush money trial for a payment made to Stormy Daniels any longer.

Ladybbird · 25-03-24, 18:41

'TRUMP is Not Happy': Hush Money Judge Slaps Down His Delay Tactics-Sets Criminal Trial For 15 APR

Judge Had Previously Ruled Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen and Karen McDougal Can Testify in TRUMP Hush Money Trial

MSN 25 MAR 2024

Judge Juan Merchan shot down a request from Donald Trumps' lawyers Monday to give them another 90 days to review documents tangentially related to the Stormy Daniels Hush money case.

After battling with Trumps' legal team for demanding sanctions against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs' office, the judge took a break and then returned with an adverse ruling for the former president.

As the New Yorkers' Philip Gourevitch reported, "Judge Merchan in the Trump hush money election case rejects Trump lawyers’ shaky plea for more delay and upholds criminal trial start date of April 15."

"Donald Trump is not happy after Judge Merchan rejected his efforts to delay or dismiss the criminal hush money case, which will begin with jury selection April 15. He claims Alvin Bragg was forced into bringing the case, which is not true," CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported.

Ladybbird · 27-03-24, 00:11

MIGHTY Mouth TRUMP & Sons Donald Trump Jr. & Eric Trump Have Viciously Attacked Judge Merchan and His Daughter

RESULT? - TRUMP GAGGED: Hush Money Judge Drops Hammer on Trump

How The Hell Can That THUG Get Away With All These VICIOUS Attacks?? - ONLY in America

MSRAW 27 MAR 2024

Donald Trump blasted the judge overseeing his first criminal trial and singled out his daughter for an attack.

The former president lashed out Tuesday morning after New York Supreme Court justice Juan Merchan refused to further delay his trial in the hush money case involving porn actress Stormy Daniels and scheduled jury selection to begin April 15, and Trump repeated his claims that the prosecution was politically motivated.

"Judge Juan Merchan, a very distinguished looking man, is nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," Trump posted on Truth Social. "In other words, he hates me!"

The ex-president and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have attacked Merchan's adult daughter, who served as director of digital persuasion for Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign and worked indirectly for the Biden-Harris 2020 presidential campaign through a communications firm that contracts with progressive campaigns.

"His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden," Trump posted.

The former president's lawyers had asked Merchan to recuse himself, but a New York advisory committee on judicial ethic concluded that that his impartiality could not "reasonably be questioned" based on his daughter's position or a $15 donation he made to the Biden-Harris campaign.

Trump then went after Merchan for sentencing his longtime accountant Allen Weisselberg to five months in jail after he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud, and the judge will sentence him again April 10 after he pleaded guilty to perjuring himself in testimony in the former president's civil fraud trial.

"He was recently the judge on an unrelated trial of a long term employee, elderly and not in good health.," Trump posted. "This judge treated him viciously, telling him either you cooperate or I’m putting you in jail for 15 years. He pled, and went to jail for very minor offenses, highly unusual, served 4 months in Rikers, and now they are after him again, this time for allegedly lying (doesn’t look like a lie to me!), and they threatened him again with 15 years if he doesn’t say something bad about 'TRUMP.' He is devastated and scared!"

"These COUNTRY DESTROYING SCOUNDRELS & THUGS HAVE NO CASE AGAINST ME," he added. "WITCH HUNT!"

He's so THICK, he doesnt seem to understand that Judge can send him to jail

Ladybbird · 28-03-24, 04:10

Deranged TRUMP Skirts GAG Order With REPEAT Attack on Daughter of Judge in Hush Money Criminal Trial Case

TRUMP unloaded a social media attack on NY State Supreme Court 'Hush Money Criminal Trial' Judge Juan M. Merchan and his daughter - a day AFTER the judge slapped him with a gag order.

MSNBBC 28 MAR 2024

After Merchan put the limited order in place, Trump called it "unConstitutional" on his Truth Social platform.

"Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome... has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional 'order,' as he continues to try and take away my Rights," Trump complained.

"This Judge, by issuing a vicious 'Gag Order,' is wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement, including the fact that Crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their Hacks and Thugs are tracking and following me all across the Country, obsessively trying to persecute me, while everyone knows I have done nothing wrong!"

Trump also singled out Merchan's daughter for posting "a picture of me behind bars."

"So, let me get this straight, the Judge's daughter is allowed to post pictures of her 'dream' of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me, and the Lunatics trying to destroy my life, and prevent me from winning the 2024 Presidential Election, which I am dominating?" he asked.

Merchan's gag order included "the family members of any counsel or staff member" but excluded the judge and New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

It was put in place just hours after Trump launched into an earlier attack on the judge and his daughter on Monday, calling them "country-destroying scoundrels."

The case alleges that Trump was involved in paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, during the final weeks of his 2016 presidential campaign. This payment was intended to prevent Daniels from publicly discussing an affair she claimed to have had with Trump in 2006.

Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted to arranging the payment and stated that it was done at Trump's direction. The legal scrutiny in this matter delves into whether these payments violated campaign finance laws by not being properly reported, considering them unrecorded contributions aimed at influencing the election outcome.

'This NEVER Happens': Watergate Prosecutor Stunned by TRUMPs' Behaviour

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield that the level of contempt and open hostility former President Donald Trump has for courts deciding his fate is something he's never seen in his entire experience in the criminal justice system.

This comes as New York Judge Juan Merchan becomes the latest to impose a gag order on Trump in the hush money trial, to stop his attacks on court officers and witnesses — something in the past he has been fined for violating.

"I really want to get into this gag order with a New York Supreme Court judge, who imposes this limited gag order on Donald Trump because the history of Donald Trump disrespecting the court," said Whitfield. "This is now necessary, isn't it?"
Akerman agreed. "It is," he said.

** IMO Judge Juan M. Merchan is being VERY patient and controlled for a reason...HE will have the 'last words' when he issues TRUMPs' punishment..
Hopefully a PRISON sentence ...

REVENGE IS BEST SERVED COLD

Ladybbird · 29-03-24, 22:33

FED Judge Speaks Out After TRUMP Attacks N.Y. Hush Money Judges' Daughter

Federal Judge delivers RARE response after TRUMP attacks the daughter of a judge Reggie Walton gave a rare interview to Kaitlan Collins and explained why he's concerned about the attacks on Judges.

Reuters 29 MAR 2024

Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton produced by the Federal Judiciary

A federal judge took the rare step late Thursday of appearing on a cable news show to speak out against threats to the judiciary and respond to attacks former President Donald Trump has leveled against the daughter of the judge presiding over his upcoming New York criminal trial.

Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins for an interview in which the news anchor asked the Washington, D.C.-based judge his views about attacks Trump had leveled on social media against Justice Juan Merchan.

"Well, it's very disconcerting to have someone making comments about a judge," Walton said. "And it's particularly problematic when those comments are in the form of a threat, especially if they're directed at one's family."

Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the November presidential election, has in recent days attacked Merchan and his daughter ahead of his April 15 criminal trial on charges related to hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump called Merchan's daughter a "Rabid Trump Hater" in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that was written two days after Merchan issued a gag order barring Trump from publicly commenting about witnesses and court staff.

That order did not cover the judge and his family, an exclusion Walton called appropriate. But Walton, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, said he was worried posts like Trump's could "resonate with others."

Wish Judge Reggie Walton was on THE 'CORRUPT' US SUPREME COURT...

Ladybbird · 01-04-24, 16:27

Prosecutor Calls For TRUMPs’ Pre-Trial IMPRISONMENT -WHY is No-One LISTENING

TRUMP - Most Dangerous Defendant, MUST be IMPRISONED For The Safety of Others;

"He's a danger to the community, he's a danger to the witnesses, he's a danger to the jurors, he's a danger to the judges and their staff, he's a danger to the prosecutors and their staffs, he's a danger to the family members of all of those groups"

MSNBC 1 APR 2024

CRAZY TRUMP Launches YET ANOTHER Attack on Judges’ Daughter - This Time With Photos...

Trump has attacked the judges’ daughter at least THREE other times in the last week.

An experienced former Department of Justice prosecutor is now calling for former President Donald Trump to be remanded to jail ahead of his trial in the wake of his constant attacks on judges, prosecutors and their families.

During a Friday segment on MSNBC, former assistant US Attorney Glenn Kirschner recalled how in his 30-year career, he was "obliged" to file a motion for pre-trial detention if he thought a defendant presented a threat to the community, or even just one single person.

He lamented that Trump has so far not been held to that standard by any of the prosecutors trying him, and referred to the 45th president of the United States as the "single most dangerous defendant who's on pre-trial release in the United States of America."

"Thus far, the institutions of government, and the good people that populate those institutions, have been willing to sacrifice the safety of all of those people. Indeed, they've been willing to bet the future of our democracy on it rather than hold Donald Trump accountable as the law provides in the pre-trial detention arena," he continued.

"That is the solution to the problem."

& 'Threatening The President is a Crime':

BUT... Biden FINALLY gets the good news he's been waiting for -Marilyn Lands flipped a Republican-held seat by 25 points by running a campaign based on protecting abortion rights and IVF.....

READ MORE: 'Complete disrespect': Legal experts say Trumps' attacks on judges will tank his appeals

READ MORE: 'You should be assassinated': Judge and clerk inundated with 'credible' threats after Trump rant

Prosecutors allege Trump and defendants engaged in "criminal enterprise" with 30 unindicted co-conspirators

Ladybbird · 02-04-24, 11:41

Judge Expands TRUMP GAG Order Noting - 'The THREAT is VERY Real'

The New York judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s upcoming criminal trial expanded an existing gag order on Monday after TRUMP AGAIN attacks N.Y. Hush Money Judges' daughter.

MSNBBC 2 APR 2024

Judge Juan Merchan has now barred the former president from attacking the family members of those involved in his upcoming criminal trial.

Trump is now prohibited from attacking Judge Juan Merchan‘s family members or those of District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

That’s added to restrictions that restrict Trump’s comments on witnesses, as well as court staff and other prosecutors and their families. Trump also is restricted in commenting on jurors or prospective jurors.

Earlier today, Bragg’s office had called on Merchan to clarify the gag order, after Trump has continuously attacked the judge’s daughter by name and posted an article featuring her picture.

Trump’s legal team said that Trump was arguing that the judge should be recused in the case. Trump has argued that the judge’s daughter is biased against him.

But Merchan, in his ruling, wrote that “to argue that the most recent attacks, which included photographs, were ‘necessary and appropriate in the current environment,’ is farcical.”

Trump faces criminal charges related to hush money payments made to former porn actress Stormy Daniels in advance of the 2016 election. He has plead not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.

In his original gag order, Merchan wrote that, given the pending start of the trial, “it is without question that the imminent risk of harm is now paramount.” He wrote that Trump’s statements “establishes a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.”

In his most recent order, Merchan wrote that “the average observer, must now, after hearing [Trump’s] recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well. Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitutes a direct attack on the Rule of Law itself.”

Stormy Daniels Gets Emotional, Says “And F*ck Trump”

Ladybbird · 04-04-24, 14:30

GENIUS and HONOURABLE Hush Money Judge Juan Merchan Tells TRUMP He CANT Claim Presidential Immunity in His Upcoming CRIMINAL Trial, Because He WASN'T EVEN President When The Offense Occurred

- REVENGE is BEST Served COLD...BOOM BOOM

'Fair Game': Expert Says Judges' Rejection of Trump Immunity Unlocks KEY Evidence

MSNBC 4 APR 2024

Specifically, it was never in question whether Trump could be charged for the offense itself, because the alleged business fraud to conceal the payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels took place before Trump was even president. and before he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges...

Trump hush-money Judge Juan Merchan and his famiiy are now under heightened protection after decision

Who is Juan Manuel Merchan?

This is not the first time that Judge Merchan has been involved in hearing a case concerning Trump.

Last year, he had presided over the tax-fraud trial, which led to the conviction of the Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg.

The New York County Supreme Court judge has been on the current bench for more than 16 years.

However, the current case related to Trump’s hush money pay-off will be the most high-profile case he may have presided over during his entire career.

xxxxxxxx

Former President Donald Trump lost his ploy to claim presidential immunity in the Manhattan hush money case, with New York Judge Juan Merchan saying Trump did not properly make the claim in an orderly fashion. The effect of this is somewhat different from the other cases where Trump has claimed immunity

What Trump was seeking was for all his communications, including tweets, about the matter while he was president to be excluded.

"Since the judge just rejected Trump's motion to exclude evidence on presidential immunity grounds, this tweet remains fair game for prosecutors for now," wrote Klasfeld.

And that matters, he said, because the tweets that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg can now use as evidence, including a 2018 claim that his former attorney Michael Cohen's brokering of an "NDA" with Daniels was unrelated to his campaign, imply Trump had full knowledge of the scheme for which he is being charged — limiting his ability to claim this wasn't his doing.

Some other Trump cases could hinge entirely on whether courts are willing to grant him presidential immunity. The federal election interference case is currently on hold while the Supreme Court considers the issue, and the Georgia racketeering case would also be affected.

"In arguing presidential immunity should apply to the NY criminal case, Trump wasn't trying to throw out the case," she said Wednesday. "His argument, as @KlasfeldReports has noted, was that the DA shouldn't be able to use evidence of his official acts, including tweets which remains fair game."

"Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are," according to the tweet.

Former President Donald Trumps' CLOWN supporters and allies went berserk after Judge Juan Merchan ruled the former president can't assert presidential immunity in his Manhattan hush money criminal case, which is scheduled to start later this month.

Aside from the fact that the alleged offenses happened before he even became president, Merchan found Trump had exhausted the window of time when he could even raise such objections.

This comes as Trump has launched a volley of attacks against Merchan and his family.

Merchans' latest order only further inflamed anger from the DANGEROUS MAGA world.

"Judge Merchan thinks he knows more than SCOTUS by refusing to wait until SCOTUS rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim," wrote MAGA commentator Charles R. Downs. "In his decision, Merchan refers to J6 as an insurrection. Merchan’s anti-Trump bias is quite evident. Trump can’t receive a fair trial in New York."

"HOLY SH*T: In a new filing denying Trump's claims of immunity, Judge Juan Merchan calls Jack Smith's J6 case against Trump in DC the 'FEDERAL INSURRECTION MATTER,'" wrote self-proclaimed "insurrection denier" and political strategist Julie Kelly. "Can someone send this clown a copy of the indictment?"

Mamaaaaa...

Judge rejected Trumps' request to delay hush-money trial until high court rules on immunity

Ladybbird · 08-04-24, 21:07

TRUMP Readies to Sue GENIUS Judge Merchan in Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Case --to STOP Trial

Donald Trump was ready on Monday to sue the judge in his New York hush-money case a week before the start of the much-anticipated trial detailing yet another attempt by him to delay legal proceedings against .

The Guardian 8 APR 2024

If TRUMP is so innocent, why is he doing everything to avoid clearing his name?

Citing court records indicating the filing of sealed documents and two unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, the paper said the aim was to delay trial and challenge a gag order imposed by the judge.

“Mr Trump’s unorthodox move – essentially an appeal in the form of a lawsuit – is unlikely to succeed, particularly so close to trial,” the paper said.

Facing 34 criminal charges related to hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who claimed an affair with him, Trump has pleaded not guilty.

He has repeatedly attacked the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, and members of his family, alleging political bias.

The trial is set for Manhattan next Monday and will be the first criminal trial involving a former US president.

Trump, the Times said, was also expected to ask an appeals court to move the trial out of Manhattan, his home borough before his post-presidency move to Florida but a heavily Democratic area.

That gambit was also deemed unlikely to succeed.

Harry Litman, a US attorney turned law professor and commentator, said: “Trump’s latest desperate move of personally suing Merchan in the appellate division is reminiscent of his initial gambit in Palm Beach [Florida], where judge [Aileen] Cannon permitted him to take the whole action off track [in his classified information case].

“But won’t happen here. Imagine if a criminal defendant could do this … ”

The Times said the suit would be an Article 78 action, under New York laws that can be used to challenge state agencies and judges.

Trump faces 54 other criminal charges: 40 in Florida, over his retention of classified information after leaving office, and 14 over his attempt to overturn the 2020 election – 10 in Georgia and four in Washington DC.

Trump also faces multimillion-dollar penalties in two civil cases, both in New York, one concerning tax fraud and the other for defamation arising from a rape allegation a judge called “substantially true”.

Denying all wrongdoing and claiming political persecution, Trump is attempting to delay all cases against him until after the presidential election in November.

If he were to defeat Joe Biden and return to the White House, he could ensure the dismissal of federal charges in the classified information case and in four charges of election subversion. State charges would be tougher to deal with.

In the New York hush-money case, Merchan last week denied an attempt to delay trial until the US supreme court rules on Trump’s claim of immunity regarding any act committed in office, lodged in his federal election subversion case.

Merchan has also rejected one call to recuse himself and is thought overwhelmingly likely to reject another.

Ladybbird · 10-04-24, 18:43

TRUMPs’ Lawyers File Yet Another Appeal in Hush Money Case

TRUMP again demands delay in hush money case amid court filing BLITZ

MSRAW 10 APR 2024

Trumps' legal team filed yet another appeal in his criminal hush money case linked to his presidential immunity claim, according to a new report.

The appeal filed Wednesday also challenges Judge Juan Merchan, whose "refusal" to recuse himself Trump's lawyers condemn, CNN reports.

Trump's legal team reportedly filed a two-page notice in which they argue the New York City criminal court judge exceeded his authority in a public docket ruling and gag order demand, then request an appeals court hearing in May.

CNN appears to have gotten a long-shot glimpse at a court filing that first appeared publicly online, then was sealed.

"The filings are the latest in a blitz to throw sand in the gears of the trial," CNN's Kara Scannell writes. "Trump’s lawyers earlier this week asked the appeals court to stop the trial over pretrial publicity and the gag order. Both times, the requests to take emergency steps to delay the trial were swiftly denied."

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in a scheme, as contended by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, to pay hush money to adult film start Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, court records show.

The trial has been scheduled to head to court Monday after a previous effort earned Trump a 20-day delay. The former president had sought to dismiss the case entirely and was reportedly left "not happy" by Merchan's ruling.

Two further delay attempts were denied on Monday and Tuesday by two different judges.

This is one of four criminal trials the former president, and presumptive Republican nominee, faces....

& No, Mr Trump, fraud is NOT protected by the First Amendment

Ladybbird · 11-04-24, 14:24

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Just Sent a Reality Check to Witnesses Who Would Lie For TRUMP

D.A Alvin Bragg seems to be firing a warning shot to Trump allies who are tempted to lie under oath - TRUMPs’ former CFO Allen Weisselbergs' new five-month prison sentence for perjuring himself should give incentives to other TRUMP witnesses to tell the truth .

There Has Been a BLITZ of Filings in Hush Money Case as His Lawyers are Concerned He'll Go to Jail...PLUS Trump Lawyers Make HUMILIATING MISTAKE Right Before Trial

MSRAW 11 APR 2024

Days before Donald Trump is expected to go on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide payments to conceal hush money payments.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg seems to be firing a warning shot to Trump allies who are tempted to lie under oath.

While appearing on MSNBC's "Alex Wagner Tonight," legal analyst Jeremy Saland argued that former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg's new five-month prison sentence for perjuring himself should give incentives to other Trump witnesses to tell the truth on the witness stand in the coming weeks.

