The Era of rivalry, Biden vs. Trump and their respective parties

CNBC reports, "The New York City grand jury that for nearly two months has been hearing testimony and reviewing evidence related to a hush money payment benefiting former President Donald Trump is set to resume work Monday.

"The grand jury, which could be asked to issue an indictment of Trump today, returns two days after he spoke to supporters at his 2024 presidential campaign’s first rally in Waco, Texas.

"Trump during that event accused the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg of “prosecutorial misconduct” for investigating him for possible crimes related to how the hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels was described in official business records.

The ex-president has attacked Bragg on his social media site Truth Social for more than a week as the threat of an indictment appeared to increase with the testimony of Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen.

"Law-enforcement officials say Bragg’s office has received hundreds of threats in recent weeks (caused by the former President's rhetoric), including an envelope received Friday that contained non-hazardous white powder and a letter vowing to kill the DA.

Cohen has admitted to paying $130,000 to Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, right before Election Day 2016 to keep her quiet about her account of having had sex with Trump one night a decade earlier. Trump, who denies having sex with Daniels, later reimbursed Cohen for the payment, which the Trump Organization claimed was for legal expenses.

 

The AR-15 assault rifle is the weapon of choice for mass murders.

Our President and his Democratic colleagues in Congress want to ban assault weapons. The NRA-sponsored Republican Party won't allow that to happen.

The Post reports, "The AR-15 wasn’t supposed to be a bestseller.

"The rugged, powerful weapon was originally designed as a soldiers’ rifle in the late 1950s. “An outstanding weapon with phenomenal lethality,” an internal Pentagon report raved. It soon became standard issue for U.S. troops in the Vietnam War, where the weapon earned a new name: the M16.

"But few gunmakers saw a semiautomatic version of the rifle — with its shrouded barrel, pistol grip and jutting ammunition magazine — as a product for ordinary people. It didn’t seem suited for hunting. It seemed like overkill for home defense. Gun executives doubted many buyers would want to spend their money on one.

"Today, the AR-15 is the best-selling rifle in the United States, industry figures indicate. About 1 in 20 U.S. adults — or roughly 16 million people — own at least one AR-15."

ABC reports, "Two people were killed and five were injured in a pair of shootings in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Sunday evening, local police said.

"Police said they were alerted at about 9:25 p.m. local time that two people were injured in a shooting near the intersection of Asher and University avenues."

"Moments later, near Asher Avenue and Adams Street, multiple people were shot resulting in two homicides," officials said.

NBC reports, "A Tennessee Christian school where a mass shooting Monday left six people dead, including three children, serves students ranging from preschool through sixth grade. On a typical day, roughly 209 students attend The Covenant School,

"The suspect in Monday's deadly school shooting was a former student who had maps of The Covenant School, Nashville Police Chief John Drake said.

"Audrey Hale, 28, who police said was a transgender woman, had conducted surveillance and prepared for the attack with detailed maps, officials said. Police said the shooter had a manifesto, the contents of which were not released.

"The shooter, Drake said, was “prepared for a confrontation with law enforcement” and “prepared to do more harm."

"The shooter was armed with two semiautomatic AR-15-style rifles as well as a handgun. At least two of the three guns had been lawfully purchased, Drake said.

"The shooter was killed by responding police officers."

Mass murder has become an American pastime, and the NRA-sponsored Republican Party doesn't give a ****.

 

When U.S. troops left Afghanistan in September 2021, the war had lasted nearly two decades and spanned four Presidencies. The withdrawal from the war was a military operation. Despite the quick surrender of the Afghan Army, the U.S. suffered only thirteen casualties.

By any measure, it was military success of enormous proportions. So, what do House Republicans want to do? They want to investigate our exit from the 20-year war.

CNN reports, "The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, electronically transmitted a subpoena to the State Department on Tuesday morning concerning Afghanistan and the US withdrawal from the country.

"The subpoena will be physically delivered to the State Department later on Tuesday.

