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re: TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: Canadas' SECRET Docs Affected by Mar-a-Lago Raid & Pence to Testi
Why Donald TRUMP is Still Fighting to Keep His Tax Returns Hidden
BBC News 4 NOV 2022. Former President Donald Trump is fighting to keep the Internal Revenue Service from turning his tax returns over to a Democratic-led House committee. In today’s episode of The Point, CNN’s Chris Cillizza explains what Trump may want to keep from public view. |
re: TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: Canadas' SECRET Docs Affected by Mar-a-Lago Raid & Pence to Testi
TRUMP to be Investigated by Department of Justice
New Report Concludes There's a 'Strong Basis' to Charge TRUMP Special counsel Jack Smith to oversee criminal investigations into TRUMP Steve Bannon Sentenced to 4 Months in Prison For Contempt of Congress in Jan. 6 BBC News 19 NOV 2022. https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.5...E7&pid=Api&P=0 The Justice Department investigation continues into whether documents from the Trump White House were illegally mishandled when they were brought to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida after he left office. An independent lawyer has been appointed to oversee the US justice department's criminal investigations into former President Donald Trump. Jack Smith most recently served as a war crimes prosecutor at The Hague https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1229550569.jpg Jack Smith, a former war crimes prosecutor, was named special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland in a news conference. He will lead inquiries into how Mr Trump handled classified documents and his alleged role in the Capitol riot. Mr Trump, who is the subject of several other probes, denies any wrongdoing. Mr Smith will ultimately decide whether the former Republican president, who announced his 2024 candidacy just three days ago, will face criminal charges. "In certain extraordinary cases it is in the public interest to appoint a special prosecutor to independently manage an investigation and prosecution," Mr Garland said on Friday. "Due to recent developments, including the former president's announcement that he is a candidate in the next election, and the sitting president's intention to be a candidate as well, I have concluded that it is in the public interest." He said the move would give the public confidence in the investigation. In a statement on Friday evening from his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago, Mr Trump slammed the "horrendous abuse of power" by a "corrupt and highly political" justice department in appointing a "super-radical left" special counsel. Mr Smith is a former prosecutor in New York and most recently served as a chief prosecutor in The Hague where he investigated war crimes in Kosovo. He will be returning to the US to begin his work immediately, Mr Garland said. To pre-empt claims of partisan bias, the justice department said Mr Smith was a registered political independent. Serious Business for Trump Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, North America Reporter Merrick Garland's decision to appoint a special counsel indicates that this administration is painfully aware that these cases involve the highest of political stakes. A move by Joe Biden's justice department to charge a man who could be facing off against him in the 2024 presidential general election would be viewed by as much as half the country as suspicious, regardless of any assurances of impartiality. Handing this off to a special counsel, and giving that counsel power to do as he sees fit, provides the Biden administration at least a measure of insulation against such allegations. It also suggests the justice department believes there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Mr Trump, as a case without merit could have been simply abandoned without action. All this is serious business for Mr Trump and his closest allies, just days after he launched his third bid for the White House. Special counsel inquiries tend to take on lives of their own, and find new prosecutorial avenues to explore, as did Robert Mueller's Russia probe and similar investigations during the George W Bush and Bill Clinton presidencies. Mr Garland has set in motion a whirlwind whose ultimate course will be difficult to predict. "I intend to conduct the assigned investigations, and any prosecutions that may result from them, independently and in the best traditions of the Department of Justice," Mr Smith said in a statement shortly after his appointment. "The pace of the investigations will not pause or flag under my watch," he added. "I will exercise independent judgement and will move the investigations forward expeditiously and thoroughly to whatever outcome the facts and the law dictate." Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago, where he announced his presidential bid on Tuesday night, was searched by FBI agents in August. They seized top secret documents and are investigating whether he may have broken the law by keeping the documents there after he left the White House. The justice department is also running a separate criminal investigation into the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot and broader efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election - but this has largely been shrouded in secrecy. Meanwhile, a committee in Congress has been examining the attack that saw supporters of Mr Trump storm the Capitol building in Washington in an effort to stop the certification of President Joe Biden's victory. The committee has hinted at the possibility that it will recommend to the justice department that Mr Trump face criminal changes for his alleged role in the riot. https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/r2...ff5972feb4fd46 |
re: TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: Canadas' SECRET Docs Affected by Mar-a-Lago Raid & Pence to Testi
The US Supreme Court Has Cleared The way for ex-President TRUMPs' Tax Forms to Be Released to a Congressional Committee.
Supreme Court clears way for handover of TRUMPs' tax returns to Congress TRUMP Taxes: Supreme Court clears Democrats to see returns BBC News 23 NOV https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...101000x563.jpg The justices rejected Mr Trump's bid in October to block a lower court's ruling that granted the panel's request for his financial records. The move is a blow to Mr Trump, who has for years kept his returns sealed. Mr Trump became the first president in 40 years not to release his taxes after announcing his first presidential run. The House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee has been seeking access to his records since 2019. Mr Trump, who launched his third campaign for the White House last week, is facing several investigations related to his business practices. He denies any wrongdoing. Media caption, Watch: We asked Americans about Trump running again - they have mixed feelings. The Supreme Court's brief response on Tuesday did not note dissent from any of the judges. The decision means the US treasury department can deliver the tax returns from 2015-20 for Mr Trump and some of his businesses to the Democratic-controlled committee. It comes just before the Republicans take control of the House after this month's midterm elections. Democrats Beat The Buzzer - Barely Analysis by Anthony Zurcher, North America Reporter https://www.merkur.de/bilder/2022/11...trump-1xfe.jpg Donald Trump was almost able to run out the clock on the congressional request to view his tax returns. Almost. With just over a month left of Democratic control of the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court has given the green light for the treasury department to provide the documents to the Ways and Means Committee. Given that the treasury department is run by the Biden administration, the process of handing over the documents should proceed expeditiously. Democrats won't have long to review them before Republicans take over on 3 January, however. And coming up with any proposed changes to federal law regarding presidential tax returns - the stated purpose of the congressional request - seems a pointless effort with the little time remaining before congressional adjournment. But a few weeks may be long enough to unearth evidence of any unusual or potentially improper accounting by Mr Trump - and for those details to leak to the public. And that, many assume, was the real motive behind the request. Trump has notched two other defeats this year from the conservative-dominated Supreme Court, three of whose justices he appointed. In October, the court refused to weigh in on the legal fight over the FBI search of Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago home. Agents served a warrant at the estate in August on suspicion that the former president improperly handled classified documents. In January, the court refused to act to stop the National Archives from handing over documents to the committee investigating the 6 January 2021 riot by Trump supporters at the US Capitol. Mr Trump has rejected the Ways and Means Committee's hunt for his taxes as politically motivated. The chairman of the committee, Congressman Richard Neal, said in a statement that lawmakers "will now conduct the oversight that we've sought for the last three and a half years". He did not say whether the committee plans to publicly release Mr Trump's tax statements. Last year, a Trump-appointed judge on the court of appeals in Washington DC ruled that the House did have a legitimate need to review the forms. The committee argued it needed to see Mr Trump's records to determine if tax officials were properly auditing presidential candidates, and whether any new legislation was necessary. They had argued to the lower court that Mr Trump's refusal blocked Congress from conducting oversight of the executive and judicial branches. https://i.pinimg.com/originals/88/ec...36396fe107.jpg |
Re: TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: SECRET Docs at Mar-a-Lago Could Affect Canada-Pence to Testif
TRUMPs' Rough Day in Court Ends With a Double Defeat
Legal Analyst's prediction About Pence Testifying Against TRUMP How Fallout From Top-Secret Documents Found at Trumps' Mar-a-Lago Resort Could Affect Canada BBC News 25 NOV 2022. Former President Donald Trump absorbed a stunning defeat at the Supreme Court over his long-running campaign to hide his tax returns, which are now set to land before a Democratic-run House committee. Republican-appointed appeals court judges, meanwhile, appeared cool to his latest bid to slow the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case. Justice Department prosecutors have reached out to representatives of former Vice President Mike Pence to seek his testimony in the criminal investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and allies to impede the transfer of power after the 2020 election, according to people familiar with the matter Top-Secret Documents Found at Trumps' Mar-a-Lago Resort Could Affect Canada Vincent Rigby saw a lot over his 30-year career in public service, much of it working with some of the most sensitive and secret intelligence issues in Canada. https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.P...EK&pid=Api&P=0 But for all that experience, the former national security adviser to the prime minister found himself in a state of disbelief in August when he saw the FBI search the home of former U.S. president Donald Trump and leave with boxes of highly sensitive, classified information. "I was absolutely stunned that based on the media reports that I saw, he had in his possession what are reputed to be very, very sensitive documents and it's just something that is unheard of," Rigby said in an interview with The Fifth Estate. "Just disbelief that somebody could take those out of the White House, stick them, I presume, on a plane or in a truck, drive them down to Florida and then put them … effectively in a basement, it's just disbelief," said Rigby, now a visiting professor at the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill University in Montreal. The material has set off a damage assessment by the U.S. intelligence community as it tries to understand what classified information was contained in the documents the former president had in his possession. But the concern extends beyond just U.S. intelligence. The United States is a member of the Five Eyes, an intelligence-sharing organization that also includes Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. Vincent Rigby, a former national security and intelligence adviser to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, says that because Canada shares so much intelligence with the United States, Canadian agencies should be concerned about the material recovered from the Florida home of former U.S. president Donald Trump. Rigby said any potential security breach for one member has a ripple effect within the entire group and would also reverberate through the halls of the dozen or so agencies that share and collect intelligence in Canada, including the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), and the Communications Security Establishment (CSE). "In a worst-case scenario, there's Canadian intelligence, that's a direct implication," said Rigby who played a critical role in Canada's intelligence community as the national security and intelligence adviser to the prime minister from January 2020 until his retirement in September 2021. Unprecedented Search On Aug. 8, the FBI took the unprecedented step of searching the home of a former U.S. president. With heavily armed Secret Service agents standing guard outside, teams of FBI agents searched Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. During the August search, the FBI combed through the posh club, which doubles as Trump's primary residence, recovering 100 documents with classification markings, including 18 marked top secret, 54 marked secret and 31 marked confidential. The documents were found in Trump's bedroom, an office and a first-floor storage room, according to court filings. According to an inventory filed as part of a legal battle over the documents recovered, the material found includes some of the highest classification levels of U.S. intelligence, including material that's highly compartmentalized and only available to a select few. The FBI says it took about 11,000 documents, including roughly 100 with classification markings found in a storage room and an office, while serving a court-authorized search warrant at the home on Aug. 8. (Getty Images) The search was part of an investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Justice Department into the storing and mishandling of national defence information and possible obstruction of justice. The probe was sparked by an almost year-long effort by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to recover presidential records removed by Trump after he left the White House in January 2021. In January 2022, Trump's lawyers returned 15 boxes of records. In those boxes, archivists found more than 100 documents with classification markings, comprising more than 700 pages, according to a letter from NARA to Trump's lawyers. It's not clear if any intelligence directly related to Canada is among the documents. The Fifth Estate contacted CSIS, Global Affairs, Public Safety Canada and the minister responsible for public safety, Marco Mendicino, for comment. Instead, The Fifth Estate was sent a response from the Privy Council Office, which reports directly to the Prime Minister's Office. "At this stage, it would be inappropriate for the Government of Canada to comment on an ongoing U.S. law-enforcement investigation," the Privy Council Office said in the statement. "Should the Government of Canada be made aware of any security breaches, appropriate protocols and procedures are in place to deal with them." But experts say that because Canada relies so heavily on the U.S. for intelligence, any impact on its ability to collect information would be felt north of the border. "Knowing the prime minister, he may well have reached out and had some pointed questions, if not directly from him, from a staff in the Prime Minister's Office: 'Do we need to be concerned? Are there any issues here? What's at stake?'" said Rigby, cautioning that he doesn't know if the prime minister has been briefed. As national security and intelligence adviser, he was also responsible for co-ordinating the security intelligence community within Canada and liaising with allies, especially the U.S. Rigby said if he was still in Ottawa in his former job, he'd likely be putting a call into his counterpart, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan, "to say: 'OK, can you just give us a little bit of insight here as to what are these documents? And should we be concerned from a Canadian perspective?'" Implications For Canada The concern isn't theoretical, in part because what is reportedly in at least some of the documents relates directly to a current national security issue in Canada. The Washington Post reported that some of the material recovered "described highly sensitive intelligence work aimed at China." Chinese interference in Canadian elections and other national security concerns have been top of mind in Ottawa recently. At a meeting of the procedure and house affairs committee earlier this month, Michelle Tessier, deputy director of operations for CSIS, told members of Parliament about their concern about the Chinese Communist Party. "They are an actor in foreign interference," Tessier told the committee on Nov. 1, "and we have said that publicly and I can state again that we are concerned about the activities regarding threats against the security of Canada, including foreign interference by the Chinese Communist Party." A seven-page inventory filed by the FBI in U.S. federal court in Florida lists the contents of the boxes recovered during the search of Mar-a-Lago in August. (U.S. Department of Justice) Rigby said the activities China could be involved in range from foreign interference and espionage to disinformation, misinformation, cyberattacks and more. He said China is also very aggressive in its intelligence collection so it would likely target information in Trump's possession to help it understand what the U.S. knows about its operations. "If this intelligence is not stored properly, if it's sitting in a basement room somewhere without being properly locked up, it