"I see it not as a chilling effect that will adversely impact these witnesses to say we shouldn't testify," he said. "But it will be more in terms of reality check that if you make believe and if you tell that story that isn't true and you misrepresent, we as prosecutors will do our homework and hold you accountable."

Weisselberg pleaded guilty in March to two felony counts of perjury after acknowledging he offered false testimony involving the size of former President Donald Trump's triplex apartment inside Trump Tower.

Saland said that seeing Weisselberg get more jail time could erase any temptation other witnesses may feel to not be fully forthcoming during testimony.

"Otherwise, that exposure can be huge and they don't want to become the storyline," he added.

"This is Donald Trumps' storyline. Not theirs."

Trump headed to 'The Presidential Suite at Rikers Island' if found guilty:

...AND his lackies will sleep nearby...

PLUS... TRUMP Drowned in Mockery After His Lawyers Subpoena The WRONG Person ..DUH...

Ladybbird · 12-04-24, 12:53

TRUMP Hush Money CRIMINAL Trial Witness List Revealed-Inc Playmate & White House OPS Director

TRUMPs‘ Trial of The Century: An ex-President set to go on trial for alleged porn star payments

Stormy on The Stand? There is going to be some 'Stormy Weather' at this trial. The list may hint at prosecution strategy

MSNBBC 12 APR 2024

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg makes his case in the criminal trial of Trump

One witness with unique access to the events surrounding the arrangement of payments to Stormy Daniels through Trump attorney Michael Cohen is Madeleine Westerhout, the former director of Oval Office operations in Trumps' White House.

Witnesses in Trumps' hush money trial to include former members of his inner circle

To try to prove their criminal hush money case against former President Donald Trump, prosecutors in New York are expected to rely on several witnesses who are or were part of Trump's inner circle, including his longtime assistant, Rhona Graff, his former director of Oval Office operations, Madeleine Westerhout, and longtime trusted aide, Hope Hicks, sources familiar with the case told ABC News.

The sources said prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office are also expected to call Deborah Tarasoff, who worked in the Trump Organizations' accounting department, and Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organizations' former controller, as well as Trumps' former attorney and so-called "fixer," Michael Cohen. McConney is also expected to testify in Trumps' defense.

Other former Trump aides who appeared before the grand jury that probed the case are not expected to be called as trial witnesses, including Trumps longtime adviser Kellyanne Conway, the sources said.

Madeleine Westerhout: White House aide fired after leaks on Trump family

Westerhout -- who also served as Trumps' executive assistant for the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency -- was subpoenaed to testify by the Manhattan district attorney, according to her lawyer Jason Wright. He told ABC News that Westerhout does not know when or if she will be called to the witness stand.

Former American Media Inc. executive David Pecker is also expected to testify, and National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard could also be a prosecution witness, sources said. Both played an integral role in what prosecutors say was a "scheme" to "catch and kill" negative stories about Trump during his first campaign for president.

"[Pecker] agreed to help with the Defendant's campaign, saying that he would act as the 'eyes and ears' for the campaign by looking out for negative stories about the Defendant and alerting [Cohen] before the stories were published," prosecutors alleged in a filing.

Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump attends Olympus...

Attorneys for Trump have hammered at the credibility of prosecution witnesses, including Cohen, in recent court filings.

"Cohen is not a truth teller, he is a serial liar," defense lawyers wrote in a February motion to argue that the judge should limit testimony from Cohen, Daniels and others.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the federal probes into Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is also relying on some of Trump's closest aides, advisers and allies to build those two criminal cases.

The indictments in both of those cases are structured using the words of people around Trump during his waning days in office.

Karen McDougal

In the New York case, the sources also said both Daniels and Karen McDougal -- a former Playboy model who received a $150,000 payment from AMI for rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump -- are also expected to testify at trial. Trump has denied having affairs with both McDougal and Daniels.

"I'm absolutely ready. I've been ready," Daniels told ABC's "The View" last month. "I relish the day that I get to face him and speak my truth."

Dino Sajudin, a former doorman who was paid $30,000 to stay quiet after shopping claims, later discredited, that Trump had a love child with a building employee, was a prospective witness in the case but is no longer expected to testify at the trial, according to sources familiar with the matter.

In a ruling last month, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan cleared the way for witnesses including Daniels, McDougal and Sajudin to testify because their actions "flow directly from the 2015 meeting at Trump Tower where Pecker, Cohen" and Trump agreed to the 'catch-and-kill' scheme, the judge said.

"The evidence and testimony surrounding these individuals is inextricably intertwined with the narrative of events and is necessary background for the Jury," Merchan wrote.

Rhona Graff, Madeleine Westerhout and Hope Hicks are Expected to Testify.

Checkmate For Trump? Tabloid crimes are key to DA’s case to convict Trump for jailable crimes

He's Going DOWNNNN: TRUMPs‘ Prison Fears Rise as Trial Insider Previews DAMNING Case

TRUMPs' Face LIES to You Without Saying a Word

Ladybbird · 14-04-24, 18:20

'A Frightened, Clucking Chicken': Columnist Roasts TRUMPs' Terror of Going to Trial and PRISON

Why Prosecution Will ‘Filet’ TRUMP in Hush-Money Trial

'Mortifying personal details' have TRUMP on edge as hush money trial takes center stage

MSRAW 14 APR 2024

Following a string of courthouse losses that have cost Donald Trump hundreds of millions in fines, the former president will finally enter a courtroom on Monday to face 34 felony counts that could lead to prison time and that reality is weighing heavily upon him, reports the New York Times.

On the day before the former president will attend the beginning of his so-called "hush money" trial related to paying off adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair before the 2016 presidential election, the Times reports that this court case has "struck a nerve" with Trump.

Adding to that is his knowledge that what will come out during testimony will likely be embarrassing for a man who is already deeply unpopular in Manhattan where he used to make his home.

With Donald Trump slated to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday where he faces 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records that could lead to four years in jail, a popular USA Today columnist taunted the former president over his series of attempts to avoid going to court.

According to columnist Rex Huppke, despite his "alpha male" posturing, the former president is nothing more than a "chicken" with all of his "griping and whining and woe-is-me-ing."

As Huppke pointed out, for all his bluster at being railroaded one would think the former president would relish entering into a court of law to set the record straight instead of attempting every delay tactic in the book.

"You’d think an abundantly confident macho man like Trump would be chomping at the bit to get into a courtroom with his lawyers and prove the 'Thugs and Radical Left Monsters' wrong, to pull back the curtain on this unjust persecution/prosecution, to shove the evidence of his angelic innocence right in their smug faces," he wrote. "At this rate I expect he’ll show up to court Monday in a WHAAAAAAAAmbulance then get carried in on a stretcher, moaning about how the deep state gave him typhoid fever."

Pointing out that the former president is not giving off the vibe of a "bold, confident man who knows he’s innocent and will fight to prove the naysayers wrong," he added, "That’s probably because Trump is not a bold, confident man who knows he’s innocent, and he doesn’t know how to 'fight.' He just slings mud and runs away hollering: 'I have never slung any mud! That is FAKE NEWS!'"

"He is terrified of that moment. The narcissism at his core has never met accountability. If he had a lick of confidence, he wouldn’t be paying attorneys – probably with GOP donor money, not his own – to pull every whack-a-doodle legal trick they can muster to delay, delay, delay," he charged before stating, "He wouldn’t be spending hours online and at rallies griping and whining and woe-is-me-ing. He’d be ready, self-assured and eager to clear his name. He’d be tough. He’s not.

Trump is a chicken. A frightened, clucking chicken who, as of Monday, will have no room left to run."

See The Robust Security in Place For Trump Trial;

Ladybbird · 15-04-24, 18:13

Alvin Bragg Can't Show Jury Access Hollywood Tape, But He Can Use Transcript -Judge

Shrunken TRUMP looks as if the 'reality of the trial' has hit him..Trump seen 'dozing off' during hush money trial: 'His chin just hit his chest'

MSRAW 15 APR 2024

Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday that Trump's prosecutors cannot show the jury in his hush money trial the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape — but he has allowed the transcript to be used during the trial.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wanted to use the tape, in which Trump brags about how his celebrity lets him make sexual advances to women, as evidence.

Trump is accused of paying hush money to an adult movie actress to hide an affair. The payment was allegedly negotiated not long after the "Access Hollywood" tape leaked as Trump feared the details would be damaging if heard by voters before the 2016 election, Bragg alleges.

The decision was reported by MSNBC's legal analyst Lisa Rubin, who is live-tweeting the pre-trial debates as jury selection kicks off in Trump's case on Monday.

Part of the transcript includes Trump talking with Inside Edition host Billy Bush about a woman. He's heard saying, "I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything."

"Merchan also rules that a snippet of Trump’s deposition by Robbie Kaplan in the E. Jean Carroll case — in which he says historically, stars have indeed been able to grab women by their genitals and yes, he’s a star — would add nothing and keeps it out," Rubin also reported.

The move comes after Trump suffered his first loss in the case after Merchan refused his request that the judge be recused due to his daughter's job as a political consultant with Democratic Party clients.

Ladybbird · 16-04-24, 04:22

Meet TRUMPs' VERY Glamorous Right-Hand Woman: Margo Martin Deputy Communications Chief

Donald Trump certainly knows how to make an entrance, but on the first day of his hush money criminal trial, he was forced to share center stage with another rather more glamorous attendee

MailOnline 16 APR 2024

Melania's doppelganger.

Inside the jet-set life of 28-year-old Melania lookalike as she makes stunning court appearance....

Margo, 28, who shares a striking resemblance to the former President's wife, Melania Trump, oozed confidence as she entered the courtroom alongside Trump, opting for a chic black pantsuit and leaving her long ombre locks in beach-like waves around her face.

The communications guru kept a straight face as she made her way inside the courtroom, where she watched on as more than 50 of the 96 potential jurors in the trial were excused after admitting that they couldn't be impartial in the case, which marks the first time a former President has faced criminal trial.

But while she also drew the spotlight in the courtroom, elsewhere, Margo has already become a star in her own right, gaining tens of thousands of followers online for flaunting the many lavish perks that come with working with a prominent political figure.

She was first propelled into the spotlight last year, after a reporter actually mistook her for Melania, 53, as she entered the United States Courthouse in Miami for Trump's arraignment in a separate case.

Margo has become a star in her own right, gaining tens of thousands of followers online for flaunting the many lavish perks that come with working with a prominent political figure

The world was a buzz with speculation about the identity of Melania's doppelganger.

Her latest appearance at the first day of his trial, which saw the former President being at one point being accused of falling asleep before tearing into a judge for warning he may have to skip his son Barron's high school graduation, will no doubt help to cement her status as one of the most glamorous faces in US politics.

But what of Margo's life away from D.C. and her glitzy rise to the top of the Trump food chain?

Margo, an Oklahoma native, previously served as the Deputy Director of Communications for Trump's Save America PAC, which was used mainly to send emails to supporters and organize his continued rallies across the country.

She's usually seen eating in top restaurants, partying in celebrity hotspots, jetting off on glamorous vacations, travelling via the former President's private plane, or enjoying beach days in Palm Beach, Florida, where it seems she is based now.

Some of her travels around the globe recently have included trips to Scotland, Ireland, and India.

Trump and Margo arrived together at a Manhattan court on Monday for jury selection.

A jury of 12 New York residents will decide his fate and will be selected from a pool of hundreds in a process that could take as long as two weeks.

John Dean Predicts How Long Jury Selection Could Last in Trump Criminal Trial

Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean reacts to more than half of the first group of potential jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial saying that they cannot be impartial.

Why This Trump Trial Could Finally Put Trump In Jail

TRUMPs' Jury Selection DAY ONE

1st day ends without any jurors being picked. The day began with pretrial arguments — including over a potential fine for Trump — before moving in the afternoon into jury selection, where the parties will decide who might be picked to determine the legal fate of the former, and potentially future, American president.

After the first members of the jury pool, 96 in all, were summoned into the courtroom, Trump craned his neck to look back at them, whispering to his lawyer as they entered the jury box. Underscoring the difficulty, only about a third of the 96 people in the first panel of potential jurors remained after the judge excused some members.

More than half the group was excused after telling the judge they could not be fair and impartial. At least nine more were excused after raising their hands when Merchan asked if they could not serve for any other reason.

Merchan has written that the key is “whether the prospective juror can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law.”

Jury Selection will continue Tuesday

Ladybbird · 16-04-24, 23:48

Seven Jurors –And WARNING For TRUMP -Scolded By Judge Merchan For Muttering And Intimidating Jurors

TRUMP Faces Contempt Charge After Social Media Posts About New York Trial

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg alleges TRUMP violated gag order with Truth Social posts about witnesses in hush-money case.....‘No more games’: Judge puts Trump lawyers on notice on criminal trial’

The Guardian 17 APR 2024

Trump rebuked as hush-money trial judge warns against juror intimidation

It has not taken long for Donald Trump to land himself in hot water with Juan Merchan, the judge in his hush-money trial. It only took one day for Donald Trump to land in hot water with judge Juan Merchan.

Immediately after a potential juror exited the courtroom after being questioned by Trump’s attorney about her social media posts, Merchan said that he could hear Trump “muttering” while she had been standing less than 12ft away from him – and issued a stern warning to the former president.

“It was audible. He was gesturing and he was speaking in the direction of the juror,” a visibly irritated Merchan told Trump’s attorney, raising his voice. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.”

He then directed Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, to speak to Trump about his behaviour.

The exchange was one of the testier moments in the first full day of jury selection for Trump’s first criminal trial, as Trump’s attorney tried to remove any potential jurors who had displayed negative views of the former president. Merchan rejected many of those efforts –

“The question is not whether someone agrees with your client politically or not. The question is whether or not they can be fair and impartial,” Merchan told Blanche at one point – but he did agree to dismiss a few, including a prospective juror who had previously called for Trump to be jailed.

About an hour after day one of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan closed, the former president published the first of what would be a series of posts on Truth Social about his disdain for the trial, specifically his required attendance.

The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, filed a motion in papers made public on Tuesday to hold Trump in contempt of court for violating a partial gag order in the case.

Prosecutors said that Trump had already violated his gag order three times, posting about the witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels on social media. They asked the judge to fine Trump $3,000 for the violation. Merchan said he will hold a hearing on the alleged violations on 23 April.

In his posts, Trump blasted Judge Juan Merchan for requiring Trump to attend the trial every day it is in session. The trial, centered on hush-money payments Trump funneled to the adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, is expected to last at least six weeks. Daniels said she and Trump had a brief affair in 2006.

Attending the trial, Trump said, would mean he will have to miss the high school graduation of his son, Barron Trump.

“Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something that we have been talking about for years,” Trump wrote on Monday afternoon after court ended for the day. Trump called Merchan a “Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge” overseeing “a bogus ‘Biden Case’”.

Trump said that he would also be unable to attend the US supreme court hearing arguments for his presidential immunity claims over the January 6 insurrection.

“This shows such great disdain and disrespect for our Nation’s Highest Court, especially for a topic so important as Presidential Immunity, without which our country would never be the same!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Though Merchan subjected Trump to a gag order before the trial began, it only extends to prosecutors other than Bragg, witnesses, court employees, jurors and their families. Trump is free to criticize Merchan himself, though it will probably not help Trump win the favor over the judge, who will decide on Trump’s sentence if the jury finds him guilty.

Before the trial, Merchan extended the gag order to cover his family and Bragg’s family after Trump posted about Merchan’s daughter, who worked for a company that helped Democratic candidates with digital campaigns. Trump and his lawyers have twice tried to get Merchan recused from the case, to no avail.

Trump’s lawyers in court argued that the posts were not covered by the gag order as Trump was responding to allegations the witnesses made. In another post on Tuesday morning

Trump called Merchan a “Trump Hating Judge” who “won’t let me respond to people that are on TV lying and spewing hate all day long.

Seven Jurors

Trump Scolded By Judge Merchan For Intimidating Juror

Dismissed Juror Kara McGee speaks to the media Tuesday in New York City.

Ladybbird · 18-04-24, 20:03

Hush-Money; Direct Line Drawn Between Fox News Broadcast and TRUMP Jurors Dismissal -DIRTY Fox News Broadcast Personal Jurors Info -2 WITHDRAW- 5 Left

Fox News personalities Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro have come under criticism in recent weeks for controversial comments and multiple advertisers have pulled away from their shows.

MSRAW 18 APR 2024

"Juror No. 2" in the Trump hush-money trial was dismissed on Thursday after she raised concerns that her identity might have already been compromised.

Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake immediately drew a line between her dismissal and a Tuesday night segment on Fox News in which host Jesse Watters broadcast some personal details about the jurors, whose names are being not identified publicly.

"Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday broadcast extensive biographical details about Juror No. 2 — her neighborhood, occupation, education, marital and family status, and what industry her fiancé works in," Blake writes on Twitter.

"He concluded by saying, 'I'm not so sure about Juror No. 2.'"

This juror that Watters said he wasn't "so sure about" was the same one who was dismissed Thursday after expressing concerns about being identified.

Watters followed up his segment on Wednesday by declaring, without providing any evidence, that "undercover liberal activists" were "lying" about their feelings about former President Donald Trump to get on the jury and convict him no matter the evidence.

Trump would subsequently promote these claims on his Truth Social page, which would lead to immediate accusations of him violating a gag order that prevented him from talking about jurors in the trial.

Trump has continuously pushed the limits when it comes to his gag order and prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office on Thursday accused him of violating it in seven separate instances since the hearing started on Monday, including with direct attacks on witnesses in the case such as former "fixer" Michael Cohen.

Trumps’ recent social media post today is an ‘attempt to intimidate jurors’

So far, however, Judge Juan Merchan has not hit Trump with any punishments for prospective gag order violations, although he did reprimand Trump for interacting with a prospective juror while in court on Tuesday. A hearing concerning gag order violations is scheduled for April 23.

Ladybbird · 19-04-24, 09:16

All 12 Jurors Seated in TRUMP Hush-Money Trial After Two Dismissals

First criminal trial of a former president one significant step closer to beginning after full jury selected in New York

The Guardian 19 APR 2024

A full jury of 12 people has been seated in the criminal case against Donald Trump, bringing the first criminal trial of a former president a significant step closer to beginning.

At least one of six alternate jurors had been selected before court concluded on Thursday.

The development came after two jurors were removed, underscoring the difficulty of choosing a jury in one of the most high-stakes cases in US history.

Trump arrived at the Manhattan criminal court on Thursday for the third day of his hush-money trial and a continuation of the tricky process of jury selection. Trump, the first former US president to face criminal trial, sat expressionless throughout the session on Thursday morning, and appeared attentive.

The Jurors: Who is on The TRUMP TRIAL Jury?

Seven men and five women have been chosen to sit on the jury in the ex-president’s hush-money trial. Here’s what we know;

The jury is made up of seven men and five women who live in different parts of Manhattan, including the Upper East Side, Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen and the West Village. They come from a range of personal backgrounds and employment histories. Several jurors said they had no strong opinions on Trump, and a few said that they do not closely follow the news. The exact racial makeup of the jury, and the ages of the jurors, is unclear.

The full identities of the jury will remain anonymous because of security concerns, but during jury selection the individuals were asked to provide some personal details about themselves. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the criminal hush-money trial, barred reporters from revealing the current and former employers of jurors and urged them not to use physical descriptors that could compromise their identity.

Here’s What to Know About Them:

Juror No 1
Juror No 1, a man, works in sales and previously worked as a waiter, and has some college education. He is married with no children, and says he gets news from a range of outlets such as the New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC.

