Trump’s history-making hush-money trial begins ...

Maybe in LSD la la land. Carry on, wow.

 

'Facts in the Trump courtroom v. ‘facts’ in the court of public opinion'

snip:

“TRUMP:
This is a case where you pay a lawyer, he’s a lawyer, and they call it a legal expense. That’s the exact term they use, legal expenses, in the books. And another thing that wasn’t even said was, we never even deducted it as a tax deduction.”


"Legal fees are often tax deductible. The fact that the Trump Organization did not take a tax deduction for the hush money payments is a possible red flag that these payments were handled improperly.'


'Trump generally has taken as many tax deductions as possible. For instance, the Donald J. Trump Foundation — which Trump shut down after allegations he used it for his personal and political benefit — recorded a $7 foundation gift to the Boy Scouts. That matched the amount required to enroll a boy in the Scouts the year his son Donald Trump Jr. was 11.'


cont:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/23/trump-courtroom-facts-opinions/

 

"Michael “Cohen is a lawyer, represented a lot of people over the years. I’m not the only one, and he wasn’t very good in a lot of ways in terms of misrepresentation.”


"Trump now knocks his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who is expected to testify that he arranged the hush money payments at Trump’s behest, as not “very good.” That raises the question of why Cohen ended up working for Trump for 12 years, including 10 as vice president of the Trump Organization and then as Trump’s personal attorney after Trump was elected president.'


cont:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/23/trump-courtroom-facts-opinions/

 

Trump:
“He [Cohen] got in trouble for things that had nothing to do with me.”

"This is false. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including two — “causing an unlawful corporate contribution” and “making an excessive campaign contribution” — that directly relate to the hush money case now being litigated in Manhattan criminal court. The charges laid out how “Individual-1” (Trump) began a presidential campaign in 2016 and how Cohen worked with the National Enquirer to squelch potentially damaging stories about alleged affairs with adult-film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. His payoffs were reimbursed by the Trump Organization.'

continues:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/23/trump-courtroom-facts-opinions/

 

Trump: “The other thing is: If this were such a great case, why didn’t the Southern District [of New York] bring it, who looked at it and turned it down?”


"In his memoir, “Holding the Line,” Berman says the case ended under pressure from Attorney General William P. Barr. The office, with Cohen’s cooperation in hand, began to investigate whether others should be charged in the hush money case. After Barr became attorney general in 2019, he ordered a review of the Cohen case, suggesting that the campaign finance charges be reversed — even though Cohen had pleaded guilty six months before. Specifically, he asked the Office of Legal Counsel to review whether there was a legal basis for the campaign finance changes. That froze any further investigation: “Not a single investigative step could be taken, not a single document in our possession could be reviewed until the issue was resolved,” Berman wrote, saying Barr’s intervention so long after a guilty plea was “highly unusual, if not unprecedented.” Barr eventually was convinced not to seek dismissal of the Cohen charges. But no additional charges were brought'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/23/trump-courtroom-facts-opinions/


.

 

I don't disagree with most of what you wrote but will say.
FACT TRUMP is not guilty of Campaign finance violation regarding these ledger entries.
FACT TRUMP has not in the DOJ now American Laws eyes is Trump guilty of using the ledger to hide from campaign.
How do we know he's never been charged on any of those, won't be charged on any of those.
In America you are not guilty of Felong Campaign Finance Violation if you have never been found guilty.
The misdemeanors can't have been used to commit a Felony that Trump has never been charged with or convicted of and Bragg has ZERO authority to do so.

This leaves us with 34 ledger entries labeled legal services, maybe they should've been label something else, maybe not. At worst that's 34 misdemeanors whose statue of limitations ran out in 2018.

Every American should be concerned if this court allows this DA to act like Trump committed felony campaign finance violation, when he hasn't ever been charged. That's some scary stuff when your government tells your guilty without a trial.