can potentially be grabbed by foreign intelligence agencies. And it can put not just the U.S. at heightened risk, but the Five Eyes, our allies and Canada included." https://i.cbc.ca/1.6658890.166904804...nary-order.jpg Detailed inventory shows 10,000 documents, classified records found at Trump's Mar-a-Lago Artur Wilczynski, a former associate deputy chief of signals intelligence at the Communications Security Establishment, says information shared among the Five Eyes, like intelligence on China, is essential for Canadian security interests. Losing access to that would have an effect on the ability to manage risk, he said. "If some of that information that's essential to make decisions is no longer available because sources are compromised, then you do not have all the information that you should have in order to make an informed decision," Wilczynski told The Fifth Estate. Artur Wilczynski, a former associate deputy chief of signals intelligence at the Communications Security Establishment, says information shared among the Five Eyes, like intelligence on China, is essential for Canadian security interests. (Harvey Cashore/CBC) A major reason so many in the intelligence community worry that information could be compromised is that it was stored at Trump's home in Florida, the private club known as Mar-a-Lago. The FBI expressed concern that the facility lacked a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, also known as an SCIF, a specially designed area to store and view top secret information. Mar-a-Lago is well-known among intelligence experts for substandard security, which has seen a host of dubious characters gain access over the years, including a woman posing as a wealthy heiress (who had among other documents, a forged Canadian passport) and a Chinese national who was found to have numerous electronic surveillance and computer hacking devices A former CIA case officer tells The Fifth Estate how he would go about infiltrating former U.S. president Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club to try to gain access to top secret information stored there. That easy accessibility makes it a prime target for foreign intelligence agencies to try to gain access to the former president and any material he may have in his possession, says Peter Strzok, a former FBI deputy director for counterintelligence. "I find it hard to believe that certainly when you think about China, when you think about Russia, that they would not have extended extraordinary efforts which continue to this day to get access to Trump," Strzok told The Fifth Estate. "Whether that is people close to him, whether that is his electronics, his email, his texts, whether that is the places that he frequents, that he lives, those efforts were significant in all likelihood, and continue to be significant." Easy accessibility of Mar-a-Lago makes it a prime target for foreign intelligence agencies to try to gain access to the former president and any material he may have in his possession, Peter Strzok, a former FBI deputy director for counterintelligence, told The Fifth Estate. Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and a vocal Trump critic, was shocked but not surprised when he heard about the FBI search at Mar-a-Lago. "This is in a resort property in Florida … a place where people go to have weddings and parties, and we have the highest level of security documents sitting around, laying around the house. I mean, this is absolutely appalling." "The Trump Files" Were Secrets Important to Canada Stolen by Trump Not Protected? |
re: TRUMP PROSECUTIONS: TRUMP & Co. Found GUILTY of ALL Tax Crimes After Trial
US Court Strikes Down Appointment of Special Master to Review TRUMP Records
A US appeals court has ended a "special master" review of documents seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Decision marks decisive defeat as judges opine the request should never have been granted in the first place BBC News 2 DEC 2022. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1439879814.jpg The ruling is a win for the US Department of Justice, which is probing if Mr Trump took classified documents with him when he left the White House. The "special master" is an independent lawyer who decides if any of the records are covered under attorney-client or executive privilege. Investigators can now review the documents in full. The ruling was made on Thursday by a three-judge panel in the Atlanta-based 11th Circuit US Courts of Appeal, after the Department of Justice challenged a September decision that granted Mr Trump's request for the special master review. In its ruling, the appeals court wrote that there was no "judiciary license to interfere in an ongoing investigation". "The law is clear. We cannot write a rule that allows any subject of a search warrant to block government investigations after the execution of the warrant. Nor can we write a rule that allows only former presidents to do so," the court wrote. A special master review would have delayed the Department of Justice's inquiry into Mr Trump's handling of classified documents, as the government was banned from reviewing or using the materials until it was complete. Raymond Dearie, a 78-year-old New York judge who was first nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1986, was assigned as the special master with his case. It is unclear if Mr Trump and his lawyers will appeal against Thursday's ruling. Mr Trump is being investigated for allegedly taking national classified documents with him to his private Florida home in Mar-a-Lago after he left the White House. The authorities say these documents should have been handed over to the National Archives - as required of US presidents upon leaving office. The FBI seized 15 boxes of White House documents in January, which officials said contained "highly classified reports", some of which were "intermixed with other records" and contained Mr Trump's "handwritten notes". They also seized another 20 boxes in August. In total, the Department of Justice alleged that 11 sets of classified documents were taken from the White House by Mr Trump. The former president denied any wrongdoing, and argued that he had declassified all the documents as president and that they were kept securely at his Mar-a-Lago home. When requesting a special master, Mr Trump's lawyers argued some of the documents are covered by attorney-client privilege - meaning they can be withheld under a US law that allows people to keep conversations with their lawyers private. TRUMP Records Probe Timeline January 2022 - The National Archives retrieves 15 boxes of White House records from Mar-a-Lago, and says some of the documents it received at the end of Trump administration were torn up February - Reports emerge that classified files were found in the Mar-a-Lago cache and National Archives has asked DoJ to investigate April - US media report the FBI has begun a preliminary investigation 3 June - A senior DoJ official and three FBI agents travel to Mar-a-Lago to review items in a basement. According to Mr Trump, he told them: "Whatever you need, just let us know" 8 June - Federal investigators write to a Trump aide to ask that a stronger lock be used to secure the room storing the items. Trump says that request was quickly fulfilled 22 June - The Trump Organization receives a DoJ summons for CCTV footage from Mar-a-Lago 8 August - Dozens of agents search Mar-a-Lago, seizing more than 33 boxes, some containing top secret files, according to the warrant 12 August - Warrant released, showing that 11 sets of classified documents were taken 25 August - Judge orders justice department to release a redacted version of court papers that convinced him to authorise a search of the Trump estate 5 September - A judge grants Mr Trump's request for a "special master" to review the documents 1 December - A US appeals court reverses the earlier special master decision, giving the DoJ full access to documents seized from Mar-a-Lago |
re: TRUMP Tax Returns Reveal HIDDEN Foreign Bank Acts & SMALL Tax Paid
TRUMP Organization Found Guilty of Tax Crimes After New York Trial
Former US President Donald Trumps family real estate company has been found guilty of tax crimes. BBC 7 DEC 2022 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...011000x563.jpg The Trump Organization was convicted on all counts on Tuesday after two days of jury deliberations in New York. The business is synonymous with the former president, but neither Trump nor his family members were personally on trial. Vowing to appeal the verdict, Trump said he was "disappointed" and again described the case as a "witch hunt". https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...i078032895.jpg Allen Weisselberg worked for Donald Trump for decades The company was convicted of enriching its top executives with off-the books benefits for more than a decade. Untaxed perks included luxury cars and private school fees, prosecutors said, which made up for lower salaries and therefore reduced the amount of tax the business was required to pay. The company is expected to face a fine of around $1.6m (£1.3m) and may also face difficulty in securing loans and financing in the future. Trump previously criticised the trial as being politically motivated. He also attacked his long-serving former chief financial executive Allen Weisselberg after he pleaded guilty in August and testified against the business. In his most recent statement, attacking the verdict, the former Republican leader asked why the Trump Organization should be prosecuted for Mr Weisselberg's "personal conduct" - accusing him of "committing tax fraud on his personal tax returns". "There was RELIANCE by us on a then highly respected and expensive accounting firm, and law firm, to do this work," Mr Trump said in the statement issued by his office. "This case is unprecedented and... is a continuation of the Greatest Political Witch Hunt in the History of our Country," he said, adding that New York City was now a "hard place to be a Trump". Prosecutors accused the Trump Organization - which operates hotels, golf courses and other properties around the world - of having a "culture of fraud and deception" during the six-week trial. They said it ran a scheme that allowed some executives to "understate their compensation" so that their taxes "were significantly less than the amounts that should have been paid". "The smorgasbord of benefits is designed to keep its top executives happy and loyal," prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the jury during closing arguments. Two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization - Trump Corp and Trump Payroll Corp - were convicted on all 17 charges of tax fraud and falsifying business records Allen Weisselberg, who worked for Donald Trump for decades, pleaded guilty to tax crimes in August Mr Weisselberg, 75, testified against the company as part of a plea deal he struck with prosecutors that will mean he spends no more than five months in jail. He will be jailed at the notorious Rikers Island prison and must pay back more than $1.7m (£1.4m) in concealed income. Following the verdict, the judge set a sentencing date of 13 January. Mr Trump and his three eldest children are facing a separate civil lawsuit which could see them banned from doing business in the state. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading that civil case, issued a statement hailing Tuesday's verdict as a "big victory". "[It] shows that we will hold individuals and organisations accountable when they violate our laws to line their pockets," she said. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg praised the verdict on Tuesday, saying the case was "about greed and cheating". "For 13 years the Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level exeecutives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities," he said. |
TRUMP Tax Returns: HIDDEN Bank Acts & His Threats-Horrible Things WILL Happen
TRUMPs' Tax Returns Reveal EX Presidents' HIDDEN Foreign Bank Accounts
TRUMP Incites MORE Violence and Threatens 'HorribleThings WILL HAPPEN to Many' Former President Donald Trump had long sought to keep his tax returns private Newly released tax returns for former President Donald Trump have shed light on his business losses, complicated tax set-ups and tax payments during his White House years. BBC News 31 DEC 2022 https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.w...E_&pid=Api&P=0 Six years of Donald Trump’s federal tax returns show the former president paid very little in federal income taxes https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.R...Eq&pid=Api&P=0 However, they are unlikely to have a major political impact as he eyes another presidential run, experts say. The documents confirmed that Mr Trump paid no federal taxes in 2020 and only $750 (£622) in 2016 and 2017. He paid close to $1m in 2018, however. A long legal battle led to the release of the records, and Mr Trump criticised the disclosure, warning that it will deepen the US political divide. He added that the returns "show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises." Although there's no law requiring it, it is tradition for presidents to publish their tax returns. US presidents are paid a salary like any worker, but many also earn income from their personal businesses and investments. The newly released documents include tax returns and related documents for Donald Trump, the Donald J Trump Revocable Trust and seven corporate entities. They represent only a fraction of the former president's over 400 separate business interests. Previously released figures show that Mr Trump paid a total of $1.1m (£906,587) in federal income taxes from 2016 to 2019, all but $1,500 of which was paid in one year. He paid no taxes in 2020, the final year of his presidency. The documents also show that Mr Trump, who had international business dealings, held bank accounts in Ireland, the United Kingdom and China for a period that ran from 2015-17. The overseas accounts were notable, as Mr Trump held the White House in 2017, giving him significant power over US foreign policy. From 2018 onward, Mr Trump only reported having an account in the UK. What Donald Trump Reported on His Taxes https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/c...f126fa65-6.png The records also show that the Internal Revenue Service - the US federal entity responsible for collecting taxes - did not audit Mr Trump during the first years of his presidency, only beginning in 2019 after Democrats sought to gain access to his tax records. The finding led to criticism from Democrats. Don Beyer, a member of the committee that oversaw the record release, said that the IRS' auditing system was broken and that "Congress has so much work to do to make tax enforcement in this country fairer." In a memo cited in an earlier report, the IRS noted that "it is not possible to obtain the resources available to examine all potential issues" associated with Mr Trump's hundreds of business interests. Maryanne Monforte, a professor of accounting practices at Syracuse University, said the tax returns represent a quagmire even for professionals. "He's the quintessential businessman and he's got his hands in everything," she said. "He started out in real estate, and that creates a level of complexity between valuations, revenues, losses and depreciation. That all means his return has an added layer of complexity that you might not see with other billionaires." Does Releasing The Tax Records Matter? However, experts from both sides of the US political spectrum believe that the returns will have little impact on Mr Trump's popularity among his core supporters. "It won't matter what was in there at all, short of anything that would be a clear legal violation," said Doug Heye, a former Republican National Committee spokesman. "There's no Trump supporter who's going to say 'oh, I can't vote for him now'," he said. "Even though we haven't seen Trump's taxes, we've been through this before. This isn't changing anyone's minds." "Trump voters aren't going to be moved by anything," said Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross. For them, "Quite frankly, I don't think this matters," she said, though undecided voters - or Republicans seeking an alternative to Mr Trump - may perceive the documents as showing that his business acumen "wasn't actually what he was making it out to be". "That would mean that the entire campaign that he ran on was basically a lie," she said. "This showcases something that he had been trying to hide for years." How much taxes have other presidents paid - and how does Trump compare? In some years, Mr Trump paid a far smaller proportion of his income than other recent presidents. In 2018, he and his wife earned $24.3m in adjusted gross income. But he paid just under $1m, giving him a tax rate of just 4.1%. In America, spouses file together. In other years, because he reported huge business losses, Mr Trump's tax burden was actually greater than what he earned on paper. For example, in 2017, he lost money but still paid taxes. In comparison, Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama's taxable income peaked in 2009, when they took home $5.5m, and paid about 30% in taxes. Most of their income came from the sales of Mr Obama's two books, Dreams from My Father and Audacity of Hope. As his book sales dwindled, Mr Obama's taxable income declined considerably - in 2015, the couple earned just $447,880, almost all from his presidential salary, and paid about 18% of their income to the IRS. What Presidents Earned in Office https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/c...f126fa65-5.png George W Bush did not write his presidential biography until after he left office - while he was president, he and his wife Laura Bush averaged an income of about $800,000 a year. About half came from salaries, and the other half came from interest and investments. They had an average tax rate of 27.8%. Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary Clinton started off in 1992 making just under $300,000 a year, mostly from salaries, and paying 23.6% of their income to tax. In 1996, Mrs Clinton's book helped the couple earn over $1m, but their tax rate actually declined to 18.5%. |
re: TRUMP Received 117 Unreported Gifts of $300,000 From China/Saudi & India
Trump Organization Fined $1.6m For Tax FRAUD
