Fogbow

A Manhattan judge refused to quash civil subpoenas and depositions for former President Donald Trump and his children in a blistering ruling on Thursday, writing that it would have been “blatant dereliction of duty” not to investigate them.

“For OAG not to have investigated the original respondents, and not to have subpoenaed the new Trump respondents, would have been a blatant dereliction of duty (and would have broken an oft repeated campaign promise). Indeed, the impetus for the investigation was not personal animus, not racial or ethnic or other discrimination, not campaign promises, but was sworn congressional testimony by former Trump associate Michael Cohen that respondents were ‘cooking the books,'” Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron wrote in a 8-page ruling.

Trump and his children Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have 21 days from the date of his order to sit for a deposition, Engoron ruled.



Habba remarked that the latter run did not “work out well for [James].”

Rejecting such claims, Engoron wrote: “Here, the new Trump respondents have failed to submit any evidence that the law was not applied to others similarly situated, nor have they submitted any evidence of discrimination based on race, religion, or any other impermissible or arbitrary classification.”

bob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:56 pm Per the Twitter legal (b)eagles, the judge's order is appealable, as in, it can be immediately appealed.

But there's no automatic stay, so the appeal will (too) also separately have to ask to stay the judge's order. Which the learned folks say the appellate court is unlikely to grant.

bob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:56 pm Per the Twitter legal (b)eagles, the judge's order is appealable, as in, it can be immediately appealed.

SuzieC wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 4:11 pm

bob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:56 pm Per the Twitter legal (b)eagles, the judge's order is appealable, as in, it can be immediately appealed.

But why? Unless I missed something, there is no privilege at stake. Trump's lawyers didn't even argue privilege. They just argued that Trump is above the law and that James is corrupt.

raison de arizona wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:25 pm

W. Kevin Vicklund wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:24 pm I'm putting the over/under at 10 for number of times he perjures himself during the depostion.

You have a much higher opinion of tfg than I.

bob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 4:06 pm As always, those being deposed can assert the Fifth. Meaning adverse inferences may be drawn for any civil proceeding, but may not be drawn for any criminal proceeding.

So the smart money would be to take the Fifth, accept the consequences in the civil proceedings, and then delay delay delay the imposition of those consequences.

But these folks aren't smart, so .

bob wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:56 pm Per the Twitter legal (b)eagles, the judge's order is appealable, as in, it can be immediately appealed.

But there's no automatic stay, so the appeal will (too) also separately have to ask to stay the judge's order. Which the learned folks say the appellate court is unlikely to grant.

orlylicious wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 5:07 pm Thanks for the great coverage!!

Will the depositions be private or public? If private, would it be usual for them to be released?

Dang, missed the circus hearings. Has anybody found a recording of today's hearing? (Saw it says no recording but that hasn't stopped most everything from being posted). Please dm me if not comfortable posting.

Kendra wrote: ↑Thu Feb 17, 2022 3:45 pm Days like this I almost miss Trump twitter tantrums. Today would be a wild one. Bets Junior shows up on Hannity tonight crying a river?