TJ - he's been done for misappropriation of campaign funds before, but more recently his appeals for funds have been accompanied with small print that states a proportion of the donation goes to campaign funds and the rest to take care of off 'expenses'.
Not quite sure what would convince a lawyer that working as Trump’s defence is good for their ongoing career
America! It’ll probably be great for their careers. These are lawyers, American lawyers.
tj, del - I don't believe trump has ever been done for misappropriation of campaign funds but happy to be proved wrong.
He and the trump foundation were found guilty of diverting charity funds to his 2016 election campaign - c$2.8 million; see link https://www.npr.org/2019/11/07/777287610/judge-says-trump-must-pay-2-million-over-misuse-of-foundation-funds.
The House select committee which investigated the Jan 6 riot believed they had made the case for an election defence fund fraud as the fund didn't exist but raised c$250 million.
It didn't progress to a court case; I don't know if it could - and who could bring it and how - if trump loses in November; at the very least the Dems would need control of the House.
See link https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/15/capitol-attack-panel-trump-election-defense-fund
There were also allegations about the mis-use of 'recount funds' immediately after the 2020 election; the Federal Election Commission have done nothing to clarify or tighten the regulations in this little corner of US election campaign funding.
I think the monies involved are part of the $250 million referred to above.
See link https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jun/15/capitol-attack-panel-trump-election-defense-fund
It seems to me that US election funding and campaign spending needs to be thoroughly reviewed with much tighter regulations implemented covering fund raising and disbursements backed up by heavy penalties for any breach.
It does give give UK listeners and good sense of who has Trump’s ear though.
Debanking may have come from Canada instead. Lots of shouting about debanking and the like when the "freedom convoy" were protesting about lockdown and whatever else tickled their fancy.
Not quite sure what would convince a lawyer that working as Trump’s defence is good for their ongoing career.
Depends if you want a career as a lawyer or as a right wing "personality" on fox news etc.
Now Haley's having a go at trump and his PACs about using political donations to cover his legal costs - good.
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/02/01/politics/haley-interview-cnntv/index.html
IF she can needle trump into a debate it's certain she will raise his mental acuity - or lack of - and questionable use of political donations on top of all the other stuff.
She should continue saying he's scared to debate her, repeatedly ask him...what's the problem?
On a debate stage she would run rings around him and there would be the age contrast which would be unavoidable and that, I think, is another reason why he won't respond.
A woman of Indian heritage is calling him out and he can't respond as he wants to; he used his political patronage to make her UN ambassador - in his mind, I'm sure he's seething that she isn't showing the 'respect' or thanks he thinks is due.
I hope her campaign continues to raise funds to keep her in the race - not because I have any love for the GOP; it's my hope that trump will bite and then destroy himself in public.
Fantastic decision by the federal appeals court; the odious orange one will definitely appeal this to the Supreme Court.
They hear oral arguments in the Colorado ballot disqualification case in two days.
NY fraud case disgorgement decision isn't far away.
Pressure is mounting on donny.
Oh dear, how sad, never mind.
EDIT: it was 3-0; trump can request an 'en-banc' review by the full appeals court bench of 9 before going to the Supreme Court.
My money is on that as it will take up more time; if that happens and is followed by the SC...trying to run down the clock.
If he's the GOP nominee and loses, he will be destroyed and finished.
Frank - I thought the misuse of campaign funds was all part of the Stormy Daniels thing, paying her off? Wouldn't be the first time I've written something incorrect online however! 🙃
Del - the NY fraud case is the one about his dodgy business financing; inflating/reducing asset values etc according to what he was doing - inflate when borrowing, reduce for tax purposes.
The mis-use of campaign funds is, as you say, the Stormy Daniels one; brought by Alvin Bragg, Southern District of NY.
I think that one is scheduled to start in court mid-March.
There are so many cases, it's easy to get confused!
Interesting that he hasn't said a word about E Jean Carroll since the $83.3 million defamation damages award; he knows that, if he does, he will get belted - again.
I thought the misuse of campaign funds was all part of the Stormy Daniels thing, paying her off?