 

Trump: “Very importantly, why didn’t the Federal Elections [Commission] do anything? Federal Elections took a total pass on it. They said essentially nothing was done wrong or they would have done something about it. They’re tough. … Actually, if you read their letter, they couldn’t even believe it. They were incredulous.”

"This is false. The Federal Election Commission staff, in a December 2020 report by the general counsel, said it had found “reason to believe” violations of campaign finance law were made “knowingly and willfully” by the Trump campaign. The report said that Cohen’s $130,000 payment to Daniels was far in excess of the legal limit for individual contributions of $2,700. “The available information indicates that Michael Cohen paid Stephanie Clifford [Daniels’s real name] $130,000 at the direction of 2016 presidential candidate Donald J. Trump, with Trump’s express promise of repayment, for the purpose of influencing the 2016 election,” the report said.

The FEC by law is made up of six commissioners split evenly between Republicans and Democrats. In 2021, the FEC on a party-line vote of 2-2 dropped the case; there was one vacancy and one Republican recusal. Democrats wanted to pursue the case, but Republicans said the public record was complete, given Cohen’s punishment.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/23/trump-courtroom-facts-opinions/

 

Live from the courtroom

• 2 min agoDavid Pecker: Cohen told me we shouldn't talk on a landline
• 2 min agoPecker testifies that he suggested they vet McDougal's story
• 2 min agoTrump whispers with attorney
• 3 min agoPecker details how former Enquirer editor approached him about Playboy model allegations
• 3 min agoTrump is now looking at David Pecker as he's testifying about Karen McDougal
• 7 min agoPecker testifies that he knows Karen McDougal
• 7 min agoPecker testifies about doorman being released from exclusivity agreement
• 12 min agoAgreement with doorman 'was basically a lever over him,' Pecker says
• 16 min agoProsecutors are showing an email about paperwork for a wire payment to Trump doorman
• 21 min agoLawyers back at the bench after defense objects to next exhibit
• 22 min agoPecker says he bought story to prevent other outlets from publishing it and 'embarrassing' Trump's campaign
• 22 min agoPecker explains 'catch and kill' deal: 'You had the choice to publish the article or not'
• 23 min agoPecker has offered details about 'catch and kill' strategy. Here's what it means
• 28 min agoPecker: If story was true, it would have probably had the biggest sales since Elvis' death
• 28 min agoJury shown 2015 deal AMI struck with doorman selling story
• 33 min agoPecker testifies about the first time he paid to kill a story on Trump
• 33 min agoProsecution tells Pecker not to discuss polygraph test because of judge's ruling
• 34 min agoPecker testifies he called Cohen about doorman's story because of 2015 meeting
• 41 min agoTrump shakes his head as Pecker recalls doorman who was selling story
• 41 min agoProsecutor asks Pecker about 'catch and kill' story
• 46 min agoTrump team's objection is overruled
• 50 min agoJudge says he doesn't want attorneys to discuss objections in front of jury
• 51 min agoTrump thumbs through papers in court
• 51 min agoProsecutor goes through recordkeeping on AMI's servers with David Pecker
• 58 min agoTrump and his attorney pass note to each other
• 
  
  
• https://www.cnn.com/

 

