Bragg Manhattan DA charges tfg? Hush money. tfg “INDICATED!”

[much ado]

Question: 34 charges counts seems a lot for a hush payoff. Is there likely to be a lot more to it?

As I understand it, the reimbursement was paid in several installments, so there is likely a group of charges related to each installment, plus maybe some charges for everything together too. also. At least that is my IANAL thought.

I've done some looking into this. There seem to have been 11 checks that total $420,000. This March 2019 New York Times article details what was known to the NYT four years ago (gift link):

In the Middle of His Official Business, Trump Took the Time to Send Checks to Michael Cohen

Another March 2019 article analyzing the issues surrounding the checks:

President Trump’s checks repaying Michael Cohen for hush money, explained

So each payment might result in multiple counts. We will know when the indictment is released.

[humblescribe]

I have mulled this over for a day or so. I have concluded that, contrary to much public opinion, this is not political. No siree Bob (not our Bob, just a generic Bob.)

This is personal. Both the IMPOTUS and his father have screwed over the State and City of New York for seventy-plus years. They know how to operate just over the edge and not get caught. They may even have greased the palms of a few folks over the years to look the other way.

But once the criminal trial had concluded, and the organization was found guilty, this became the opportune time for the DA to move forward with trying to secure an indictment against Mr. _Big. I have to think that there was evidence in the criminal trial that shed some light on how Mr. _Big operated that would prove inculpatory in one or more of the charges that he will be facing if it could be corroborated by others. Who knows, maybe there is some evidence that Letitia James has in her civil matter that has probative value in a criminal case.

Had Mr. _Big never run for public office, it is quite likely that these charges would not have been brought. But since he did, and if the DA can argue successfully that what he did in cooking the books results in a valid felony charge, then he should be charged. I assert that he purposefully declared his candidacy in November to set the table for his victimhood on potential criminal charges that were moving their way through the system. (When was the last time a person declared that he was running for President two years before the election? Maybe Harold Stassen.) I truly believe that there will be at least a handful of charges that are not directly associated with campaign finance violations, so the Rs rushing to his defense will have to spin those too.

Sometimes law enforcement just wants to convict someone who has pissed them off. Martha Stewart comes to mind. The college admissions scandal from five years ago is another one. No, Republicans, this is not political. This is personal.

And, Bob's your uncle.

[Suranis]

It was widely speculated in November that he declared becasue he thought presidential candidates could not be charged. Just like he moved his residence from his gaudy Sultans palace in Twump tower in New York in 2019 because he thought he would be safe if he was no longer living in Nu Yawk.

He has been running from this for years.

And I guarantee that there is more here than Stormy. They sealed these so he could stew on these for over the weekend.He likely does not have any idea what the charges are himself. If he did he would be leaking them like his meals leak Salmonella.

Plus, we have to remember that he is due to give a deposition on yet ANOTHER case on April 10th.

[sad-cafe]

I have mulled this over for a day or so. I have concluded that, contrary to much public opinion, this is not political. No siree Bob (not our Bob, just a generic Bob.)

This is personal. Both the IMPOTUS and his father have screwed over the State and City of New York for seventy-plus years. They know how to operate just over the edge and not get caught. They may even have greased the palms of a few folks over the years to look the other way.

But once the criminal trial had concluded, and the organization was found guilty, this became the opportune time for the DA to move forward with trying to secure an indictment against Mr. _Big. I have to think that there was evidence in the criminal trial that shed some light on how Mr. _Big operated that would prove inculpatory in one or more of the charges that he will be facing if it could be corroborated by others. Who knows, maybe there is some evidence that Letitia James has in her civil matter that has probative value in a criminal case.

Had Mr. _Big never run for public office, it is quite likely that these charges would not have been brought. But since he did, and if the DA can argue successfully that what he did in cooking the books results in a valid felony charge, then he should be charged. I assert that he purposefully declared his candidacy in November to set the table for his victimhood on potential criminal charges that were moving their way through the system. (When was the last time a person declared that he was running for President two years before the election? Maybe Harold Stassen.) I truly believe that there will be at least a handful of charges that are not directly associated with campaign finance violations, so the Rs rushing to his defense will have to spin those too.

Sometimes law enforcement just wants to convict someone who has pissed them off. Martha Stewart comes to mind. The college admissions scandal from five years ago is another one. No, Republicans, this is not political. This is personal.