Donald Trump's real estate company has been fined $1.6m (£1.31m) by a New York CRIMINAL Court Judge for tax crimes. BBC 14 JAN 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...0df2954be3.jpg Donald Trump's family real estate company was found guilty of tax fraud in December Jurors had found the Trump Organization guilty of fraud and falsifying business records in December. The company is synonymous with the former president, but neither he nor his family were part of the trial. The only person charged in the scheme was the company's former chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Mr Trump still faces legal trouble, including a separate New York lawsuit against him and his children over allegations of fraud. Two subsidiaries of the Trump Organization - Trump Corp and Trump Payroll Corp - were found guilty by a New York jury of enriching its top executives with untaxed benefits, like luxury cars and private school fees, for 15 years. These benefits made up for lower salaries, prosecutors argued, and therefore reduced the amount of tax the business was required to pay. It is the first-ever criminal conviction of one of Mr Trump's companies. The fine, ordered by Justice Juan Merchan of the Manhattan criminal court on Friday, is the maximum the judge could have imposed for this case. The penalty is nominal compared to the company's earnings - the Trump Organization reportedly made $446m in 2019 - but the conviction may cause difficulties for the entity to secure loans and financing in the future. In a statement, Manhattan's District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr said the sentencing represents "a significant chapter" in the ongoing investigations into Mr Trump and his businesses. He added that Weisselberg and the Trump Organization "benefitted from sweeping fraud for well over a decade", and the conviction and sentencing is a reminder to corporations that they "cannot defraud tax authorities and get away with it." Weisselberg, the long-time chief financial officer of Mr Trump's company, was sentenced to five months in prison for his role in the tax fraud scheme. He had pleaded guilty to concealing more than $1.7m in off-the-books income. In a statement after the sentencing, the Trump Organization maintained that it had not done anything wrong and said it will appeal the conviction. "These politically motivated prosecutors will stop at nothing to get President Trump and continue the never ending witch-hunt which began the day he announced his presidency," the statement said. In a separate but related matter, New York state's attorney general Letitia James has sued Mr Trump and his children over allegations of fraud. Mr Trump is also being investigated by the US Department of Justice over his handling of classified documents after his presidency. In both cases, Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He has also countersued Ms James for "intimidation". |
re: MORE FED Doc Charges Loom For TRUMP + Corruption & Bribery to Overturn Election
TRUMP, Family Didn't Disclose Foreign Gifts Worth Almost $300,000
Over 100 unreported gifts include items from Chinese President Xi, the Saudi crown prince, the Indian prime minister and other foreign government officials, says the US House report. TRT WORLD 19 MAR 2023 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/r2...ff5972feb4fd46 Former US president Donald Trump and his family have been accused of failing to report foreign gifts worth nearly $300,000 during his presidency. According to a report by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released on Friday, Trump and his family received 117 unreported foreign gifts, valued at roughly $291,000. Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner ad their children were also listed as recipients of some of the foreign gifts. More than 100 unreported foreign gifts include items from Chinese President Xi Jinping, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other foreign government officials. "The discovery of these unreported foreign gifts raises significant questions about why former President Trump failed to disclose these gifts to the public, as required by law," the report said. |
re: MORE Charges For TRUMP & He Ordered 3rd Aide to Delete SERVER to HIDE Evidence
Judge Sets TRUMP Classified Documents Trial Date For May 2024
A Busy Day For Legal News in TRUMP World BBC NEWS 22 JUL 2023 https://www.politico.com/dims4/defau...s%2F1480893746 Court date for former President DONALD TRUMP’s trial for allegedly mishandling classified documents: May 20, 2024 in Fort Pierce, Fla. The case was initially scheduled for mid-August of this year. Cannon noted in her filing that she wanted the trial date moved because “the interests of justice served by this continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and Defendants in a speedy trial.” The new timeline is a blow to Trump, whose legal team requested the court push the trial until after the 2024 presidential election. Instead, should the timing stick, the trial would come amidst Trump’s campaign for the White House — well past most states’ presidential primaries, but before the summer’s national nominating conventions. That could be something of a worst-case scenario for the GOP: With the primaries mostly complete by mid-May, the party’s most likely presidential candidate will be in a highly publicized criminal trial just five months before Election Day. But the timing isn’t exactly a win for special counsel JACK SMITH, either. Cannon called Smith’s proposed schedule “atypically accelerated and inconsistent with ensuring a fair trial.” Meanwhile, in Georgia … With indictments possible in the coming days, Trump’s attorneys filed a Hail Mary of a motion in an attempt to quash Fulton County DA FANI WILLIS’ investigation into the former president’s efforts to overturn the election in 2020 in Georgia, reports WaPo’s Holly Bailey. The motion, which was reassigned to a court outside of Fulton County, alleges that Willis “fundrais[ed] for her reelection campaign on the back of this case.” If granted, it would bar the Fulton County DA’s office from continuing its investigation, and throw out both the evidence and final report of the special grand jury convened by the office. This latest filing comes just days after the Georgia Supreme Court unanimously rejected a similar motion from Trump’s team, which sought to bar Willis from the case and throw out the findings. And, in New York … Former Trump attorney MICHAEL COHEN agreed to settle his lawsuit against the Trump Organization over disputed legal fees stemming from the Mueller investigation, NYT’s Ben Protess, Jonah Bromwich and Kate Christobek report. The 2019 suit, in which Cohen accused the organization of failing to follow the terms of an agreed-upon deal and cover more than $1 million in legal costs, was set to go to trial next week. “The settlement is not yet finalized and the details will be kept confidential. The judge in the case, JOEL COHEN — who is no relation to Mr. Cohen — said that he would delay the trial pending a final agreement.” Even so: “A separate lawsuit that Mr. Trump filed against Mr. Cohen in Florida federal court remains active, and Mr. Cohen is still expected to be the star witness against the former president in a Manhattan criminal trial next year.” And, at the White House … President JOE BIDEN and his advisers continued their strategic silence on Trump’s legal woes. Jonathan Lemire writes that though the decision “is rooted” in the president’s promise to not intervene with the DOJ, “it also hints at what is likely to become a broader Biden campaign strategy: There will be plenty of other people who will do that work for him. |
re: TRUMP Given Corp Death Penalty as Judge Rules TRUMP/Sons LIED & Committed Fraud
TRUMP Faces Further Charges in Mar-a-Lago Documents Inquiry- TRUMP Accused of Ordering an Employee to Delete SERVER
TRUMP Accused of Pressuring an Employee to Delete Mar-a-Lago Security Camera Footage, New Charges Allege. TRUMP Aide Faces Additional Charges in Classified Documents Case as 3rd Defendant is Added BBC 28 JULY 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...mage_v3-nc.png In a revised indictment, Mr Trump is charged with three new counts, one of wilful retention of defence information and two of obstruction. An additional person, Mar-a-Lago staff member Carlos de Oliveira, has also been indicted in the case. Mr de Oliveira is alleged to have asked what could be done to delete footage. Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty alongside his close aide Walt Nauta, who also received two additional charges of obstruction on Thursday. The new court documents outline alleged efforts between Mr Nauta and Mr de Oliviera, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, to obstruct the justice department's investigation. According to the new court documents, Mr Nauta and Mr de Oliveira conspired to delete footage from security cameras after the Department of Justice issued a subpoena asking for surveillance footage of the basement where it said confidential documents were held. In the court documents, Mr de Oliveira is claimed to have texted another employee who was the director of information technology that "the boss" wanted the server deleted. The documents allege that Mr de Oliveira later met with the employee in a small IT room, told him them their conversation should remain private, then pressured the man into obliging his request after the employee told Mr de Oliveira that he did not have the authority. The indictment sets out a scene where it is claimed Mr Nauta and Mr de Oliveira walked through bushes and foliage at the edge of Mar-a-Lago, a leisure resort that had been known as the Winter White House, to get to the IT room. "What are we going to do," Mr de Oliveira allegedly asked his co-worker. A lawyer for Mr de Oliveira has declined to comment. The updated indictment alleges that Mr Trump knowingly discussed a top-secret document with biographers visiting Mar-a-Lago to interview him. The indictment says the document Mr Trump revealed to the biographers contained possible plans to attack "Country A", which CNN and other outlets identified as Iran. "Look what I found... Isn't it amazing? I have a big pile of papers, this thing just came up. Look," Mr Trump allegedly said to one of his guests. The documents case is led by special prosecutor Jack Smith, who earlier in the day met with Mr Trump's lawyers over a separate investigation into alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Mr Trump's attorneys John Lauro and Todd Blanche met officials at Mr Smith's office in Washington DC, US media reported. The former president said earlier this month that he expected to be indicted in that case, but said on Thursday his lawyers received no indication of timing. Mr Trump dismissed the fresh charges in the documents case in an emailed statement from his 2024 presidential campaign. "Deranged Jack Smith knows that they have no case and is casting about for any way to salvage their illegal witch hunt," the statement read. The latest charge against Trump adds to a growing list of legal problems for the property and reality TV mogul. He currently awaits trial for a hush-money case in which he faces 34 felony counts, he faces civil charges in a defamation case against author E Jean Carroll, and Georgia prosecutors are still weighing whether or not to press charges over an alleged effort overturn the election results there. |
Re: TRUMP: Georgia DA to Charge on FALSE Election Results /Mar-a-Lago Manager in Cour
'We're Ready to Go': Fulton County DA Says Work is Done in TRUMP Probe
TRUMPs' Mar-a-Lago Property Manager in Court to Face Obstruction of Justice Charges BBC 1 AUG 2023 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/mc...afe842a0040514 Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said her team has wrapped up their work on the investigation into former President Trump’s efforts to reverse the 2020 election results in Georgia, and she reaffirmed her commitment to announce charging decisions by Sept. 1. “The work is accomplished,” Willis told local news station 11Alive on Saturday. “We’ve been working for 2 1/2 years. We’re ready to go.” “Some people may not be happy with the decisions that I’m making, and sometimes, when people are unhappy, they act in a way that could create harm,” Willis added. Ahead of the anticipated charging announcement, local law enforcement officials have been working to increase security in the area, an effort Willis praised in the interview. Willis spoke to local reporters at a back-to-school event where she distributed free school supplies. “I think that the sheriff is doing something smart in making sure that the courthouse stays safe,” Willis said, noting that she wrote a letter to the sheriff about security efforts. “I’m not willing to put any of the employees or the constituents that come to the courthouse in harm’s way,” Willis added. The probe has been going on for more than two years. Among other things, the case has involved the phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) in January 2021, in which Trump requested Raffensperger “find” the necessary votes in his state to reverse President Biden’s victory. Trump has sought to block the investigation from proceeding. On Monday, a Georgia judge rejected one of the former president’s attempts to dismiss the probe. “The movants’ asserted ‘injuries’ that would open the doors of the courthouse to their claims are either insufficient or else speculative and unrealized,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in the nine-page ruling. Mar-a-Lago Property Manager in Court to Face Obstruction of Justice Charges Mar-a-Lago Property Manager Makes First Court Appearance in Classified Documents Case https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/hS...850b939c37325a Carlos De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago property manager and newest co-defendant in the special counsel’s criminal case charging former President Donald Trump and his staff with mishandling classified information, made his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom on Monday. De Oliveira was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on four charges, including conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements to the FBI. On Monday, he was informed of his rights as a criminal defendant but did not enter a formal plea during the roughly 10-minute hearing. He was released on a $100,000 bond pending trial, and he will be arraigned on August 10 in Ft. Pierce, Florida. Trump and his aide Walt Nauta, the third co-defendant in the case, pleaded not guilty after initially being indicted in June. Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres also ordered De Oliveira not to discuss the case with potential witnesses except through counsel, and prosecutors provided the defendant with a list of names. Trump and Nauta also were given a similar condition for their release. In addition, Torres said De Oliveira cannot travel outside south Florida without permission. De Oliveira did not have a lawyer listed who is able to practice in Florida, where the case will be tried. Nauta faced a similar problem when he was first charged, and though he was able to proceed with his initial appearance alongside Trump in June, Nauta was forced to delay his arraignment until he had a Florida lawyer. De Oliveira left the courthouse surrounded by reporters after his hearing concluded. He was escorted by federal agents and his attorney, John Irving. De Oliveira declined to answer questions as he walked to the second building, including whether he had spoken to Trump since his arrest, whether he testified to a grand jury as part of the special counsel’s investigation and whether he had identified a Florida lawyer to hire. “The Justice Department has unfortunately decided to bring these charges,” Irving said, “and now it’s time for them to put their money where their mouth is.” |
re: TRUMP Given Corp Death Penalty as Judge Rules TRUMP/Sons LIED & Committed Fraud
TRUMP New York Fraud Case Could be Delayed After Ex-President Sues Judge
Court Orders TRUMP Fraud Trial be Temporarily Halted After He Sues The Judge New York Judge Had Declined Trumps' Request to Delay $250M Civil Fraud Trial TRUMP Tries to Employ Legal Sleight of Hand to Wriggle Out of Fraud Lawsuit BBC 18 SEP 2023 https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.w...E_&pid=Api&P=0 Civil case brought by Letitia James alleges widespread fraud connected to Trump Organization and trial scheduled for October Donald Trumps' attorneys are attempting a legal gambit to help him wriggle out of the fraud lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, but experts are dubious that it will work, according to a report. His attorneys have argued that Trumps' business deals deemed as fraudulent by James took place so long ago they've fallen outside the statute of limitations, and an appellate court directed state Supreme Court Justice Arthur F. Engoron and the attorney general to determine exactly when those transactions took place “These issues are highly technical, and they are highly dependent sometimes on idiosyncratic features of particular statutes,” said Justin Murray, a professor at New York Law School. A fraud lawsuit against Donald Trump and his family business has been temporarily halted by a judge from a New York state appeals court. The judge’s directive for the upcoming 2 October trial in the fraud lawsuit filed by New York attorney general Letitia James was issued during a surprise virtual hearing closed to the public. The order was issued in response to the former US president’s lawsuit against Justice Arthur Engoron, the trial judge responsible for the case. In his lawsuit, Mr Trump accused Mr Engoron and Ms James of disregarding a court order that could limit the scope of the lawsuit A court spokesperson said Justice David Friedman from the appeals court granted a temporary suspension of the trial and referred the issue to a five-judge panel that is expected to rule during the last week of September. “We are confident in our case and will be ready for trial,” said Ms James in a statement in response. The trial could still begin on 2 October as it remains contingent upon the decision of the appeals court, commonly referred to as the First Department. In an emergency court filing on Thursday morning, lawyers representing the former president and his associates emphasised the need for New York’s higher courts to intervene urgently. They are seeking the involvement of an appellate judge to initiate an “Article 78 proceeding”, which aims to compel Mr Engoron to significantly weaken the case brought forward by the attorney general. Ms James has said there is a “mountain of evidence” indicating Mr Trump and his associates lied over a decade regarding his assets and net worth. These alleged misrepresentations, she said, may have led to an inflation of up to $3.6bn to secure more favourable loan and insurance terms. Ms James is pursuing a $250m fine and seeking to prohibit Mr Trump and his sons, Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, from assuming leadership positions within the Trump Organization, the family business. The lawsuit was initiated by the attorney general in September last year after a three-year investigation. “I am determined to start the case on time,” Mr Engoron had said earlier this year. “Come hell or high water.” |