"The frenzied final weeks of the withdrawal, during which a suicide bomber attacked the Kabul airport and killed 13 US service members and more than 100 Afghans, has been under immense scrutiny from Republican lawmakers."

Considering the fact that the Republican President before President Biden had attempted to overthrow our elected government, had stolen hundred of pages of classified documents, is currently embroiled in a situation with a porn star that could lead to his indictment, and is currently the leading Republican candidate for the Presidency in 2024, House Republicans are desperate to make Biden look bad.

Even if they look silly in the attempt.

 

CNN reports, "The GOP in 2024 is moving toward a reprise of its most consequential foreign policy debate ever in a presidential primary. Only this time, the results may be reversed.

"The 1952 GOP presidential nomination fight proved a turning point in the party’s history, when Dwight Eisenhower, a champion of internationalism and alliance with Europe to contain the Soviet Union, defeated Sen. Robert Taft, a skeptic of international alliances who wanted to shift America’s focus from defending Europe toward confronting communist China.

"A similar divide is opening within the GOP now. In a distant echo of Taft, former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the race’s two front-runners have both declared that defending Ukraine against Russia is not an American “vital interest” and “distracts” (as DeSantis put it) from the more important challenge of confronting China. Other likely 2024 candidates, such as former Vice President Mike Pence and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, come closer to upholding the Eisenhower position that the US must remain steadfast in protecting Europe against Russian aggression – and insisting that abandoning Ukraine would embolden China and other potential US adversaries."

Because of his close relationship with Vladimir Putin, Trump is probably sincere in his beliefs.

Not so with DeSantis. The Florida governor goes whichever way the wind is blowing. He has no sincere beliefs regarding Russia. First he said that the war in Ukraine was a “territorial dispute.” When it became self-evident that position was unpopular, his position changed to Putin is “a war criminal.”

What will happen if Trump becomes the Republican candidate in 2024 and the vast majority of Republicans feel it is vitally important to halt Putin in his tracks?

 

Trump just keeps on losing in the courts.

ABC reports, "The top federal judge for the D.C. district court has issued a swift rejection of former President Donald Trump's assertion of executive privilege to prevent former Vice President Mike Pence from testifying before a grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 election, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

"At the same time, the judge issued a ruling that narrowly upheld parts of a separate legal challenge brought by Pence's attorneys, who have argued Pence should be exempt from providing records or answering certain questions that align with his duties as president of the Senate overseeing the formal certification of the election on Jan. 6, 2021."

There are serious doubts that the special counsel is interested in Pence's duties as president of the Senate. Pence knows that. He had to pretend that he was opposed to the subpoena to make the Republican base happy.

ABC continued, "D.C. Chief Judge James Boasberg ordered that Pence should have to provide answers to special counsel Jack Smith on any questions that implicate any illegal acts on Trump's part."

CNN adds, "A federal judge has decided that former Vice President Mike Pence must testify to a grand jury about conversations he had with Donald Trump leading up to January 6, 2021, according to multiple sources familiar with a recent federal court ruling.

"In the lead-up to the congressional certification vote, Pence faced enormous pressure from Trump and his allies to disrupt lawmakers’ plans to validate Joe Biden’s win. As president of the Senate, Pence was tasked with presiding over the certification proceedings.

"Trump’s conversations with Pence in the days surrounding the insurrection have been of keen interest to investigators as is the heated phone call he had with Pence the day of the attack in which he lobbed insults at his vice president.

"Pence and Trump did not speak during the attack on the Capitol itself, in which many of Trump’s supporters angrily sought him out, and Pence narrowly escaped the mob heading to the Senate floor."

 

This is a shock!

CNN reports, "The United States is now the biggest supplier of crude oil to the European Union.

"In December, 18% of the bloc’s crude imports came from America, EU data office Eurostat said Tuesday.

"That is a big turnaround. Russia was until recently the bloc’s top supplier of crude, accounting for as much as 31% of total imports until the end of January 2022, according to Eurostat. The US, meanwhile, came a distant second, with a maximum 13% share.