• Live from the courtroom
  
• 
  
• 1 hr 1 min agoProsecutors introduce AMI business records into evidence
• 1 hr 2 min agoProsecutor continues his line of questioning
• 1 hr 4 min agoDavid Pecker is returning to the witness stand
• 1 hr 5 min agoTrump back in courtroom
• 1 hr 14 min agoTrump leaves the courtroom
• 1 hr 14 min agoBannon issue is now moot after sidebar, judge says
• 1 hr 14 min agoProsecutor argues 'entire case' is predicated on idea there was 'conspiracy to influence the election'
• 1 hr 16 min agoTrump attorney explains why defense is objecting to questioning about Bannon
• 1 hr 21 min agoCourt takes a short break
• 1 hr 21 min agoTrump shuffles through papers as attorneys have sidebar
• 1 hr 22 min agoTrump attorney objects to prosecutor's question on Bannon
• 1 hr 22 min agoPecker says Trump introduced him to Bannon and said they could work well together
• 1 hr 24 min agoPecker: Cohen would direct me and then-National Enquirer editor in chief on direction magazine should go
• 1 hr 24 min agoPecker says he believes negative stories on Rubio ran as he was gaining in popularity
• 1 hr 28 min agoPecker says he believes Ted Cruz was gaining popularity around time that negative headlines were published
• 1 hr 31 min agoPecker says he can't recall if Cohen shared negative headlines on rivals with Trump
• 1 hr 35 min agoPecker says he would send articles to Cohen before they were published
• 1 hr 36 min agoProsecutors show negative headlines National Enquirer ran on Trump's opponents
• 1 hr 36 min agoJurors turn their heads back and forth from Pecker to prosecutor as testimony continues
• 1 hr 40 min agoCohen seemed to have informal role in Trump campaign, Pecker says
• 1 hr 41 min agoPecker: Cohen would ask him to run negative stories on Trump's political foes
• 1 hr 44 min agoJury shown National Enquirer articles praising Trump
• 1 hr 45 min agoProsecutors are scrolling through a series of magazine headlines
• 1 hr 46 min agoPecker says he kept agreement with Trump confidential because leaks were prevalent
• 1 hr 46 min agoTrump leans forward to see National Enquirer headlines and covers presented as evidence
• 
  
  
• https://www.cnn.com/

 

• Live from the courtroom
  
• 
  
• 1 hr 46 min agoPecker told editor in chief of National Enquirer that Trump deal was 'highly confidential'
• 1 hr 50 min agoPecker testifies he never purchased a story about Trump to not print it prior to 2015 meeting
• 1 hr 52 min agoPecker says his agreements with Trump were not in writing
• 1 hr 52 min agoPecker says he notified Cohen when there was a negative story
• 1 hr 52 min agoPecker says he offered to tell Cohen 'about women selling stories' to have them not be published
• 1 hr 53 min agoPecker says Trump was 'pleased' when he suggested running negative stories about Bill and Hillary Clinton
• 1 hr 54 min agoPecker on offer to Trump: 'I think it was a mutual benefit'
• 1 hr 54 min agoPecker said he would be 'eyes and ears' for Trump during meeting
• 1 hr 58 min agoTrump is not reacting as David Pecker testifies
• 1 hr 59 min agoTrump and Cohen asked David Pecker what his magazines could do for the campaign, Pecker says
• 2 hr 1 min agoPecker says he got a call in August 2015 asking him to meet with Trump and Cohen in Trump Tower
• 2 hr 2 min agoProsecutors submit email from Cohen as evidence and read it in court
• 2 hr 2 min agoPecker says he was invited to attend Trump's 2015 campaign announcement
• 2 hr 7 min agoInterest in Trump through magazines 'skyrocketed' during presidential run, Pecker says
• 2 hr 8 min agoDavid Pecker testifies that he knows Hope Hicks
• 2 hr 8 min agoDavid Pecker says his contacts with Cohen increased after Trump announced his candidacy
• 2 hr 9 min agoHere's what Trump is doing as Pecker testifies
• 2 hr 9 min agoPecker says he would call Cohen directly if there were any negative stories circulating about Trump
• 2 hr 9 min agoTrump's approach to money is 'very cautious, very frugal,' Pecker testifies
• 2 hr 16 min agoPecker says Trump is 'very knowledgeable' and 'very detailed-oriented' in business
• 2 hr 16 min agoWitness describes seeing Trump review and sign invoices and checks
• 2 hr 18 min agoPecker says Trump's bodyguard would sometimes pass messages between the two men
• 2 hr 20 min agoPecker says he saw Trump more frequently after he announced 2016 presidential run
• 2 hr 22 min agoDavid Pecker says he considered Trump a friend until at least 2017

https://www.cnn.com/

 

Live from the courtroom

• less than 1 min ago
• 
  
• Pecker says he received call from Trump about Karen McDougal's story
• 
  
• 3https://www.cnn.com/ min agoTestimony wraps for the day

 

8 min ago
'Cohen kept asking about McDougal and appeared to be under "a lot of pressure," Pecker testifies'


'David Pecker testified that he told Michael Cohen to "relax" because he "kept on calling me" to ask about former National Enquirer editor in chief Dylan Howard's interview with former Playboy model Karen McDougal's allegations.