re: Fraud Trial DAY 1-TRUMP Attacked Judge & Prosecutor in What Could End His Empire
Fraudster TRUMP Given The Corporate Death Penalty in New York Suit: Lawyer George Conway Says TRUMP Organization is Out of Business
New York Judge Rules TRUMP Committed Fraud and Lied About His Net Worth For Years..Judge Rules He Committed Fraud for YEARS in New York by Inflating Property Prices BBC 27 SEP 2023 https://www.rawstory.com/media-libra...200&height=716 https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/09...5764982586.jpg A New York judge ruled former President Donald Trump and his companies engaged in fraud, in yet another legal setback for the former president as AG Letitia James’ $250 million civil lawsuit advances. https://nypost.com/wp-content/upload...n-1.jpg?w=1024 The judge, Arthur Engoron, also denied Trump's bid to dismiss the New York attorney general's $250 million lawsuit against him and his company. A New York judge has found Donald Trump and his adult sons liable for fraud, saying the Trumps provided false financial statements for roughly a decade. Wolf Blitzer talks with conservative lawyer George Conway and CNN anchor Laura Coates about the ruling A New York judge ruled in the state attorney general's $250 million lawsuit against Donald Trump and his company Tuesday that the former president committed repeated acts of fraud for years. According to the ruling, which allows the civil trial to begin next week, Trump lied to banks and insurers by both overvaluing and undervaluing his assets when it was to his benefit while exaggerating his net worth to the tune of billions of dollars. In his 35-page ruling, Judge Arthur Engoron said Trump continually lied on his financial statements and was able to get favorable loan terms and lower insurance premiums as a result. Trump's legal arguments defending the statements are based in "a fantasy world, not the real world," Engoron wrote. He went on to say that the case was essentially a "documents case" and that "the documents here clearly contain fraudulent valuations that defendants used in business, satisfying [the attorney general's] burden to establish liability as a matter of law against defendants. Defendants’ respond that: the documents do not say what they say; that there is no such thing as 'objective' value; and that, essentially, the Court should not believe its own eyes." "The defenses Donald Trump attempts to articulate in his sworn deposition are wholly without basis in law or fact," Engoron added. At one point, Engoron pointed to Trump's having exaggerated the size of his New York apartment to pump up its value, repeatedly claiming it was over 30,000 feet when it was a third of that size. “A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud,” Engoron wrote. He found Trump, his sons Don Jr. and Eric and their companies liable for fraud. He also denied Trump's motion for summary judgment that argued New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit should be dismissed. Engoron sanctioned Trump's attorneys $7,500 apiece for making legal arguments that had already been rejected twice. The ruling would dissolve numerous limited liability companies, or LLCs, associated with Trump, including the Trump Organization LLC, an entity that’s been been used to expand the Trump brand through use of his name. Each side was given 10 days to recommend three potential receivers to manage the dissolution of the LLCs identified in the court filing. While the New York-based LLCs will need to be dissolved, it will be up to the receiver to determine what that looks like. Former judge Barbara Jones will continue in her role as a court appointed monitor of financial activity at Trump Organization Inc., which is separate from the similarly named LLC. Engoron further ordered that the outstanding issues in the case will get resolved at trial. The trial is scheduled to start Monday. Because it is a bench trial, the case will be decided solely by the judge, with no jury. In a statement Tuesday on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump blasted the state attorney general and the judge and said, "My Civil Rights have been violated, and some Appellate Court, whether Federal or State, must reverse this horrible, un-American decision." Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and insisted that the lawsuit is part of a partisan “witch hunt.” In a social media post Monday, he called Engoron a “Trump Hater beyond even A.G. James.” Trump's lead attorney in the case, Christopher Kise, called the ruling "outrageous" and said it was "completely disconnected from the facts and governing law." He said in a statement that Engoron had "disregarded the viewpoint of those actually involved in the loan transactions who testified there was nothing misleading, there was no fraud, and the transactions were all highly profitable." "While the full impact of the decision remains unclear, what is clear is that President Trump and his family will seek all available appellate remedies to rectify this miscarriage of justice,” Kise said. Another Trump attorney, Alina Habba, focused on Engoron's determination that Trump's Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, had been grossly overvalued. Engoron noted that from 2011 to 2021, the Palm Beach County assessor appraised the market value of Mar-a-Lago at $18 million to $27.6 million. Trump's financial statements, meanwhile, put the club's value at almost $427 million to $612 million. She said the judge's findings, including the one "that Mar-a-Lago is worth approximately $20 million," is "an affront to our legal system." In a tweet, Eric Trump said after the ruling that he had "lost all faith in the New York legal system." "We have run an exceptional company — never missing a loan payment, making banks hundreds of millions of dollars, developing some of the most iconic assets in the world. Yet today, the persecution of our family continues," he said. James' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Engoron's ruling. |
re: Fraud Trial DAY 1-TRUMP Attacked Judge & Prosecutor in What Could End His Empire
Man Charged With Leaking Donald Trump Tax Returns
Leaked TRUMP Tax Return Showed HUGE $916m FALSE Loss BBC 30 SEP 2023 https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/po8AA...hN/s-l1600.jpg A man in the US has been charged with leaking the tax returns of a "high-ranking government official" who is understood to be Donald Trump. Prosecutors said Charles Littlejohn, a contractor for the IRS - the US-wide tax body - stole the information and passed it on to a news organisation. He is also accused of stealing tax return information of "thousands" of the US's "wealthiest individuals". The Department of Justice alleges this data was given to another outlet. Court documents say the two news organisations published "numerous articles" based on this information. Neither have been charged with any wrongdoing. Although the court documents do not name the government official, a source has confirmed to the BBC's partner in the US, CBS News, that it is former president Donald Trump. The same person also said that the news organisation which received information about Mr Trump's tax returns was The New York Times, while the second, which received information about other individuals was the ProPublica website. The New York Times declined to comment to CBS News about the claims, while ProPublica said in a statement to the outlet: "We have no comment on today's announcement from the DoJ. As we've said previously, ProPublica doesn't know the identity of the source who provided this trove of information on the taxes paid by the wealthiest Americans." There has been no public comment from Mr Trump. Court documents claim that between 2017 and 2021, Mr Littlejohn worked for an unnamed consultancy which in turn worked on contracts from the US Department of the Treasury's IRS, dealing with tax administration. The papers go on to allege that between 2018 and 2020, while Mr Littlejohn was working on an IRS contract "he stole tax returns and return information", some of which dated back more than 15 years. The charge against Mr Littlejohn is the unauthorised disclosure of tax returns and return information. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. There has been no public comment from the Washington DC resident. A 2020 article in The New York Times, which is thought to have been based on the leaked information, claimed that Mr Trump paid just $750 (£580) in federal income tax both in 2016, the year he ran for the US presidency, and in his first year in the White House. The newspaper also said that he paid no income taxes at all in 10 of the previous 15 years and that the records reveal "chronic losses and years of tax avoidance". https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cp...uen_640-nc.png RELATED: TRUMP Fraud Ruling That Cancels His Business Licenses is a Devastating Blow For Ex-President The Glitzy New York Buildings That TRUMP Could Lose BBC 30 SEP 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1495224134.jpg Long before Donald Trump stepped into the White House, his glitzy and glamorous real estate empire helped make him a nationally recognised star. Now, a judge's ruling that his business committed massive fraud has thrown the fate of some of the former president's flagship properties into doubt. On Tuesday, Judge Arthur Engoron ordered that some of Mr Trump's companies be removed from his control. Mr Trump has denied any wrongdoing and is expected to appeal. The ruling was part of a lawsuit filed against Mr Trump and his family by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who asked the judge for a summary decision that certain facts in the case were beyond dispute in the hope of speeding up the impending trial. It severely limits Mr Trump's ability to do business in New York, the place where he launched the real estate empire that thrust him into the national spotlight. What the ruling means for Mr Trump's properties, however, remains uncertain. The Trump Organization could be forced to hand over control to a court-appointed receiver, or ultimately have to sell some of its most iconic landmarks. Mr Trump's lawyers have asked for more clarity on which properties could be affected. The judge has yet to give a definitive answer. For Mr Trump, the stakes are potentially high. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated that his New York properties alone are worth $720m (£589m), a sizable chunk of his estimated $2.5bn fortune. Let's take a look at some of the properties that Mr Trump might lose. Trump Tower https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...-874963398.jpg Located on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the 58-floor Trump Tower is among the most recognisable properties bearing Mr Trump's name. The building is the headquarters of the embattled Trump Organization and has been home to Mr Trump and several of his family members. The building - which was developed by Mr Trump and inaugurated in 1983 - has also featured prominently in popular culture, including serving as the location for Batman's Wayne Enterprises in Christopher Nolan's 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. Mr Trump's penthouse condominium that spans the top three floors of the building is also among the properties highlighted in James' lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges that Mr Trump artificially inflated the triplex's value, by repeatedly saying it was more than 30,000 sq ft (2,790 sq m) in size, significantly larger than the 11,000 sq ft listed in property records. The penthouse was valued at$327m in 2015, a price that the lawsuit called "absurd". "Tripling the size of the apartment for purposes of the valuation was intentional and deliberate fraud," the lawsuit reads. "Not an honest mistake". 40 Wall Street Originally completed in 1930, the 72-story neo-Gothic tower in the heart of New York's financial district was purchased by a Trump-controlled company in 1995. The building's website proudly boasts that the purchase was "one of the great real estate deals of all time". Since the purchase, the building's tenants have included global giants such as American Express, defunct investment bank Bear Stearns and Hilton Hotels & Resorts. In the New York lawsuit, prosecutors alleged that the values given by Mr Trump and the Trump Organization "far exceeded the values determined by professionals" in lender-ordered appraisals. In 2012, for example, the property was valued by the company at $572m in financial statements - more than twice the value reached by the outside appraisals. By early this year, the building had been added to a lender watchlist because of concerns over rising expenses and vacancies, according to Bloomberg. Seven Springs Estate https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1228989375.jpg Vaunted as "one of the most prestigious private estates" by the Trump Organization, the verdant 212-acre estate stretches across the towns of Bedford, Armonk and Chappaqua in New York's Westchester Country. It was built in 1919 by former Washington Post publisher Eugene Meyer and bought by the Trump Organization in 1996. A large Georgian-style mansion surrounded by nature preserves, the property is atypical of Mr Trump's holdings, which tend to sparkle and shine with gold-plated décor. As is the case with the other properties in the lawsuit, the Trumps are accused of overvaluing the estate. Mr Trump's son Eric is also accused of pushing for developments there that were not approved and "not feasible", as well as hiding the estate's true value and fraudulently increasing the value of tax deductions stemming from it. Mar-a-Lago https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...-903944602.jpg It is unclear whether Judge Engoron's ruling would apply to Trumps' Mar-a-Lago estate The extent of Judge Engoron's recent ruling is still unclear, but could potentially extend far beyond New York's borders to properties that controlled by New York based limited liability companies, or LLCs. This could reportedly include Mr Trump's famous 17-acre Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he currently resides. In his ruling, Mr Engoron determined that Mr Trump inflated the value of Mar-a-Lago by as much as 2,300%. The ruling cited an appraisal from the Palm Beach County Assessor's office, which placed the property's value at between $18m and $27.6m. The valuation sparked an angry response from Mr Trump, who called Mr Engoron "unhinged" and a "political hack judge". On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Eric Trump speculated that Mar-a-Lago is worth a billion dollars, "making it arguably the most valuable residential property in the country". His brother Donald Trump Jr mocked the assessment writing: "If Mar-a-Lago is worth $18 million... I'll take 10 please!!" MORE; |
re: Fraud Trial DAY 1-TRUMP Attacked Judge & Prosecutor in What Could End His Empire
TRUMP Appears at Fraud Trial in New York - 'It's a Sham' Says TRUMP
New York Attorney General Letitia James 'No One is Above The Law' NY Attorney Seeks Damages, After TRUMP Found Liable For Fraud BBC 2 OCT 2023 https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.j...=Api&P=0&h=220 Former President Donald Trump has arrived at court to attend the opening of his New York civil trial Trump committed fraud by repeatedly misrepresenting his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars, a New York judge ruled last week https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.Z...=Api&P=0&h=220 TRUMP is seated across from NY Judge Arthur Engoron he called 'deranged' The NY attorney general is seeking a fine of $250m (£204m) and a ban on him doing business in his home state Trump has called the lawsuit a politically motivated "witch hunt" The Trump Organization could be forced to relinquish control of its properties or sell some of its landmarks Trump, who built his political career on his fame as a billionaire real estate ace and master of "The Art of the Deal," appeared voluntarily for a trial that has high stakes for him. New York Attorney General Letitia James' suit accuses Trump and his company of deceiving banks, insurers and others by habitually lying about his wealth in financial statements. Judge Arthur Engoron already has ruled that Trump committed fraud in his business dealings. It is a non-jury trial, so Engoron will decide on six other claims in the lawsuit. James, a Democrat, is seeking $250 million in penalties and a ban on Trump doing business in New York. The judge's ruling last week, if upheld on appeal, could force Trump to give up New York properties including Trump Tower, a Wall Street office building, golf courses and a suburban estate. |
re: N.York. Appeals Court Rejects TRUMPS’ Plea to Stop Trial & Halts Businesses Break Up
Defiant at $250m New York Fraud Trial to Blast 'Scam'