"But Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February last year led to an upheaval in Europe’s energy supplies.

"EU states slashed their imports of Russia’s energy, and the bloc imposed sanctions on the country’s oil and coal exports.

"Russia’s share of Europe’s natural gas imports has fallen sharply, from 31% in the first quarter of 2022 to nearly 19% by the end of the year, Eurostat data shows. That has made the United States the bloc’s second-biggest supplier of gas, with a nearly 20% share, behind top source Norway, which accounts for almost 31% of EU gas imports."

 

Considering the four principle criminal cases involving the former Republican President -- inciting an insurrection against our elected government, theft of hundreds of pages of classified documents, attempting to defraud the voters in Georgia, and the payment of hush money to a porn star -- clearly the last alleged criminal action was the least important and the weakest case.

Now, presumably, the case involving the porn star is over.

Politico reports, "The Manhattan grand jury examining Donald Trump’s alleged role in a hush money payment to a porn star isn’t expected to hear evidence in the case for the next month largely due to a previously scheduled hiatus, according to a person familiar with the proceedings.

"The grand jury, which heard testimony in the Trump case on Monday, isn’t meeting Wednesday and is expected to examine evidence in a separate matter Thursday, the person said. The grand jury, which typically meets Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, is scheduled to consider another case next week on Monday and Wednesday, the person said, and isn’t expected to meet Thursday due to the Passover holiday.

"A spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office declined to comment."

Many anxiously await Trump's indictment for something, anything, and, hopefully, it would be a strong case, not a weak one. As an example, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has been sitting on a mountain of evidence involving two cases -- insurrection and theft of classified documents -- for a long time.

The American people are waiting.

 

Since the Gun Violence Archive has counted 130 mass shootings in the United States this year, it should come as no surprise to anyone that the leading cause of death for children is being shot.

Republicans say there is nothing we can do about it. That Democrats shouldn't politicize the issue.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about such moronic statements from our lawmakers.

Scan this thread. Grassroots Republicans are so ashamed of their party, they are incapable of defending it.

CNN reports, "Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020.

"Firearms accounted for nearly 19% of childhood deaths (ages 1-1 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wonder database. Nearly 3,600 children died in gun-related incidents that year. In no other comparable country are firearms within the top four causes of mortality among children.

"The shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville on Monday, marks the 16th shooting this year in grades K-12 and the deadliest since the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas."

The shooter in Nashville used an AR-15 assault rifle which is designed to kill people as efficiently as possible. The military version of the weapon is the M-16. Our President has urged Congress to reinstall the ban on assault rifles.

The NRA-sponsored Republican Party refuses to do that.

Some Republicans say they don't want to take guns away from law-abiding citizens. They can't explain who wants to o that, but it sounds good to the less educated rural masses that dominate the Republican Party. They will believe the fantasy of somebody trying to take their guns away.

Other Republicans will say it is time for prayer, not legislation. Apparently, these Republicans can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Again, the rural base will sympathize.

In any case, nothing will get done. Perhaps it is time to cry for our children.

 

Trump again tries to use executive privilege. He has lost every time. The judges have ruled that executive privilege cannot be used in the furtherance of a crime. Sedition is a crime.

CNN reports, "Former President Donald Trump is appealing a court ruling that would force several of his former aides, including Mark Meadows, to testify before a grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

"The mid-March ruling from US District Judge Beryl Howell, who was then the chief judge of DC’s federal trial court, is one of several defeats the former president has suffered in his efforts to use executive privilege claims to block the testimony of former aides and allies in the Justice Department’s special counsel investigations.

"In another recent ruling, Howell’s successor, Chief Judge James Boasberg, rejected Trump’s executive privilege challenge to a subpoena for former Vice President Mike Pence. The judge did give Pence some protections under a constitutional clause aimed at shielding legislative activities from certain law enforcement actions. It is unclear if any of the parties will appeal Boasberg’s ruling."