Sort of but back to front I think. IIRC For once Trump used his own money to pay Daniels. Up to that point he'd only loaned money to his own election campaign then paid it back to himself - but the shut up money payment to Daniels was made in the interests of his campaign - so was campaign spending - but wasn't declared as such. I think he used Trump company money but tried to disguise the spend as 'legal fees' with Cohen as the middle man
Gah! Thanks! 🤣
I think he used Trump company money but tried to disguise the spend as ‘legal fees’ with Cohen as the middle man
IIRC Cohen invoiced Trump, who then paid it out of Trump Org as "legal fees". It was therefore tax deductible, so in the end, the US taxpayer paid for Trump to get his wicked way with Ms Daniels.
I had a little titter - ooh, er missus - when I read the reference to 'Citizen trump'.
He will, hopefully, have been choking on his mac'n'fries when the decision landed and he saw that reference.
Nikki Haley is trying to goad/provoke him into a debate with her; she's saying...he's too old, has questionable morals, is playing fast'n'loose with campaign funds by using them to pay legal fees, is scared to debate her
one-to-one.
She's of Indian origin and a woman.
I think trump's head must be spectacularly trucked up by all of this.
Maybe it's the start of payback time for his past illegality and questionable/immoral/amoral behaviour.
In the past he was known to ask '...where's my Roy Cohn?' Lawyer to trump and his old man.
A real piece of poison; if you don't know who/what he was, go inform yourself.
As a flavour - he sat alongside, actively encouraged and supported joe mccarthy, junior senator from wisconsin, in his search for and persecution of perceived communists in the US.
They - mccarthy and cohn - are both long dead; may they rot in hell.
Fantastic decision by the federal appeals court; the odious orange one will definitely appeal this to the Supreme Court.
His options are actually quite limited. The federal appeals court gave a one week stay, but only if it's appealed to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can just refuse to accept the case, personally, I think the conservative justices have nothing to gain by accepting it. He can also ask for an en banc review from the full federal appeals court, but his case will have to go forward in court while that is happening. All three judges came out very strongly against him in the ruling so it's hard to see why the court would want to waste time on an en banc review that is almost certain to just affirm the current finding.
In short, he's going to be facing charges in court very soon unless the Supreme Court decide to take up the case and delay it further.
In short, he’s going to be facing charges in court very soon unless the Supreme Court decide to take up the case and delay it further.
I know Trump helped stack tne Supreme Court, but its such a flagrant breach of legal/democratic principles I can see why the SC might refuse to hear the appeal, but I guess they may want justice to be seen to be done.
The Supreme Court can just refuse to accept the case, personally, I think the conservative justices have nothing to gain by accepting it.
I thought they've already indicated they'll accept it (and expedite a decision), they were just waiting on the lower court to reach a judgement?
Whilst the SC is stacked with Republicans it would be incredibly difficult for them to decide a President has total immunity, maybe they'll try and fudge something along the lines of the Trump's defence that immunity applies unless indicted by Congress but hopefully they'll just straight up reject the argument. If they don't I'm all for Joe Biden, given he would have immunity, ordering the assassination of Trump, MAGA members of Congress and the corrupt members of the SC.
If there’s anything we’ve learned from this saga is that that the orange man-child cannot be written off…he IS a floater that won’t flush.
FTFY 😉
If there’s anything we’ve learned from this saga is that that the orange man-child cannot be written off…he’s like a floater that won’t flush.
Staying with that theme.... I've long hoped for him to have an Elvis style check-out but livestreamed for his idiot followers
I thought they’ve already indicated they’ll accept it (and expedite a decision), they were just waiting on the lower court to reach a judgement?
AFAIK, it can't be appealed to the SC until the lower court appeal is finished. The SC does not have to accept it. They will look at what the federal court ruled and, if there's nothing in there that they disagree with, they can just say that they don't accept the appeal.
What the Court will do, of course, is anyone’s guess. The conventional wisdom is that the Supreme Court will feel the need to weigh in on a matter as weighty as presidential immunity, adding weeks or months to the timeline before Trump is likely to face trial for the events of Jan. 6. We’re not so sure: The justices have already declined to weigh in on the matter once before, when they rejected Special Counsel Jack Smith’s motion for expedited consideration this past December. And it has proven content to let the D.C. Circuit’s judgment—or that of another appellate court—hold on other politically charged matters involving former President Trump, including a number of 2020 election challenges by him and his supporters and his efforts to enjoin the transfer of his presidential records to the Jan. 6 committee. Nor would this posture necessarily be unusual, as the Supreme Court has been content to let the D.C. Circuit be the effective last word on any number of legal questions relating to the inner workings of the federal government.