Attacked Judge and Prosecutor in Day of Courtroom Drama as He Attended Opening of Fraud Trial That Could Threaten His Business Empire. BBC 3 OCT 2023 Trump with legal team in court On entering the room on Monday dressed in a blue suit, Mr Trump - who turned up voluntarily - looked ahead as he walked past the prosecutor who brought the case. States' attorney general Letitia James, sitting in the front row, averted her gaze. Their paths did not cross for the rest of opening statements as both sides laid out their case. Mr Trump, the Trump Organization, several executives and two of his children - Donald Jr and Eric - are the defendants in the civil trial in New York Superior Court. They are accused of fraud, falsification of business records, issuing false financial statements and conspiracy. As the trial got under way, the former president occasionally glanced in the direction of Judge Arthur Engoron as he addressed the court. Moments beforehand, in a tirade outside court that echoed across the chamber, Mr Trump had called the judge a "rogue adjudicator". Ms James was not spared either in his remarks to reporters at the top of the courtroom steps. "It's a scam, it's a sham. Just so you know, my financial statements are phenomenal," Mr Trump added. "There was no crime - the crime was against me." Given the former president's personal attacks, observers expected a tense atmosphere in the cramped confines of the court. But the three key figures in the legal drama had minimal direct interactions. While prosecutors set out their case, Mr Trump for the most part sat still, occasionally whispering to his legal team. Ms James kept her eyes on the lawyer unveiling a visual presentation that accompanied her team's opening statements. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...umpincourt.jpg Proceedings began with her team accusing Mr Trump and his co-defendants of intentionally and persistently committing fraud, which reaped Mr Trump over $100m (£82.7m). Last week Judge Engoron ruled against Mr Trump in a central claim of the lawsuit, finding that he had overvalued his properties by hundreds of millions of dollars in order to get favourable bank loans. Mr Trump's lawyers took the stand shortly afterwards, attacking the New York attorney general's arguments. Alina Habba said Ms James' goal as attorney general was to "go to work, get Trump and go home". She claimed that Mr Trump did not inflate the value of his assets - including his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Real estate was malleable, she said, and his properties were "Mona Lisas" - Mar-a-Lago would sell for at least a billion dollars, she argued. But before lunch, proceedings turned increasingly fractious. Mr Trump's attorney, Chris Kise, argued with Judge Engoron about issues including whether expert opinion counted as testimony. And Ms Habba's attacks on Ms James drew Judge Engoron's ire. The judge said he had already dismissed claims that the suit was politically motivated. The afternoon in court proved calmer, with former Trump accountant Donald Bender testifying as the first witness called by the attorney general's office. Mr Bender said he had worked on Trump's tax returns and completed accounting work for Mr Trump's corporate entities. He testified in a criminal trial against the Trump Organization in Manhattan last year, claiming the company sought to evade taxes on bonuses and other luxury benefits. Trump: 'It's a scam, it's a sham' His two-hour testimony on Monday - largely focused on technical questions about his work for the Trump Organization - capped off the first day of the three-month long trial. The case will be decided by Judge Engoron, not a jury. None of the defendants will face jail time if convicted, because this is a civil case not a criminal one. Ms James is seeking $250m (£207m) and sanctions that could prevent the Trumps from doing business in the state of New York. There is even the possibility that Mr Trump could lose some of the properties that have become a signature part of his brand. The stakes could not be higher. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...581fd35aa0.jpg Trump walks out of the New York courtroom during a break in the first day of the trial on whether he committed fraud. |
re: N.York. Appeals Court Rejects TRUMPS’ Plea to Stop Trial & Halts Businesses Break Up
Judge Fires Back at TRUMP Attorneys to NOT Contest His Rulings
Judge Also Issues Gag Order and Rebukes TRUMP After Social Media Post Attacking His Clerk BBC 4 OCT 2023 Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the New York attorney generals’ civil case against Donald Trump, said that the trial itself is not the venue for TRUMPS attorneys to contest what he’s already ruled on. Judge Arthur Engoron rebuked Donald Trump after the former president attacked his clerk in a social media post on Tuesday and forbade the parties from making any future comments about his staff. “This morning one of the defendants posted on (a) social media account a disparaging untrue and personally identifying post about a member of my staff. Although I have since ordered the post deleted and apparently it was, it was also emailed out to millions of other recipients,” the judge said in court. “Personal attacks of any member of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them,” the judge said. https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/22898...caa4704f78572e TRUMP looked straight ahead at the judge as he issued the order. The judge then said all parties must not speak publicly about any members of the court staff. “Consider this statement an order forbidding all parties from posting, emailing or speaking publicly about any members of my staff,” Engoron said. “Failure to abide by this … will result in serious sanctions.” |
re: N.York. Appeals Court Rejects TRUMPS’ Plea to Stop Trial & Halts Businesses Break Up
TRUMP and His Business Stand Trial in New York in Third Day of Major Civil Fraud Case
TRUMP in Court For 3rd Day as Accountant Takes Stand in NY Fraud Trial - TRUMP Lawyers Go After Accountant, Appeal Major Pretrial Ruling in New York Fraud Case BBC 5 OCT 2023 https://www.ocregister.com/wp-conten...3385.jpg?w=525 Judge Arthur Engoron already has ruled that the former president commiitted fraud NEW YORK - The fraud trial that could block former President Donald Trump from doing business in New York drilled down Wednesday into the question of who — his company or hired accountants — bore responsibility for financial statements that the state calls fraudulent. With accountants on the witness stand and Trump at the defense table for a third day, his attorneys tried to pin blame on accounting firms for any problems with the statements. But lawyers for New York Attorney General Letitia James sought to show that the accountants relied entirely on information supplied by Trump and his company. Outside the courtroom, meanwhile, Trump's lawyers appealed a key pretrial ruling: that he engaged in fraud by puffing up the values of prized assets. The trial concerns six claims that remain in the lawsuit after that ruling. Former President Donald Trump addresses the press during a lunch break on the third day of his civil fraud trial at New York State Supreme Court on October 4, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images) Trump denies any wrongdoing. The trial comes as he leads the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and the stakes are high for him and the real estate empire that launched him into public life. The pretrial ruling that's now under appeal could cost him control of Trump Tower and some other properties. At the trial, James is seeking a $250 million penalty and a prohibition on Trump doing business in New York. At the heart of the case are the "statements of financial condition," yearly snapshots of Trump's wealth that were given to banks, insurers and others. James says the statements were wildly inflated. His Trump Tower penthouse was claimed as nearly three times its actual size, for example, and his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida was hugely overvalued at as much as $739 million, she says. Trump maintains that the statements actually underestimated the worth of luxury properties. He also emphasizes that the documents came with disclaimers that he characterizes as saying the numbers shouldn't be trusted and lenders should do their own homework. But accountant Donald Bender, who prepared the financial statements for years, testified Tuesday that the Trump Organization didn’t always supply all the information needed to accurately produce the documents. Another accountant, Camron Harris, testified Wednesday that his work on the 2021 statement involved checking information provided by Trump’s company for "obvious errors" and formatting it for presentation. "We do not verify the accuracy of any of the information provided," Harris said. His firm's work agreement with Trump's company specified that the accountants would "not express an opinion or any conclusion nor provide any assurance on the financial statements." RELATED: Judge rules Donald Trump defrauded banks, insurers as he built real estate empire Trump lawyer Jesus M. Suarez, in cross-examining Bender on Tuesday and Wednesday, sought to depict the accountant as sloppy. Suarez showed video Wednesday of pretrial testimony in which Bender said he didn’t recall whether he consulted with any specialists when preparing Trump’s financial statements. Yet, Suarez noted, Bender's firm told clients it might need specialists' help to evaluate works of art, jewelry, and some types of securities in closely held businesses and real estate. When Bender acknowledged on Tuesday that he missed a shift in information about the size of the Trump Tower penthouse, Suarez told the accountant that Trump’s company and employees were "going through hell" because "you missed it." Bender retorted that it was the Trump Organization's mistake, "and we didn’t catch it." As the cross-examination wore on Wednesday with painstaking queries about specific aspects of individual financial statements, Judge Arthur Engoron pounded his fist and said the defense was ignoring his instructions to streamline the questioning. "This is ridiculous," said the judge, who's hearing the case without a jury because state law doesn't allow for one in this type of lawsuit. Trump’s lawyers complained that the judge was compromising their ability to defend the former president. "I’ve never had to negotiate how to ask questions as a lawyer," defense attorney Christopher Kise said. Trump, with familiar rhetoric outside court on Wednesday, called James "incompetent," portrayed her as part of a broader Democratic effort to weaken his 2024 prospects, and termed the case "fake" and the trial "a disgrace." "Why attend? Because I want to point it out to the press, how corrupt it is," he said as he left court during its lunch break. He headed to Florida, next expected to return to the courtroom when he's called to testify, likely several weeks from now. James later described his comments as offensive, baseless and "devoid of any facts and/or any evidence." "The Donald Trump is show is over. This was nothing more than a political stunt. A fundraising stop. Now, we can continue to go forward with our trial, and we are confident that justice will be served," James told reporters outside court. Trump has frequently vented in the courthouse hallway and on social media about the trial, James and Engoron, also a Democrat. After Trump assailed Engoron's principal law clerk on social media Tuesday, the judge imposed a limited gag order, commanding all participants in the trial not to hurl personal attacks at members of his staff. The judge told Trump to delete the "disparaging, untrue and personally identifying post," and the former president took it down. |
re: N.York. Appeals Court Rejects TRUMPS’ Plea to Stop Trial & Halts Businesses Break Up
TRUMPS' Civil Fraud Trial Continues in New York - TRUMP Tells BBC He Will Testify at Appropriate Time
TRUMP and His Business Stand Trial in Fourth Consecutive Day of Civil Fraud Case BBC 6 OCT 2023 Donald Trump and his family business continue to stand trial in New York on Friday in a civil fraud case that could deal a major blow to the former U.S. presidents’ real estate empire. Five Things to Know About Trumps' New York Fraud Trial The vast business empire upon which Donald Trump made his name is on the line in a civil fraud trial that began on Monday in New York. The former president, his two adult sons and the wider Trump Organization are accused of massively inflating the value of their properties by over $2bn (£1.65bn), in order to secure favourable loans. On the trials' first day, Mr Trump made a surprise appearance at the courthouse where he lambasted the judge and the New York attorney general who brought the case. He has denied any wrongdoing, calling the case a sham. Here Are Five Things to Know About The Trial. 1. The stakes are really high A defeat would mark a significant blow to the real estate empire that propelled him to national recognition long before he ran for the White House. Those holdings constitute a significant chunk of his personal fortune and self-image. Earlier this year, Forbes Magazine estimated that his New York properties alone are worth $720m of his estimated $2.5bn. Mr Trump has repeatedly pointed to his achievements in the New York real estate market as a source of personal pride. In a 2015 interview with Bella NYC magazine, for example, Mr Trump touted the "many great buildings" that he has built and owns as his greatest accomplishment outside of his family. A victory for prosecutors would mean that Mr Trump and his company would have to pay a $250m fine and be banned from doing business in New York, prising Trump Tower and the rest of his holdings from his grasp. His presence in court suggests that he knows how high the stakes are. 2. It involves his children Two of Mr Trump's adult children - Donald Jr and Eric - are co-defendants in the case and on the list of witnesses. The two took over the management of the Trump Organization in 2017, the year their father became president. Like their father, both of Mr Trump's sons are accused of what Attorney General Letitia James has described as "persistent and repeated fraud" regarding their business. The lawsuit filed by Ms James cites multiple specific allegations against both Eric and Donald Jr, largely pertaining to allegedly fraudulent assessments of value of real estate properties. Eric Trump, along with his brother Donald Jr, are among the co-defendants in the case. Eric Trump, for example, is accused of pushing for unapproved and "not feasible" developments at the sprawling Seven Springs Estate in Westchester County, as well as hiding its true value and fraudulently increasing the value of tax deductions stemming from it. The lawsuit seeks to bar both men from serving as an officer or director in "any New York corporation or similar business entity" registered or licensed in the state. Mr Trump's defence team plans to call 128 witnesses, including the former president, his two sons and his daughter Ivanka. His former lawyer Michael Cohen will testify for the prosecution. 3. The central claim in case already settled Last week, the judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, ruled that Mr Trump misrepresented his wealth by millions of dollars. His Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida was over-valued by 2,300% in one financial statement and his Trump Tower triplex was presented as three times its actual size, the ruling said. The judge ordered that some of Mr Trump's companies be removed from his control. While the scope of this ruling is still unclear, it could mean that the Trump Organization could be forced to hand over control to a court-appointed receiver, or ultimately have to sell some of its most iconic landmarks. The upcoming trial will focus on six other claims made in the lawsuit, including falsification of business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy. On the opening day, lead attorney for the state, Kevin Wallace, said the defendants falsified records for personal gain. They knew the statements were false, he said, and "then used them to pursue and obtain financial benefits". 4. No jury, one judge and one attorney general The upcoming trial is a bench trial, meaning that the ultimate decision on whether the co-defendants are liable and any damages or penalties rest on Judge Engoron alone. While Mr Trump has pointed to a lack of jury as evidence that the trial is unfair, Mr Engoron said on Monday that his team never asked for a jury. Judge Engoron and Ms James - both Democrats - have already sparred with Mr Trump and his legal team. Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked New York District Attorney Letitia James In April 2022, for example, Judge Engoron held Mr Trump in contempt for refusing to turn over documents related to the case, and rejected attempts by Mr Trump's lawyers to delay the start of the trial. The former president has called them both "deranged" and in Ms James' case, a "racist" who is conducting a politically-motivated witch hunt. 5. This is one trial of several he faces This civil case is one of several ongoing legal battles the current Republican presidential frontrunner is facing. He is also facing three criminal indictments. Two relate to his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and another to false accounting over hush money. A fourth case sees Mr Trump facing 40 criminal charges over his alleged mishandling of classified material after he left the White House. Altogether, Trump is facing 91 felony charges, including 44 federal ones and 47 state charges. He denies all the charges. |
Re: N.York. Appeals Court Rejects TRUMPS’ Plea to Stop Trial & Halts Businesses Break
New York Appeals Court Halts Process of Breaking Up TRUMPS’ Businesses But Rejects Stopping The Trial