Juror No 2
Juror No 2 is a married man who works in investment banking. He has an MBA in finance. He described himself as someone who “reads basically everything” and said that while he doesn’t hold any strong beliefs or opinions, he does follow the news and sees Trump’s Truth Social posts via Twitter. He told the court that he has not read any of Trump’s books, but has seen quotes from The Art of the Deal.

Juror No 3
Juror No 3 is a man who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s, who is originally from the west coast. He works in corporate law and said that he gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Google.

Juror No 4
Juror No 4 is a man who is originally from the west coast. He is a security engineer with some college education, and is married with children. He said he is not on social media, and once served on a criminal jury in the past though could not remember the verdict. When asked if he had any concerns about returning a guilty verdict, he said no.

Juror No 5
Juror No 5 is a young woman who said that she has friends with strong opinions on Trump, but that she is not a political person and avoids the news. She said she does appreciate Trump’s candor, and that he “speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking”.

Juror No 6
Juror No 6 is a woman who works in tech. She told the court that she has no strong feelings about Trump, and pledged to be fair and impartial. She is unmarried with no children, and gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok.

Juror No 7
Juror No 7 is a man in his late middle age who works as a civil litigator. He is married with children and has never served on a jury. He gets his news from a variety of outlets including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and the Washington Post, and from podcasts.

Juror No 8
Juror No 8 is a retired wealth manager who is married with children. Asked if he had any strong opinions about Trump, he paused for a moment before answering yes. When the judge followed up to ask him if he could be fair and impartial, he said he could.

Juror No 9
Juror No 9 is a woman who told the court she believed she could fully follow the judge’s instructions, but was not well versed in legal proceedings. She lives alone, does not follow the news closely and is originally from New Jersey.

Juror No 10
Juror No 10 is a man who works in e-commerce and said he does not really check the news, but listens to podcasts on behavioral psychology. He is originally from Ohio.

Juror No 11
Juror No 11 is a woman who said she does not follow the news, but does watch late-night comedy shows. She is originally from California, and said she has never rallied for or against Trump. One of her close friends was convicted of financial fraud, she said.

Juror No 12
Juror No 12 is a woman who works as a physical therapist. She lived in a few states before coming to New York, reads major news outlets and listens to podcasts about sports and faith.

Gagged Trump's jury pool attacks are a big problem for his lawyers

Can Trump Go To Jail For Jury Tampering?

Judge Juan Merchan is a TOUGH Judge

Ladybbird · 19-04-24, 19:24

HORRIFIC - Man Sets Himself on FIRE Outside Court After FULL Jury Selected For TRUMPs' Hush-Money Trial

Man sets himself on fire outside court as onlookers watch wild blaze, moments after full jury sworn in - He was later extinguished and taken away on a stretcher

BBC News 19 APR 2024

Horrifying scenes unfolded outside Donald Trump's hush money trial on Friday after a man set himself on fire in an act of extreme political protest.

Man sets himself on fire outside Trump trial in horrific scene. Witnesses described actions as 'political protest' but it was unclear what for. Police described the man as in a 'critical condition' as of 2.20pm

The man, who has not yet been named officially, doused himself in gasoline before taking a lighter to his clothes.

He was seen kneeling with his hands behind his head as the world's media and horrified onlookers watched.

NYPD officers rushed to extinguish the flames. The man was taken away in a gurney and remains in the hospital in critical condition.

Moments before he set himself ablaze, he was seen throwing Trump and Biden pamphlets in the air.

It remains unclear if the protest was in support of or against the former president, who is currently on trial for hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels.

Pamphlets recovered at the scene contained to a link to a Substack written by Max Azzarello. 'I have set myself on fire outside the Trump trial,' the post said. Police are yet to confirm the victim's identity.

Ladybbird · 20-04-24, 13:25

TRUMP Attacks Have Consequences as Hush Money Judge Penalizes Him Beyond a Fine

Judge Merchan Said He Would NOT Disclose Witness List to the Defense For Their Safety

MSRAW 20 APR 2024

Donald Trump is used to getting away with rule violations, even in a court setting, but those days are over, according to a former prosecutor.

Trump spent Thursday in court for jury selection in the former president's upcoming trial for allegations that he broke the law when he purportedly made hush money payments to hide an affair with an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, and then covered it up by disguising the payment in his financial records.

At the end of the day in court, there was a situation in which the judge sided with prosecutors on an issue involving divulging the information of upcoming witnesses.

Specifically, New York Judge Juan Merchan said that he would not order the prosecutors to disclose a witness list to the defense team in light of Trump's recent attacks on figures connected to his hush-money case.

"We're not telling him who the witnesses are," a prosecutor said, according to reports.

"I can't fault them for that," Merchan replied, noting he would not order the prosecution to turn over a witness list.

Legal analyst and former prosecutor Renato Mariotti seemed to think this was a pivotal moment for Trump and his case. He quoted MSNBC, which reported that "Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked who the DA's Office plans to call as their first three witnesses. Joshua Steinglass from the office refused on the basis that Trump has been tweeting about them.

Judge Merchan said he doesn't blame the DA's office. Blanche said Trump won't tweet about the witnesses — to which Merchan said Blanche can't promise that.

Merchan refused to order the DA's office to name its first three witnesses." The judge said that even Trump's lawyers are powerless to prevent Trump from acting out.

"Trumps' attacks on witnesses finally have real consequences. Typically, the prosecution *does* reveal the witnesses it will call the next day," Mariotti wrote Thursday. "Judge Merchan exercising discretion to penalize behavior that endangers witnesses will be a far more effective tool than a $1,000 fine."

ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing finances

Ladybbird · 21-04-24, 09:45

TRUMP Met His Match -Got Stern Warnings From Hush Money Judge About Going to Jail and 'SIT DOWN'

Judge Merchan Was Also Apoplectic During Warning to Trump About Jury Comments

--TRUMP Finds Out The Hard Way He Cant Bully Judge Merchan as He Has Done Many Others

TRUMP On The Verge of Handing Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg a Big Win: Donald Trump Has Indicated He Will Take The Witness Stand During His First Criminal Trial in Manhattan

MSRAW 21 APR 2024

TRUMP 'fuming' after Judge Merchan made him sit 'like a man addressing his dog'

Donald Trump was "firmly scolded" by the judge in his criminal hush money case, and he was also warned that he might go to prison if he doesn't show up at the next hearing date, according to an investigative journalist.

Carol D. Leonnig, an investigative journalist appeared on the network on Saturday to discuss Trump's legal problems.

The host asked Leonnig about a moment in which Trump was told to sit down by the judge.

"How does a moment like that affect trump's psyche?" the host asked. "The judge is the authority in the courtroom, not a criminal defendant, even if that defendant is a former president."

Leonnig said the question "illustrates the larger frustration for Donald Trump in his first week in the case."

"He is not in the driver's seat. He has to sit in his chair and not allowed to leave except for when the judge dismisses people. He is also not able to speak. That is one of his greatest frustrations because he is the master of the megaphone," she said on Saturday.

She pointed out that, "when he was muttering on day two of jury selection, the judge scolded him rather firmly."

"And then said there will be none of that. All Trump wants to communicate in this trial one way or another. He wants his voice heard. That is not possible," she added. "The judge also said to Donald Trump in a stern warning, Tuesday, he better be in court or he could be imprisoned and arrested for contempt of court.

This is no joke. When you are on trial, you are on trial and the boss is the judge."

Max Azzarello
--Sadly The Man Who Set Himself on FIRE Outside Court Has Now Died...

Judge Says Trumps Attendance to Hush Money Trial is Mandatory

TRUMP On The Verge of Handing Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg a Big Win...

TRUMP has indicated that he will take the witness stand during his first criminal trial in Manhattan, and one former DOJ official said that the prosecution is likely hoping he won't change his mind about that....

When reporters asked Trump on Friday if he would testify under oath in his own defense, he responded, "yes."

According to Newsweek, Joyce Vance — who was U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama during President Barack Obama's administration — thinks Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is banking on being able to cross-examine the former president.

"It's a win for the prosecution either way in this case," Vance tweeted Friday.

In a post to her Civil Discourse Substack newsletter, Vance elaborated on her position, saying that Trump "has no business on the witness stand."

"As much as I’d like to see this, it’s a sure thing Trump’s lawyers will do everything they can to keep him off the stand," she wrote. "But the decision about whether to testify belongs to the client, and Trump has proven to be a client who is uniquely incapable of listening to the advice of his lawyers."

Whether Trump ultimately agrees to take the stand is unknown, but based on a Friday hearing, he knows that prosecutors could potentially ask him about lawsuits he's lost — particularly the most recent $83.3 million defamation judgment in writer E. Jean Carroll's favor.

Trump's lawyers have countered that bringing up the Carroll judgment would lead the jury down a confusing "rabbit hole" and fought against the prosecution's efforts to mention the former president's civil court losses. Meanwhile, prosecutor Michael Colangelo said the jury having knowledge of Trump's civil judgments "is critical to assessing the defendant’s credibility if he testifies."

Judge Juan Merchan said he would issue a ruling on Monday about what prosecutors can mention while cross-examining Trump, should he decide to testify. Vance wrote that it was "unlikely that he and his lawyers will make a decision until the moment is close at hand and they have seen how the trial is going."

"The prospect of being cross-examined on incident after incident showing he’s a notorious liar would be enough to keep most defendants from testifying. It certainly will be in the view of his lawyers," she wrote.

Vance pointed out that Trump may be already neglecting the advice of his attorneys based on his behavior in the courtroom when potential jurors were announced. While defendants traditionally stand up as a sign of respect when a juror is introduced — given that they could potentially be seated on the body that will ultimately decide their fate — Trump remained seated.

"My friend and former Chicago federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, now a criminal defense lawyer, pointed out that this is the most basic thing defense lawyers instruct their clients to do," Vance wrote. "I have never seen a defendant fail to stand up every time the jury entered or left the courtroom."

Opening arguments in Trump's trial will officially begin on Monday, after all 12 jurors and six alternates were seated during last week's voir dire process.

The trial is expected to take anywhere from four to six weeks, meaning a verdict on Trump's 34 felony counts will almost certainly be issued before the GOP officially selects its general election nominee at the Republican National Convention this summer.

Trump Slams D.A. Alvin Bragg At Harlem Bodega Stop After NYC Hush Money Trial Hearing

‘It’s Huge': Lawyers debating what is fair game if Trump takes the witness stand in trial

Ladybbird · 21-04-24, 14:07

TRUMP Makes New Plea For Immunity Ahead of Supreme Court Case

TRUMP Posts SEVEN Page Presidential Immunity Rant Ahead of His First Criminal Trial

Supreme Court Had Agreed to Hear Trump Immunity Case Over a Month Ago

MSRAW 21 APR 2024

Donald Trump on Saturday unleashed some of his classic arguments for "full presidential immunity" from all criminal charges, as his first criminal case is bearing down on him.

Trump, who is preparing himself for the launch of his first criminal trial, has denied that he falsified financial records to hide a payoff to a woman he had an affair with. He has also sought to argue presidential immunity in the case, despite the payoff predating his presidency, but that request was rejected by the court.

Still, just days before the trial is set to begin, the former president took to his social media site, Truth Social, in an attempt to argue all charges against him in all cases should be completely dropped.

"IF THEY TAKE AWAY MY PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, THEY TAKE AWAY CROOKED JOE BIDEN’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY," Trump wrote in the first post on the subject Saturday.

He then claimed that, "WITHOUT PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PRESIDENT TO PROPERLY FUNCTION, PUTTING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN GREAT AND EVERLASTING DANGER!"

"REMEMBER, if I don’t have Presidential Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t have it either, and he would certainly be Prosecuted for his many ACTUAL CRIMES, including illegally receiving massive amounts of money from Foreign Countries, including China, Ukraine, and Russia, paying off Ukraine to fire an unfriendly prosecutor, allowing millions of people to illegally Enter and Destroy our Country

SURRENDERING in Afghanistan, with Hundreds Dead, many Americans Left Behind, and handing over Billions of Dollars Worth of the Best Military Equipment anywhere on Earth, the Decimation of American Wealth through the Green New Scam, and so much more," he wrote.

"REMEMBER, Crooked Joe Biden and his CORRUPT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, D.A.’s and A.G.’s, has attacked his Political Opponent at a level never seen before in this Country, and wants desperately to PUT 'TRUMP' IN PRISON. He is playing a very dangerous game, and the great people of America WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"

Trump goes on to say that "a President has to be free to determine what is right for our Country without undue pressure."

"If there is no Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will 'no longer exist,'" he claimed. "Many actions for the benefit of our Country will not be taken. This is in no way what the Founders had in mind. Legal Experts and Scholars have stated that the President must have Full Presidential Immunity. A President must be free to make proper decisions. His mind must be clear, and he must not be guided by the fear of retribution!"

Finally, he said legal scholars "are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court’s Decision to take up Presidential Immunity."

"Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function, or make decisions, in the best interest of the United States of America. Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office. This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President," he added. "The other side would say, 'If you don’t do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.'"

He then hammered the point further.

"Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to Immunity. I wasn’t campaigning, the Election was long over. I was looking for voter fraud, and finding it, which is my obligation to do, and otherwise running our Country," he said. "

If I don’t get Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t get Immunity, and with the Border Invasion and Afghanistan Surrender, alone, not to mention the Millions of dollars that went into his 'pockets' with money from foreign countries, Joe would be ripe for Indictment. By weaponizing the DOJ against his Political Opponent, ME, Joe has opened a giant Pandora’s Box.

'HUSH MONEY' MODEL Karen McDougal

As President, Just look...

I was 'protecting' our Country, and doing a great job of doing so

Look around at the complete mess that Crooked Joe Biden has caused. The least I am entitled to is Presidential Immunity on Fake Biden Indictments!"

JUST IN: Trump Audio Message Tells NC Rally Attendees That Rally Is Delayed Due To Weather

Ladybbird · 23-04-24, 03:02

More SHOCKING Than OJs' & More Devastating Than Michael Cohen: First TRUMP Hush Money Witness Takes Stand

The former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company took the stand Monday as the first witness called in Donald Trumps New York hush money criminal trial

He confirmed, amongst other things, Trumps' motivation and intent when it came to his alleged attempt to buy the silence of an adult film star he's accused of sleeping with.

MSRAW 22 APR 2024

David Pecker, who once headed American Media, helped Trump bury embarrassing stories before they had a chance to circulate in the media.

He was also a key figure in the scheme to cover up the hush money payment Trump allegedly made to Stormy Daniels ahead of his 2016 campaign

As MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin points out, Pecker "can testify that Trump not only understood but heartily endorsed his publication’s offer to ‘catch and kill’ negative stories about him, especially as they pertained to Trump’s alleged extramarital affairs.

“And given how few people outside Michael Cohen directly communicated with Trump about the scheme at issue, Pecker’s testimony could be critical in establishing Trump’s intent and knowledge," Rubin wrote in a post to X.

New York University Law Prof. Ryan Goodman agreed, saying that Pecker “could be a key witness — in ways more devastating than Michael Cohen," adding that Pecker’s testimony “should be strong proof of core allegation that the hush money scheme was geared toward influencing the outcome of the presidential election,” Goodman wrote

Also that Pecker met with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower to set up the catch-and-kill election operation that “set the whole scheme in motion.”

Salon reports that Pecker contacted former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who then negotiated an agreement to send a $130,000 payment to Daniels to "purchase" her silence. The prosecution expects Pecker to shore up Cohen's testimony.

"Pecker will also likely testify about his involvement in a flurry of phone calls, a day after the Access Hollywood tape broke, to buy-and-bury Stormy Daniels' story," Goodman wrote in his post, adding that Pecker is "also likely to testify about his conversations directly with Trump and Cohen in December 2016 — on the arrangement for Trump to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payment to Daniels."

TRUMP Lashes Out Angrily Before Trials' Opening Statements

TRUMPs' Hush Money Trial Opening Statements

The Former Chairman of The National Enquirers Parent Company David Pecker Took The Stand

The first witness took the stand in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial after both sides laid out parts of their cases to the jury in opening statements. During his testimony, David Pecker described his job at the time as the former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company.

Here's a recap of what he said;

MORE:

TRUMP is Miserable & Angry in Dinghy Courtroom

TRUMP Trial: Hush Money Was Election Fraud Pure and Simple Prosecutors Say
Ex-president ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme’ to corrupt 2016 election, prosecution says in opening statement

The Guardian 23 APR 2024

Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election” in his efforts to cover up an alleged affair with the adult film star Stormy Daniels.

The prosecution said on Monday in its opening statement in the former president’s criminal trial, with the defense countering that “there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election – it’s called democracy”.

After opening statements from both sides, the historic trial also briefly heard from its first witness, David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer and a man at the heart of Trump’s alleged crimes.

A jury of seven men and five women living in Manhattan will weigh whether Trump’s alleged efforts to conceal an affair with Daniels, which he feared would damage his bid for the White House, were illicit. Trump was charged in the spring of 2023 with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

The case, brought by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, hinges on a $130,000 payment that Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, made to Daniels to keep her story under wraps. Bragg contends that Trump masked the true nature of the payment in business records, by describing repayments to Cohen as lawful legal expenses.

In his opening statements on Monday, the prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors that Trump invited his friend Pecker to a meeting at Trump Tower in summer 2015. Trump had recently thrown his hat into the ring for the 2016 Republican nomination, and Colangelo said Trump, Cohen and Pecker hatched a plan to keep damaging information about Trump out of the press.

According to the prosecution, Pecker agreed to run damaging information in the National Enquirer about opponents – including an item claiming, falsely, that Senator Ted Cruz had family connections to the JFK assassination – as well as buying up negative stories for the express purpose of preventing them from being published.

Colangelo said this “catch-and-kill” campaign was geared towards helping Trump’s 2016 election campaign.

He mentioned an earlier payment to Karen McDougal, the Playboy model who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. “Pecker will also testify that $150,000 was way more than AMI would normally pay for this kind of story, but he discussed it with Donald Trump and he discussed it with Michael Cohen, and he agreed on the deal with the understanding what Trump would find a way to pay AMI back,” Colangelo said. “The company coordinated directly with the candidate.”

He also read out a transcript of Trump’s infamous comments, caught on a hot mic, on the set of the Access Hollywood television show, where Trump bragged he could sexually assault women because he was famous. Colangelo quoted Trump saying: “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Noting that the video was released to the public in October 2016, one month before election day, Colangelo said: “The campaign went into immediate damage control mode” and tried to frame the remarks as “locker room talk” – but were terrified the Daniels allegation would show that his boorish behavior extended to actions, not just talk.

“Another story about infidelity, with a porn star, on the heels of the Access Hollywood tape, would have been devastating to his campaign,” Colangelo said.

Cohen was therefore tasked with handling the payoff to Daniels, for $130,000, which Trump is alleged to have repaid to him after the election in checks that were listed in business records as legal services. Colangelo said that was a lie. “The defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election.

“He wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.”

“Look, no politician wants bad press, but the evidence at trial will show that this wasn’t spin or communication strategy,” Colangelo said. “This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures – to silence people with something bad to say about his behavior,” Colangelo said.

“It was election fraud, pure and simple.” Colangelo added that “we’ll never know” whether this conspiracy made the difference “in a close election”.

