The Russia Investigations and other Trump-related cases

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think this is a pretty good indication of how the judge is going to rule:

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Meanwhile, in the Twilight Zone:

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[N.E. Brigand]

I found this analysis of the Barrack acquittal by Vicky Ward helpful, although I shook my head upon reading that Barrack testified that Donald Trump is "super smart."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

[Frelga]

There's a growing suspicion that putin is trying to hold on in Ukraine long enough to see a republican congress in the US.

[N.E. Brigand]

The Untold Story of ‘Russiagate’ and the Road to War in Ukraine (New York Times)

Subhed: "Russia’s meddling in Trump-era politics was more directly connected to the current war than previously understood."

It's a really long and wide-ranging story that I haven't finished reading yet.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Two pieces of news from yesterday that I neglected to post in all the election excitement.

First:


And perhaps even more interesting (and more evidence that Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg virtually committed malpractice by not charging Trump):

[N.E. Brigand]

Reports from The New York Times, CNN, and NBC about how newly released records show that the governments of China, Malaysia, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates spent more at Trump's D.C. hotel in 2017-2018 than was previously known, spending $10,500 per night totaling some $750,000 in that period.

[N.E. Brigand]

John Kelly, who was Donald Trump's Chief of Staff, says that Trump pushed for IRS and DOJ investigations into "former F.B.I. director James B. Comey and his deputy, Andrew G. McCabe ... former C.I.A. director John O. Brennan; Hillary Clinton; Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post, whose coverage often angered Mr. Trump; Peter Strzok, the lead F.B.I. agent on the Russia investigation; and Lisa Page, an F.B.I. official who exchanged text messages with Mr. Strzok that were critical of Mr. Trump."

Kelly says he believes he prevented any such investigation from going forward, and yet somehow the IRS audited both Comey and McCabe.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

The DOJ has announced that Rudy Giuliani will not be charged in the investigation of him regarding unregistered lobbying for foreign governments. I've seen some reporting that one reason they made that decision was to clear the way for more serious charges in the 1/6 investigation, but I don't buy it.

[N.E. Brigand]

In the Manhattan trial of The Trump Organization, there was testimony today from the firms' accounts payable manager, Deborah Tarasoff, who said that in September 2016, she made changes to the company's financial records, at then-CEO Allen Weisselberg's direction, to cover up the fact that he had approved untaxed benefits for himself, his family, and for other executives and their families. Weisselberg himself is testifying now, and he says that Donald Trump approved these payments.

Also, despite no longer being the CEO, and despite having agreed to testify for the prosecution, Weisselberg is still doing the work of that job and is receiving full pay for it.

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Meanwhile, a judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought against Donald Trump and the Department of Justice by Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen. Cohen sued because following release, he was sent back to prison after Trump got mad at him for making public statements about the then-president. Cohen was subsequently released after another judge found that his re-incarceration was indeed retaliation. The judge overseeing this now-dismissed lawsuit, who was appointed by Trump, said that precedent doesn't allow much recourse for victims of "the use of executive power to lock up the President’s political enemies for speaking critically of him"; the judge added that his ruling, bound by precedent, does "profound violence ... to Cohen’s constitutional rights".

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And bringing those stories together, a New York state appeals court has ruled unanimously to overturn a lower court ruling; the new ruling says that Michael Cohen "can sue the Trump Organization to cover millions of dollars in legal fees from defending against investigations into his work for the former president."

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I don't think any further comment about this is necessary.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

And then there is this.

[RoseMorninStar]

This is so Trump/the Trump organization can't hide assets, I presume? I'm also presuming it's more extensive than most because erm... there is so little level of trust?

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Among other things, yes.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I think this can go here.

[N.E. Brigand]

I think this can go here.

Benton presumably wishes he had been convicted of this 2016 crime two years ago, so that Trump could have pardoned him for that one as well.