A New York appeals court judge rejected Donald Trumps’ attempt to stop the ongoing $250 million civil fraud trial, but temporarily halted the process of breaking up the former presidents’ businesses BBC 8 OCT 2023 https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/...,w_1280,c_fill Associate Justice Peter Moulton issued the ruling after a brief hearing Friday afternoon. It leaves Trumps’ empire untouched for at least another month and perhaps offers the former president and his family a glimmer of hope. Trump sought to put Judge Arthur Engoron’s surprise summary judgment order last week that he is liable for fraud and must cancel business certificates for many of his business entities on hold pending further appeal. The dissolution of the entities would cause irreparable harm to the businesses and upwards of 1,000 employees, Trump attorney Christopher Kise argued in court. “We are very pleased the First Department upheld New York law and put a halt to any cancellation of business certificates, receivers or dissolution,” Kise said following Friday’s ruling. “The trial courts’ attempt to reach issues, entities and assets beyond the scope of this case has been suspended.” Engoron had ordered Trump to propose potential receivers by October 26, which would begin the process of dissolution. During the hearing, Moulton speculated that such a broad interpretation of Engoron’s ruling could mean LLCs holding the private homes of Trump and the other defendants could be at risk of being sold. “[Engoron] clearly does not comprehend the scope of the chaos its decision has wrought,” Trumps’ lawyers said in a court filing earlier in the day. “We’re not seeking delay. We’re not seeking anything but a fair trial and these errors permeate the ongoing trial,” Kise said in court, referring to “an avalanche of errors” in the summary judgment ruling. Trumps’ legal team believes the appellate court could eventually reverse at least part of Engorons’ bombshell order and gut New York Attorney General Letitia James’ case by dismissing a majority of the lawsuit’s claims that they believe are time barred by an earlier appellate ruling handed down in June. The New York attorney generals’ office opposed the request to delay the trial, saying Trump and the other defendants are attempting “to sow chaos by disrupting an ongoing trial that has now been going for a week. Yet defendants fail to point to any purported irreparable harm from proceeding with a trial that has already begun.” The attorney generals’ office also criticized Trumps’ team for waiting days into trial testimony to file the stay request. “And tellingly, they waited until after Mr. Trump decided to stop attending the trial,” the letter says. Trump attended the first three days of the trial and has returned to Florida. The response also says a delay would be disruptive to the court and its witnesses, creating a “cascade of delays in not only this case but also other litigation involving Mr. Trump.” “If the trial here is delayed at all, there is a significant risk that defendants will request further delays of trial based on the deadlines in these other cases. Indeed, defendants already appear to be attempting to play one court against the other,” the motion reads. With regard to Trumps’ request to pause Engoron’s summary judgment, the attorney general stressed it has “informed defendants of its willingness to discuss staying enforcement of portions of that relief pending trial and entry of final judgment, provided that the trial continues to move forward.” Trump and his co-defendants have not yet agreed to engage in those discussions, the attorney general’s filing adds, saying “there should be no resort to the emergency of this Court when the parties have not even had an opportunity to determine if they can reach an agreement.” The attorney generals’ office says the appellate court should consider the significant court resources arranged for the trial, like “special security arrangements outside and inside the courthouse, many additional security and other court personnel to conduct those security arrangements, and special arrangements to ensure access for the press and public.” Trumps’ Attorneys Agree to Drop Lawsuit Against Engoron Separately, Trumps’ attorneys agreed to drop a lawsuit they filed against Engoron and the New York attorney general. Trump attorneys and his co-defendants notified the appellate court that they’ve agreed with James’ office to discontinue the suit. Engoron handed down the summary judgment ruling last week, causing the appellate court to deny Trumps’ request for a stay as moot because Engoron ruled as they requested. |
re: TRUMP Takes the Stand After Judges' Order & Gets Fined TWICE in N.York FRAUD Trial
Judge Threatens TRUMP With Prison For Violating His Gag Order in The New York Fraud Case
TRUMP Gets RIPPED in Court Over Meidas Report, THREATENED Him with Jail Mary Trump Mocks Donald Trump After Judge Threatens Him With Prison BBC 21 OCT 2023 https://d.newsweek.com/en/full/22976...080d195317fc13 Ben Meiselas reports on the tongue-lashing received by Donald Trump from Judge Arthur Engoron in court on Friday following MeidasTouchs' exclusive reporting that Trump violated his gag order. Engoron told TRUMPs' lawyers he was considering imprisonment or other sanctions. Mary Trump Mocks Donald Trump After Judges' Threat https://tse3.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.N...=Api&P=0&h=220 TRUMPs' estranged niece mocked the former president in a social media post after his trial judge in the New York fraud case threatened him with jail time on Friday. The remarks from Judge Arthur Engoron were delivered as he reprimanded TRUMP for breaking a limited gag order imposed toward the beginning of the civil trial. Earlier this month, TRUMP shared a post from X, formerly Twitter, on his Truth Social network, asking, "Why is Judge Engoron's Principal Law Clerk, Allison R. Greenfield, palling around with Chuck Schumer?" Included in the post was a link to Greenfield's personal Instagram page. The gag order was subsequently put into place, with Engoron citing the "untrue disparaging and personally identifying post about my principal law clerk." The latest admonishment from the judge occurred after the court realized that TRUMP's re-post that was immediately taken off of Truth Social following the gag order was still on the former president's website, and had been for the last 17 days. The webpage was taken down late Thursday night, but Engoron said the removal only happened in response to an email from the court. |
re: TRUMP Takes the Stand After Judges' Order & Gets Fined TWICE in N.York FRAUD Trial
EX Lawyer Michael Cohen Testifies Against TRUMP in New York FRAUD Trial
TRUMP Faces Off in Court With Cohen as Ex-Lawyer Testifies Against Him in TRUMP Organization Civil Trial BBC 25 OCT 2023 https://i.insider.com/638e08422cd2de...00&format=jpeg https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Lz...9dff6b6b413bf0 Michael Cohen, former attorney for Donald Trump, enters the courtroom at State Supreme Court https://www.rawstory.com/media-libra...200&height=710 Ex-President Donald Trump speaks during a break in his civil fraud trial at State Supreme Court on Tuesday in New York https://media.gettyimages.com/id/147...J9OKIsW0DKlY0= Former President Donald Trump waits in the courtroom for proceedings to begin during week 4 of his civil fraud trial at State Supreme Court on Tuesday in New York City. Michael Cohen, the disgraced former lawyer for Donald Trump, testified in a New York courtroom Tuesday about how the former president used inflated financial statements to support claims about his net worth, win deals, and lower insurance premiums, as the two former partners faced-off for the first time in years. "What is the highest price per square foot achieved in the city," Cohen testified, when asked about how Trump used "reverse engineering" to set the value of his assets. "We would use those numbers to inflate these numbers." Cohen is a key witness in the penalty phase of the trial, which will determine the amount of damages Trump will pay in the $250 million civil fraud case. Trump was found guilty in September of grossly exaggerating the value of his real estate assets. Judge Arthur Engoron issued a summary ruling that found Trump's real estate business enriched itself by inflating the value of his New York properties, including his hotels and golf clubs. Trump, who continues to deny he did anything wrong, attended Tuesday's proceeding to hear Cohen's testimony. It was the first time the former partners have crossed paths in more than five years. "It appears that I will be reunited with my old client @realDonaldTrump when I testify this Tuesday, October 24th at the @NewYorkStateAG civil fraud trial. See you there!" Cohen wrote Friday on social media. During his testimony, Cohen described how Trump would allow only limited access for insurance companies to view his financial statements. "About three quarters of the way through the meeting, Mr. Trump would then come in, and there would be an extended conversation about his net worth, and that he was richer than the insurance companies," Cohen testified, adding that Trump's last-minute appearance at meetings was pre-planned. According to Cohen, Trump also used inflated financial statements to claim his net worth was "in excess of eight billion dollars" in order to get a line of credit for a 2014 bid to purchase the Buffalo Bills. During cross-examination, Trump lawyer Chris Kise told the judge the defense will prove Cohen "is a serial liar, and he lied to his wife," adding "This witness is completely out of control." Kise also chastised the New York attorney general's office for failing to notify defense attorneys until Saturday that at least four members from the office tested positive for COVID-19 last Wednesday. The case brought last September by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses Trump, his eldest sons and his family business of inflating Trump's net worth by more than $2 billion by overvaluing his real estate portfolio. "It's really hypocritical," Kise said, adding that withheld information on their health exposed his team and the leading Republican presidential candidate. During a break in Tuesday's testimony, Trump told reporters Cohen's "record is a horrible one," and that "He is not a credible witness." Cohen was originally scheduled to appear last week but his testimony was delayed to attend to a pre-existing medical condition. Under the Sept. 26 ruling, all of Trump's New York business licenses were revoked, as well as those of his co-defendants, including his two sons and Donald Trump Jr., his longtime finance chief Allen Weisselberg and his company, the Trump Organization. Cohen, who was once one of Trump's most trusted aides, has admitted to being a central figure in Trump's illegal business schemes after spending a decade falsifying financial records before federal agents raided his New York home in April 2018. Subsequently, Cohen cooperated with the investigation and took on a new role as chief witness against Trump following his own arrest and conviction for financial crimes, campaign finance violations and tax evasion, culminating in more than a year of imprisonment. Testifying before the House Oversight Committee in 2019, Cohen said Trump consistently lied about the value of his New York real estate, which defrauded banks and insurers for years, prompting an investigation by New York Attorney General Letitia James into Trump's holdings throughout the state. Cohen was deposed ahead of the trial by prosecutors who presented portions of his sworn testimony during opening statements in late September before Engoron found Trump liable without a jury trial, citing overwhelming evidence in the case. In a critical part of the deposition, Cohen said Trump "wanted to be higher on the Forbes list, and he then said, 'I'm actually not worth $6 billion. I'm worth 7. In fact, I think it's actually now worth 8, with everything that's going on,'" Cohen said, adding that he doctored Trump's assets alongside Weisselberg, who pleaded guilty to tax evasion in August 2022. Years before exposing Trump's fraudulent business dealings, Cohen described his unwavering loyalty to Trump, pledging to act against Trump's adversaries on the campaign trail and elsewhere. "It means that if somebody does something Mr. Trump doesn't like, I do everything in my power to resolve it to Mr. Trump's benefit," Cohen told ABC News in 2011. "If you do something wrong, I'm going to come at you, grab you by the neck and I'm not going to let you go until I'm finished." Tuesday's appearance comes as the trial has taken several unexpected turns. Last week, the proceedings were briefly halted after one of Trump's lawyers accused a witness of lying, which triggered several minutes of shouting in the courtroom. Trump hit the defense table with both hands in an apparent moment of frustration with his legal team. Two days later, Engoron fined Trump $5,000 for violating a gag order placed on him Oct. 3, prohibiting Trump from making any public remarks about the judge and his staff. In April, Trump filed a $500 million lawsuit against Cohen, accusing his former "fixer" of false statements and breach of attorney-client privilege. Trump dismissed the action earlier this month. Part of Cohen's 2018 conviction was related to illegal hush money paid to former adult film star Stormy Daniels, with whom Trump allegedly had a sexual encounter that threatened to upend his 2016 campaign for president. In that case, Trump will go on trial in early 2024 after pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records to repay Cohen hundreds of thousands of dollars off the books. Trump is also scheduled to go on trial in New York on 15 Jan. in a defamation lawsuit brought by author E. Jean Carroll, who seeks $10 million in damages from Trump, claiming he defamed her in 2019 when he denied raping her in the 1990s, saying she was "not my type." Another three criminal cases related to classified documents and election interference are due to take place during the height of the 2024 campaign, in which Trump is seeking the Republican nomination for re-election. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
TRUMP Fined $10,000 For Violating Gag Order After He Implied The Judges' Clerk is Partisan in New York Civil Trial
PLUS Judge Fines TRUMP $5,000 After Threatening Prison For Gag Order Violation in Civil FRAUD Trial For Failing to Remove From His Campaign Website Derogatory Post About The Judges' Clerk. TRUMP Hauled to Witness Stand in Unexpected Twist During New York Fraud Trial - Judge Engoron Appeared Quite Angry BBC 26 OCT 2023 https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/7x...f6ad9d38eef178 TRUMP Receives Warning From Angry Judge Over Courtroom Behaviour During Fraud Trial https://images.dailykos.com/images/1...jpg?1697557679 https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/i...516-5c5715.jpg A judge warned TRUMP and others at his New York civil fraud trial to keep their voices down Wednesday after the former president threw up his hands in frustration and spoke loudly to his lawyers while a witness was testifying against him. In an unexpected twist, former President Trump took the witness stand Wednesday in his New York civil trial to defend himself — not against any of the fraud charges he faces in the case but to respond to the judges’ assertion that he had violated a gag order in place. The surprise, yet brief testimony took place after an afternoon break — before which the star of the day was his ex-fixer Michael Cohen. Cohen’s testimony itself also took an explosive turn during later cross-examination, when he appeared to contradict his own testimony about inflating Trump’s assets. But it ended up being TRUMPs’ remarks earlier in the day that took center stage. When TRUMP took the stand, Judge Arthur Engoron asked him about a comment he made to reporters regarding a “very partisan judge with a person who is very partisan sitting alongside him, perhaps even more partisan than he is.” The trial judge suggested that the person TRUMP was referring to was his principal law clerk, who is seated just to the right of the judge, which TRUMP denied. The gag order earlier imposed barred TRUMP and other parties in the case from speaking about the judge’s staff. TRUMP nodded, then responded, “Yes.” “To whom were you referring?” Engoron asked. “You and Cohen,” TRUMP replied. “Are you sure that you didn’t mean the person on the other side, my principal law clerk?” Engoron asked. “Yes, I’m sure,” TRUMP said. The former president, when prompted, added that he believes the judge’s clerk is “very biased against us” and explained that he took down the previous Truth Social post that sparked the gag order. The post, made on Trumps’ Truth Social account, falsely derided the clerk as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-N.Y.) “girlfriend” and included personally identifying information about her. A Schumer spokesperson called the post “ridiculous, absurd, and false” in a statement to The Hill. Engoron ordered Trump to take down the post at the time. While it was removed from Truth Social, it remained on Trumps’ campaign website for an additional 17 days. When that was made known to Engoron, the judge imposed a $5,000 fine on Trump for violating the order, warning that another violation could result in serious punishment, including steeper financial penalties, contempt or even jail time. On the witness stand, Trump said he believed “one of the political groups, or PACs” left the post up, echoing comments his attorney, Chris Kise, made when the post’s presence on his campaign website was discovered. “I didn’t know they were gonna do that,” Trump said. Through his short testimony, Trump maintained a glum face and looked intently at the judge. When he trailed back to his seat, he kept his eyes on the floor. Once Trump was seated, Engoron issued his order fining Trump $10,000 — which he called “on the liberal side.” “As the trier of fact, I find that the witness is not credible,” Engoron said. Kise objected to the order, suggesting the judge “presupposed some ill motive” on Trumps’ behalf. Kise and Trumps’ other attorneys also claimed that the closeness of Engorons’ clerk to him has essentially made her a “second judge” in the case. The attorneys previously raised issues with Engoron and his clerks’ whispered sidebars, which sometimes include eye-rolling or sighs of exasperation. Engoron rejected their objections and their assertions about his clerks’ role in his decision-making. https://media.radaronline.com/brand-...6364655338.png https://media.istockphoto.com/vector...sj4XnNT283KYA= “Imake the final decisions,” angry Engoron said. After the fine was imposed, Cohen retook the stand to continue his cross-examination by Clifford Robert, an attorney for Trump’s sons. Cohens’ apparent contradictions began to catch up with him when confronted with his testimony and previously glowing words about his ex-client being used against him. Robert presented Cohen with a transcript from his 2019 testimony about Trump’s business practices — the same testimony that New York Attorney General Letitia James has said inspired her case against Trump. At that time, Cohen had said that Trump did not direct him to inflate his net worth — which directly contradicted testimony he gave earlier this week. “Mr. Trump never directed you to inflate the numbers in his personal statement. Yes or no?” Robert asked Cohen after a heated back and forth, where Cohen avoided answering the question. “Yes,” Cohen said. http://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/asset...5-full-169.jpg Trump threw his hands in the air and looked around the room, as did another of his attorneys, Alina Habba. Robert asked for an immediate directed verdict after asserting that the governments’ “key witness” testified he was not directed by Trump to inflate the numbers. Without skipping a beat, Engoron denied the order. https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CCdaomHLBfo/maxresdefault.jpg TRUMP scoffed, stood abruptly and stormed out of the courtroom in a huff. His Secret Service detail followed, leaving the gallery in a stunned silence. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