TRUMPs’ Trial: Key Takeaways From Opening Statements

The ex-president appeared uncomfortable at times as his criminal trial Donald Trump was confronted on Monday with the unsavory details of his alleged attempt to illegally influence the 2016 election by covering up his hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, as the first criminal trial for a former US president got under way in New York.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records – where the hush-money payments were recorded as legal expenses – to cover up the affair just weeks before the election.

Here Are The KEY Takeaways From The Start of The Trial:

1. Prosecutors Immediately Focused on The 2016 Election

The Manhattan district attorney’s office sketched out from the start of their opening statements that Trump committed one crime, the falsification of records, in the furtherance of a second crime, to violate campaign finance laws – which is what would elevate misdemeanor crimes into felonies.

The prosecutor, Matthew Colangelo, presented to the jury that Trump’s “catch-and-kill” scheme with the National Enquirer was entirely geared towards helping the Trump 2016 campaign.

Colangelo contended there were three parts to the alleged conspiracy: that the National Enquirer would run positive coverage, the National Enquirer would attack political opponents and that the National Enquirer would act as the eyes and ears for the campaign to detect and suppress negative stories.

“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and fraud. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that conspiracy by lying in his New York business records, over and over and over again,” Colangelo said.

2. Trump Appeared Uncomfortable

During much of Colangelo’s opening statement, Trump appeared uncomfortable in his seat with his brow furrowed while the unsavory details of the alleged affair with Daniels and his boasts about grabbing women’s genitals in the infamous Access Hollywood tape were read out to the jury.

But part of the Access Hollywood tape that was read out verbatim – when Trump remarked he could grab women “by the pussy” – caused Trump to frown deeper and fidget in his seat. The next six weeks are expected to be a test for Trump to keep his composure.

3. Trumps' Lawyer Meandered

Todd Blanche, the lead Trump lawyer, tried to present several themes to the jury – but his arguments at times seemed to meld together and were hard to follow.

The point Blanche tried to stress was that Trump had nothing to do with the hush-money payments and how it was all arranged because Trump left it up to his former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen.

Blanche also suggested Trump did nothing wrong in trying to influence the 2016 election, in part because catch-and-kill schemes are not illegal. “Entering into a non-disclosure agreement is perfectly legal,” Blanche said.

But other parts of his opening statement seemed bizarre. Blanche tried to portray Trump as just a family man – which felt jarring against the affair allegations. And Blanche once added Trump “is a man” like him – oddly, with no follow-up statement.

Blanche also found some of his statements stricken after the judge sustained prosecutors’ objections, including on assertions that Cohen previously lied in court and that Trump did everything on the advice of counsel.

.

Ladybbird · 23-04-24, 21:01

TRUMPs' GAG Contempt Hearing Ends Without a Ruling

The combative hearing on TRUMPs' alleged violations of the judges' limited gag order ended with the judge saying he will not rule from bench on the district attorneys' motion to hold Trump in contempt, so a ruling will come later...

DAY 2-Hush Money Continues With Witness 1 Former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker

CNN 23 APR 2024

'You're losing all credibility': Judge buries Trump lawyers' spin on gag order violations

Before concluding the hearing, Judge Merchan told Trump attorney Todd Blanche, "You're losing all credibility and not offering me anything … to hang my hat on."

After that hearing concluded Trump spoke to the press and AGAIN broke his GAG order and critisized jurors, which put more jurors in fear of continuing

Secret Service has plans if Trump is confined for contempt;

TRUMPs' Hush Money Continues With Witness 1 - Trump Warned to Cut His Losses and Seek a Plea Deal Before It's Too Late

Trump trial shows he belongs 'in the gutter' rather than 'on a throne'

As Donald Trump's hush-money trial kicks into its second day with a hearing on his apparent violation of Judge Juan Merchan's gag order, a former Department of Justice prosecutor suggested the embattled ex-president read the writing on the wall and seek a plea deal.

In an interview with Salon's Chauncey DeVega, attorney Kenneth McCallion, who investigated Trump for racketeering, stated the trial is starting off well for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office.

As he noted, the jury will soon settle in and see Trump less as a former president and more like a typical defendant which is not a factor in his favor and, although McCallion doesn't believe the former president will take his advice, he still thinks he should try and get out from under his criminal legal woes by making a deal that includes stepping aside from politics.

According to the former prosecutor, the longer the trial goes on, the smaller a window for a deal shrinks and it might be best to get going on one before a flood of witnesses take the stand and his guilt becomes harder to dismiss.

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified for over 2 hours and detailed a 2015 'Catch-and-Kill' agreement with Trump and Cohen to dig 'dirt' on Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Hillary Clinton amongst others

Trump is upset about what's happening outside the NY courthouse - blaming security surrounding the courthouse, where his hush money trial is underway, preventing his supporters from protesting.....

WRONG Mr Trump...NO supporters have turned up....

Also read:Text messages reveal previously unknown details in Trump trial: report

'Like a child, give him a time out': Weissmann urges 'firm hand' as Trump flouts gag order

Ladybbird · Yesterday, 03:52

MORE: TRUMP on Trial - National Enquirer Boss Dishes on Trump

David Pecker testified how he coordinated with Trump and his team to bury scandals during the 2016 campaign

The Guardian 24 APR 2024

On the docket: Pecker tells all

David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, returned to the witness stand on Tuesday as a witness for the prosecution and explained to jurors how he coordinated with Donald Trump and his team to bury scandals about the then candidate during the 2016 campaign.

Pecker laid out how he’d repeatedly paid to purchase stories about Trump’s alleged marital infidelities before keeping them from reaching the light of day – a scheme known as “catch-and-kill” that prosecutors claim Trump illegally falsified business records to conceal in order to help his presidential campaign.

Pecker said he had a “great relationship” with Trump that dated back to the late 1980s – then spent the next hours of testimony damning him with not-so-faint praise.

Pecker described Trump as “very knowledgeable”, “very detail-oriented”, “very cautious and very frugal”, and “almost a micromanager” in his business dealings.

Those complimentary descriptions hurt Trump because prosecutors need to prove that Trump had direct knowledge of the scheme to pay his attorney Michael Cohen back for his payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels by falsely labeling them as business expenses.

Pecker then discussed a 2015 meeting he had at Trump Tower with Trump, Cohen and Hope Hicks, a top Trump campaign official, where they asked him what he could do “to help the campaign”.

He promised to be the campaign’s “eyes and ears” to find out about “women selling stories” about Trump, and work to kill them, because Trump was “well known as the most eligible bachelor and dated the most beautiful women” (another unhelpful compliment for Trump, who had been married to his third wife, Melania, for a decade at that point).

He then testified that he routinely coordinated with Cohen at Trump’s behest to run negative stories about Trumps political foes. It’s a misdemeanor under New York law to conspire to promote the election of someone by unlawful means.

Pecker then walked through two schemes to catch and kill those stories. The first was paying Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin $30,000 for the rights to a story about Trump fathering a child with a maid who worked in the building. When Pecker told Cohen the Enquirer would pay the fee itself (even though he didn’t plan to run the story), he said Cohen told him “the boss would be very pleased”.

Pecker then testified that he bought the rights to the story of Karen McDougal, a former model who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Pecker said Trump called him once about McDougal, but that most of his interactions were with Cohen.

“Michael was very agitated – it looked like he was getting a lot of pressure,” Pecker said shortly before court adjourned for the day.

Pecker will return to the witness stand when the trial resumes on Thursday. He’ll likely finish testifying about McDougal and move on to explain his role in connecting Trumps' team to Stormy Daniels.

Ladybbird · Today, 11:29

'Republicans Must Step In!' TRUMP BEGS For HELP With Legal Troubles in Frantic 2 am. Rant

'It's Tearing Him Up': His Ex-Lawyer Says Court Experience is Mentally Torturing TRUMP

MSRAW BBC 25 APR 2024

Donald Trump begged Republicans to step in and help him wriggle out of his legal troubles in a middle-of-the-night rant Wednesday.

The quadruple-indicted former president is standing trial in Manhattan in the hush money case and has already been found liable for fraud, defamation and sexual abuse, resulting in a half-billion dollars in penalties.

He continues to insist the cases in both federal and state courts are a political hit job from President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies.

"We have a Rigged Judge, who is working for the Democrat Party and refuses to terminate this 'case,' which should have never been brought by Soft on Crime Alvin Bragg," Trump posted at 2 a.m. on Truth Social.

"Judge [Juan] Merchan should be immediately removed, and the Appellate Courts have to take over. That also applies to Corrupt Judge [Arthur] Engoron, who knew I did nothing wrong.

And still fraudulently fined me $500 Million Dollars while having no knowledge of Valuation, Finance, or in any way what he was doing. Same with Judge Kaplan, who allowed a woman, who I have never met (celebrity photo line does not count!), and know nothing about, to get a lawless judgment of $90 Million Dollars. New York Justice is in shambles, and only the Appellate Courts can save it."

Trump has falsely claimed he won the fraud case in appeals court, which last June did exclude his daughter Ivanka Trump from the lawsuit due to the statute of limitations but did not dismiss claims against him or his two eldest sons.

The ex-president has filed an appeal of Engoron's judgment against him and, while it's possible he'll eventually win that appeal, the court's ruling last year did not exonerate him or prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from suing him or collecting the penalties imposed by the judge.

"A Republican doesn’t stand a chance," Trump raged in his overnight post. "This is not Justice."

"This New York Cabal, run by Crooked Joe Biden’s White House, is a hit job on a Political Opponent the likes of which the USA has never seen before," Trump added. "For the Good of our Country, it must be stopped. The Crooked Joe Biden Witch Hunts have to be ended. REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON MUST TAKE ACTION!"

His Ex-Lawyer Says Court Experience is Mentally Torturing TRUMP

Donald Trump's historic first trial, with its rules and lack of deference to the presidential status he thinks he's due, is really hurting him.

That's according to his one-time attorney Tim Parlatore, who appeared on CNN Tuesday night to weigh in on his former client's psyche now that he's into his second week of the historic criminal trial in which he's charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to tamp down an alleged sexual affair with adult movie actress Stormy Daniels to manipulate the outcome of the 2016 election.

Parlatore, who repped Trump for more than a year in his defense against the federal election subversion case and the case involving the hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, sees a man accustomed to a certain kind of pomp being forced to slog through weeks of a trial in which his status is very much criminal defendant.

"He's a guy used to being the one standing up and making the speeches himself, and the fact that he has to sit there all day, every day silently standing up whenever the judge tells him to stand up, sitting down when the judge tells him to sit down — and instead of being allowed to say anything, he has to have somebody like Todd Blanche do all the speaking for him. I think it's tearing him up that he can't be standing up there and doing it," Parlatore said.

Trump began his second week of trial sitting silently through hours of testimony in which one-time crony and National Enquirer's former publisher David Pecker described "catch and kill" schemes he employed to stop potentially damaging stories about Trump.

He was described as as Trump's “eyes and ears” during the 2016 presidential campaign, and he ticked off how their close-knit bond helped insulate from potentially damaging stories — including allegations that Trump fathered a love child with a maid, and the months-long affair he was accused of having with a Playboy model.

Parlatore described the effect the courtroom experience will be having on Trump.

"I've had some clients like that that when the prosecution is going on with their opening statement, they're handing me note after note after note saying 'That's a lie! That's not true!'," he said.

"And that's exactly the kind of thing that I think he was doing in the debates back in 2016 when people were saying things, making the faces and cutting them off 'Wrong! and all that kinda stuff. ...

This is, I think, mentally torturing him, that he has to sit there and go through this."

21-05-23, 05:15	#1
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP BEGS For HELP as Lawyer Says Hush Money Court is Mentally Torturing Him Playboy Model Karen McDougal: ‘I Ended My 10 Month Affair With Donald TRUMP, For Bruce Willis’ Karen McDougal says she ended her "10-month affair" with Donald Trump to be with Bruce Willis. BBC 21 MAY 2023 The 52-year-old model has claimed she began a relationship with the former US president - who has been charged with business fraud over hush-money payments to ex-porn actress Stormy Daniels - in 2006 and explained that while she was "in love with him" for a period of time She eventually ended things a short time later so she could strike up an even shorter reunion with 'Die Hard' star Bruce. She told the Daily Mail: "His people have denied it, but he's never denied it. A reporter asked him: 'Did you have an affair with Karen McDougal?' and all he said was: 'I've done nothing wrong.' He knows I'm telling the truthI was in love with him. He was in love with me. I know that because he told me all the time. He'd say 'You're my baby and I love you'. He showed me off to his friends. I'm portrayed as the disgruntled woman, but I am not that woman. I ended it. A family member came to town and we went to a bar and I met a lovely man named Bruce [Willlis]." The Playboy star went on to add that she wasn't "cheating" on Donald - who has been married to Melania Trump since 2005 - but had been talking to Bruce, who at that time had already divorced Demi Moore and did not marry current wife Emma Heming until 2009, "alot" so it "made it easier" for her to just end things. She added: "'I wasn't cheating on Trump but Bruce and I were talking on the phone a lot already so that made it easier to end it. Why would I stay with a married man when Bruce was a nice guy, and single?' Karen claims she had met Donald after he attended a party for contestants of 'Celebrity Apprentice' - on which the billionaire businessman served as a judge - Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion, where she says it was noticed that he "followed her found like a puppy." She added: "He followed me around like a puppy dog, trying to get my attention. He took to me so much that the Bunny Mother (the woman charged with looking after the women working as Playboy bunnies) said: 'Wow, he really has a thing for you'.' "I was saying goodbye and he was standing next to his bodyguard Keith Schiller (who later got a top job at the White House, before being fired) and he said, 'Keith, get her number,'.' '"He called a few days later and asked me to have dinner with him at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I'm ashamed about it now because I knew he was married but at the time it was out of sight, out of mind. I was a different girl then, having fun and not thinking about things too deeply." __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

15-02-24, 17:15	#2
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Stormy-'I Thought He’d Murder Me' -Judge Rules She & Cohen Can Testify in Trial Judge Sets March Date For TRUMPS’ Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Trial Judge DISMISSES TRUMPS’ bid to throw out Stormy Daniels case and sets trial for 25 March after TRUMP said there's 'no crime' and ripped into 'dirty' New York for focusing on him rather than migrants 'beating up cops' MailOnline 15 FEB 2024 A judge has thrown out Donald Trumps' bid to dismiss the Stormy Daniels hush-money case and has set a trial date for March 25 in a blockbuster hearing in a New York court. The 77-year-old will be the first former president to stand in a criminal trial when he faces the jury accused of paying the adult film star $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged affair before the 2016 election. He scowled at the packed courtroom as he walked to the front and sat back in his chair as Judge Juan Merchan rejected his bid to toss the case. As he entered the building surrounded by cops, Trump insisted 'there is no case' and said New York should be focusing on violent crimes and the surge of migrants rather than 'made up crimes'. He ripped into the 'dirty' and 'crime-ridden' Big Apple, claimed President Joe Biden is targeting him because he is ahead in the polls and insisted there is 'no crime' even 'if I am guilty'. Trump was also open about how he wants to delay the trial ahead of the general election and said this was the latest 'interference' plot by his opponents. 'We want delays, obviously. I'm running for election again,' he defiantly told reporters before walking into court. This is not a crime — and when you look at what's going on outside on the streets, where violent crime is at an all time high, it's a great double standard... what it is is election interference. It's being run by Joe Biden's White House 'I love this city and I love this state. They have to focus on violent crime... You have a new form of crime now, you have migrant crime. *'Migrants are trying to beat up our police officers... and they're after me for doing nothing wrong....* Merchan said he had spoken to Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over the January 6th trial in Washington, to coordinate scheduling. The January 6th trial was due to start on March 4th but has been postponed until the Supreme Court decides matters of Presidential immunity. Judge Merchan said: ‘There’s a lot of moving parts in the DC case and really nobody knows what’s going to happen and when it’s going to happen. ‘We’re moving ahead to jury selection on March 25th. Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche protested it would be a 'grave injustice' to move ahead on that date. He said Trump was facing three different other cases in three other jurisdictions and he was in an ‘impossible position’ having to prepare for them all. A frustrated Judge Merchan cut in and asked if there was anything else Blanche wanted to say. When Blanche spoke again, Judge Merchan said: ‘You're not telling me anything you didn’t include in your prior request’. Merchan said he didn’t have a hearing to set the trial date earlier than today because it would have been an ‘absolute waste of time’ given the moving trial dates for the other cases. *When Blanche tried to protest, Judge Merchan said: ‘Stop interrupting me, please’.* Blanche tried to protest that the date for the Florida case about Trump's mishandling of classified documents, set for May 20th, was firm. In court were 17 court security officers and Secret Service agents who closely eyeballed journalists as they sat in the public gallery. Extraordinary security was in place at the New York Criminal Court ahead of the hearing. Roads around the courthouse in downtown Manhattan were closed off and barricades put along the streets with dozens of police officers standing guard. Anyone entering the court had to go through two sets of security screenings: one on the ground floor and a second one on the 15th floor where the courtroom was located. Trump is facing three other criminal trials for election interference and mishandling classified documents, but the hush money case will be first. Trump has denied 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The case hinges on the claim that the records for the $130,000 payment to Daniels with the Trump Organization, Trump's real estate business, were faked in order to cover it up. The star witness is likely to be Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer and fixer, who claims that his former boss reimbursed him with $35,000 checks from his personal funds. Rather than being recorded as a campaign contribution they were marked as legal expenses in breach of the law. In order for Trump to be found guilty of the felony offence, prosecutors would have to show he had an 'intent to defraud' which included the intent to commit or conceal a second crime. Trump's lawyers will likely tear into Cohen, who served three years in jail after admitting tax crimes, lying to Congress and to campaign financial violations in 2018, all in relation to the payment to Daniels. Daniels herself has said she will be testifying some time in March and could reveal embarrassing details about her affair with the former President. *If Trump is convicted is it uncertain if he will spend any time in jail as the charges are Class E felonies, the lowest possible under New York state law.There are also questions over where Trump could even serve his sentence as a conventional prison poses major security risks.* The hearing happened at the same time as an Atlanta court heard arguments about misconduct by prosecutors who have charged him with election interference in a separate case. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL** ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

26-02-24, 23:18	#3
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Stormy-'I Thought He’d Murder Me' -Judge Rules She & Cohen Can Testify in Trial Manhattan DA Asks Judge For a GAG Order in TRUMPS’ Hush-Money Case Ahead of Next Months' Trial Citing "TRUMP has a long history of making public and inflammatory remarks" about people involved in his legal cases. MailOnline 27 FEB 2024 TRUMP leaves Manhattan criminal court, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in New York. A New York judge says TRUMPS' hush-money trial will go ahead as scheduled with jury selection starting on March 25. The Manhattan district attorneys' office asked for what it called a "narrowly tailored" gag order that would bar Trump from making or directing others to make public statements about potential witnesses and jurors, as well as statements meant to interfere with or harass the court's staff, prosecution team or their families. "Self-regulation is not a viable alternative, as defendant´s recent history makes plain," prosecutors wrote in court papers. Trump, they said, "has a longstanding and perhaps singular history" of using social media, campaign speeches and other public statements to "attack individuals that he considers to be adversaries." The requested gag order would not ban Trump from commenting about the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg. Jury selection in the case is scheduled to begin March 25. Barring a last-minute delay, it will be the first of Trump's four criminal cases to go to trial. Judge, Juan Manuel Merchan, didn't immediately rule on the prosecutions' gag order request. Trump lawyer Susan Necheles said the defense will respond in court papers later this week. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's presidential campaign, called the request "election interference pure and simple" and called the case a "sham orchestrated by partisan Democrats desperately attempting to prevent" Trump from returning to the White House. "Today, the 2-tiered system of justice implemented against President Trump is on full display, with the request by another Deranged Democrat prosecutor seeking a restrictive gag order, which if granted, would impose an unconstitutional infringement on President Trump´s First Amendment rights, including his ability to defend himself, and the rights of all Americans to hear from President Trump," Cheung said in a statement. Trump is already subject to a gag order in his separate federal case in Washington charging him with scheming to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. That order was initially imposed in October by the judge overseeing the case and largely upheld by a federal appeals panel two months later, though the court did narrow the initial speech restrictions by giving Trump license to criticize the special counsel who brought the case. Trump was also under a limited gag order in his New York civil fraud trial and was fined $15,000 for twice violating it. Judge Arthur Engoron imposed that gag order on Oct. 3 after Trump made a disparaging social media post about the judge's chief law clerk. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