And, Bob's your uncle.

THIS!
It is his own damn fault

[Kendra]

He sure did talk like he was. Said what he was going to do in court. My guess is that old clips of him saying the exact opposite about the case that he is saying now played a role in him being nudged aside. And his erratic TV appearances.

@hugolowell
Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina has never formally been on the Stormy Daniels case though Trump liked his TV appearances — it’s been handled by Trump Org legal chief Alan Garten and lawyer Susan Necheles — and it was not clear that Tacopina would make an appearance in court.

[bob]

Is there likely to be a lot more to it?

My WAG is the investigation, trial, and conviction of the organization led to some "interesting" (but unrelated) closet-residing skeletons.

[noblepa]

I have mulled this over for a day or so. I have concluded that, contrary to much public opinion, this is not political. No siree Bob (not our Bob, just a generic Bob.)

This is personal. Both the IMPOTUS and his father have screwed over the State and City of New York for seventy-plus years. They know how to operate just over the edge and not get caught. They may even have greased the palms of a few folks over the years to look the other way.

But once the criminal trial had concluded, and the organization was found guilty, this became the opportune time for the DA to move forward with trying to secure an indictment against Mr. _Big. I have to think that there was evidence in the criminal trial that shed some light on how Mr. _Big operated that would prove inculpatory in one or more of the charges that he will be facing if it could be corroborated by others. Who knows, maybe there is some evidence that Letitia James has in her civil matter that has probative value in a criminal case.

Had Mr. _Big never run for public office, it is quite likely that these charges would not have been brought. But since he did, and if the DA can argue successfully that what he did in cooking the books results in a valid felony charge, then he should be charged. I assert that he purposefully declared his candidacy in November to set the table for his victimhood on potential criminal charges that were moving their way through the system. (When was the last time a person declared that he was running for President two years before the election? Maybe Harold Stassen.) I truly believe that there will be at least a handful of charges that are not directly associated with campaign finance violations, so the Rs rushing to his defense will have to spin those too.

Sometimes law enforcement just wants to convict someone who has pissed them off. Martha Stewart comes to mind. The college admissions scandal from five years ago is another one. No, Republicans, this is not political. This is personal.

And, Bob's your uncle.

THIS!
It is his own damn fault

While I agree that he would not have been charged, had he not made himself an even more public figure than he was, by running for and being elected to the office of President, we have to be careful about statements like that. It could be interpreted by his supporters as an admission that the prosecution is political.

I think it is more a case of, as long as he was a relatively private citizen, he could fly below the radar. By becoming President, he elevated himself well into the radar stream.

Also, if he were not in the middle of a presidential campaign, he might not have gotten to sleep with Ms. Daniels. Even if he had, there would have been no reason to pay for her silence.

The same is true for his other legal troubles. If he hadn't been POTUS, he would have had no reason to call Raffensberger to try to overturn the 2020 election.

If he hadn't been POTUS, he never would have had access to top secret documents and been able to steal them and hide them in Mar-a-Lago.

[Suranis]

`

Also, if he were not in the middle of a presidential campaign, he might not have gotten to sleep with Ms. Daniels. Even if he had, there would have been no reason to pay for her silence.

The Stormy Tryst happened in 2006. Back then he was a has been loudmouth with a Scripted TV show that had failed in his 2000 run for the Reform Party (and had robbed them blind).

He was busy hinting to people that he was definitely getting the capacity to think about the possibility of thinking about running for President. (And if you would send press to this event he would have an announcement to make!! Hint hint!!)

Stormy has probably slept with a hundred idiots with a bit of cash like that over the years.

[Luke]

omg did former Trump superfan Bill Mitchell just find a truffle?*

Bill Mitchell @mitchellvii 1:52 PM · Apr 1, 2023

Something just occurred to me that should terrify Trump.

Everyone thought the grand jury was going to recess for a month then suddenly we get the indictment. So whats the rush?

Unless.

Bragg is adding "obstruction of justice by trying to intimidate a prosecutor with threats of violence" to the indictment. They can then claim they had to rush it because Trump is now dangerous and is seeking to influence the jury pool.

It fits the pattern after J6.