Judge Orders Ivanka Trump to Testify in Fraud Case - Ivanka Trump Must Testify In Her Fathers’ N.Y. Fraud Trial
TRUMP Attacks FRAUD Trial Judge as Ivanka Ordered to Testify BBC 27 OCT 2023 https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/d...738/790434.jpg TRUMP also attacked the judge in his New York civil fraud trial after he was hit with a $10,000 fine for violating the gag order in the case. https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.C...=Api&P=0&h=220 This comes as his daughter Ivanka was ordered by the judge on Friday to testify in the trial. Attorneys for Mr Trump previously rejected a subpoena from the New York attorney generals’ office seeking his daughters’ testimony in the civil fraud trial that threatens Trumps’ business empire. Ivanka Trump Tries Getting Out Of Testifying In NY Fraud Trial |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
Cohen Predicts Outcome of TRUMP After Testimony
Michael Cohen Predicts Multiple Violations of TRUMPs’ Gag Order in Civil Fraud Case BBC 29 OCT 2023 https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.J...=Api&P=0&h=220 Former TRUMP Attorney Describes His Experience Testifying Against His Former Boss in The New York Civil Fraud Trial. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
Trump Jr Testifies in NYC Fraud Trial - Will Testify Again Tomorrow
Federal Prosecutor Renato Mariotti Discusses TRUMPs' Latest Social Media Attack on The New York Judge Overseeing His Civil Fraud Trial. TRUMP has previously been fined $15,000 for violating a gag order barring comments about members of Judge Arthur Engorons’ staff. BBC 2 NOV 2023 https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.V...=Api&P=0&h=180https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 Donald Trump Jr cracked jokes and appeared in a jovial mood as he testified in court. The questions from the prosecution seemed to be mainly background information; what was his role in the company? How was he involved in the Trust? Those questions will likely ramp up when he is due back for round two tomorrow. Court is scheduled to start at 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT) Donald Trump Jr is the first of the former presidents' children to testify in a New York civil fraud trial, with Eric and Ivanka to be called to the stand in the coming days https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...82485x1398.jpg Eric and Donald Jr, who are both senior Trump Organization executives, are co-defendants in the case - alongside the former president https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.9...=Api&P=0&h=180 Trump and his sons have denied accusations they falsified business records and committed insurance fraud, among other claims |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
Donald Trumps' Sons Defiant in New York Fraud Trial, Try to Shift Blame to Accountants
Donald Trumps' two eldest sons took the stand in a New York court, testifying in a civil fraud trial that threatens to engulf the familys' property empire. BBC 3 NOV 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...60190186-1.jpg Prosecutors say Eric and Donald Trump Jr played key roles in the Trump Organization's efforts to exaggerate its wealth and falsify records. In court, the brothers denied wrongdoing and sought to shift the blame onto the company's accountants. Their sister Ivanka is also expected to testify later in November. In his testimony on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, Mr Trump Jr frequently denied having worked on the financial statements at the centre of the case or having knowledge of how the statements and other important business documents were prepared. The graduate of The Wharton School, an Ivy League business college, is executive vice-president at the Trump Organization, along with Eric. He frequently stated that the documents were the responsibility of the company's accountants, the Mazars firm, and other employees. "They have as much, if not more, information and details than I ever would have had," he said. Asked whether he ever took any steps to ensure the documents he was signing off on were accurate, Mr Trump Jr replied: "I can't recall". At one point, Judge Arthur Engoron attempted to cut to the heart of the matter, asking Mr Trump Jr directly whether he had anything to do with the documents. "No I did not, your honour," he said. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1760461014.jpg Eric Trump testified after his brother Donald Trump Jr., and also sought to distance himself from the Trump organization's financial statements. While his older brother projected confidence and made jokes in court, Eric was far more subdued and had several tense interactions with prosecutors during questioning. The 39-year-old often refused to provide "yes" or "no" answers to prosecutors' questions, to their great frustration. Like his brother, Eric attempted to distance himself from financial documents pertaining to his father and the wider Trump Organization, particularly statements of financial condition. Andrew Amer, a senior lawyer with the New York attorney general's office, grilled him for several hours, displaying emails in which the Trump son appeared to contradict statements that he did not have "anything" to do with his father's financial statements. In the emails, Eric Trump agreed to assist Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney with information about a property in Westchester, New York, for a financial statement. Still, Eric Trump said he was not directly involved in preparing the document and did not pay particular attention to how the information was used. "I didn't work on the statement of financial condition," he said. "I've been very, very clear about that." Tensions flared toward the end of the day over another matter: Judge Engoron's law clerk. The judge threatened to expand a gag order he had imposed on former President Donald Trump over a social media post about the clerk to include the family's attorneys. Trump attorney Christopher Kise had made a reference to the female law clerk during an objection. Judge Engoron, who has been protective of staff members involved in the high-profile case, ventured the reference "might be misogyny". The admonishment and threat of expanded gag order did not sit well with the Trumps' lawyers, including Mr Kise, who said he felt the New York judge was biased against him. "I do often feel like…I'm fighting two adversaries," Mr Kise said. "I'm not a misogynist. I'm very happily married and I have a 17-year-old daughter." The Trumps' female attorney, Alina Habba, told the judge she did not believe Mr Kise to be misogynistic and said prosecutors needed to "move on" from their line of questioning. "We've been here all day and have gotten, frankly, not very far," she said. Former President Trump is expected to testify in the case early next week. He has previously appeared in court to watch the testimony of his former attorney, Michael Cohen. He, like his sons, has denied any wrongdoing and earlier this week called Judge Engoron "a disgrace to the legal profession". His daughter, Ivanka Trump - who is no longer listed as a co-defendant in the case - is expected to testify on 8 November. On Wednesday, however, she appealed against the order to testify. Her attorney has argued that she has not lived or worked in New York since 2017. The judge in the case, Arthur Engoron, has already ruled that the Trump Organization committed massive fraud. The trial will ultimately determine what civil penalty should be imposed. New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking a fine of $250m (£204m) and a ban on the former president and his adult sons doing business in the state. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
TRUMP Returns to Court to Testify in His Civil FRAUD Trial
TRUMP to Give Landmark Testimony in New York FRAUD Trial BBC 6 NOV 2023 https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/Pa...859bd30590d984 In a historic moment for America, Donald Trump is set to give testimony under oath today in a case that threatens to topple his business empire. The former president is expected to take the stand in his civil fraud trial in New York on Monday, days after his adult sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr testified last week. https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/zM...ddbd6750fdbb94 The judge imposed a gag order earlier this month that blocks any parties from making comments about the court’s staff after the former president made a series of false and disparaging remarks about her outside the courtroom and on his Truth Social account. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
TRUMP in Court -Day on The Witness Stand...Backed Into a Legal Corner TRUMP Comes Out Swinging in Court
Angry Judge Engoron Chides TRUMP & Told Attorneys 'CONTROL Your Client This is a Court -NOT a Political Rally' On Monday, Donald Trump was called to testify in the fraud trial against him in New York. He remained indignant on the stand, suggesting his strategy was more political than legal. BBC 7 NOV 2023 https://tse2.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.v...=Api&P=0&h=180 Trumps' day in court was never going to go any other way. - Sparks fly as ex-president takes stand On the stand for a landmark fraud trial, he approached his testimony just as he had his real estate business and political career: ignoring the rules and technicalities, and blustering and bragging his way through it. His aggressive and freewheeling appearance on Monday offered a glimpse at how he may behave as a defendant in the four upcoming criminal cases against him. The former president repeatedly angered Judge Arthur Engoron by refusing to directly answer the questions put to him by the attorney general's office. Yes-or-no questions about accounting documents and dates became extended riffs on the incredible values of his properties, or the partisan leanings of the judge and prosecutors. At one point, Mr Trump declared: "This is a very unfair trial...and I hope the public is watching." While cameras were not allowed inside, dozens of reporters gathered in the courtroom to transmit his testimony to the outside world. Likely understanding this fact, Mr Trump used his time on the stand to ardently defend himself with the same language he has used in social media statements and stump speeches to rile up his base. His Truth Social account even posted an attack on the judge during an afternoon break. The attorney general's office and other prosecutors "were coming after me from 15 sides", he said in response to one question. "All Democrats, all Trump haters, all cases that are not good," he said. "Weaponisation, they call it." At times his responses were boastful, or simply odd. To a question from Kevin Wallace of the attorney general's office about his brand's valuation, Mr Trump bragged: "I became president because of my brand." And in response to questions about his golf course in Scotland, Mr Trump reverted to his political opposition to windfarms, one of which was built offshore his club. "I'm not a windmill person," he said. Evasive and partisan answers continued on like this all morning. "Can you control your client" Judge Engoron asked Mr Trump's attorneys at one point. "This is not a political rally." It was one of several reprimands issued from the bench throughout the morning. Witnesses usually do not speak without prompting, let alone at such length. But Mr Trump is no normal defendant. His lawyer Chris Kise admitted as much after the umpteenth admonishment from Judge Engoron. "It's an unusual situation," he said, arguing that Mr Trump should be allowed to speak due to his unique position. The judge, however, was determined to treat Mr Trump like any other defendant. Returning from the afternoon recess, Mr Trump was notably more subdued. Although there was one outburst about Ms James that the prosecution simply ignored, he stuck to shorter answers. The attorney general's office has accused Mr Trump, his top employees and his companies of fraudulently inflating the value of their assets on statements of financial condition, or balance sheets, to get more favourable loans. While on the stand, the 45th president tried to seize the opportunity to boast about the value of his brand - a path he used to great effect when launching his political career nearly a decade ago. In between outbursts, Mr Trump tried to hammer home a defence that his assets were actually worth far more than the numbers on paper and that the banks he allegedly defrauded were paid back in full. He claimed his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago was worth a "very big number", far in excess to the one listed on his statements of financial condition. And he boasted that Trump Tower, his Fifth Avenue skyscraper, occupied the "best location in New York". Mr Trump has been on the stand before. In fact, Judge Engoron put him there briefly earlier in the trial, after he made remarks that the judge believed referred to his clerk. But he is doing so as a former president, current frontrunner for the Republican nomination, and a defendant in four separate criminal trials that, unlike this case, come with jail time. Those trials will play out one by one next year in tandem with the US presidential election. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...64a26959f4.jpg Trump in court...Donald Trump appeared to mimic zipping his mouth closed, possibly referring to a gag order placed on him With the threats against him mounting, Mr Trump has grown more aggressive in his rhetoric, reverting to the political street brawler that saw him seize the 2016 Republican nomination from establishment lawmakers. He has attacked prosecutors directly by name, and lashed out at court staffers. Judge Engoron placed Mr Trump under a gag order in early October after he made disparaging comments about his clerk, who sits to his right. So far, he has fined Mr Trump $15,000 (£12,150) and put his attorneys under a gag order as well, after they claimed the clerk was biased. Midway through his morning testimony Trump dared to take a swipe directly at the judge. "I'm sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me," Mr Trump said. https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.M...=Api&P=0&h=180 "You can attack me, you can do whatever you want," Judge Ergonon said. "But answer the question." MORE; Trump Speech |
Re: 'TRUMP is Toast'-Watergate Prosecutor-Ivanka Trump 'Loses' Her Memory on The Stan
'TRUMP is Toast': Watergate Prosecutor Predicts Outcome of Trial
Nick Akerman, who was prosecutor during Watergate, discusses TRUMPs' strategy in the New York civil fraud case against the former president and the Trump Organization Ivanka Trump, Eldest Daughter of TRUMP, Has Taken The Stand to Testify in The Civil Fraud - 'I Dont Recall' - Elusive Ivanka Tests Prosecutors' Patience...She Testified She Cannot Recall Loan Details BBC 9 NOV 2023 https://external-content.duckduckgo....597&ipo=images Donald Trumps' daughter Ivanka took the stand on Wednesday at his ongoing civil fraud trial in New York. https://external-content.duckduckgo....255&ipo=images Despite her appeasing demeanour, she did not reveal much in her testimony, frequently resorting to the refrain 'I don't recall'. Ivanka Trump testifies to New York fraud trial she cannot recall loan details Ivanka Trump said she could not remember property deals she handled at her father's firm, as she testified in a civil fraud case that threatens his business empire. A judge has already found Donald Trump and two adult sons, Eric and Donald Jr, liable for fraud, ruling they inflated assets to secure favourable loans. Ivanka Trump, 42, was initially a co-defendant, too, until an appeals court ruling in her favour this year. She fought hard to avoid testifying. The mother-of-three had argued she could not leave her children in Florida during a school week. But a New York judge and appeals court ruled she must take the stand as a witness. This is a non-jury trial, in which the judge will decide on allegations of falsifying business records, insurance fraud and conspiracy.Trump - the former US president could be stripped of prized assets like Trump Tower. He and his sons deny wrongdoing. |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
TRUMP: Legal Experts See Uphill Battle in N.Y. Fraud Case
TRUMP is The Most Corrupt Person to Ever Hold U.S. Office, Says Republican Congressman BBC 13 NOV 2023 https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...1767733895.jpg Last week marked the end of the most dramatic phase of Donald Trumps' New York business fraud trial, which saw high-profile members of his family make the journey to Lower Manhattan one by one to answer probing questions from prosecutors. On Monday Trumps' defence team will begin presenting their side, calling the former president's oldest son back to the stand as their first witness. But legal analysts told the BBC that after two damaging weeks of testimony from members of the Trump family, salvaging their case now will be a herculean task. "It's been a disaster from a legal perspective," said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers. He believes that Trump is "going to lose this case, and lose badly". In a worst-case scenario for Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron could bar him and his fellow defendants from doing business in New York, and issue fines of at least $250m (£204m) in penalties. Perhaps the most harmful of all the testimony came from Trump himself. When he took the stand on Monday, he called New York Attorney General Letitia James a "political hack", declared the case "a disgrace" and personally attacked Judge Engoron. At several points, Judge Engoron demanded Trumps lawyers rein in his behaviour, and answer the questions posed to him. If they did not, the judge pledged to "draw every negative inference that I can". "If Donald Trump was anybody other than a person with Secret Service protection, he would have been jailed for contempt of court," said Mitchell Epner, an attorney who handles commercial litigation. When he did directly respond to prosecutors' questions, Trump did perhaps even more damage to his cause. At the heart of the attorney general's lawsuit are documents known as statements of financial condition, the balance sheets that the Trump Organization used to demonstrate the value of its properties and Trump's net worth so they could obtain loans and insurance rates. The attorney general's office alleges those documents were fraudulently inflated to obtain deals they could not have received based on their true financials. The judge had already ruled those documents were false. He is now weighing whether there was an intent to defraud, whether the defendants did so for personal gain, and other charges. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/976/cp...47e743ee05.jpg The judge will also determine whether to issue penalties and if so, how severe. Judge Takes Off Glasses And Smiles as Camera Briefly Gets Into TRUMP Trial |