20-03-24, 10:09	#4
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Stormy-'I Thought He’d Murder Me' -Judge Rules She & Cohen Can Testify in Trial Judge Rules Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen and Karen McDougal Can Testify in TRUMP Hush Money Trial *The judge overseeing TRUMPs’ criminal trial stemming from hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels has rejected the former presidents’ attempts to block her testimony...* Stormy Daniels Describes Her AWFUL 'Experience' With Trump MSNBBC 20 MAR 2024 TRUMP appears inside Manhattan criminal court for a pretrial hearing in his hush money case on 15 February New York Judge Juan Merchan also rejected Mr Trumps’ attempts to block testimony from Michael Cohen, his former attorney who allegedly supported a scheme to bury compromising details of Mr Trumps’ affairs leading up to the 2016 presidential election. *Judge Merchan also rejected Mr Trumps’ attempts to block testimony from former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who allegedly had an affair with Mr Trump before his presidency.* The case from the Manhattan District Attorneys’ office could rely on Cohens’ critical testimony that Mr Trump authorised his business to falsely file payments to Ms Daniels as legal expenses, part of an alleged effort to quash stories that could interfere with then-candidate Trumps’ campaign, according to prosecutors. Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records and has pleaded not guilty. Jury selection was initially set to begin on 25 March, but Judge Merchan agreed to delay the proceedings 30 days after prosecutors said they had received a flood of documents to review less than two weeks before trial was scheduled to start. Last week, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the United States Attorney’s Office produced more than 30,000 pages of records and was expecting thousands more. Those records are likely related to the federal investigation into Cohen, who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign finance charges stemming from the alleged scheme. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about Mr Trumps business dealings with Russia, failing to report income, and for making payments to women who alleged affairs with Mr Trump. In court filings, Mr Trumps attorneys sought to prevent prosecutors from arguing that the scheme sought to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, as well as making any mention of “catch and kill,” in which potentially embarassing stories were purchased through the National Enquirer, which then intentionally suppressed their publication. Judge Merchan rejected those arguments from Mr Trumps' legal team in a lengthy set of rulings responding to several defence motions on Monday. Crucially, the judge will not allow jurors to watch or listen to the so-called Access Hollywood tape from 2005 that resurfaced one month before the 2016 election. *But the judge suggested that prosecutors can discuss the tape and its contents to allege motive for burying hush money payments, without having to actually present the tape as evidence.* On 25 March, prosecutors and defence attorneys will return to the judges’ courtroom for yet another pretrial hearing. This time, Judge Merchan is directing lawyers to provide him with a “detailed timeline of the events surrounding the requests for ultimate production of documents” after prosecutors accused Mr Trump’s legal team of failing to timely request federal documents that could be relevant to the case. That timeline should include any subpoenas, emails and others messages so that the judge can “properly asses who, if anyone, is at fault for the late production of the documents, what prejudice, if any, was suffered by either party and what sanction(s) if any, are appropriate.” Stormy Daniels Describes Her AWFUL 'Experience' With Trump

23-03-24, 11:29	#5
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: Stormy Hush Money Criminal Trial-TRUMP & Sons SPITEFULLY Attack Judge & Daughter Stormy Daniels: I Thought I’d Be Murdered For 'Taking On' TRUMP Donald Trump's legal strategy so far? Delay, Delay, Delay MSNBC 23 MAR 2024 Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg has told a New York judge, "Enough is enough," meaning that there is no need to delay Trumps' criminal hush money trial for a payment made to Stormy Daniels any longer.

25-03-24, 18:41	#6
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Hush Money Judge Slaps Down TRUMPs' Delay Tactic-Criminal Trial is 15 APR 'TRUMP is Not Happy': Hush Money Judge Slaps Down His Delay Tactics-Sets Criminal Trial For 15 APR Judge Had Previously Ruled Stormy Daniels, Michael Cohen and Karen McDougal Can Testify in TRUMP Hush Money Trial MSN 25 MAR 2024 Judge Juan Merchan shot down a request from Donald Trumps' lawyers Monday to give them another 90 days to review documents tangentially related to the Stormy Daniels Hush money case. After battling with Trumps' legal team for demanding sanctions against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs' office, the judge took a break and then returned with an adverse ruling for the former president. As the New Yorkers' Philip Gourevitch reported, "Judge Merchan in the Trump hush money election case rejects Trump lawyers’ shaky plea for more delay and upholds criminal trial start date of April 15." "Donald Trump is not happy after Judge Merchan rejected his efforts to delay or dismiss the criminal hush money case, which will begin with jury selection April 15. He claims Alvin Bragg was forced into bringing the case, which is not true," CNN's Kaitlan Collins reported.

27-03-24, 00:11	#7
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Stormy Hush Money Criminal Trial-TRUMP & Sons SPITEFULLY Attack Judge & Daughter MIGHTY Mouth TRUMP & Sons Donald Trump Jr. & Eric Trump Have Viciously Attacked Judge Merchan and His Daughter RESULT? - TRUMP GAGGED: Hush Money Judge Drops Hammer on Trump How The Hell Can That THUG Get Away With All These VICIOUS Attacks?? - ONLY in America MSRAW 27 MAR 2024 Donald Trump blasted the judge overseeing his first criminal trial and singled out his daughter for an attack. The former president lashed out Tuesday morning after New York Supreme Court justice Juan Merchan refused to further delay his trial in the hush money case involving porn actress Stormy Daniels and scheduled jury selection to begin April 15, and Trump repeated his claims that the prosecution was politically motivated. "Judge Juan Merchan, a very distinguished looking man, is nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome," Trump posted on Truth Social. "In other words, he hates me!" The ex-president and his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have attacked Merchan's adult daughter, who served as director of digital persuasion for Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential campaign and worked indirectly for the Biden-Harris 2020 presidential campaign through a communications firm that contracts with progressive campaigns. "His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam 'Shifty' Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden," Trump posted. The former president's lawyers had asked Merchan to recuse himself, but a New York advisory committee on judicial ethic concluded that that his impartiality could not "reasonably be questioned" based on his daughter's position or a $15 donation he made to the Biden-Harris campaign. Trump then went after Merchan for sentencing his longtime accountant Allen Weisselberg to five months in jail after he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of tax fraud, and the judge will sentence him again April 10 after he pleaded guilty to perjuring himself in testimony in the former president's civil fraud trial. "He was recently the judge on an unrelated trial of a long term employee, elderly and not in good health.," Trump posted. "This judge treated him viciously, telling him either you cooperate or I’m putting you in jail for 15 years. He pled, and went to jail for very minor offenses, highly unusual, served 4 months in Rikers, and now they are after him again, this time for allegedly lying (doesn’t look like a lie to me!), and they threatened him again with 15 years if he doesn’t say something bad about 'TRUMP.' He is devastated and scared!" *"These COUNTRY DESTROYING SCOUNDRELS & THUGS HAVE NO CASE AGAINST ME," he added. "WITCH HUNT!"* *He's so THICK, he doesnt seem to understand that Judge can send him to jail* __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

28-03-24, 04:10	#8
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Deranged TRUMP IGNORES Hush Money Judges' GAG Order & Attacks His Daughter AGAIN Deranged TRUMP Skirts GAG Order With REPEAT Attack on Daughter of Judge in Hush Money Criminal Trial Case TRUMP unloaded a social media attack on NY State Supreme Court 'Hush Money Criminal Trial' Judge Juan M. Merchan and his daughter - a day AFTER the judge slapped him with a gag order. MSNBBC 28 MAR 2024 After Merchan put the limited order in place, Trump called it "unConstitutional" on his Truth Social platform. "Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome... has now issued another illegal, un-American, unConstitutional 'order,' as he continues to try and take away my Rights," Trump complained. "This Judge, by issuing a vicious 'Gag Order,' is wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement, including the fact that Crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their Hacks and Thugs are tracking and following me all across the Country, obsessively trying to persecute me, while everyone knows I have done nothing wrong!" Trump also singled out Merchan's daughter for posting "a picture of me behind bars." "So, let me get this straight, the Judge's daughter is allowed to post pictures of her 'dream' of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me, and the Lunatics trying to destroy my life, and prevent me from winning the 2024 Presidential Election, which I am dominating?" he asked. Merchan's gag order included "the family members of any counsel or staff member" but excluded the judge and New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It was put in place just hours after Trump launched into an earlier attack on the judge and his daughter on Monday, calling them "country-destroying scoundrels." The case alleges that Trump was involved in paying $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, during the final weeks of his 2016 presidential campaign. This payment was intended to prevent Daniels from publicly discussing an affair she claimed to have had with Trump in 2006. Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted to arranging the payment and stated that it was done at Trump's direction. The legal scrutiny in this matter delves into whether these payments violated campaign finance laws by not being properly reported, considering them unrecorded contributions aimed at influencing the election outcome. 'This NEVER Happens': Watergate Prosecutor Stunned by TRUMPs' Behaviour Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Akerman told CNN's Fredricka Whitfield that the level of contempt and open hostility former President Donald Trump has for courts deciding his fate is something he's never seen in his entire experience in the criminal justice system. This comes as New York Judge Juan Merchan becomes the latest to impose a gag order on Trump in the hush money trial, to stop his attacks on court officers and witnesses — something in the past he has been fined for violating. "I really want to get into this gag order with a New York Supreme Court judge, who imposes this limited gag order on Donald Trump because the history of Donald Trump disrespecting the court," said Whitfield. "This is now necessary, isn't it?" *Akerman agreed. "It is," he said.* IMO Judge Juan M. Merchan is being VERY patient and controlled for a reason...HE will have the 'last words' when he issues TRUMPs' punishment.. Hopefully a PRISON sentence ... REVENGE IS BEST SERVED COLD**

29-03-24, 22:33	#9
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors FED Judge Speaks Out After TRUMP Attacks N.Y. Hush Money Judges' Daughter Federal Judge delivers RARE response after TRUMP attacks the daughter of a judge Reggie Walton gave a rare interview to Kaitlan Collins and explained why he's concerned about the attacks on Judges. Reuters 29 MAR 2024 Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton produced by the Federal Judiciary A federal judge took the rare step late Thursday of appearing on a cable news show to speak out against threats to the judiciary and respond to attacks former President Donald Trump has leveled against the daughter of the judge presiding over his upcoming New York criminal trial. Senior U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins for an interview in which the news anchor asked the Washington, D.C.-based judge his views about attacks Trump had leveled on social media against Justice Juan Merchan. "Well, it's very disconcerting to have someone making comments about a judge," Walton said. "And it's particularly problematic when those comments are in the form of a threat, especially if they're directed at one's family." Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the November presidential election, has in recent days attacked Merchan and his daughter ahead of his April 15 criminal trial on charges related to hush money paid to the porn star Stormy Daniels. Trump called Merchan's daughter a "Rabid Trump Hater" in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Thursday that was written two days after Merchan issued a gag order barring Trump from publicly commenting about witnesses and court staff. That order did not cover the judge and his family, an exclusion Walton called appropriate. But Walton, an appointee of Republican former President George W. Bush, said he was worried posts like Trump's could "resonate with others." *Wish Judge Reggie Walton was on THE 'CORRUPT' US SUPREME COURT...*

01-04-24, 16:27	#10
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP-Most Dangerous Defendant MUST be IMPRISONED-No-Ones' LISTENING Prosecutor Calls For TRUMPs’ Pre-Trial IMPRISONMENT -WHY is No-One LISTENING TRUMP - Most Dangerous Defendant, MUST be IMPRISONED For The Safety of Others; "He's a danger to the community, he's a danger to the witnesses, he's a danger to the jurors, he's a danger to the judges and their staff, he's a danger to the prosecutors and their staffs, he's a danger to the family members of all of those groups" MSNBC 1 APR 2024 CRAZY TRUMP Launches YET ANOTHER Attack on Judges’ Daughter - This Time With Photos... *Trump has attacked the judges’ daughter at least THREE other times in the last week.* An experienced former Department of Justice prosecutor is now calling for former President Donald Trump to be remanded to jail ahead of his trial in the wake of his constant attacks on judges, prosecutors and their families. During a Friday segment on MSNBC, former assistant US Attorney Glenn Kirschner recalled how in his 30-year career, he was "obliged" to file a motion for pre-trial detention if he thought a defendant presented a threat to the community, or even just one single person. He lamented that Trump has so far not been held to that standard by any of the prosecutors trying him, and referred to the 45th president of the United States as the "single most dangerous defendant who's on pre-trial release in the United States of America." "Thus far, the institutions of government, and the good people that populate those institutions, have been willing to sacrifice the safety of all of those people. Indeed, they've been willing to bet the future of our democracy on it rather than hold Donald Trump accountable as the law provides in the pre-trial detention arena," he continued. "That is the solution to the problem." & 'Threatening The President is a Crime': BUT... Biden FINALLY gets the good news he's been waiting for -Marilyn Lands flipped a Republican-held seat by 25 points by running a campaign based on protecting abortion rights and IVF..... READ MORE: 'Complete disrespect': Legal experts say Trumps' attacks on judges will tank his appeals READ MORE: 'You should be assassinated': Judge and clerk inundated with 'credible' threats after Trump rant Prosecutors allege Trump and defendants engaged in "criminal enterprise" with 30 unindicted co-conspirators

02-04-24, 11:41	#11
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors Judge Expands TRUMP GAG Order Noting - 'The THREAT is VERY Real' The New York judge overseeing Donald J. Trump’s upcoming criminal trial expanded an existing gag order on Monday after TRUMP AGAIN attacks N.Y. Hush Money Judges' daughter. MSNBBC 2 APR 2024 Judge Juan Merchan has now barred the former president from attacking the family members of those involved in his upcoming criminal trial. Trump is now prohibited from attacking Judge Juan Merchan‘s family members or those of District Attorney Alvin Bragg. That’s added to restrictions that restrict Trump’s comments on witnesses, as well as court staff and other prosecutors and their families. Trump also is restricted in commenting on jurors or prospective jurors. Earlier today, Bragg’s office had called on Merchan to clarify the gag order, after Trump has continuously attacked the judge’s daughter by name and posted an article featuring her picture. Trump’s legal team said that Trump was arguing that the judge should be recused in the case. Trump has argued that the judge’s daughter is biased against him. But Merchan, in his ruling, wrote that “to argue that the most recent attacks, which included photographs, were ‘necessary and appropriate in the current environment,’ is farcical.” Trump faces criminal charges related to hush money payments made to former porn actress Stormy Daniels in advance of the 2016 election. He has plead not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. In his original gag order, Merchan wrote that, given the pending start of the trial, “it is without question that the imminent risk of harm is now paramount.” He wrote that Trump’s statements “establishes a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” In his most recent order, Merchan wrote that “the average observer, must now, after hearing [Trump’s] recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well. Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitutes a direct attack on the Rule of Law itself.” *Stormy Daniels Gets Emotional, Says “And Fck Trump”**

04-04-24, 14:30	#12
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors GENIUS and HONOURABLE Hush Money Judge Juan Merchan Tells TRUMP He CANT Claim Presidential Immunity in His Upcoming CRIMINAL Trial, Because He WASN'T EVEN President When The Offense Occurred - REVENGE is BEST Served COLD...BOOM BOOM *'Fair Game': Expert Says Judges' Rejection of Trump Immunity Unlocks KEY Evidence* MSNBC 4 APR 2024 Specifically, it was never in question whether Trump could be charged for the offense itself, because the alleged business fraud to conceal the payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels took place before Trump was even president. and before he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony criminal charges... Trump hush-money Judge Juan Merchan and his famiiy are now under heightened protection after decision Who is Juan Manuel Merchan? This is not the first time that Judge Merchan has been involved in hearing a case concerning Trump. Last year, he had presided over the tax-fraud trial, which led to the conviction of the Trump Organization’s Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. The New York County Supreme Court judge has been on the current bench for more than 16 years. However, the current case related to Trump’s hush money pay-off will be the most high-profile case he may have presided over during his entire career. xxxxxxxx Former President Donald Trump lost his ploy to claim presidential immunity in the Manhattan hush money case, with New York Judge Juan Merchan saying Trump did not properly make the claim in an orderly fashion. The effect of this is somewhat different from the other cases where Trump has claimed immunity What Trump was seeking was for all his communications, including tweets, about the matter while he was president to be excluded. "Since the judge just rejected Trump's motion to exclude evidence on presidential immunity grounds, this tweet remains fair game for prosecutors for now," wrote Klasfeld. And that matters, he said, because the tweets that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg can now use as evidence, including a 2018 claim that his former attorney Michael Cohen's brokering of an "NDA" with Daniels was unrelated to his campaign, imply Trump had full knowledge of the scheme for which he is being charged — limiting his ability to claim this wasn't his doing. Some other Trump cases could hinge entirely on whether courts are willing to grant him presidential immunity. The federal election interference case is currently on hold while the Supreme Court considers the issue, and the Georgia racketeering case would also be affected. "In arguing presidential immunity should apply to the NY criminal case, Trump wasn't trying to throw out the case," she said Wednesday. "His argument, as @KlasfeldReports has noted, was that the DA shouldn't be able to use evidence of his official acts, including tweets which remains fair game." "Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA. These agreements are," according to the tweet. Former President Donald Trumps' CLOWN supporters and allies went berserk after Judge Juan Merchan ruled the former president can't assert presidential immunity in his Manhattan hush money criminal case, which is scheduled to start later this month. Aside from the fact that the alleged offenses happened before he even became president, Merchan found Trump had exhausted the window of time when he could even raise such objections. This comes as Trump has launched a volley of attacks against Merchan and his family. Merchans' latest order only further inflamed anger from the DANGEROUS MAGA world. "Judge Merchan thinks he knows more than SCOTUS by refusing to wait until SCOTUS rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim," wrote MAGA commentator Charles R. Downs. "In his decision, Merchan refers to J6 as an insurrection. Merchan’s anti-Trump bias is quite evident. Trump can’t receive a fair trial in New York." "HOLY SHT: In a new filing denying Trump's claims of immunity, Judge Juan Merchan calls Jack Smith's J6 case against Trump in DC the 'FEDERAL INSURRECTION MATTER,'" wrote self-proclaimed "insurrection denier" and political strategist Julie Kelly. "Can someone send this clown a copy of the indictment?" Mamaaaaa...* Judge rejected Trumps' request to delay hush-money trial until high court rules on immunity