 

Sandy Shanks said:
Considering the four principle criminal cases involving the former Republican President -- inciting an insurrection against our elected government, theft of hundreds of pages of classified documents, attempting to defraud the voters in Georgia, and the payment of hush money to a porn star -- clearly the last alleged criminal action was the least important and the weakest case.

Now, presumably, the case involving the porn star is over.
****************************************************************************************************************************************************

The media was wrong in its presumption. Trump's lawyers are shocked.

And I was wrong.

The Post reports along with every other media source in its own fashion, "A Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict former president Donald Trump, his lawyers said on Thursday, making him the first person in U.S. history to serve as commander in chief and then be charged with a crime.

"The grand jury had been hearing evidence about hush money paid to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, allegedly to keep her from saying she’d had a sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

"The indictment has yet to be unsealed, so the charges and specific allegations were not immediately clear, but Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and his investigative team were probing whether Trump falsified business records connected to the payments in a way that could constitute a campaign-finance violation."

Of course, Trump plays the victim card for his gullible followers. He claims he is never responsible for what he has done.

Trump, who has long railed against law enforcement officials, particularly when it comes to investigation of his conduct, quickly issued a statement condemning the indictment. Democrats, he charged, “have lied, cheated and stolen in their obsession with trying to ‘Get Trump,’ but now they’ve done the unthinkable — indicting a completely innocent person" who paid $130,000 to keep quiet an affair he never had.

The Guardian reports, "According to the Wall Street Journal, the office of the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, has presented the grand jury with evidence involving the former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who claims to have had an extramarital affair with Trump beginning in 2006.

"The National Enquirer, which endorsed Trump’s first presidential bid, agreed to pay McDougal $150,000 for her story about the alleged affair. But the tabloid ultimately did not publish McDougal’s account, effectively quashing the story in an industry tactic known as “catch and kill."

 

On top of everything else that is happening to Trump, the former Republican President, the Republican candidate for the Presidency, is again defending Vladimir Putin as he has done so many times in the past.

However, it should be pointed out, without exception, Trump does this to himself. He likes to make headlines, and it doesn't matter to him if the headlines make him look like an idiot.

As is the case here.

Business Inquirer reports, "Former President Donald Trump has lashed out at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over the latter's recent comments condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"DeSantis, considered a leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 (though he has not announced an intention to run), called Putin a "war criminal" and said Russia's invasion of Ukraine was "wrong" during a Fox Nation interview with Piers Morgan last week.

"In a new campaign video, Trump defended Putin and condemned DeSantis's comments as "exactly the kind of simple-minded thinking that has produced decades of failed diplomacy and ultimately war."

Which begs a question. How would Trump negotiate with Putin where Ukraine is concerned? Would he give it away? Indications are, he would.

Insider adds, "When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of last year, Trump said Putin's justification for invading was "savvy" and "genius." In October, he blamed the US for the invasion, accusing American leaders of "taunting" Putin and "almost forcing" him to invade.

"Trump has a long history of defending Putin, who in February of 2022 launched an assault on Ukraine. After the US intelligence community concluded Russia had meddled in the 2016 election, Trump sided with Putin. Following a one-on-one meeting with Putin during a 2018 summit in Helsinki, Finland, Trump doubted the findings, declined to condemn the Kremlin, and said he didn't "see any reason" why Russia would've interfered,"Insider.

Trump's base remains loyal ... and totally silent.

 

Vladimir Putin wanted Donald Trump to be our President.

The [Republican] Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday [4/21/2020] reaffirmed its support for the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that the Russian government interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the goal of putting Donald Trump in the Oval Office. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/...rms-russia-aimed-to-help-trump-in-2016-198171

Here is why.

"Former President Donald Trump’s indictment by a New York grand jury has thrust the nation into uncharted political, legal and historical waters, and raised a slew of questions about how the criminal case will unfold," CNN.