Bill Mitchell @mitchellvii 7m
Folks. This is serious. Don't be surprised if this becomes part of a Trump's indictment.

Quote Tweet Mike Robes @mike_robial 1h
Replying to @mitchellvii
From other research : Threatening a prosecutor is a serious crime in both NY state and federal law, with penalties ranging from imprisonment to hefty fines. In NY, it can result in a prison sentence of up to 15 years, while in federal law, the penalty can be up to 20 years

And this is getting lots of RW excitement! We need JPC to help us... do we a) take all our money out of the banks on Tuesday, b) buy more Truth Social stock or c) both??????

Trump Supporters Plan Bank Run to Protest His Arrest
BY KATHERINE FUNG ON 3/20/23 AT 3:09 PM EDT

Supporters of former President Donald Trump are calling for nonviolent forms of protest in anticipation of his arrest, suggesting a national bank run instead of a traditional demonstration.
Trump has already called on his supporters to "PROTEST, PROTEST PROTEST" if he's arrested Tuesday morning.
The George Washington Initiative told Newsweek that searches for a pro-Trump bank run nearly quadrupled between Friday and Saturday, with queries rising again on Monday.
Some supporters of former President Donald Trump are calling for nonviolent forms of protest in anticipation of a Trump arrest in Manhattan this week, suggesting that his base participates in a national bank run instead of demonstrating on the streets.

"Driven by false flag paranoia," Trump supporters have increasingly advocated for a bank run in recent days as a "nonviolent form of social disobedience" against a Trump arrest, according to the George Washington Initiative (GWI), an organization dedicated to combating disinformation.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-supporte ... st-1789034



* Even a Blind Pig Finds a Truffle Once in a While

[Volkonski]

Truffle pigs find truffles using their sense of smell not their eyesight.

[New Turtle]

I don't think their bank run is gonna work out like it did in the movies. They aren't organized enough to do much more than inconvenience themselves.

[somerset]

And I doubt that the total liquid assets of the MAGA crowd are enough to even be a rounding error to the US banking system. It won’t even be noticed.

[Suranis]

They would cause worse problems if they walked in with their stacks of Zimbabwean dollars and Vietnamese Dong.

[Dr. Ken]

[Foggy]

He likely does not have any idea what the charges are himself. If he did he would be leaking them like his meals leak Salmonella.

Eww, yuck. Suranis gets 150 lashes with a red licorice whip.

My heroine in this is still Stephanie Clifford. She didn't ask for this to be nationable news. She was 27 when it happened. A lot of people, including me, would suggest that she's a victim of a patriarchal society and has been treated poorly for lo these many moons, especially by Fox News and its elk. She has been called every dirty name in the book by Trump's supporters. She seems intelligent and articulate, and HONEST, and she's a mom, and best of all:

She made clear from the very beginning - "I am not a victim." I might disagree to some extent, but that woman stands strong.

"I am not a victim."

She flat refuses to be a victim. I find that ... admirable. We need more like her.



You know who's the victim?

[Azastan]

And I doubt that the total liquid assets of the MAGA crowd are enough to even be a rounding error to the US banking system. It won’t even be noticed.

The 'basket of deplorables' have been sending all their spare change to the grift of the day, so yes, I wouldn't expect their scheme would make much of a difference.

Those people with enough assets to make a difference aren't going to partake in such stupidity UNLESS it improves their bottom line.

[RTH10260]

The MAGAs are retrieving their funds? I bet many bank managers will be happy to get rid of these customers and will not bother to reopen new accounts for them in the days to follow. But where to keep the money? Under the bed, in matresses --- no, in pillows, MyPillows! Once problem though, how to buy MyPillows without credit cards after the accounts have been closed Buy gift cards at Walmart?

ps. how many magaots will discover they have a problem retireving cash when their credit has been overdrawn? How about credit cards denined cause limit and coverage hit the ceiling? Or how about retrieving all cash to the limit of the credit cards and wonder what the heck those interest rates are and the late fees to correct the balance

[Luke]

The Gateway House of Boys is ANGRY! And they went BIRFER! The presses must be stopped at Sharon Rondeau's.

With a bonus trip down memory lane to the White House Correspondents Dinner...