08-04-24, 21:07	#13
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP Preps to Sue GENIUS Judge Merchan in Hush-Money Case -to STOP Trial TRUMP Readies to Sue GENIUS Judge Merchan in Stormy Daniels Hush-Money Case --to STOP Trial Donald Trump was ready on Monday to sue the judge in his New York hush-money case a week before the start of the much-anticipated trial detailing yet another attempt by him to delay legal proceedings against . The Guardian 8 APR 2024 If TRUMP is so innocent, why is he doing everything to avoid clearing his name? Citing court records indicating the filing of sealed documents and two unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, the paper said the aim was to delay trial and challenge a gag order imposed by the judge. “Mr Trump’s unorthodox move – essentially an appeal in the form of a lawsuit – is unlikely to succeed, particularly so close to trial,” the paper said. Facing 34 criminal charges related to hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels, an adult film star who claimed an affair with him, Trump has pleaded not guilty. He has repeatedly attacked the judge in the case, Juan Merchan, and members of his family, alleging political bias. The trial is set for Manhattan next Monday and will be the first criminal trial involving a former US president. Trump, the Times said, was also expected to ask an appeals court to move the trial out of Manhattan, his home borough before his post-presidency move to Florida but a heavily Democratic area. That gambit was also deemed unlikely to succeed. Harry Litman, a US attorney turned law professor and commentator, said: “Trump’s latest desperate move of personally suing Merchan in the appellate division is reminiscent of his initial gambit in Palm Beach [Florida], where judge [Aileen] Cannon permitted him to take the whole action off track [in his classified information case]. “But won’t happen here. Imagine if a criminal defendant could do this … ” The Times said the suit would be an Article 78 action, under New York laws that can be used to challenge state agencies and judges. Trump faces 54 other criminal charges: 40 in Florida, over his retention of classified information after leaving office, and 14 over his attempt to overturn the 2020 election – 10 in Georgia and four in Washington DC. Trump also faces multimillion-dollar penalties in two civil cases, both in New York, one concerning tax fraud and the other for defamation arising from a rape allegation a judge called “substantially true”. Denying all wrongdoing and claiming political persecution, Trump is attempting to delay all cases against him until after the presidential election in November. If he were to defeat Joe Biden and return to the White House, he could ensure the dismissal of federal charges in the classified information case and in four charges of election subversion. State charges would be tougher to deal with. In the New York hush-money case, Merchan last week denied an attempt to delay trial until the US supreme court rules on Trump’s claim of immunity regarding any act committed in office, lodged in his federal election subversion case. *Merchan has also rejected one call to recuse himself and is thought overwhelmingly likely to reject another.*

10-04-24, 18:43	#14
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors TRUMPs’ Lawyers File Yet Another Appeal in Hush Money Case TRUMP again demands delay in hush money case amid court filing BLITZ MSRAW 10 APR 2024 Trumps' legal team filed yet another appeal in his criminal hush money case linked to his presidential immunity claim, according to a new report. The appeal filed Wednesday also challenges Judge Juan Merchan, whose "refusal" to recuse himself Trump's lawyers condemn, CNN reports. Trump's legal team reportedly filed a two-page notice in which they argue the New York City criminal court judge exceeded his authority in a public docket ruling and gag order demand, then request an appeals court hearing in May. CNN appears to have gotten a long-shot glimpse at a court filing that first appeared publicly online, then was sealed. "The filings are the latest in a blitz to throw sand in the gears of the trial," CNN's Kara Scannell writes. "Trump’s lawyers earlier this week asked the appeals court to stop the trial over pretrial publicity and the gag order. Both times, the requests to take emergency steps to delay the trial were swiftly denied." Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in a scheme, as contended by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, to pay hush money to adult film start Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, court records show. The trial has been scheduled to head to court Monday after a previous effort earned Trump a 20-day delay. The former president had sought to dismiss the case entirely and was reportedly left "not happy" by Merchan's ruling. Two further delay attempts were denied on Monday and Tuesday by two different judges. This is one of four criminal trials the former president, and presumptive Republican nominee, faces.... *& No, Mr Trump, fraud is NOT protected by the First Amendment*

11-04-24, 14:24	#15
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Hush Money Manhattan D.A Bragg 'If You LIE For TRUMP-You'll Go to Jail' Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Just Sent a Reality Check to Witnesses Who Would Lie For TRUMP D.A Alvin Bragg seems to be firing a warning shot to Trump allies who are tempted to lie under oath - TRUMPs’ former CFO Allen Weisselbergs' new five-month prison sentence for perjuring himself should give incentives to other TRUMP witnesses to tell the truth . There Has Been a BLITZ of Filings in Hush Money Case as His Lawyers are Concerned He'll Go to Jail...PLUS Trump Lawyers Make HUMILIATING MISTAKE Right Before Trial MSRAW 11 APR 2024 Days before Donald Trump is expected to go on trial for allegedly falsifying business records to hide payments to conceal hush money payments. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg seems to be firing a warning shot to Trump allies who are tempted to lie under oath. While appearing on MSNBC's "Alex Wagner Tonight," legal analyst Jeremy Saland argued that former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg's new five-month prison sentence for perjuring himself should give incentives to other Trump witnesses to tell the truth on the witness stand in the coming weeks. "I see it not as a chilling effect that will adversely impact these witnesses to say we shouldn't testify," he said. "But it will be more in terms of reality check that if you make believe and if you tell that story that isn't true and you misrepresent, we as prosecutors will do our homework and hold you accountable." Weisselberg pleaded guilty in March to two felony counts of perjury after acknowledging he offered false testimony involving the size of former President Donald Trump's triplex apartment inside Trump Tower. Saland said that seeing Weisselberg get more jail time could erase any temptation other witnesses may feel to not be fully forthcoming during testimony. "Otherwise, that exposure can be huge and they don't want to become the storyline," he added. *"This is Donald Trumps' storyline. Not theirs."* Trump headed to 'The Presidential Suite at Rikers Island' if found guilty: ...AND *his lackies will sleep nearby...* *PLUS... TRUMP Drowned in Mockery After His Lawyers Subpoena The WRONG* Person ..DUH...**

12-04-24, 12:53	#16
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP Hush Money SHOCKER Witness List Inc Playmate LOCKS The Cell Door TRUMP Hush Money CRIMINAL Trial Witness List Revealed-Inc Playmate & White House OPS Director TRUMPs‘ Trial of The Century: An ex-President set to go on trial for alleged porn star payments Stormy on The Stand? There is going to be some 'Stormy Weather' at this trial. The list may hint at prosecution strategy MSNBBC 12 APR 2024 Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg makes his case in the criminal trial of Trump One witness with unique access to the events surrounding the arrangement of payments to Stormy Daniels through Trump attorney Michael Cohen is Madeleine Westerhout, the former director of Oval Office operations in Trumps' White House. *Witnesses in Trumps' hush money trial to include former members of his inner circle* To try to prove their criminal hush money case against former President Donald Trump, prosecutors in New York are expected to rely on several witnesses who are or were part of Trump's inner circle, including his longtime assistant, Rhona Graff, his former director of Oval Office operations, Madeleine Westerhout, and longtime trusted aide, Hope Hicks, sources familiar with the case told ABC News. The sources said prosecutors with the Manhattan district attorney's office are also expected to call Deborah Tarasoff, who worked in the Trump Organizations' accounting department, and Jeffrey McConney, the Trump Organizations' former controller, as well as Trumps' former attorney and so-called "fixer," Michael Cohen. McConney is also expected to testify in Trumps' defense. Other former Trump aides who appeared before the grand jury that probed the case are not expected to be called as trial witnesses, including Trumps longtime adviser Kellyanne Conway, the sources said. Madeleine Westerhout: White House aide fired after leaks on Trump family Westerhout -- who also served as Trumps' executive assistant for the first two-and-a-half years of his presidency -- was subpoenaed to testify by the Manhattan district attorney, according to her lawyer Jason Wright. He told ABC News that Westerhout does not know when or if she will be called to the witness stand. Former American Media Inc. executive David Pecker is also expected to testify, and National Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard could also be a prosecution witness, sources said. Both played an integral role in what prosecutors say was a "scheme" to "catch and kill" negative stories about Trump during his first campaign for president. "[Pecker] agreed to help with the Defendant's campaign, saying that he would act as the 'eyes and ears' for the campaign by looking out for negative stories about the Defendant and alerting [Cohen] before the stories were published," prosecutors alleged in a filing. Rhona Graff, executive assistant to Donald Trump attends Olympus... Attorneys for Trump have hammered at the credibility of prosecution witnesses, including Cohen, in recent court filings. "Cohen is not a truth teller, he is a serial liar," defense lawyers wrote in a February motion to argue that the judge should limit testimony from Cohen, Daniels and others. Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the federal probes into Trump's handling of classified documents and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, is also relying on some of Trump's closest aides, advisers and allies to build those two criminal cases. *The indictments in both of those cases are structured using the words of people around Trump during his waning days in office.* Karen McDougal In the New York case, the sources also said both Daniels and Karen McDougal -- a former Playboy model who received a $150,000 payment from AMI for rights to her story about an alleged affair with Trump -- are also expected to testify at trial. Trump has denied having affairs with both McDougal and Daniels. "I'm absolutely ready. I've been ready," Daniels told ABC's "The View" last month. "I relish the day that I get to face him and speak my truth." Dino Sajudin, a former doorman who was paid $30,000 to stay quiet after shopping claims, later discredited, that Trump had a love child with a building employee, was a prospective witness in the case but is no longer expected to testify at the trial, according to sources familiar with the matter. In a ruling last month, Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan cleared the way for witnesses including Daniels, McDougal and Sajudin to testify because their actions "flow directly from the 2015 meeting at Trump Tower where Pecker, Cohen" and Trump agreed to the 'catch-and-kill' scheme, the judge said. *"The evidence and testimony surrounding these individuals is inextricably intertwined with the narrative of events and is necessary background for the Jury," Merchan wrote.* Rhona Graff, Madeleine Westerhout and Hope Hicks are Expected to Testify. Checkmate For Trump? Tabloid crimes are key to DA’s case to convict Trump for jailable crimes He's Going DOWNNNN: TRUMPs‘ Prison Fears Rise as Trial Insider Previews DAMNING Case TRUMPs' Face LIES to You Without Saying a Word

14-04-24, 18:20	#17
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors 'A Frightened, Clucking Chicken': Columnist Roasts TRUMPs' Terror of Going to Trial and PRISON Why Prosecution Will ‘Filet’ TRUMP in Hush-Money Trial 'Mortifying personal details' have TRUMP on edge as hush money trial takes center stage MSRAW 14 APR 2024 Following a string of courthouse losses that have cost Donald Trump hundreds of millions in fines, the former president will finally enter a courtroom on Monday to face 34 felony counts that could lead to prison time and that reality is weighing heavily upon him, reports the New York Times. On the day before the former president will attend the beginning of his so-called "hush money" trial related to paying off adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair before the 2016 presidential election, the Times reports that this court case has "struck a nerve" with Trump. Adding to that is his knowledge that what will come out during testimony will likely be embarrassing for a man who is already deeply unpopular in Manhattan where he used to make his home. With Donald Trump slated to appear in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday where he faces 34 counts of first-degree falsifying business records that could lead to four years in jail, a popular USA Today columnist taunted the former president over his series of attempts to avoid going to court. According to columnist Rex Huppke, despite his "alpha male" posturing, the former president is nothing more than a "chicken" with all of his "griping and whining and woe-is-me-ing." As Huppke pointed out, for all his bluster at being railroaded one would think the former president would relish entering into a court of law to set the record straight instead of attempting every delay tactic in the book. "You’d think an abundantly confident macho man like Trump would be chomping at the bit to get into a courtroom with his lawyers and prove the 'Thugs and Radical Left Monsters' wrong, to pull back the curtain on this unjust persecution/prosecution, to shove the evidence of his angelic innocence right in their smug faces," he wrote. "At this rate I expect he’ll show up to court Monday in a WHAAAAAAAAmbulance then get carried in on a stretcher, moaning about how the deep state gave him typhoid fever." Pointing out that the former president is not giving off the vibe of a "bold, confident man who knows he’s innocent and will fight to prove the naysayers wrong," he added, "That’s probably because Trump is not a bold, confident man who knows he’s innocent, and he doesn’t know how to 'fight.' He just slings mud and runs away hollering: 'I have never slung any mud! That is FAKE NEWS!'" "He is terrified of that moment. The narcissism at his core has never met accountability. If he had a lick of confidence, he wouldn’t be paying attorneys – probably with GOP donor money, not his own – to pull every whack-a-doodle legal trick they can muster to delay, delay, delay," he charged before stating, "He wouldn’t be spending hours online and at rallies griping and whining and woe-is-me-ing. He’d be ready, self-assured and eager to clear his name. He’d be tough. He’s not. *Trump is a chicken. A frightened, clucking chicken who, as of Monday, will have no room left to run."* See The Robust Security in Place For Trump Trial; __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

15-04-24, 18:13	#18
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Hush Money: Sex Tape Cant be Used-Only Transcript/Shrunken TRUMP Dozes Off Alvin Bragg Can't Show Jury Access Hollywood Tape, But He Can Use Transcript -Judge Shrunken TRUMP looks as if the 'reality of the trial' has hit him..Trump seen 'dozing off' during hush money trial: 'His chin just hit his chest' MSRAW 15 APR 2024 Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday that Trump's prosecutors cannot show the jury in his hush money trial the infamous "Access Hollywood" tape — but he has allowed the transcript to be used during the trial. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg wanted to use the tape, in which Trump brags about how his celebrity lets him make sexual advances to women, as evidence. Trump is accused of paying hush money to an adult movie actress to hide an affair. The payment was allegedly negotiated not long after the "Access Hollywood" tape leaked as Trump feared the details would be damaging if heard by voters before the 2016 election, Bragg alleges. The decision was reported by MSNBC's legal analyst Lisa Rubin, who is live-tweeting the pre-trial debates as jury selection kicks off in Trump's case on Monday. Part of the transcript includes Trump talking with Inside Edition host Billy Bush about a woman. He's heard saying, "I better use some Tic Tacs just in case I start kissing her. You know I'm automatically attracted to beautiful... I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star they let you do it. You can do anything." "Merchan also rules that a snippet of Trump’s deposition by Robbie Kaplan in the E. Jean Carroll case — in which he says historically, stars have indeed been able to grab women by their genitals and yes, he’s a star — would add nothing and keeps it out," Rubin also reported. The move comes after Trump suffered his first loss in the case after Merchan refused his request that the judge be recused due to his daughter's job as a political consultant with Democratic Party clients. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

16-04-24, 04:22	#19
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: 7 Jurors–TRUMP Contempt Charge & WARNING By Judge For Intimidating Jurors Meet TRUMPs' VERY Glamorous Right-Hand Woman: Margo Martin Deputy Communications Chief Donald Trump certainly knows how to make an entrance, but on the first day of his hush money criminal trial, he was forced to share center stage with another rather more glamorous attendee MailOnline 16 APR 2024 Melania's doppelganger. Inside the jet-set life of 28-year-old Melania lookalike as she makes stunning court appearance.... Margo, 28, who shares a striking resemblance to the former President's wife, Melania Trump, oozed confidence as she entered the courtroom alongside Trump, opting for a chic black pantsuit and leaving her long ombre locks in beach-like waves around her face. The communications guru kept a straight face as she made her way inside the courtroom, where she watched on as more than 50 of the 96 potential jurors in the trial were excused after admitting that they couldn't be impartial in the case, which marks the first time a former President has faced criminal trial. But while she also drew the spotlight in the courtroom, elsewhere, Margo has already become a star in her own right, gaining tens of thousands of followers online for flaunting the many lavish perks that come with working with a prominent political figure. She was first propelled into the spotlight last year, after a reporter actually mistook her for Melania, 53, as she entered the United States Courthouse in Miami for Trump's arraignment in a separate case. Margo has become a star in her own right, gaining tens of thousands of followers online for flaunting the many lavish perks that come with working with a prominent political figure The world was a buzz with speculation about the identity of Melania's doppelganger. Her latest appearance at the first day of his trial, which saw the former President being at one point being accused of falling asleep before tearing into a judge for warning he may have to skip his son Barron's high school graduation, will no doubt help to cement her status as one of the most glamorous faces in US politics. But what of Margo's life away from D.C. and her glitzy rise to the top of the Trump food chain? Margo, an Oklahoma native, previously served as the Deputy Director of Communications for Trump's Save America PAC, which was used mainly to send emails to supporters and organize his continued rallies across the country. She's usually seen eating in top restaurants, partying in celebrity hotspots, jetting off on glamorous vacations, travelling via the former President's private plane, or enjoying beach days in Palm Beach, Florida, where it seems she is based now. Some of her travels around the globe recently have included trips to Scotland, Ireland, and India. Trump and Margo arrived together at a Manhattan court on Monday for jury selection. A jury of 12 New York residents will decide his fate and will be selected from a pool of hundreds in a process that could take as long as two weeks. John Dean Predicts How Long Jury Selection Could Last in Trump Criminal Trial Former Nixon White House counsel John Dean reacts to more than half of the first group of potential jurors in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial saying that they cannot be impartial. Why This Trump Trial Could Finally Put Trump In Jail TRUMPs' Jury Selection DAY ONE 1st day ends without any jurors being picked. The day began with pretrial arguments — including over a potential fine for Trump — before moving in the afternoon into jury selection, where the parties will decide who might be picked to determine the legal fate of the former, and potentially future, American president. After the first members of the jury pool, 96 in all, were summoned into the courtroom, Trump craned his neck to look back at them, whispering to his lawyer as they entered the jury box. Underscoring the difficulty, only about a third of the 96 people in the first panel of potential jurors remained after the judge excused some members. More than half the group was excused after telling the judge they could not be fair and impartial. At least nine more were excused after raising their hands when Merchan asked if they could not serve for any other reason. Merchan has written that the key is “whether the prospective juror can assure us that they will set aside any personal feelings or biases and render a decision that is based on the evidence and the law.” Jury Selection will continue Tuesday