ABC reports, "Trump, a Florida resident, will have to travel to New York City to adhere to the court's deadline and be processed by authorities before heading to court for the unsealing of the indictment.

"While a day has not been firmed up, sources close to the investigation told ABC News that Tuesday is the day being discussed by Trump's legal team and the Manhattan DA's office.

"During the court appearance, which typically takes place in a courtroom without cameras in New York state, the former president will be read his charges and ordered to make a plea. Trump and his attorneys have indicated they intend to fight the indictment in court.

"Following his plea, the judge will have the right to remand Trump on bail or release him on his own recognizance before adjourning for a future date. Bader said that judges rarely order suspects in white-collar crimes to be held in jail before their trial, and she expected that the judge will release Trump after the hearing."

The case involves more than just the porn star, Stormy Daniels. Allegedly, Trump also had an affair with a Playboy bunny that was hushed up by Trump's friend, the National Enquirer's former editor, David Pecker.

ABC continued, "In addition to former President Donald Trump’s alleged role in the $130,000 hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is also investigating a $150,000 payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal, who, like Daniels, claimed to have had an affair with Trump."

Putin is definitely getting his money's worth. America's political system is in complete disaray, thanks to Trump's less educated rural followers who think it is cool to consider a Putin ally and womanizer as America's political hero. The fact that Trump may be guilty of far more serious crimes makes their infatuation with Trump all the more invigorating.

Trump's fans remain totally silent about these issues, although they are busy creating fantasies that have little to do with this matter.

 

The forum's Republicans and Republican lawmakers know the Republican Party is in big trouble, particularly if Trump somehow becomes the nominee in 2024. While winning in the primaries would be simple matter, winning the general and becoming our President again looks to be impossible, and Republicans know it.

Trump's rural base does not. All they know is Trump is their savior.

Excluding Trump's loyal base, most Americans are fed up with Trump.

Nevertheless, while avoiding any mention of Trump's involvement in the case, they defend Trump by conjuring up fantasies such as the weaponization of the legal system.

In other words, the legal system they have strongly support since Lincoln was President is now the enemy because Trump has been indicted for paying off a porn star and a Playboy bunny. To Trump's base this makes perfect sense.

Also, Republicans harshly criticize the D.A.'s charges against Trump, saying they are weak and seven years old. To Trump's base this makes perfect sense.

No one knows what the charges are. They have not been unsealed.

The charges will become public after the judge cites them to the accused (Trump) and asks for his guilt or innocence.

Here are some examples.

“The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head,” DeSantis said.

“The unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage,” Mike Pence told CNN.

Three Republican chairmen in the House accused the district attorney of conducting a politically motivated prosecution and wrote that they intend to investigate Bragg and his office.

 

Counting the popular vote in 2016, Donald Trump has lost every election he has been in. He has even lost elections he hasn't been in when his surrogates lost. Being endorsed by Trump in the general election is the kiss of death.

But his base loves him. Now they are being suckered into paying for his huge legal fees. Trump is about to be indicted for felonies.

It would appear that Trump and his base are out to destroy the Republican Party. They have even trashed members of their own party. Does the term, "RINO," mean anything to you?

It is difficult to win with half of a party.

The Hill reports, "The unprecedented indictment of former President Trump creates a political puzzle and problem for Republican leaders in Washington who are divided over how to respond to it and have differing views about what it means for the future of their party.

"Some Republicans, such as Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), are lambasting the indictment as an “abuse of power” and a “weaponization” of the justice system, predicting it will fuel public support for Trump in 2024.

"But other prominent Republicans, who want the party to move past Trump, such as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) and Senate GOP Whip John Thune (S.D.), are staying quiet about the news bombshell.

“It seems like he’s gotten the base strongly behind him. Does that change over time? We’ll see, especially since there’s more legal trouble going on,” said one Senate Republican aide.

"The aide warned that Republicans racing to defend Trump have “really put themselves out there on a limb.”