It’s Time Conservative Warriors and People of Integrity Begin Indicting REAL Criminals Like the Bidens, Clintons, Obama, Pelosi, etc…
By Joe Hoft Apr. 2, 2023 8:30 am

It’s time that Conservative leaders in red states across the country begin indicting real criminals who are destroying this country. Crimes by far-left criminals have been reported in the public arena and it’s now time to indict. Obama went after citizen Trump in 2011 when he was at a White House dinner. Obama hated Trump for shining light on his birth certificate. He hated anyone who did. Sheriff Joe Arpaio was attacked by Obama-Biden’s DOJ later for doing the same. Why such a response?







Then citizen Trump decided to run for office. The Democrats and GOP elites treated candidate Trump with no respect. They laughed at him and berated him. They thought they were so funny. All the media joined in. The insane group of people who were destroying the country or who were staying silent while the leaders of the country did just that, joined together to destroy candidate Trump.

Then President Trump won and they set him up with false charges based on a Clinton lie that he was a Russian spy. It turns out President Trump was one of the only ones in Washington DC who wasn’t connected to Russia. Even the FBI investigator investigating President Trump in the Trump-Russia collusion was making money from Russia. This same guy investigated the Bidens for their relationship with China’s Patrick Ho who Hunter made a million for aligning with a special attorney who would get him off and back to China.

The Democrats and the GOP elites committed numerous crimes and continue to do so. Destroying emails, lying about everything under oath, taking bribes, extorting millions, attempting a coup d’état of the Trump Administration, and much, much more, but they keep getting away with it. The DOJ won’t prosecute the real criminals because they have become them. They created two bogus impeachments of President Trump and then certified the uncertifiable election for Joe Biden, stealing it in the process. Then after all that wouldn’t work, they make up BS charges and indict him.

This past week’s garbage indictment by a dumb and biased New York DA, Alvin Bragg, showed that the law no longer matters. There is no protection for good Americans anymore. The criminals are running the ship on a voyage to destruction. Conservative leaders see what is going on and are calling for a change. It’s time for good Americans to fight back. Numerous crimes are committed by these gangsters and communists who have taken over the country. It’s time to hold them accountable.

CF.org shared comments by Tom Fitton:

“All bets are off. You can expect grand jury indictments of leftist politicians like Biden, [former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer as surely as night follows day,” said Tom Fitton, president of the conservative legal group Judicial Watch. “You can be sure that there are prosecutors across Florida and Texas right now who are looking for a state law hook into the Biden family,” he added. “And if they’re not, they’re not doing their jobs.”

Attorney Mike Davis also chimed in:

…“Republicans need to learn how to take off the gloves and put on the brass knuckles and break glass jaws — politically and legally, not physically,” Mike Davis, a former chief counsel for nominations on the Senate Judiciary Committee and president of the Article III Project, told The Post. “If New York can turn a routine settlement of a business dispute seven years ago into a felony, I think our Republican AGs and DAs should get creative,” added Davis, who briefly worked as a federal prosecutor before clerking for Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. “Two wrongs don’t make it right, but it makes it even. “You just need probable cause. A grand jury can indict a ham sandwich. We just saw that in New York. And the Bidens actually committed real crimes. These are real crimes that the Bidens committed. There is smoking gun evidence that the Bidens were corruptly and illegally on Chinese and Ukrainian oligarchs’ payrolls.”

Sheriff Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, AZ shared:

“This sets a little precedent,” said the ex-sheriff of America’s fourth-most-populous county. “Now the word is out that you can go and indict an ex-president and a current president and they opened another door. But now everybody’s going to flex their muscles and use this case. So now we’re gonna threaten all presidents or ex presidents.”

The Democrats have used the government to attack their political opponents. They don’t foot the bill, they have conservative American taxpayers pay for their lawfare. It is now time to go after the real criminals. The criminals have gone too far.

Yeah, so just make up charges since as whiny screaming Mike Davis says, "“Two wrongs don’t make it right, but it makes it even."

[Kendra]

TACOPINA: This is something that we believe is a political persecution & I believe people on both sides of the aisle believe that

STEPHANOPOULOS: What evidence do you have that Democrats see this as political persecution?

TACOPINA: *word salad*

[Kendra]

@atrupar
At least 3 different Trump attorneys are on the Sunday news shows today. Big day for them.

Mike Turner suggests on CNN that Trump's indictment is an example of "a cancel criminal justice system"

[Luke]

"a cancel criminal justice system" sounds like the new version of "process crimes" for the MAGAts.

