Trump Indicted by Manhattan District Attorney

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And double ouch!

[N.E. Brigand]

Rep. Ronnie Jackson, the disgraceful doctor and demoted admiral, today said that Judge Merchan should "fear" Donald Trump's election.

[N.E. Brigand]

Speaking after today's proceedings, Donald Trump questioned Judge Merchan's integrity based on his national origins: "Take a look at him. Take a look at where he comes from." Judge Merchan, like Judge Cannon, was born in South America.

[Sunsilver]

No doubt in one of those countries Trump says is a 'shithole'!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Justice Merchan was born in Columbia. You know who else was born in Columbia? Judge Aileen Cannon.

[N.E. Brigand]

For weeks, the former President of the United States insisted that he would testify in his criminal trial.

Yesterday, when given that opportunity, he declined to testify and when asked about that by reporters, he refused to explain why.

That is the very definition of a front page news story. Equivalent stories were on the front page all the time during past presidential legal proceedings.

The New York Times did not put that story on its front page. The former President's trial is not mentioned on the front page.

Why?

Because the Times, like many and perhaps most media outlets, is biased in favor of Republicans. As I have said repeatedly for the past four years.

BUT HER EMAILS!

[N.E. Brigand]

Donald Trump told an interviewer today that Judge Merchan "made rulings that make it very difficult to testify. Anything I did, anything I did in the best, they could bring everything up then." (He goes on for a few more sentences.) He's referring to the ruling below from early in the trial.

Has there been any indication as to whether Donald Trump will testify in his own defense? If he does, here's what the judge ruled today that prosecutors may and may not ask him about his past interactions with the courts. They may ask him about (1) the recent civil fraud determination, (2) two contempt of court findings in that case, (3) both findings that Trump defamed E. Jean Carroll (by a judge and by a jury) and the first jury's award for defamation, and (4) the dissolution of the Trump Org. in response to the state's fraud claims. They may not ask him about (A) the jury finding Trump liable for sexual assault of Carroll, (B) the second jury's (very large) award for defaming Carroll, (C) sanctions against Trump for filing a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, (D) the judge's determination in the Trump Foundation case that funds were indeed misused, and (E) the 2022 criminal conviction of the Trump Organization.

In that quote, Trump also seems to expect a conviction: "New York is out of control, and they can solve it with a good appellate." Although maybe he's referring to the various civil cases he lost over the past several months.

[N.E. Brigand]

Apparently today's session is going to run well into the evening as the prosecution presents its closing argument.

[N.E. Brigand]

As Marcy Wheeler writes about this, Lowell is looking at it backwards:



Reporters should be trying to find out what Donald Trump was really paying Evan Corcoran for.

And if Donald Trump thought this example would help his case, you can be sure he would have called Corcoran as a witness!

[N.E. Brigand]

Donald Trump's second son repeats his father's lie that the courtroom is "freezing cold".

[N.E. Brigand]

The judge said about 45 minutes ago that the jurors agreed to stay until 8 p.m., and the prosecution finished the closing argument at almost exactly that time.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I was very unimpressed with Blanche's summation, and very impressed with Steinglass's. But maybe it was too much for the jury to digest. I've seen reports that one juror seemed irritated and disengaged. It only takes one.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This was a great line in rebutting the defense claim that the payments really were for legal services.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here we go.

[N.E. Brigand]

Unless there's a hung jury, my guess is that they return a verdict early Friday afternoon.

[N.E. Brigand]

What's the logic behind the New York law that forbids the jury from having the judge's instructions to them in writing?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

No idea.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

What's the logic behind the New York law that forbids the jury from having the judge's instructions to them in writing?

Here are the jury instructions that the jury doesn't get to see (but we do).

https://www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/pre ... -23-24.pdf

[Voronwë the Faithful]

This is amusing.

https://www.tickcounter.com/countup/361 ... iberations

[Voronwë the Faithful]

We have our first jury note.