"Trump’s critics within the party think that even if the latest development helps him consolidate support in the party, it may further weaken his viability in a general-election matchup against President Biden and hurt the GOP brand."

No doubt Republicans on this forum will remain silent about all this. Even the blind can see occasionally.

 

"President Trump famously declared during his 2016 campaign that he loved the “poorly educated” because voters with lower levels of schooling delivered an overwhelming share of votes to him.

"Four years later, political pros say most of those folks remain enchanted by the president, but it’s anyone’s guess whether they turn out to vote in the same numbers and whether they will remain attached to the Republican Party after Mr. Trump leaves the presidential stage," the conservative Washington Times.

Apparently, though, Trump's loyal extremist groups, as in the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, have wised up. Of course, prison time will do that.

CNN reports, "Former President Donald Trump’s expected court appearance in New York on Tuesday has led to a modest outburst of online threats featuring calls for violence but US officials say the chatter has been disorganized, sporadic and lacks the coherent planning that defined the lead-up to the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol.

"Any signs of a spike in violent rhetoric or evolving potential threats are filtered through federal channels at the Department of Homeland Security and FBI, which are in regular contact with the New York Police Department as it makes security preparations for Trump’s arraignment in a Manhattan courthouse."

“We’re definitely not ruling anything out and staying vigilant,” the official told CNN. “But we don’t see any active specific, credible plotting.”

Know what? I'm not even sure Trump's fans on this forum know about this thread:
The Era of rivalry, Biden vs. Trump and their respective parties
The fact that they avoid the thread like the plague is known.

 

Trump and his lawyers strongly oppose cameras in the courtroom when Trump is being arraigned.

Why?

Standing accused of being a felon would not be good for Trump's Presidential campaign.

It wouldn't be the first time his loyal base wishes to avoid reality. In fact, they make a career of doing just that.

 

By invading Ukraine and underestimating NATO, Putin made a serious miscalculation that has cost his country and its people a great deal. Now he is just making matters worse, and his country is the world's pariah. His war is unwinnable because of his underestimation of NATO, which is just getting stronger thanks to the efforts of our President.

CNN reports, "Finland officially became the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday, marking a major shift in the security landscape in northeastern Europe that adds some 1,300 kilometers (830 miles) to the alliance’s frontier with Russia.

"The Nordic nation’s accession was sealed during a formal ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday."

“Finland has today become a member of the defense alliance NATO. The era of military non-alignment in our history has come to an end. A new era begins,” the Finnish presidency said in a statement.

“Each country maximizes its own security. So does Finland. At the same time, NATO membership strengthens our international position and room for maneuver. As a partner, we have long actively participated in NATO activities. In the future, Finland will make a contribution to NATO’s collective deterrence and defense,” he added.

CNN continued, "Finland’s acceptance into the US-led security alliance presents a blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has long sought to undermine NATO, and before invading Ukraine, demanded the bloc refrain from further expansion.

"The invasion instead drove non-aligned Finland and Sweden to abandon their neutrality and seek protection within NATO, though Sweden’s attempt to join the bloc has been stalled by alliance members Turkey and Hungary."

 

Donald Trump was under arrest, and, for a time today, he was in police custody.

Boy, that has a nice ring to it. Way overdue, but more is coming and stronger as well.

The Times reports, "Donald Trump conspired to illegally influence the 2016 election through a series of hush money payments designed to silence claims that he feared would be harmful to his candidacy, New York prosecutors said Tuesday in unsealing a historic 34-count felony indictment.

"The charges arose from a series of checks that Trump or his company wrote during the presidential campaign to his lawyer and fixer for his role in making a payment to a porn actor who alleged an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.

"The payments were part of “an unlawful plan to identify and suppress negative information that could have undermined his campaign for president,” Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy said in court. They were made to “protect his candidacy,” Conroy added.

