Any lawyers?

What is the likelihood that Judge Juan Merchan, who violated state ethics rules by making political donations to the Democrat party and a PAC called “Stop Republicans”, is also the judge presiding over the Trump Org case and the Steve Bannon case? How are these judges supposed to be assigned?

Stop Republicans, an accountability campaign of Progressive Turnout Project, is a grassroots-funded effort dedicated to resisting the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s radical right-wing legacy.

https://www.turnoutpac.org/stop-republicans/

This hush money conviction is no big deal, — Hanover

Is it? I've long thought so, but now I'm not so sure. Sure, the charged crime is minor, but the actions behind the crimes are not.

Trump conspired with others to perform unscrupulous acts that helped him get elected. Few of those acts are actually violations of statutes, but they are still unscrupulous. The Mueller investigation exposed some of these acts, and this trial exposed others.

Trump isn't constrained by any moral code. The only constraint on his behavior is the legal code, and then - only if a solid case can be made. Prosecuting Trump for this minor crime reminds me of the prosecution of Al Capone, for tax evasion.

Trump's new campaign ads go hard, capitalizing on Biden's corruption more than Biden is.

This is a lie.

The prosecutor was the top third man in Biden’s DOJ before he left to try the case. So how is it a lie?

Don't forget that Clinton committed the actual crime Trump was just convicted of, except of course the SDNY never did anything about it. The difference between Tump and Clinton was Trump was cleared by the FEC, Clinton wasn't.

The FEC fined both organizations after a pair of now years-old complaints — one from the Campaign Legal Center and another from the conservative Coolidge Reagan Foundation — alleged that the party and campaign reported payments to the powerhouse Democratic law firm Perkins Coie as legal expenses, when in actuality some of the money was earmarked for “paying Fusion GPS through Perkins Coie to conduct opposition research on Donald Trump,”

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/30/dnc-clinton-campaign-fine-dossier-spending-disclosure-00021910#:~:text=The%20Federal%20Election%20Commission%20has,the%20now%2Dinfamous%20Steele%20dossier

Two Tiers!

This hush money conviction is no big deal.
— Hanover

Is it?

Trump isn't constrained by any moral code. The only constraint on his behavior is the legal code, and then - only if a solid case can be made. Prosecuting Trump for this minor crime reminds me of the prosecution of Al Capone, for tax evasion. — Relativist

:up: :up:

Like that Tom Cruise movie, The Firm, where Mitch (Cruise) manages to bust the Firm on the technicalities of mail fraud.

Meanwhile an upside-down US flag is emerging as a rallying symbol for MAGA.

Who in their right mind would think that flying the US flag upside down was a symbol for anything other than an attack on the US? Is that going to win the popular vote?

Unfortunately I'm far more cynical and predict that he'll serve no jail time. That said, I'm still leaning towards Biden in winning the election.

:up:

As noted above, an upside-down US flag is emerging as a rallying symbol for Trump supporters.

Isn't this a spectacularly awful idea? What would the the widespread adoption of an upside-down US flag communicate to the public? Wouldn't it say that Trump and Trump supporters have everything the wrong way around? That rather than respecting the national flag, and by extension the Constitution and the rule of law, that they're turning it upside down? How could this be an effective piece of political communication?

Let's hope it really catches on as I'm sure it will be a dramatically effective vote-loser.

@Paine, @Mr Bee, @T Clark, @Mikie, @Wayfarer, thank you for your replies.

I said my piece and have nothing to add. I'm content to let the future speak for itself. In the fullness of time, some opinions may change as the inevitable consequences play out. There are sharp criticisms of this prosecution from the left as well as the right, so I know I'm not alone in my view.

There may be sharp criticisms from the left and right, but denying the result of elections and attacking the rule of law should be abhorrent to both.

There may be sharp criticisms from the left and right, but denying the result of elections — Wayfarer

But enough about Al Gore, Stacy Abrams, and Hillary Clinton.

By the way, Hillary committed the exact same crime. She paid for oppo research against Trump and wrote it down as legal expenses. She was fined over $100,000. Maybe you missed this story.

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/03/30/dnc-clinton-campaign-fine-dossier-spending-disclosure-00021910

Again, my point is not whether Orange Man bad. It's the unequal and politicized application of the law that even some on the left are deeply concerned about.

and attacking the rule of law — Wayfarer

It's the left on a rampage agains SCOTUS these days. Respect for the law seems selective, depending on whose ox is gored. Like when Schumer publicly threatened the Supremes. Didn't see much respect for the rule of law that day.

"I want to tell you, Gorsuch, I want to tell you, Kavanaugh, you have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won't know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions."

I'm sure you objected to the (at the time) Senate Minority leader's attack on the rule of law that very day.

should be abhorrent to both. — Wayfarer

If you will reread my post (or read it for the first time, based on what you just wrote), you'll see that I said that one could loathe Trump yet share the concerns I raised. Liberal legal commentator Elie Honig and former Democratic Governor of New York David Patterson, among others, have expressed similar views recently.