16-04-24, 23:48	#20
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: DAY 1-Hush Money Trial-TRUMP Miserable & Angry-1st Witness BOMBSHELLS Seven Jurors –And WARNING For TRUMP -Scolded By Judge Merchan For Muttering And Intimidating Jurors TRUMP Faces Contempt Charge After Social Media Posts About New York Trial Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg alleges TRUMP violated gag order with Truth Social posts about witnesses in hush-money case.....‘No more games’: Judge puts Trump lawyers on notice on criminal trial’ The Guardian 17 APR 2024 Trump rebuked as hush-money trial judge warns against juror intimidation It has not taken long for Donald Trump to land himself in hot water with Juan Merchan, the judge in his hush-money trial. It only took one day for Donald Trump to land in hot water with judge Juan Merchan. Immediately after a potential juror exited the courtroom after being questioned by Trump’s attorney about her social media posts, Merchan said that he could hear Trump “muttering” while she had been standing less than 12ft away from him – and issued a stern warning to the former president. “It was audible. He was gesturing and he was speaking in the direction of the juror,” a visibly irritated Merchan told Trump’s attorney, raising his voice. “I will not have any jurors intimidated in this courtroom.” He then directed Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, to speak to Trump about his behaviour. The exchange was one of the testier moments in the first full day of jury selection for Trump’s first criminal trial, as Trump’s attorney tried to remove any potential jurors who had displayed negative views of the former president. Merchan rejected many of those efforts – “The question is not whether someone agrees with your client politically or not. The question is whether or not they can be fair and impartial,” Merchan told Blanche at one point – but he did agree to dismiss a few, including a prospective juror who had previously called for Trump to be jailed. About an hour after day one of Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan closed, the former president published the first of what would be a series of posts on Truth Social about his disdain for the trial, specifically his required attendance. *The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, filed a motion in papers made public on Tuesday to hold Trump in contempt of court for violating a partial gag order in the case.* Prosecutors said that Trump had already violated his gag order three times, posting about the witnesses Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels on social media. They asked the judge to fine Trump $3,000 for the violation. Merchan said he will hold a hearing on the alleged violations on 23 April. In his posts, Trump blasted Judge Juan Merchan for requiring Trump to attend the trial every day it is in session. The trial, centered on hush-money payments Trump funneled to the adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election, is expected to last at least six weeks. Daniels said she and Trump had a brief affair in 2006. Attending the trial, Trump said, would mean he will have to miss the high school graduation of his son, Barron Trump. “Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony, something that we have been talking about for years,” Trump wrote on Monday afternoon after court ended for the day. Trump called Merchan a “Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge” overseeing “a bogus ‘Biden Case’”. Trump said that he would also be unable to attend the US supreme court hearing arguments for his presidential immunity claims over the January 6 insurrection. “This shows such great disdain and disrespect for our Nation’s Highest Court, especially for a topic so important as Presidential Immunity, without which our country would never be the same!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Though Merchan subjected Trump to a gag order before the trial began, it only extends to prosecutors other than Bragg, witnesses, court employees, jurors and their families. Trump is free to criticize Merchan himself, though it will probably not help Trump win the favor over the judge, who will decide on Trump’s sentence if the jury finds him guilty. Before the trial, Merchan extended the gag order to cover his family and Bragg’s family after Trump posted about Merchan’s daughter, who worked for a company that helped Democratic candidates with digital campaigns. Trump and his lawyers have twice tried to get Merchan recused from the case, to no avail. Trump’s lawyers in court argued that the posts were not covered by the gag order as Trump was responding to allegations the witnesses made. In another post on Tuesday morning Trump called Merchan a “Trump Hating Judge” who “won’t let me respond to people that are on TV lying and spewing hate all day long. Seven Jurors Trump Scolded By Judge Merchan For Intimidating Juror Dismissed Juror Kara McGee speaks to the media Tuesday in New York City. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

18-04-24, 20:03	#21
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: DAY 1-Hush Money Trial-TRUMP Miserable & Angry-1st Witness BOMBSHELLS Hush-Money; Direct Line Drawn Between Fox News Broadcast and TRUMP Jurors Dismissal -DIRTY Fox News Broadcast Personal Jurors Info -2 WITHDRAW- 5 Left Fox News personalities Tucker Carlson and Jeanine Pirro have come under criticism in recent weeks for controversial comments and multiple advertisers have pulled away from their shows. MSRAW 18 APR 2024 "Juror No. 2" in the Trump hush-money trial was dismissed on Thursday after she raised concerns that her identity might have already been compromised. Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake immediately drew a line between her dismissal and a Tuesday night segment on Fox News in which host Jesse Watters broadcast some personal details about the jurors, whose names are being not identified publicly. "Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday broadcast extensive biographical details about Juror No. 2 — her neighborhood, occupation, education, marital and family status, and what industry her fiancé works in," Blake writes on Twitter. "He concluded by saying, 'I'm not so sure about Juror No. 2.'" This juror that Watters said he wasn't "so sure about" was the same one who was dismissed Thursday after expressing concerns about being identified. Watters followed up his segment on Wednesday by declaring, without providing any evidence, that "undercover liberal activists" were "lying" about their feelings about former President Donald Trump to get on the jury and convict him no matter the evidence. Trump would subsequently promote these claims on his Truth Social page, which would lead to immediate accusations of him violating a gag order that prevented him from talking about jurors in the trial. Trump has continuously pushed the limits when it comes to his gag order and prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office on Thursday accused him of violating it in seven separate instances since the hearing started on Monday, including with direct attacks on witnesses in the case such as former "fixer" Michael Cohen. Trumps’ recent social media post today is an ‘attempt to intimidate jurors’ So far, however, Judge Juan Merchan has not hit Trump with any punishments for prospective gag order violations, although he did reprimand Trump for interacting with a prospective juror while in court on Tuesday. A hearing concerning gag order violations is scheduled for April 23. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

19-04-24, 09:16	#22
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: DAY 1-Hush Money Trial-TRUMP Miserable & Angry-1st Witness BOMBSHELLS All 12 Jurors Seated in TRUMP Hush-Money Trial After Two Dismissals First criminal trial of a former president one significant step closer to beginning after full jury selected in New York The Guardian 19 APR 2024 A full jury of 12 people has been seated in the criminal case against Donald Trump, bringing the first criminal trial of a former president a significant step closer to beginning. At least one of six alternate jurors had been selected before court concluded on Thursday. The development came after two jurors were removed, underscoring the difficulty of choosing a jury in one of the most high-stakes cases in US history. Trump arrived at the Manhattan criminal court on Thursday for the third day of his hush-money trial and a continuation of the tricky process of jury selection. Trump, the first former US president to face criminal trial, sat expressionless throughout the session on Thursday morning, and appeared attentive. The Jurors: Who is on The TRUMP TRIAL Jury? *Seven men and five women have been chosen to sit on the jury in the ex-president’s hush-money trial. Here’s what we know;* The jury is made up of seven men and five women who live in different parts of Manhattan, including the Upper East Side, Harlem, Hell’s Kitchen and the West Village. They come from a range of personal backgrounds and employment histories. Several jurors said they had no strong opinions on Trump, and a few said that they do not closely follow the news. The exact racial makeup of the jury, and the ages of the jurors, is unclear. The full identities of the jury will remain anonymous because of security concerns, but during jury selection the individuals were asked to provide some personal details about themselves. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the criminal hush-money trial, barred reporters from revealing the current and former employers of jurors and urged them not to use physical descriptors that could compromise their identity. Here’s What to Know About Them: Juror No 1 Juror No 1, a man, works in sales and previously worked as a waiter, and has some college education. He is married with no children, and says he gets news from a range of outlets such as the New York Times, the Daily Mail, Fox News and MSNBC. Juror No 2 Juror No 2 is a married man who works in investment banking. He has an MBA in finance. He described himself as someone who “reads basically everything” and said that while he doesn’t hold any strong beliefs or opinions, he does follow the news and sees Trump’s Truth Social posts via Twitter. He told the court that he has not read any of Trump’s books, but has seen quotes from The Art of the Deal. Juror No 3 Juror No 3 is a man who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s, who is originally from the west coast. He works in corporate law and said that he gets his news from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Google. Juror No 4 Juror No 4 is a man who is originally from the west coast. He is a security engineer with some college education, and is married with children. He said he is not on social media, and once served on a criminal jury in the past though could not remember the verdict. When asked if he had any concerns about returning a guilty verdict, he said no. Juror No 5 Juror No 5 is a young woman who said that she has friends with strong opinions on Trump, but that she is not a political person and avoids the news. She said she does appreciate Trump’s candor, and that he “speaks his mind, and I’d rather that than someone who’s in office who you don’t know what they’re thinking”. Juror No 6 Juror No 6 is a woman who works in tech. She told the court that she has no strong feelings about Trump, and pledged to be fair and impartial. She is unmarried with no children, and gets her news from the New York Times, Google, Facebook and TikTok. Juror No 7 Juror No 7 is a man in his late middle age who works as a civil litigator. He is married with children and has never served on a jury. He gets his news from a variety of outlets including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, and the Washington Post, and from podcasts. Juror No 8 Juror No 8 is a retired wealth manager who is married with children. Asked if he had any strong opinions about Trump, he paused for a moment before answering yes. When the judge followed up to ask him if he could be fair and impartial, he said he could. Juror No 9 Juror No 9 is a woman who told the court she believed she could fully follow the judge’s instructions, but was not well versed in legal proceedings. She lives alone, does not follow the news closely and is originally from New Jersey. Juror No 10 Juror No 10 is a man who works in e-commerce and said he does not really check the news, but listens to podcasts on behavioral psychology. He is originally from Ohio. Juror No 11 Juror No 11 is a woman who said she does not follow the news, but does watch late-night comedy shows. She is originally from California, and said she has never rallied for or against Trump. One of her close friends was convicted of financial fraud, she said. Juror No 12 Juror No 12 is a woman who works as a physical therapist. She lived in a few states before coming to New York, reads major news outlets and listens to podcasts about sports and faith. Gagged Trump's jury pool attacks are a big problem for his lawyers Can Trump Go To Jail For Jury Tampering? Judge Juan Merchan is a TOUGH Judge __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

19-04-24, 19:24	#23
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	HORRIFIC -Man Sets Himself on Fire After FULL Hush-Money Jury Sworn In HORRIFIC - Man Sets Himself on FIRE Outside Court After FULL Jury Selected For TRUMPs' Hush-Money Trial Man sets himself on fire outside court as onlookers watch wild blaze, moments after full jury sworn in - He was later extinguished and taken away on a stretcher BBC News 19 APR 2024 Horrifying scenes unfolded outside Donald Trump's hush money trial on Friday after a man set himself on fire in an act of extreme political protest. Man sets himself on fire outside Trump trial in horrific scene. Witnesses described actions as 'political protest' but it was unclear what for. Police described the man as in a 'critical condition' as of 2.20pm The man, who has not yet been named officially, doused himself in gasoline before taking a lighter to his clothes. He was seen kneeling with his hands behind his head as the world's media and horrified onlookers watched. NYPD officers rushed to extinguish the flames. The man was taken away in a gurney and remains in the hospital in critical condition. Moments before he set himself ablaze, he was seen throwing Trump and Biden pamphlets in the air. It remains unclear if the protest was in support of or against the former president, who is currently on trial for hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels. Pamphlets recovered at the scene contained to a link to a Substack written by Max Azzarello. 'I have set myself on fire outside the Trump trial,' the post said. Police are yet to confirm the victim's identity. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

20-04-24, 13:25	#24
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	Hush Money; Judge Said He Would NOT Disclose Witness List to Defense For Their Safety TRUMP Attacks Have Consequences as Hush Money Judge Penalizes Him Beyond a Fine Judge Merchan Said He Would NOT Disclose Witness List to the Defense For Their Safety MSRAW 20 APR 2024 Donald Trump is used to getting away with rule violations, even in a court setting, but those days are over, according to a former prosecutor. Trump spent Thursday in court for jury selection in the former president's upcoming trial for allegations that he broke the law when he purportedly made hush money payments to hide an affair with an adult film star ahead of the 2016 election, and then covered it up by disguising the payment in his financial records. At the end of the day in court, there was a situation in which the judge sided with prosecutors on an issue involving divulging the information of upcoming witnesses. Specifically, New York Judge Juan Merchan said that he would not order the prosecutors to disclose a witness list to the defense team in light of Trump's recent attacks on figures connected to his hush-money case. "We're not telling him who the witnesses are," a prosecutor said, according to reports. "I can't fault them for that," Merchan replied, noting he would not order the prosecution to turn over a witness list. Legal analyst and former prosecutor Renato Mariotti seemed to think this was a pivotal moment for Trump and his case. He quoted MSNBC, which reported that "Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked who the DA's Office plans to call as their first three witnesses. Joshua Steinglass from the office refused on the basis that Trump has been tweeting about them. Judge Merchan said he doesn't blame the DA's office. Blanche said Trump won't tweet about the witnesses — to which Merchan said Blanche can't promise that. *Merchan refused to order the DA's office to name its first three witnesses." The judge said that even Trump's lawyers are powerless to prevent Trump from acting out.* "Trumps' attacks on witnesses finally have real consequences. Typically, the prosecution does reveal the witnesses it will call the next day," Mariotti wrote Thursday. "Judge Merchan exercising discretion to penalize behavior that endangers witnesses will be a far more effective tool than a $1,000 fine." ALSO READ: Revealed: What government officials privately shared about Trump not disclosing finances __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

21-04-24, 09:45	#25
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP Met His Match-Hush Money Judge WARNS You WILL Go to Jail TRUMP Met His Match -Got Stern Warnings From Hush Money Judge About Going to Jail and 'SIT DOWN' Judge Merchan Was Also Apoplectic During Warning to Trump About Jury Comments *--TRUMP Finds Out The Hard Way He Cant Bully Judge Merchan as He Has Done Many Others* TRUMP On The Verge of Handing Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg a Big Win: Donald Trump Has Indicated He Will Take The Witness Stand During His First Criminal Trial in Manhattan MSRAW 21 APR 2024 TRUMP 'fuming' after Judge Merchan made him sit 'like a man addressing his dog' Donald Trump was "firmly scolded" by the judge in his criminal hush money case, and he was also warned that he might go to prison if he doesn't show up at the next hearing date, according to an investigative journalist. Carol D. Leonnig, an investigative journalist appeared on the network on Saturday to discuss Trump's legal problems. The host asked Leonnig about a moment in which Trump was told to sit down by the judge. "How does a moment like that affect trump's psyche?" the host asked. "The judge is the authority in the courtroom, not a criminal defendant, even if that defendant is a former president." Leonnig said the question "illustrates the larger frustration for Donald Trump in his first week in the case." "He is not in the driver's seat. He has to sit in his chair and not allowed to leave except for when the judge dismisses people. He is also not able to speak. That is one of his greatest frustrations because he is the master of the megaphone," she said on Saturday. She pointed out that, "when he was muttering on day two of jury selection, the judge scolded him rather firmly." "And then said there will be none of that. All Trump wants to communicate in this trial one way or another. He wants his voice heard. That is not possible," she added. "The judge also said to Donald Trump in a stern warning, Tuesday, he better be in court or he could be imprisoned and arrested for contempt of court. *This is no joke. When you are on trial, you are on trial and the boss is the judge."* Max Azzarello *--Sadly The Man Who Set Himself on FIRE Outside Court Has Now Died...* Judge Says Trumps Attendance to Hush Money Trial is Mandatory TRUMP On The Verge of Handing Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg a Big Win... TRUMP has indicated that he will take the witness stand during his first criminal trial in Manhattan, and one former DOJ official said that the prosecution is likely hoping he won't change his mind about that.... When reporters asked Trump on Friday if he would testify under oath in his own defense, he responded, "yes." According to Newsweek, Joyce Vance — who was U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Alabama during President Barack Obama's administration — thinks Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is banking on being able to cross-examine the former president. "It's a win for the prosecution either way in this case," Vance tweeted Friday. In a post to her Civil Discourse Substack newsletter, Vance elaborated on her position, saying that Trump "has no business on the witness stand." "As much as I’d like to see this, it’s a sure thing Trump’s lawyers will do everything they can to keep him off the stand," she wrote. "But the decision about whether to testify belongs to the client, and Trump has proven to be a client who is uniquely incapable of listening to the advice of his lawyers." Whether Trump ultimately agrees to take the stand is unknown, but based on a Friday hearing, he knows that prosecutors could potentially ask him about lawsuits he's lost — particularly the most recent $83.3 million defamation judgment in writer E. Jean Carroll's favor. Trump's lawyers have countered that bringing up the Carroll judgment would lead the jury down a confusing "rabbit hole" and fought against the prosecution's efforts to mention the former president's civil court losses. Meanwhile, prosecutor Michael Colangelo said the jury having knowledge of Trump's civil judgments "is critical to assessing the defendant’s credibility if he testifies." Judge Juan Merchan said he would issue a ruling on Monday about what prosecutors can mention while cross-examining Trump, should he decide to testify. Vance wrote that it was "unlikely that he and his lawyers will make a decision until the moment is close at hand and they have seen how the trial is going." "The prospect of being cross-examined on incident after incident showing he’s a notorious liar would be enough to keep most defendants from testifying. It certainly will be in the view of his lawyers," she wrote. Vance pointed out that Trump may be already neglecting the advice of his attorneys based on his behavior in the courtroom when potential jurors were announced. While defendants traditionally stand up as a sign of respect when a juror is introduced — given that they could potentially be seated on the body that will ultimately decide their fate — Trump remained seated. "My friend and former Chicago federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, now a criminal defense lawyer, pointed out that this is the most basic thing defense lawyers instruct their clients to do," Vance wrote. "I have never seen a defendant fail to stand up every time the jury entered or left the courtroom." Opening arguments in Trump's trial will officially begin on Monday, after all 12 jurors and six alternates were seated during last week's voir dire process. The trial is expected to take anywhere from four to six weeks, meaning a verdict on Trump's 34 felony counts will almost certainly be issued before the GOP officially selects its general election nominee at the Republican National Convention this summer. Trump Slams D.A. Alvin Bragg At Harlem Bodega Stop After NYC Hush Money Trial Hearing ‘It’s Huge': Lawyers debating what is fair game if Trump takes the witness stand in trial

21-04-24, 14:07	#26
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP Met His Match-Hush Money Judge WARNS You WILL Go to Jail TRUMP Makes New Plea For Immunity Ahead of Supreme Court Case TRUMP Posts SEVEN Page Presidential Immunity Rant Ahead of His First Criminal Trial Supreme Court Had Agreed to Hear Trump Immunity Case Over a Month Ago MSRAW 21 APR 2024 Donald Trump on Saturday unleashed some of his classic arguments for "full presidential immunity" from all criminal charges, as his first criminal case is bearing down on him. Trump, who is preparing himself for the launch of his first criminal trial, has denied that he falsified financial records to hide a payoff to a woman he had an affair with. He has also sought to argue presidential immunity in the case, despite the payoff predating his presidency, but that request was rejected by the court. Still, just days before the trial is set to begin, the former president took to his social media site, Truth Social, in an attempt to argue all charges against him in all cases should be completely dropped. "IF THEY TAKE AWAY MY PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, THEY TAKE AWAY CROOKED JOE BIDEN’S PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY," Trump wrote in the first post on the subject Saturday. He then claimed that, "WITHOUT PRESIDENTIAL IMMUNITY, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR A PRESIDENT TO PROPERLY FUNCTION, PUTTING THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN GREAT AND EVERLASTING DANGER!" "REMEMBER, if I don’t have Presidential Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t have it either, and he would certainly be Prosecuted for his many ACTUAL CRIMES, including illegally receiving massive amounts of money from Foreign Countries, including China, Ukraine, and Russia, paying off Ukraine to fire an unfriendly prosecutor, allowing millions of people to illegally Enter and Destroy our Country SURRENDERING in Afghanistan, with Hundreds Dead, many Americans Left Behind, and handing over Billions of Dollars Worth of the Best Military Equipment anywhere on Earth, the Decimation of American Wealth through the Green New Scam, and so much more," he wrote. "REMEMBER, Crooked Joe Biden and his CORRUPT JUSTICE DEPARTMENT, D.A.’s and A.G.’s, has attacked his Political Opponent at a level never seen before in this Country, and wants desperately to PUT 'TRUMP' IN PRISON. He is playing a very dangerous game, and the great people of America WILL NOT STAND FOR IT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!" Trump goes on to say that "a President has to be free to determine what is right for our Country without undue pressure." "If there is no Immunity, the Presidency, as we know it, will 'no longer exist,'" he claimed. "Many actions for the benefit of our Country will not be taken. This is in no way what the Founders had in mind. Legal Experts and Scholars have stated that the President must have Full Presidential Immunity. A President must be free to make proper decisions. His mind must be clear, and he must not be guided by the fear of retribution!" Finally, he said legal scholars "are extremely thankful for the Supreme Court’s Decision to take up Presidential Immunity." "Without Presidential Immunity, a President will not be able to properly function, or make decisions, in the best interest of the United States of America. Presidents will always be concerned, and even paralyzed, by the prospect of wrongful prosecution and retaliation after they leave office. This could actually lead to the extortion and blackmail of a President," he added. "The other side would say, 'If you don’t do something, just the way we want it, we are going to go after you when you leave office, or perhaps even sooner.'" He then hammered the point further. "Of course I was entitled, as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, to Immunity. I wasn’t campaigning, the Election was long over. I was looking for voter fraud, and finding it, which is my obligation to do, and otherwise running our Country," he said. " If I don’t get Immunity, then Crooked Joe Biden doesn’t get Immunity, and with the Border Invasion and Afghanistan Surrender, alone, not to mention the Millions of dollars that went into his 'pockets' with money from foreign countries, Joe would be ripe for Indictment. By weaponizing the DOJ against his Political Opponent, ME, Joe has opened a giant Pandora’s Box. 'HUSH MONEY' MODEL Karen McDougal As President, Just look... I was 'protecting' our Country, and doing a great job of doing so Look around at the complete mess that Crooked Joe Biden has caused. The least I am entitled to is Presidential Immunity on Fake Biden Indictments!" JUST IN: Trump Audio Message Tells NC Rally Attendees That Rally Is Delayed Due To Weather __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