The arraignment in Manhattan, though largely procedural in nature, was nonetheless the first time in U.S. history that a former president has faced a judge in his own criminal prosecution. The indictment amounts to a remarkable reckoning for Trump after years of investigations into his personal, business and political dealings, unfolding against the backdrop not only of his third campaign for the White House but also against other investigations in Washington and Atlanta that might yet produce even more charges.

Trump, stone-faced and silent as he entered and exited the Manhattan courtroom, said “not guilty” in a firm voice while facing a judge who warned him to refrain from rhetoric that could inflame or cause civil unrest.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words

trump-court-ap-ps-230404_1680633531690_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg

Sandy Shanks · Apr 4, 2023 at 3:47 PM

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Indictment for Dummies

CNN reports:

What's in the indictment? The investigation by the Manhattan district attorney’s office began when Trump was still in the White House and relates to a $130,000 payment made by Trump’s then-personal attorney Michael Cohen to Daniels in late October 2016, days before the presidential election, to silence her from going public about an alleged affair with Trump a decade earlier. Trump has denied the affair.

Prosecutors on Tuesday alleged Trump was a part of an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election. They allege he was part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, including the $130,000 payment.

The reason he committed the crime of falsifying business records was in part to “promote his candidacy,” prosecutors alleged. Trump is not charged with criminal conspiracy.

Each criminal charge Trump is facing relates to a specific entry among the business records of the Trump Organization, according to the indictment. Prosecutors accuse Trump of repeatedly causing false entries in the business records.

Note: Trump openly admitted that he, along with his surrogates, will be making this case political.

Which is another way of saying, making this legal would not be in his best interests as a Republican candidate for the Presidency.

 

So as not to anger the Republican Party's rural base, Pence went through the motions.

As expected and as Pence anticipated, the courts turned him down. He will not appeal the court's decision, perhaps, because it was what he wanted in the first place. His loyalty to the desperate indicted former President goes only so far.

US News reports, "Former Vice President Mike Pence will not appeal a recent ruling compelling him to testify as part of a Justice Department probe into former President Donald Trump’s actions leading up to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

"A federal judge ruled last month that Pence must comply with a grand jury subpoena issued by special counsel Jack Smith, who is heading the investigation.

"Both Trump and Pence had sought to block the full enforcement of the subpoena, though they made two different legal arguments.

"Trump’s team argued that executive privilege, which bars some presidential conversations from being made public, applied to Pence’s testimony. Pence, in contrast, argued that the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause, which shields members of Congress from certain law enforcement actions connected to legislative duties, applies because Pence was acting as president of the Senate on Jan. 6 in order to certify President Joe Biden’s election.

"James Boasberg, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court for the District, rejected wholesale Trump’s argument in his late-March ruling but handed Pence a partial victory. Though Pence would be compelled to testify, the ruling allows Pence to decline to answer questions related to his actions (as Senate president) on Jan. 6 itself. But he will be required to answer questions about any potential illegal acts by Trump."

This is a complete victory for the DOJ. We already know Pence's actions on Jan. 6 pertaining to his duties as Senate President. The DOJ wants to learn more about Trump's attempts to alter the Presidential election and his role in inciting violence on Jan. 6, 2021.

 

ABC reports, "Several legal experts familiar with the New York criminal justice system say there were "no surprises" in the charges brought against former President Donald Trump Tuesday by the Manhattan district attorney -- but that the expansive nature of the so-called "catch-and-kill" scheme alleged by prosecutors is notable.

"Appearing in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday, Trump entered a plea of not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made in the final days of the 2016 presidential race.

"Prosecutors allege that Trump engaged in a "scheme" to boost his 2016 election chances through a series of hush money payments made by others to help his campaign, and then "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records" to conceal that criminal conduct."

Republicans, while never claiming Trump is innocent, argue the charges are not serious and do not rise to the level of felonies.

Many would argue that point. They would regard misleading the American people in a Presidential election is extremely serious and is, obviously, a felony.

 

"President Trump famously declared during his 2016 campaign that he loved the “poorly educated” because voters with lower levels of schooling delivered an overwhelming share of votes to him.