Updated 30 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Lanny Davis: New York Trump case may include Karen McDougal payment
Erica Pandey

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen provided Manhattan prosecutors with documentation about a Trump hush-money payment to a second woman who claims to have had an affair with him, Cohen's lawyer, Lanny Davis, told CNN this morning. Why it matters: That suggests the case by District Attorney Alvin Bragg could be broader than the Stormy Daniels payment. Davis told Axios that — while he can't discuss conversations with the D.A.'s office — he infers "100%" that Karen McDougal — the second woman and a former Playboy model— is part of Bragg's case, whether as part of the charges or the narrative, perhaps showing a pattern of behavior.

Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina told Dana Bash on CNN's "State of the Union" that he hopes Trump's surrender on Tuesday will be as "painless and classy" as possible. But Tacopina told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's "This Week" that Trump is "gearing up for a battle … He’s a tough guy." Previewing arguments we can expect to hear more of, Tacopina said on ABC: "Had Donald Trump not been Donald Trump and it was John Smith, this case never would have been brought." Despite not knowing the charges, the lawyer added: "This case is not even legally sufficient. Factually, it's a joke." Separating himself from Trump's online attacks on the judge in the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, Tacopina said: "I don’t believe the judge is biased. I mean, the president has his own opinion."

By the numbers: Trump raised more than $5 million since news of his indictment broke late Thursday — over $4 million in the first 24 hours and over $1 million in the second 24 hours, a Trump official told Axios. In announcing the initial $4 million haul, Trump's campaign noted that over 25% of the donations came from first-time donors to him. "This is someone who has run twice for president of the United States," Jason Miller, a Trump campaign senior adviser, said. "There's a whole new group of Trump supporters who are angered by what they see as this political persecution."

What's next: Asked on ABC whether Trump will hold a press conference after the arraignment, Tacopina said he doesn’t know but added: “He does Trump better than anybody. And he’s not afraid to speak. He’s not afraid [of] confrontation."

https://www.axios.com/2023/04/02/trump- ... my-daniels

Yes, please keep draining the MAGAts so they have no money to contribute to 2024 candidates. Heck of a job, Donnie!

All these folks (especially his lawyers) opining without even knowing what the indictment says sounds like we'll have some terrific pie in the face moments on Tuesday. I hate giving the indicted twice-impeached loser any attention, but making a crime-fraud exception.

[Kendra]

Newsmax live reaction to Trump announcement of a speech this Tues night: “I have goosebumps to think about a president who has just been indicted, and he is that brave. He has that much courage.”

[bob]

This sets a little precedent[.] Now the word is out that you can go and indict an ex-president and a current president and they opened another door.

1. Ex-presidents always were subject to indictment. (See also: Ford's pardoning Nixon; see generally: Agnew, Spiro.)
2. No sitting president ever has been indicted. (Primarily because of the DOJ's beliefs on the matter.)
3. Arpaio grifted for years off accusing a sitting and former president of crimes. Arpaio gladly would have opened that door if he ever could have found a fellow-traveler prosecutor.

[bob]

If Turley was half as smart as he believes he is, he would have known to forebear on this kind of goatfucking, as the replies (which you shouldn't read) actively disprove his "point."

[Slarti the White]

He likely does not have any idea what the charges are himself. If he did he would be leaking them like his meals leak Salmonella.

Eww, yuck. Suranis gets 150 lashes with a red licorice whip.

My heroine in this is still Stephanie Clifford. She didn't ask for this to be nationable news. She was 27 when it happened. A lot of people, including me, would suggest that she's a victim of a patriarchal society and has been treated poorly for lo these many moons, especially by Fox News and its elk. She has been called every dirty name in the book by Trump's supporters. She seems intelligent and articulate, and HONEST, and she's a mom, and best of all:

She made clear from the very beginning - "I am not a victim." I might disagree to some extent, but that woman stands strong.

"I am not a victim."

She flat refuses to be a victim. I find that ... admirable. We need more like her.



You know who's the victim?

I totally agree with you, Phoogie! I heard that searches for her... work are up over 20,000%! Right now, I would say that she is the clear winner in all of this mishegoss and her well-spoken and reserved public comments are to (not also) her enormous credit.