23-04-24, 03:02	#27
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: DAY 1-Hush Money Trial-TRUMP Miserable & Angry-1st Witness BOMBSHELLS More SHOCKING Than OJs' & More Devastating Than Michael Cohen: First TRUMP Hush Money Witness Takes Stand *The former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company took the stand Monday as the first witness called in Donald Trumps New York hush money criminal trial* He confirmed, amongst other things, Trumps' motivation and intent when it came to his alleged attempt to buy the silence of an adult film star he's accused of sleeping with. MSRAW 22 APR 2024 David Pecker, who once headed American Media, helped Trump bury embarrassing stories before they had a chance to circulate in the media. *He was also a key figure in the scheme to cover up the hush money payment Trump allegedly made to Stormy Daniels ahead of his 2016 campaign* As MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin points out, Pecker "can testify that Trump not only understood but heartily endorsed his publication’s offer to ‘catch and kill’ negative stories about him, especially as they pertained to Trump’s alleged extramarital affairs. “And given how few people outside Michael Cohen directly communicated with Trump about the scheme at issue, Pecker’s testimony could be critical in establishing Trump’s intent and knowledge," Rubin wrote in a post to X. New York University Law Prof. Ryan Goodman agreed, saying that Pecker “could be a key witness — in ways more devastating than Michael Cohen," adding that Pecker’s testimony “should be strong proof of core allegation that the hush money scheme was geared toward influencing the outcome of the presidential election,” Goodman wrote *Also that Pecker met with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower to set up the catch-and-kill election operation* that “set the whole scheme in motion.” Salon reports that Pecker contacted former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who then negotiated an agreement to send a $130,000 payment to Daniels to "purchase" her silence. The prosecution expects Pecker to shore up Cohen's testimony. "Pecker will also likely testify about his involvement in a flurry of phone calls, a day after the Access Hollywood tape broke, to buy-and-bury Stormy Daniels' story," Goodman wrote in his post, adding that Pecker is "also likely to testify about his conversations directly with Trump and Cohen in December 2016 — on the arrangement for Trump to reimburse Cohen for the hush money payment to Daniels." TRUMP Lashes Out Angrily Before Trials' Opening Statements TRUMPs' Hush Money Trial Opening Statements The Former Chairman of The National Enquirers Parent Company David Pecker Took The Stand The first witness took the stand in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial after both sides laid out parts of their cases to the jury in opening statements. During his testimony, David Pecker described his job at the time as the former chairman of the National Enquirer’s parent company. Here's a recap of what he said; MORE: TRUMP is Miserable & Angry in Dinghy Courtroom TRUMP Trial: Hush Money Was Election Fraud Pure and Simple Prosecutors Say Ex-president ‘orchestrated a criminal scheme’ to corrupt 2016 election, prosecution says in opening statement The Guardian 23 APR 2024 Donald Trump “orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election” in his efforts to cover up an alleged affair with the adult film star Stormy Daniels. The prosecution said on Monday in its opening statement in the former president’s criminal trial, with the defense countering that “there’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election – it’s called democracy”. After opening statements from both sides, the historic trial also briefly heard from its first witness, David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer and a man at the heart of Trump’s alleged crimes. A jury of seven men and five women living in Manhattan will weigh whether Trump’s alleged efforts to conceal an affair with Daniels, which he feared would damage his bid for the White House, were illicit. Trump was charged in the spring of 2023 with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The case, brought by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, hinges on a $130,000 payment that Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, made to Daniels to keep her story under wraps. Bragg contends that Trump masked the true nature of the payment in business records, by describing repayments to Cohen as lawful legal expenses. In his opening statements on Monday, the prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told jurors that Trump invited his friend Pecker to a meeting at Trump Tower in summer 2015. Trump had recently thrown his hat into the ring for the 2016 Republican nomination, and Colangelo said Trump, Cohen and Pecker hatched a plan to keep damaging information about Trump out of the press. According to the prosecution, Pecker agreed to run damaging information in the National Enquirer about opponents – including an item claiming, falsely, that Senator Ted Cruz had family connections to the JFK assassination – as well as buying up negative stories for the express purpose of preventing them from being published. Colangelo said this “catch-and-kill” campaign was geared towards helping Trump’s 2016 election campaign. He mentioned an earlier payment to Karen McDougal, the Playboy model who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. “Pecker will also testify that $150,000 was way more than AMI would normally pay for this kind of story, but he discussed it with Donald Trump and he discussed it with Michael Cohen, and he agreed on the deal with the understanding what Trump would find a way to pay AMI back,” Colangelo said. “The company coordinated directly with the candidate.” He also read out a transcript of Trump’s infamous comments, caught on a hot mic, on the set of the Access Hollywood television show, where Trump bragged he could sexually assault women because he was famous. Colangelo quoted Trump saying: “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything … Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” Noting that the video was released to the public in October 2016, one month before election day, Colangelo said: “The campaign went into immediate damage control mode” and tried to frame the remarks as “locker room talk” – but were terrified the Daniels allegation would show that his boorish behavior extended to actions, not just talk. “Another story about infidelity, with a porn star, on the heels of the Access Hollywood tape, would have been devastating to his campaign,” Colangelo said. Cohen was therefore tasked with handling the payoff to Daniels, for $130,000, which Trump is alleged to have repaid to him after the election in checks that were listed in business records as legal services. Colangelo said that was a lie. “The defendant was paying him back for an illegal payment to Stormy Daniels on the eve of the election. “He wanted to conceal his and others’ criminal conduct.” “Look, no politician wants bad press, but the evidence at trial will show that this wasn’t spin or communication strategy,” Colangelo said. “This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures – to silence people with something bad to say about his behavior,” Colangelo said. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.” Colangelo added that “we’ll never know” whether this conspiracy made the difference “in a close election”. TRUMPs’ Trial: Key Takeaways From Opening Statements The ex-president appeared uncomfortable at times as his criminal trial Donald Trump was confronted on Monday with the unsavory details of his alleged attempt to illegally influence the 2016 election by covering up his hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, as the first criminal trial for a former US president got under way in New York. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records – where the hush-money payments were recorded as legal expenses – to cover up the affair just weeks before the election. Here Are The KEY Takeaways From The Start of The Trial: 1. Prosecutors Immediately Focused on The 2016 Election The Manhattan district attorney’s office sketched out from the start of their opening statements that Trump committed one crime, the falsification of records, in the furtherance of a second crime, to violate campaign finance laws – which is what would elevate misdemeanor crimes into felonies. The prosecutor, Matthew Colangelo, presented to the jury that Trump’s “catch-and-kill” scheme with the National Enquirer was entirely geared towards helping the Trump 2016 campaign. Colangelo contended there were three parts to the alleged conspiracy: that the National Enquirer would run positive coverage, the National Enquirer would attack political opponents and that the National Enquirer would act as the eyes and ears for the campaign to detect and suppress negative stories. “This case is about a criminal conspiracy and fraud. The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election. Then he covered up that conspiracy by lying in his New York business records, over and over and over again,” Colangelo said. 2. Trump Appeared Uncomfortable During much of Colangelo’s opening statement, Trump appeared uncomfortable in his seat with his brow furrowed while the unsavory details of the alleged affair with Daniels and his boasts about grabbing women’s genitals in the infamous Access Hollywood tape were read out to the jury. But part of the Access Hollywood tape that was read out verbatim – when Trump remarked he could grab women “by the pussy” – caused Trump to frown deeper and fidget in his seat. The next six weeks are expected to be a test for Trump to keep his composure. 3. Trumps' Lawyer Meandered Todd Blanche, the lead Trump lawyer, tried to present several themes to the jury – but his arguments at times seemed to meld together and were hard to follow. The point Blanche tried to stress was that Trump had nothing to do with the hush-money payments and how it was all arranged because Trump left it up to his former fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen. Blanche also suggested Trump did nothing wrong in trying to influence the 2016 election, in part because catch-and-kill schemes are not illegal. “Entering into a non-disclosure agreement is perfectly legal,” Blanche said. But other parts of his opening statement seemed bizarre. Blanche tried to portray Trump as just a family man – which felt jarring against the affair allegations. And Blanche once added Trump “is a man” like him – oddly, with no follow-up statement. Blanche also found some of his statements stricken after the judge sustained prosecutors’ objections, including on assertions that Cohen previously lied in court and that Trump did everything on the advice of counsel. . __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL** ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

23-04-24, 21:01	#28
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	re: TRUMP BEGS For HELP as Lawyer Says Hush Money Court is Mentally Torturing Him TRUMPs' GAG Contempt Hearing Ends Without a Ruling The combative hearing on TRUMPs' alleged violations of the judges' limited gag order ended with the judge saying he will not rule from bench on the district attorneys' motion to hold Trump in contempt, so a ruling will come later... DAY 2-Hush Money Continues With Witness 1 Former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker CNN 23 APR 2024 'You're losing all credibility': Judge buries Trump lawyers' spin on gag order violations *Before concluding the hearing, Judge Merchan told Trump attorney Todd Blanche, "You're losing all credibility and not offering me anything … to hang my hat on."* After that hearing concluded Trump spoke to the press and AGAIN broke his GAG order and critisized jurors, which put more jurors in fear of continuing Secret Service has plans if Trump is confined for contempt; TRUMPs' Hush Money Continues With Witness 1 - Trump Warned to Cut His Losses and Seek a Plea Deal Before It's Too Late Trump trial shows he belongs 'in the gutter' rather than 'on a throne' As Donald Trump's hush-money trial kicks into its second day with a hearing on his apparent violation of Judge Juan Merchan's gag order, a former Department of Justice prosecutor suggested the embattled ex-president read the writing on the wall and seek a plea deal. In an interview with Salon's Chauncey DeVega, attorney Kenneth McCallion, who investigated Trump for racketeering, stated the trial is starting off well for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. As he noted, the jury will soon settle in and see Trump less as a former president and more like a typical defendant which is not a factor in his favor and, although McCallion doesn't believe the former president will take his advice, he still thinks he should try and get out from under his criminal legal woes by making a deal that includes stepping aside from politics. According to the former prosecutor, the longer the trial goes on, the smaller a window for a deal shrinks and it might be best to get going on one before a flood of witnesses take the stand and his guilt becomes harder to dismiss. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified for over 2 hours and detailed a 2015 'Catch-and-Kill' agreement with Trump and Cohen to dig 'dirt' on Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, and Hillary Clinton amongst others Trump is upset about what's happening outside the NY courthouse - blaming security surrounding the courthouse, where his hush money trial is underway, preventing his supporters from protesting..... WRONG Mr Trump...NO supporters have turned up.... Also read:Text messages reveal previously unknown details in Trump trial: report 'Like a child, give him a time out': Weissmann urges 'firm hand' as Trump flouts gag order __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

Yesterday, 03:52	#29
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	DAY 2-Hush Money Continues With Witness 1-Judge to Rule Later on TRUMP GAG Violat MORE: TRUMP on Trial - National Enquirer Boss Dishes on Trump David Pecker testified how he coordinated with Trump and his team to bury scandals during the 2016 campaign The Guardian 24 APR 2024 On the docket: Pecker tells all David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, returned to the witness stand on Tuesday as a witness for the prosecution and explained to jurors how he coordinated with Donald Trump and his team to bury scandals about the then candidate during the 2016 campaign. Pecker laid out how he’d repeatedly paid to purchase stories about Trump’s alleged marital infidelities before keeping them from reaching the light of day – a scheme known as “catch-and-kill” that prosecutors claim Trump illegally falsified business records to conceal in order to help his presidential campaign. Pecker said he had a “great relationship” with Trump that dated back to the late 1980s – then spent the next hours of testimony damning him with not-so-faint praise. Pecker described Trump as “very knowledgeable”, “very detail-oriented”, “very cautious and very frugal”, and “almost a micromanager” in his business dealings. Those complimentary descriptions hurt Trump because prosecutors need to prove that Trump had direct knowledge of the scheme to pay his attorney Michael Cohen back for his payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels by falsely labeling them as business expenses. Pecker then discussed a 2015 meeting he had at Trump Tower with Trump, Cohen and Hope Hicks, a top Trump campaign official, where they asked him what he could do “to help the campaign”. He promised to be the campaign’s “eyes and ears” to find out about “women selling stories” about Trump, and work to kill them, because Trump was “well known as the most eligible bachelor and dated the most beautiful women” (another unhelpful compliment for Trump, who had been married to his third wife, Melania, for a decade at that point). He then testified that he routinely coordinated with Cohen at Trump’s behest to run negative stories about Trumps political foes. It’s a misdemeanor under New York law to conspire to promote the election of someone by unlawful means. Pecker then walked through two schemes to catch and kill those stories. The first was paying Trump Tower doorman Dino Sajudin $30,000 for the rights to a story about Trump fathering a child with a maid who worked in the building. When Pecker told Cohen the Enquirer would pay the fee itself (even though he didn’t plan to run the story), he said Cohen told him “the boss would be very pleased”. Pecker then testified that he bought the rights to the story of Karen McDougal, a former model who claims she had an affair with Trump. Pecker said Trump called him once about McDougal, but that most of his interactions were with Cohen. “Michael was very agitated – it looked like he was getting a lot of pressure,” Pecker said shortly before court adjourned for the day. Pecker will return to the witness stand when the trial resumes on Thursday. He’ll likely finish testifying about McDougal and move on to explain his role in connecting Trumps' team to Stormy Daniels. __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

Today, 11:29	#30
Ladybbird Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 47,620 Thanks: 27,640 Thanked 14,458 Times in 10,262 Posts Awards Showcase Total Awards: 8	TRUMP BEGS For HELP as Lawyer Says Hush Money Court is Mentally Torturing Him 'Republicans Must Step In!' TRUMP BEGS For HELP With Legal Troubles in Frantic 2 am. Rant 'It's Tearing Him Up': His Ex-Lawyer Says Court Experience is Mentally Torturing TRUMP MSRAW BBC 25 APR 2024 Donald Trump begged Republicans to step in and help him wriggle out of his legal troubles in a middle-of-the-night rant Wednesday. The quadruple-indicted former president is standing trial in Manhattan in the hush money case and has already been found liable for fraud, defamation and sexual abuse, resulting in a half-billion dollars in penalties. He continues to insist the cases in both federal and state courts are a political hit job from President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies. "We have a Rigged Judge, who is working for the Democrat Party and refuses to terminate this 'case,' which should have never been brought by Soft on Crime Alvin Bragg," Trump posted at 2 a.m. on Truth Social. "Judge [Juan] Merchan should be immediately removed, and the Appellate Courts have to take over. That also applies to Corrupt Judge [Arthur] Engoron, who knew I did nothing wrong. And still fraudulently fined me $500 Million Dollars while having no knowledge of Valuation, Finance, or in any way what he was doing. Same with Judge Kaplan, who allowed a woman, who I have never met (celebrity photo line does not count!), and know nothing about, to get a lawless judgment of $90 Million Dollars. New York Justice is in shambles, and only the Appellate Courts can save it." Trump has falsely claimed he won the fraud case in appeals court, which last June did exclude his daughter Ivanka Trump from the lawsuit due to the statute of limitations but did not dismiss claims against him or his two eldest sons. The ex-president has filed an appeal of Engoron's judgment against him and, while it's possible he'll eventually win that appeal, the court's ruling last year did not exonerate him or prevent New York Attorney General Letitia James from suing him or collecting the penalties imposed by the judge. "A Republican doesn’t stand a chance," Trump raged in his overnight post. "This is not Justice." "This New York Cabal, run by Crooked Joe Biden’s White House, is a hit job on a Political Opponent the likes of which the USA has never seen before," Trump added. "For the Good of our Country, it must be stopped. The Crooked Joe Biden Witch Hunts have to be ended. REPUBLICANS IN WASHINGTON MUST TAKE ACTION!" His Ex-Lawyer Says Court Experience is Mentally Torturing TRUMP Donald Trump's historic first trial, with its rules and lack of deference to the presidential status he thinks he's due, is really hurting him. That's according to his one-time attorney Tim Parlatore, who appeared on CNN Tuesday night to weigh in on his former client's psyche now that he's into his second week of the historic criminal trial in which he's charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to tamp down an alleged sexual affair with adult movie actress Stormy Daniels to manipulate the outcome of the 2016 election. Parlatore, who repped Trump for more than a year in his defense against the federal election subversion case and the case involving the hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, sees a man accustomed to a certain kind of pomp being forced to slog through weeks of a trial in which his status is very much criminal defendant. "He's a guy used to being the one standing up and making the speeches himself, and the fact that he has to sit there all day, every day silently standing up whenever the judge tells him to stand up, sitting down when the judge tells him to sit down — and instead of being allowed to say anything, he has to have somebody like Todd Blanche do all the speaking for him. I think it's tearing him up that he can't be standing up there and doing it," Parlatore said. Trump began his second week of trial sitting silently through hours of testimony in which one-time crony and National Enquirer's former publisher David Pecker described "catch and kill" schemes he employed to stop potentially damaging stories about Trump. He was described as as Trump's “eyes and ears” during the 2016 presidential campaign, and he ticked off how their close-knit bond helped insulate from potentially damaging stories — including allegations that Trump fathered a love child with a maid, and the months-long affair he was accused of having with a Playboy model. Parlatore described the effect the courtroom experience will be having on Trump. "I've had some clients like that that when the prosecution is going on with their opening statement, they're handing me note after note after note saying 'That's a lie! That's not true!'," he said. "And that's exactly the kind of thing that I think he was doing in the debates back in 2016 when people were saying things, making the faces and cutting them off 'Wrong! and all that kinda stuff. ... *This is, I think, mentally torturing him, that he has to sit there and go through this."* __________________ PUTIN TRUMP & Netanyahu Will Meet in HELL ..................*SHARKS are Closing in on TRUMP*.......................... *TRUMP WARNS; 'There'll Be a Bloodbath* If I Don't Get Elected'..MAGA - MyAssGotArrested...IT's COMING** PLEASE HELP THIS SITE..Click DONATE & Thanks to ALL Members of ... 1.. THIS SITE IS MORE THAN JUST WAREZ...& TO STOP SPAM-IF YOU WANT TO POST, YOUR FIRST POST MUST BE IN WELCOMES

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