This week's 'Taylor Swift is a CIA Plant' talking point (which got an airing on Fox News) means that even Donald Trump checking out in a gizzard and big mac puddle at the Republican National Convention would simply produce even more outlandish conspiracies for millions of Americans to swallow whole.
There really is no hope for a large swathe of the US population, they are deep into mass delusion and I can't see it ending well.
Lets face it, even if he was to get locked up today and died tomorrow he would still get people voting for him.
he would still get people voting for him.
Forget votes - look how much people paid for peices of his suit. The Trump org would have him diced and auctioned. How much do you think people would pay for half a cubic inch of Trump gristle?
This is an interesting way to think about it.
https://twitter.com/johnastoehr/status/1754855903025606992
I'm not sure that "nothing legally contentious" matters much in America, at least not right now. If a technicality exists and they want him back in, they could take it and then rule against it on that.
I’m not sure that “nothing legally contentious” matters much in America, at least not right now. If a technicality exists and they want him back in, they could take it and then rule against it on that.
I think you underestimate SC justices, especially Chief Justice Roberts. They are appointed for life and their main consideration is their legacy. Roberts, who is very conservative, was the deciding vote that saved Obamacare. His reputation as Chief Justice is on the line with things like this, he doesn't want to go down in history as a partisan hack, but as a serious jurist. Trump's argument for immunity is ridiculous and all the SC justices know that. They aren't going to beclown themselves by ruling in favour of it (because, for example, it would allow any President to just assassinate Supreme Court justices and then replace them if they displeased him). The real question is whether they bother to actually hear it (and thus delay Trump's trials). I don't see any of the justices except Clarence Thomas seeing any benefit to even accepting the case.
The real question is whether they bother to actually hear it (and thus delay Trump’s trials)
I think they are bound to delay it if they can. Theres just too much pantomime and grift to be had out of the whole court spectacle. Trump would be devastated if all the court cases were just dropped tomorrow - win or lose the longer the whole thing takes the better.
Its just such good value for money - losing the E Jean Carol case cost less than Ron ($7000 per vote) Desantis spent on losing Iowa.
Trump is loving the court cases - before the various court cases kicked off people had pretty much stopped talking about him
I think they are bound to delay it if they can.
What's the motivation for John Roberts to delay it when Trump's case is so ridiculous? Roberts is an old school conservative, appointed by G.W. Bush. He has no loyalty to Trump. If I had to bet, I'd say he voted for Biden over Trump. Similar with Amy Coney Barrett, why would she want to hear this case? She's smart enough to know that it would be toxic for her legacy, she was appointed by Trump but owes him nothing. I can't see her wanting anything to do with it. Same with Alito and Gorsuch, probably Cavanaugh too, they are smart enough to know this is a loser and best to just refuse to hear it.
What’s the motivation for John Roberts to delay it when Trump’s case is so ridiculous? Roberts is an old school conservative, appointed by G.W. Bush. He has no loyalty to Trump.
We've discussed earlier that SC Judges don't get paid a huge amount (in the grand scheme of things) but do get a lot of gifts and payments that they don't have to declare. Theres a debt of loyalty to the people who appointed you but they only appoint you once.
I doubt they'll hear the case but they'll be aware of how much value in coming to that decision slowly
We’ve discussed earlier that SC Judges don’t get paid a huge amount (in the grand scheme of things) but do get a lot of gifts and payments that they don’t have to declare.
They mostly care about their legacies. Their salaries are enough for a very comfortable upper-middleclass life. They would make massively more money in the private sector. The main attraction of being a SC justice is that you get to leave a legacy that will be recorded for the ages. John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett aren't going to throw that away just to give Trump a few months delay on a case that they know he will lose on the merits.
tagnut69
Free MemberLets face it, even if he was to get locked up today and died tomorrow he would still get people voting for him.
Nevada primary just went overwhelmingly to "none of the above" as Trump wasn't on the ballot
(Nevada is weird, they have a non-binding primary and then the actual candidate is decided by caucus, and if I understand correctly everyone on the primary has been barred from the caucus this year. But still.)
