DA's Opening Statement: "This case is about a criminal conspiracy. Donald Trump corrupted the 2016 election"
............
The first line of Colangelo's opening was, "This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up - Donald Trump corrupted the 2016 election." He said that it all began when Trump and Michael Cohen met with National Enquirer publisher David Pecker In August 2015 to suppress negative stories about Trump. He said that Trump gave Cohen $130,000 to pay Stormy Daniels to silence her. He covered up the payments by falsifying his business records.
Colangelo said that Trump's claim that the payments to Cohen were for legal services was a lie, and he falsified 34 separate invoices to cover up the fact that it was being done for election purposes. He said that Pecker served as the "eyes and ears" of the Trump campaign, keeping his eye out for stories that could hurt Trump so he could make him aware of them. This is what they called their "catch and kill" strategy. At the same time, Pecker was publishing positive stories about Trump is several different publications and running stories attacking his opponents.
Colangelo then gave several examples of stories they ran such as accusing Ted Cruz's father of being involved in the JFK assassination and Ben Carson of committing medical malpractice.
He then said that they carried out three separate "catch and kills":
1. A doorman for Trump was trying to sell a story that he had information that Trump fathered children with women. He was paid $30,000 and Pecker suppressed the story.
2. Former Playboy model Karen McDougal was shopping her story through her attorney that she had a year-long affair with Trump. Pecker paid her $150,000 and suppressed the story. However, Pecker later became upset about his because Trump wouldn't reimburse him.
3. The Stormy Daniels payment through Michael Cohen for $130,000 to cover up Trump's sexual encounter with the porn star.
Cohen then recorded a conversation with Trump about this and Colangelo said that tape will be played in court. He said Trump is on the tape saying they should pay in cash and label the payment "advisory services." However, Pecker's lawyer advised against taking the payment so it was never made. He said that they would present evidence in the form of a "flurry of text messages" and a "barrage of phone calls" to suppress the story.
Prosecutors say Trump violated his gag order 10 times. The judge is finally set to weigh in.
On Monday, Manhattan prosecutors began trying to persuade a jury that Donald Trump is guilty of 34 felonies in his hush money case. On Tuesday, they’ll try to persuade the judge that he deserves a more immediate penalty: They want him held in contempt.
The prosecutors say Trump has repeatedly violated a gag order that prohibits him from attacking witnesses, jurors and others involved in the case. Justice Juan Merchan has scheduled a Tuesday morning hearing, outside the presence of the jury, to consider the prosecutors’ arguments.
If Merchan agrees that Trump has defied the gag order, he’ll then face the thorny question of what to do about it. His options range from a sternly worded warning to a modest fine to a short stint in jail.
Several former prosecutors said they expect Merchan to be lenient. But they also noted that the situation is fluid, unpredictable, and — it goes without saying — unprecedented.
Judge tells Trump lawyer he's 'losing all credibility with the court'
Source: The Guardian
Things are not going well for Donald Trump as his lawyer, Todd Blanche, continues to make the claim that re-posting doesn’t violate the gag order.
Judge Merchan said:
Mr Blanche you’re losing all credibility, I have to tell you right now … You’re losing all credibility with the court. Is there any other argument you want to make?
Merchan is reserving decision on the prosecution’s contempt request.
It's impossible to exaggerate just how badly the gag order hearing went for both Trump and lead attorney Todd Blanche.
UPDATE: Tuesday, Apr 23, 2024 · 8:01:50 AM PDT · Mark Sumner
In just a few minutes, Blanche was forced to admit he had no case law to support his position, that he was speculating on the motivation of witnesses, needled the judge with a statement about “two systems of justice in this courtroom,” and got a warning that he was losing all credibility with the court. And this is the guy Trump is counting on to lead this case over weeks of testimony.
In a lot of ways, any fine resulting from this morning is going to be the very least of the damage. This. Was. Brutal.
Trump Is Unindicted Co-conspirator in 2020 Michigan Fake Electors Probe
by Marshall Cohen
April 24, 2024
Introduction:
(CNN) Former President Donald Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator in the Michigan attorney general’s probe into the attempts to overturn the 2020 election in that state, an investigator testified Wednesday.
The investigator also said the list of unindicted co-conspirators includes ex-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former Trump campaign lawyer Jenna Ellis.
The revelations came at a pretrial hearing in Lansing for some of Michigan’s fake electors, who have been charged by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel in her investigation into the attempts to subvert the 2020 election.
Nessel, a Democrat, charged 16 fake Republican electors from Michigan last summer. CNN reported in December that the investigation was ongoing and appeared to be expanding. One of those charged already agreed to cooperate with Nessel’s prosecutors, in exchange for the charges being dropped. The remaining 15 defendants have all pleaded not guilty.
Special agent Howard Shock, one of the lead investigators in Nessel’s probe, was asked Wednesday in court by a defense attorney for one of the fake electors to confirm whether specific people are co-conspirators. Shock answered “yes” when the lawyer asked about Trump, Meadows, Giuliani and Ellis.
Donald Trump Jr. Text Detailed in Arizona Indictment
Source: Newsweek
Published Apr 25, 2024 at 5:47 AM EDT | Updated Apr 25, 2024 at 8:07 AM EDT
Donald Trump Jr. texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about a plan to use alternative Republican electors, messages obtained by Arizona prosecutors have shown. The text was sent just two days after the 2020 presidential election and while votes were still being counted.
Although Meadows and Trump Jr.'s names are redacted in the document, the same text was obtained unredacted in 2022 by the Congressional January 6 Committee. Donald Trump Jr. sent the text on November 5, 2020, two days before media outlets called Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
In their criminal complaint, prosecutors say that on November 5, 2020, one of the people indicted in the case received a text that stated that President Donald Trump "should 'urge GOP officials in close states to expose shenanigans and, if necessary, to refuse to seat [Joe] Biden electors in the event of a fake count.'"
"That same day, [Trump's] son texted [Meadows] a more developed plan revolving around the electors," Arizona prosecutors state in a criminal complaint released on Wednesday.
weatheriscool wrote: ↑Thu Apr 25, 2024 2:01 pm Donald Trump Jr. Text Detailed in Arizona Indictment
Source: Newsweek
Published Apr 25, 2024 at 5:47 AM EDT | Updated Apr 25, 2024 at 8:07 AM EDT
Donald Trump Jr. texted White House chief of staff Mark Meadows about a plan to use alternative Republican electors, messages obtained by Arizona prosecutors have shown. The text was sent just two days after the 2020 presidential election and while votes were still being counted.
Although Meadows and Trump Jr.'s names are redacted in the document, the same text was obtained unredacted in 2022 by the Congressional January 6 Committee. Donald Trump Jr. sent the text on November 5, 2020, two days before media outlets called Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election.
In their criminal complaint, prosecutors say that on November 5, 2020, one of the people indicted in the case received a text that stated that President Donald Trump "should 'urge GOP officials in close states to expose shenanigans and, if necessary, to refuse to seat [Joe] Biden electors in the event of a fake count.'"
"That same day, [Trump's] son texted [Meadows] a more developed plan revolving around the electors," Arizona prosecutors state in a criminal complaint released on Wednesday.
Trump found in contempt for violating gag order in hush money
The judge in Trump’s N.Y. hush money trial Tuesday found the former president in contempt for his critical public statements as proceedings entered their third week.
“The court finds the people have met their burden of proof and have demonstrated contempt. Mr. Trump is fined $1,000 on each of those two,” Justice Juan Merchan said in his written decision, referring to one set of alleged gag order violations.