"Four years later, political pros say most of those folks remain enchanted by the president, but it’s anyone’s guess whether they turn out to vote in the same numbers and whether they will remain attached to the Republican Party after Mr. Trump leaves the presidential stage," the conservative Washington Times.

On Tuesday night, Trump's speech was completely comprised of his fantasies. Nearly everything he said was a lie. His less-educated, uninformed base will believe every word of it.

The fact that they chose our President in 2016 makes that a serious matter.

CNN reports, "Former President Donald Trump made a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday night after he was arraigned in Manhattan on felony charges of falsifying business records – and delivered a barrage of false claims that have been previously debunked.

"Trump claimed that the Presidential Records Act requires prolonged negotiations over the return of documents. The Presidential Records Act says that, the moment a president leaves office, the National Archives and Records Administration gets custody and control of all presidential records from his administration. Nothing in the law says there should be a negotiation.

"Trump invoked liberal billionaire donor George Soros while criticizing District Attorney Alvin Bragg in his speech – claiming that Bragg is a “radical left, George Soros-backed prosecutor.” Soros did not make any donations to Bragg’s 2021 election campaign. The two men have never once communicated in any way; there is no evidence that Soros had any role in Bragg’s decision to prosecute Trump.

"Trump claimed, as he has in the past, that he is being investigated by Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis over a “perfect” phone call. Then Trump said, “Nobody found anything wrong with that perfect call until a book promotion tour many months later. All of a sudden, they said, ‘You know, I remember Trump making a call. Let’s look at that.’” The Washington Post broke the story of the call the day after it happened. Kamala Harris, then vice president-elect, called Trump’s comments a “bald-faced, bold abuse of power.” The day after that, members of Congress asked the FBI to open an investigation. Three days after the call, CNN ran a story headlined “Trump’s call could put the President in jeopardy, legal experts said.”

"Trump repeated one of his familiar lies about the 2020 election he lost. Trump claimed that there were “millions of votes illegally stuffed into ballot boxes, and all caught on government cameras.” There is, again, simply no basis for it. Trump’s more specific previous claims about supposed ballot box-stuffing by election workers in Georgia’s Fulton County have been thoroughly debunked; there is no sign that any such illegality occurred on a large scale.

I could go on, but, mercifully, I won't. The reader gets the point.

Trump's uninformed, loyal voters who avoid this thread entirely will believe every word of Trump's speech because they simply do not know any better.

 

Donald Trump and Clarence Thomas share something in common. After reaching the pinnacles of power, they think laws don't apply to them. They think they are above the law.

They are wrong.

CNN reports, "Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, conservative activist Ginni Thomas, have gone on several luxury trips involving travel subsidized by and stays at properties owned by a GOP megadonor.

"The hospitality was not disclosed on Thomas’ public financial filings with the Supreme Court.

"The new ProPublica report described Thomas accepting travel hospitality from Crow that included lavish trips to Indonesia, New Zealand, California, Texas and Georgia. Some of these trips reportedly included travel on Crow’s super yacht or stays at properties owned by Crow or his company. ProPublica also identified what appear to be several trips taken by Thomas on Crow’s private jet that went undisclosed on his public ethics filings, though one Thomas trip on Crow’s jet was disclosed in 1997.

"In a statement to ProPublica that was also sent to CNN Thursday, Crow said that he been friends with Thomas and his wife Ginni for more than 30 years, and that the hospitality he has extended the justice over the years was “no different from the hospitality we have extended to our many other dear friends.”

Note: What Crow seems to be saying is, if all his friends break the law, then it is okay.

CNN continued, "The report comes not long after the federal judiciary’s policy-making body quietly adjusted its interpretation of what justices are required to disclose as part of their gifts and hospitality transparency obligations.

"Thomas’ financial disclosure may have run afoul of the disclosure rules. Recent changes clarified that that disclosure was required for personal hospitality subsidized by third parties. That would appear to apply to Thomas.