If the trumpet has been bared from standing for election in a state then he cant be president of that state, how can he ten be president of the united states?
Not sure if anyone has listened to the Newsagents podcast the past couple of days, but they've finished with a short clip of Biden confusing Macron with Mitterand....
Really sad and concerning that he's one of the most powerful propel in the world. Makes Trump's job of convincing people that Biden is useless much easier.
one of the most powerful propel in the world
I think you'll find that that title goes to whatever mad man made a 'Corvette speed boat' with its 2700 horse power engines.
Really sad and concerning that he’s one of the most powerful propel in the world. Makes Trump’s job of convincing people that Biden is useless much easier.
Likewise the UnHerd podcast about the state censoring of free speech, they kept turning it back to Trump as a justification, which he will promptly use to his advantage.
If he takes the election it won't be due to skill or competence, but the incompetence of those who oppose him and their own lack of ability. Mental that the most powerful nation on earth will most likely have to choose between the confused old man at a self-service check-out and an orange monstrosity that would throw petrol on the already stoked fire of domestic and international unrest & conflict.
Batshit crazy.
Really sad and concerning that he’s one of the most powerful propel in the world.
Yeah, it's awful when people get their words wrong... 😉
Some interesting results for the latest batch of primaries. In a previous democrat primary Biden won even though he wasn't on the ballot* and polled at similar numbers in that vote to Trump his his race.
In Nevada Biden just got 89% of the vote in the democratic primary.
Also in Navada the for the GOP - Trump wasn't on the ballot (although he is part of the following caucus) So Nicky Haley was to all intents and purposes unopposed. She lost to 'Non of these candidates' which had double her votes - 60% verses her 30%. Thats got to be sore
*(you can just write the name of your preferred candidate on the form if they're not on the list - in the UK that would be a spoiled ballot paper but in the US there have been people who've won office without being on the ballot paper.)
Mental that the most powerful nation on earth will most likely have to choose between the confused old man at a self-service check-out and an orange monstrosity that would throw petrol on the already stoked fire of domestic and international unrest & conflict.
Batshit crazy.
Potential voters are concerned that Biden could either die or lose competency during a second tern. The risks of dying as a president are pretty high really, at any age. I remember an article during Obama's race for president which asked two questions - Is America ready for its first black president?. And..Is it ready for the assassination of its first black president? The Whitehouse extended secret service protection to Obama while he was running for nomination, before he was even the presidential nominee - it was considered that likely someone would try to kill him. I don't think at the time a bookmaker would have offered better odds on Obama surviving a term than they would on Biden now. But people didn't see that as a reason not to vote for Obama.
But because of that - the likelihood of death - you have spares that the office falls to if they do die.
Trump's almost the same age. The risk during his presidency is that he might not kick the bucket
Big day.
Supreme Court openly sceptical about case to keep trump off Colorado ballot; could be 9 - 0. One for the odious orange one.
Biden -
'Special counsel Robert Hur released a searing report Thursday that concluded President Joe Biden willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information but recommended he not face charges after a yearlong investigation into his handling of classified documents.
“We concluded that no criminal charges are warranted in this matter,” Hur determined in the report, which marks the conclusion of his investigation. “We would reach the same conclusion even if Department of Justice policy did not foreclose criminal charges against a sitting president.”
The report also mentioned apparent memory lapses, saying investigators found Biden’s “memory was significantly limited” during interviews with his ghost writer and an interview with Hur’s office last year. According to the report, Biden – during the 2023 interview – did not remember when his son Beau died nor the years he was vice president.
Hur, according to the report, chose not to bring charges in part because he said it would be difficult to prosecute Biden, who could appear sympathetic to a jury.
“Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report stated, adding that Biden “is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt.”'
Ouch; no charges against Biden but, other than that, a win for trump - and ammunition regarding Biden's mental faculties.
E Jean Carroll case - 'A federal judge formally ordered Donald Trump to pay $83.3 million to E. Jean Carroll, endorsing the jury’s verdict from the defamation trial last month'. One for E Jean Carroll but will be completely swamped by the SCOTUS and Special Counsel.
Terrifying to think we could be heading into another four years of Trump.
The state the world is in, I can't help but keep thinking of The Omen films. There's a kind of inevitability about things these days.