She was fined over $100,000. Maybe you missed this story. — fishfry

I didn't 'miss the story'. There is no 'moral equivalence' between what Clinton did or didn't do, and the many crimes that Donald Trump is now facing indictments for, and what he was twice impeached for.

As for 'respecting the rule of law', it is Trump supporters who have been sending death threats to court officials and posting the names and addresses of jurors online to encourage attacks on them. It is Trump who is encouraging his followers and minions in Congress to turn on the FBI, and attacking any judicial officers who dare try to hold him accountable. It was Trump supporters who hounded electoral officials on the baseless grounds of election fraud. There is no equivalence. Nobody on 'the left' was responsible for that day of infamy.

Nobody on 'the left' was responsible for that day of infamy. — Wayfarer

Actually there's considerable evidence that people on the left were responsible; namely, Nancy Pelosi and Muriel Bowser, who denied Trump's request for the National Guard. And the J6 committee was a total politicized fraud.

But you are making my point. Trump was not on trial for J6, but you think he was. Or more accurately, you just don't care. You are Thomas More's prosecutors, willing to cut down the law to get the Devil. Many on the left simply can't see the bigger picture. You can have the last word. And in the end, history will.

Actually there's considerable evidence that people on the left were responsible; namely, Nancy Pelosi and Muriel Bowser, who denied Trump's request for the National Guard. And the J6 committee was a total politicized fraud. — fishfry

Utter nonsense but at least you've made clear what side you're on. Trump watched the whole thing unfold on TV and didn't call his attack dogs off.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/11/mitt-romney-retiring-senate-trump-mcconnell/675306/

I thought this was interesting.

Another boring “both-sides” guy. How original— how interesting.

Now they’re crying about flags. If you needed more evidence of delusion, this is it.

The history of the flag at Justice Alito’s beach house makes its presence more chilling

Anyone notice the lack of rioting and looting after the Trump verdict? No shops smashed; just a cool $50m raised for Trump. I can't help but notice the stark difference in tactics (violence) between the two sides and it seems like America has noticed this too - betting markets favor Trump.

I can't help but notice the stark difference in tactics (violence) between the two sides — BitconnectCarlos

Yeah, 99.9% peaceful protests with .1% property damage (like burning down a police station) hyped up by Fox News and getting idiots riled up…and attacking the Capitol to overthrow an election that wasn’t to Daddy Trump’s liking, that Fox News called a “tour.”

Stark contrast indeed — about the state of one’s brain on propaganda.

Anyone notice the lack of rioting and looting after the Trump verdict? — BitconnectCarlos

There have been threats of violence by Trump supporters. We do not know the extent to which they will follow through or when such actions might occur. The January 6th insurrection attempt did not occur until two months after the election.

“How could you support a convicted felon?”

Meanwhile:




But it’s an interesting comparison the way they glorify the Floyd protests, which destroyed the lives and livelihoods and neighborhoods of regular people, and which they demonize J6 and the violence of Trump supporters, which affected really no one but the political elites in Washington. Violent protesters were let off easy for razing city blocks, but if you take a lectern or put your feet on Pelosi’s desk your thrown in the gulag for years. In one law enforcement were demonized, the other law enforcement was lionized. It’s quite the interesting schism.

As far as criminals go, Trump is far from the worst the American political class has to offer. The difference is that most of them never were held to account for their crimes.

The United States is practically ran by war criminals.

And Trump never committed any. They literally have to conjure them out of thin air in order to maintain a delusion.

These stats from the Gaza Health ministry? Or does violence towards zionists just not count as "violence"?

I've just accepted the double standards as a fact of life. A black police officer was murdered during those protests and not a peep from the George Floyd crowd.

Let me know when they start razing blocks and destroying stores.

Let me know when they start razing blocks and destroying stores. — BitconnectCarlos

If such things concern you then pay attention to what happens, and not only to what has not happened. You do not need me to let you know.

I'm quite concerned that President Biden is now attempting to imprison his main political rival and doesn't even seem to deny such a thing. A very dangerous precedent that may very well come back to bite the Democrats.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/4v7I97wKImc

Enough said.

I'm quite concerned that President Biden is now attempting to imprison his main political rival ... — BitconnectCarlos

Trump has effectively turned civil and criminal matters into political matters and is accusing Biden of doing exactly what Trump himself is doing. When Trump declared his run for President so early the astute observation was that he did so in order to avoid prosecution.

There is no evidence that Biden is attempting to imprison Trump. The judge, not Biden, determines sentencing.

Prosecutor Mark Pomerantz was on loan from law firm Paul, Weiss, which has huge connections to the Biden regime and his party . Biden appointed prosecutor Michael Colangelo to acting associate attorney general in his own DOJ. Colangelo then left to pursue Trump. Judge Merchan donated to Biden and a political pAC called “Stop Republicans”, in violation of state ethics. Merchan’s daughter rakes in millions from the Biden/Harris campaign.

Biden is attempting to imprison Trump.