re: TRUMP Assails Judge & Clerk AGAIN in N.Y. Civil Fraud Trial
Donald Trump Jr. Testifies For Defense in New York Civil Fraud Trial
TRUMP Jr Returns to Witness Stand as Defense Makes Case in Fraud Trial Eldest son answers questions from Trumps’ lawyers after saying earlier this month accountants were responsible for documents BBC 14 NOV 2023 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/f9392...5&dpr=1&s=none Trump Jr is the first witness to testify from the defenses’ witness list, which also includes Donald Trump and Eric Trump as witnesses, though it is unclear whether they will end up being called. The New York judge Arthur Engoron has already ruled Trump should have his business licenses revoked for fraud, though the ruling is going through an appellate court. The New York attorney generals’ office is suing Trump, his adult sons and other executives at the Trump Organization for inflating the value of assets on financial statements. They rested their case after Ivanka Trump testified last Wednesday. Trump faces a fine of at least $250m if found guilty at the end of the trial. Trump’s eldest son had taken the stand on 1 November, where he said he did not work on the financial statements on the case – though he signed multiple documents affirming their fairness and accuracy – and said he expected banks to do their own “due diligence” rather than relying on the financial statements. “I know a lot of bankers that do their own due diligence,” Trump Jr said on the stand. Trump’s team did not question him during his first appearance. His lawyers will be trying to make their case that lenders were not harmed by and had actively sought out relationships with the Trump family. In testimony so far, the Trumps have downplayed the importance of the financial statements, saying they were exclusively handled by the organization’s accountants and legal departments and that the family typically had enough cash on hand to conduct deals. Though they were presented with multiple documents showing they were consulted over the financial statements and had signed off on deals where the statements were used to affirm the family’s net worth, the Trumps said they did not recall working on or using the statements. When Trump himself took the stand, he furiously ranted against the judge and New York attorney general Letitia James, whom he called a “political hack”. His children, especially Ivanka Trump, were calmer on the stand but similarly tried to undermine the importance of the financial statements. Trumps’ defense team said they will wrap up their witness testimonies by 15 December. The trial is scheduled to go until 22 December, though it could end before then. https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7https://www.dreamteamdownloads1.com/...ABAAEAAAIBRAA7 https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.t...=Api&P=0&h=180 Angry Trump Insults The Judge AGAIN and Called Him 'Obsessed' on His Social Media Account....WHY? .. 'If Trumps' team has adopted this antagonistic approach as a deliberate strategy, what could the goal be? "I think he is trying to goad the judge into doing something he can argue on appeal shows prejudice on his part," Prof McMunigal said. "Maybe he makes a comment they can use to support a bias case later." ...DUH... Secret Coup Video: Two Trump Aides Flip on Trump Trumps' Shocking Rhetoric on Veterans' Day |
TRUMP Posts, at 2 AM, Insane 'Thanksgiving' Message With List of INSULTS
TRUMP Posts Insane 'Thanksgiving' Message at 2 AM With a List of Insults
Trump wished Americans a happy ‘Thanksgiving’ but that wasn’t all, the former US president laced his message with insults. BBC 25 NOV 2023 http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/e994...9.12.45-AM.jpg http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam...-super-169.jpg “Happy Thanksgiving to ALL, including…” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who has brought a $250 million civil fraud lawsuit against Trump and his business; Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the Manhattan trial; and President Joe Biden. Oh, and “all of the other Radical Left Lunatics, Communists, Fascists, Marxists, Democrats, & RINOS, who are seriously looking to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY.” Trump ended with an upbeat message for his supporters, though. “Have no fear, however, we will WIN the Presidential Election of 2024, & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!! he concluded the post. |
Re: TRUMP Stung by Filing on 'GAG Order Must Remain' & Posts Insane Thanksgiving Mess
TRUMP Stung by Filing on 'GAG Order Must Remain' in New York Civil Fraud Trial & Posts Insane Thanksgiving Message
Sky News Australia Posts Satirical Video of TRUMP and Argentinas’ President Milei Crashing Thanksgiving Dinner BBC 25 NOV 2023 https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/inco...0900x738790438 https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2...pjpg&auto=webp The Department of Justice submitted a court filing on Thanksgiving arguing that a gag order against the former president must remain while pointing to documents filed as part of the $250 million civil fraud trial in New York. On Thursday, November 23, Cecil Vandevender, an assistant special counsel for the Department of Justice, notified the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals of a document which said that a gag order needs to be reinstated against Trump during the civil proceedings in New York, where state Attorney General Letitia James has accused the former president of fraudulently inflating the value of his properties in financial statements. The government's court filings pointed the appeals court to one section in particular, in which an employee at the New York State Unified Court System details the "hundreds of threatening and harassing voicemail messages" which had been sent to Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the civil trial, as well as the judge's law clerk Allison Greenfield Sky News Australia Host Reacts to Trump and Milei Crashing Thanksgiving Dinner... https://content.api.news/v3/images/b...53928d4c9aedaa Argentinas newly-elected President Javier Milei and Donald Trump taking part in a Griswold-style Thanksgiving dinner party. The doctored clip shows Javier Milei using a chainsaw to carve up the Thanksgiving turkey at the family table. A dancing Donald Trump comes bursting out of the turkey. The pair then continue to dance together. Milei recently took out a resounding victory in Argentinas presidential election. |
NY Civil Trial Judge Told About $40 Mil Unreported TFRS -Deutsche Bank Exec Testi
TRUMP Financial Watchdog Tells Judge About $40 Million in Previously Unreported Transfers
-- Deutsche Bank Executive Testifies in TRUMP NY Civil Trial TRUMP DEMANDS Government Punish MSNBC For Critical Coverage Media Still Not Ready to Cover ORANGE MAN TRUMP After Years of Lies MSN 30 NOV 2023 https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/...=768&h=402&m=6 Experts See Uphill Battle For TRUMP as Legal Cases Come at Him From All Sides A watchdog told a New York judge about $40 million in cash transfers that were not previously disclosed by the Trump Organization, as is required to do. The money was used to pay $29 million in taxes by former President Donald Trump, and to secure a civil judgment against him in the sex assault lawsuit by the writer E. Jean Carroll. The monitor, Barbara Jones, was appointed in 2022 to monitor the financial statements of the Trump Organization as part of New York Attorney General Letitia James' lawsuit against that firm. Former Deutsche Bank Executive Testifies in TRUMP NY Civil Trial 'Make Them Pay': TRUMP DEMANDS Government Punish MSNBC For Critical Coverage Media Still Not Ready to Cover TRUMP After Years of His lies |
re: TRUMP & N.Y. Judge That Had BOMB Threat, Had Contentious Exchange in Court
Eric Trump Will NOT Testify at Trump Organization Fraud Trial After Father Claims He Told Him Not To
TRUMP claims he told his son not to testify since ‘His young life has already been unfairly disturbed and disrupted enough’ The Guardian 6 DEC 2023 https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/1a72f...5&dpr=1&s=none Eric Trump walks to attend the trial against the Trump Organization at the New York state supreme court in New York City on 3 November https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b6964...5&dpr=1&s=none Light illuminates half of TRUMPS' face as he exits court in New York. “I told my wonderful son, Eric, not to testify tomorrow at the RIGGED TRIAL,” Donald Trump wrote late on Tuesday night in a rant against the trial. TRUMP said that his son “already testified PERFECTLY”. “There is no reason to waste any more of this Crooked Court’s time on having him say the same thing, over and over again, as a witness for the defense (us!). His young life has already been unfairly disturbed and disrupted enough on this corrupt Witch Hunt.” TRUMP also confirmed in the post that he would take the stand on Monday. He is expected be the last witness to testify at the trial. Eric Trumps’ appearance was supposed to be the first time a member of the Trump family has been on the stand since 13 November, when Donald Trump Jr appeared as the defense team’s first witness. During his second time on the stand, Trump Jr spent much of his time extolling the “sexiness” of the Trump Organization’s assets, giving what at times felt like a real estate presentation. Eric Trump last took the witness stand in early November when he denied involvement with various financial documents and appraisals, including ones he had signed off on or was consulted about. Eric Trump, along with his father and older brother, Donald Trump Jr, is a defendant in the trial. The trial, which kicked off 2 October, is starting to wind down as the last of the former US president’s witnesses take the stand. At stake for the family business is a $250m fine for illegally inflating the value of assets on state financial documents in order to boost Donald Trump’s net worth. Judge Arthur Engoron is the sole decider of the case, which does not have a jury. Engoron issued a pre-trial ruling in September that, if accepted by an appeals court, will see Donald Trump lose his business licenses, making it nearly impossible for the Trump family to conduct business in New York. After four weeks of witness testimony, Trump’s team has been trying to build its case that he had latitude when valuing his assets and that it was ultimately the responsibility of Trump’s accountants and lenders to ensure accuracy. Trump has argued the company’s financial statements contained a clause that made them “worthless” and that they were unimportant to the banks making loan decisions. Engoron has already struck down that argument but Trump’s team has continued to return to it. “These bankers were paid back in full, there was no harm, no anything, everybody got their money in full,” Trump said when he last took the witness stand on 6 November. “The banks don’t even know what they’re doing in this case.” Trump is reportedly planning to attend the trial on Thursday. He has not made an appearance in court since he took the witness stand nearly a month ago. Trump has attacked the case, the judge and his staff throughout the trial and has been pushing the limits of a gag order Engoron issued against him. Last week, Trump criticized Engoron’s wife, who has played no role in the trial, calling her the judge’s “Trump hating wife” on Truth Social. |
re: TRUMP & N.Y. Judge That Had BOMB Threat, Had Contentious Exchange in Court
In a Reversal, TRUMP Says He Will NOT Testify in His Own Defense in New York Fraud Trial
The former president was scheduled to take the stand Monday as the months long, $250 million civil fraud trial against him and his company enters its final week. AP 11 DEC 2023 https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.town...size=750%2C500 In an eleventh-hour reversal, TRUMP announced Sunday he will not go back on the witness stand in the $250 million civil fraud trial against him and his company. “I have already testified to everything & have nothing more to say other than this is a complete & total election interference (Biden campaign!) witch hunt” so “I will not be testifying on Monday,” TRUMP said in an all-caps, two-part post on his social media platform Truth Social. TRUMP had been scheduled to testify Monday as one of the final defense witnesses in a trial that has lasted two months and is entering its final week of testimony. He had been expected to tout his company’s success and push back on New York Attorney General Letitia James’ claims that he vastly overvalued his properties and his net worth in financial statements that he used to get favorable loans from banks that he otherwise would not have been entitled to. Called as a witness by James’ team on Nov. 6, a combative Trump made similar claims while also launching attacks on the AG and the judge who will decide the case, Arthur Engoron. He called James a “political hack” who “should be ashamed of herself” and referred to Engoron as a “very hostile judge.” “He ruled against me and he said I was a fraud before he knew anything about me, nothing about me,” Trump said, referring to the judge’s pretrial finding that Trump and his company had engaged in repeated acts of fraud. https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/c1e...00-Trump37.jpg “It’s a terrible thing you did,” TRUMP told the judge of the order, which he is appealing. James shrugged off TRUMP change of heart in a statement. "Whether or not Trump testifies again tomorrow, we have already proven that he committed years of financial fraud and unjustly enriched himself and his family. No matter how much he tries to distract from reality, the facts don’t lie,” the AG said. TRUMP was under no obligation to testify since it’s his own defense case. His son Eric Trump similarly backed out of testifying this past Wednesday, which the elder Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday night he’d directed him to do. Like his father, Eric Trump had testified as a witness in the AG’s case. “Eric has already testified, PERFECTLY,” Trump wrote, “so there is no reason to waste any more of this Crooked Court’s time on having him say the same thing, over and over again, as a witness for the defense.” https://media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com/i...33p-efeedf.jpg TRUMP sits between his two lawyers during his trial at New York State Supreme Court. TRUMP used a similar rationale in his Truth Social posts on Sunday, writing in all-caps: "I have very successfully & conclusively testified" in the AG's "rigged trial against me." "The only fraud committed was by the highly partisan & out of control judge, & racist A.G.," he claimed. 'Only guilty people plead the 5th or refuse to testify in their own defense. The last time he was under oath, he pled the 5th over 400 times' |
Judges' Home Hit With BOMB Threat After He BARS TRUMP From Giving Closing Argument
TRUMP BARRED From Speaking in His Own Defense in Closing Argument in New York Fraud Trial
The judge in former President Donald Trumps' New York fraud trial has BLOCKED him from speaking in his own defense during closing arguments. TRUMPS' Previous Offensive THREATS and Behaviour to Judges and Court Staff Has Made Judge Engoron Angry MailOnline News 11 JAN 2024 https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIF.x...=Api&P=0&h=180 TRUMPS' lawyer had informed Judge Arthur Engoron of the plan and the judge initially approved of it On Wednesday, Engoron rescinded the decision, even though Trump is still expected to appear in court Thursday Judge Arthur Engoron said he does not expect Donald Trump to speak during closing arguments in the $370 million New York civil fraud trial against Trump. In a letter to attorneys for Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James just after noon, Engoron said that Trump hasn’t agreed to conditions he set should the former president wish to give a statement Kise also asked Engoron to postpone Thursday’s closing arguments until Jan. 29 due to the death of Trump’s mother-in-law. Engoron refused that request because of security and scheduling concerns, but offered his condolences. “I won’t debate this yet again. Take it or leave it," the judge shot back, with an all-caps addition: “I WILL NOT GRANT ANY FURTHER EXTENSIONS.” |
BOMB Threat on Judges' Home After He BARS TRUMP From Giving Closing Argument
Justice Arthur F. Engorons' Long Island Home Was Hit With BOMB Threat Just Hours Before Closing Arguments in The TRUMP Bank Fraud Trial
Bomb threat is made at home of TRUMP bank fraud judge in attempt to disrupt trials' closing arguments: At least six police cars and the bomb squad arrive TRUMPS' Previous Offensive THREATS and Behaviour to Judges and Court Staff Has Made Judge Engoron VERY Angry MailOnline News 11 JAN 2024 https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01...4979250060.jpg Bomb threat is made at home of TRUMP bank fraud judge in attempt to disrupt trials' closing arguments: At least six police cars and the bomb squad arrive.. https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01...4982391080.jpg Judge Engoron had earlier rejected TRUMPS' request to speak on his own behalf during closing arguments https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/01...4982429163.jpg A bomb threat was made at the home of the judge presiding over TRUMPS' New York bank fraud trial hours ahead of closing arguments. Cop cars were dispatched to the Long Island home of Justice Arthur F. Engoron on Thursday morning after someone threatened to blow up the residence. A bomb squad was also on site, reported the Daily Beast. The threat has been perceived by some as a tactic to delay the closing arguments of what has been a dramatic and heavily politicized trial. Earlier this week, the judge barred the former president from making his own closing argument. The decision solidified TRUMPS' view of Engoron as a 'TRUMP HATING JUDGE,' as per his post to Truth Social on Wednesday evening, which obviously incited the bomb threat. |
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