Pecker said he'd let him know when he heard from Howard. He said each time Cohen called he seemed more "anxious," as if he was under pressure.

When asked about Cohen's tone in the frequent calls, Pecker said, "Michael was very agitated. It looked like he was getting a lot of pressure to get the answer like right away."

11 min ago

Pecker says he received call from Trump about Karen McDougal's story
David Pecker is describing a call he had with Donald Trump about Playboy model Karen McDougal's allegations after former National Enquirer editor in chief Dylan Howard interviewed her.

David Pecker said he was at an event and was told by his assistant that he had a phone call from Trump.

Pecker says that it was his understanding that McDougal didn't want to have her story published and he suggested that Trump buy the story.'

https://www.cnn.com/ min agoTestimony wraps for the day

 

Has Pecker been asked yet if Trump admitted to the 10 month affair with Karen McDougal?

Will Michael Cohen be asked if he knew about the affair and had he ever met Karen McDougal?

 

I haven't heard the state or witnesses trying the case in public, so I'm sure you have documented cases of this?
Highlighted in red: I'm not a lawyer, but I have spent a good bit of time in courtrooms, and I can tell you that anyone with the attitude and behavior Trump has exhibited would be held in contempt, fined, jailed etc. I heard a judge tell a male in court to get out of his courtroom and come back when he got a hair cut because the judge didn't like the length of his hair.
I've heard them jump down a defendants throat for saying something I didn't think was that bad. I saw one guy get put in jail for being a smartass to the judge.
I haven't heard of the judge making any comments outside the courtroom, and haven't noticed Bragg either.
Cohen does get on some podcasts, though. I think the problem is that there have been some Trump fans who have gone the extra step to threaten people.
Nobody likes that.

 

Agent Oranges has been Peckered, he should never have stiffed Pecker on the McDougal $150,000. If he hadn't, Pecker could have caught and killed the Stormy fiasco and avoided these fraudulent bookeeping felonies.

 

Michael can only add to Pecker's testimony.
It sure is looking ugly for Trump.

@MichaelCohen212
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Hey Von ShitzInPantz…your attacks of me stink of desperation. We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defense.




12:58 PM · Apr 22, 2024
·
1.5M
Views

 

AKA Adolph Von ShitzInpantz...

 

Two things jump out at me from that picture.
The skin tone difference between his hands and his face is amazing!
Even with the bronzer and base makeup he's wearing he looks like he's aged quickly lately.

And I have to agree........Trump on the stand being questioned would be terribly entertaining!
I told my wife right after Trump was elected in 2016, not sure how good a job he'll do, but the news agencies will have a field day and the entertainment value for the POTUS just went through the roof.
Not a good thing, IMO, I like *boring* presidents.......

 

Some headlines:

'PECKER SCREWS TRUMP!'

PECKER EXPOSES TRUMP!"

 

Look who's gonna chime in even today.
Fun times.

Live in 84 minutes
April 23 at 4:30 PM

 

This quack judge has lost all credibility himself. Pretty rich that he would accuse Trump's lawyer of not being credible. Has he ever explained why he's ignoring the SOL having run? Or the lack of standing to try a federal case? The unconstitutional gag orders?

 

Today's trail.
Friedman was the Assistant D.A.in the SDNY for more than 20 yrs.

April 23 at 3:15 PM

 

Michael Popok.

"First Witness In Criminal Trial Crushes Trump"

 

The star witness has been running his mouth a lot. No problem though. No way he could prejudice the jury, right?

 

Nobody on the other side is threatening tRaitor tRump with harassment and harm like tRaitor tRump and his supporters do.