The prosecution in Donald Trump’s hush money trial told the jury that the alleged “catch and kill” scheme to squash bad stories about the former president “could be what got Trump elected”.
Addressing the court in a mammoth six-hour closing argument, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said that the plot to cover up negative stories by Mr Trump and Michael Cohen took away Americans’ right to valuable information about a presidential candidate.
“This scheme, cooked up by these men, at this time, could very well be what got President Trump elected,” said Mr Steinglass in his argument that ended shortly before 8pm local time.
Thing is, lying, covering up, in order to win election are not, in fact, crimes.
It’s so hypocritical! The lovely Democrats were quite open about everything! Joe Biden, sharp as a tack, athletic, vigorous, it was all on show. It was his ability and morals that got him elected…
On that basis both Obama and Biden are going down for a long stretch.
As we all know the process is the punishment and
this case won’t survive an appeal not to mention the constitutional breaches. NYC is taking a huge risk of Trump suing their arses when it gets thrown out.
Alan Dershowitz has explained that if Daniels said she would go to the press unless Trump paid her money, it is extortion.
If she said she would take him to court, any money Trump (Cohen) gave her would be a legitimate legal expense.
Unfortunately, there are lots of dumb Americans who cannot see Trump is being persecuted and may decide to vote for anyone not Trump.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/05/yes-hillary-was-an-enabler-213919
According to journalist Michael Isikoff, the Clinton campaign in 1992 spent $100,000 on private-detective work related to women. The approach, when rumors first popped up, was to get affidavits from women denying affairs — the reflex of most women is to avoid exposure — and, failing that, to use any discrediting tool at hand.
Hillary was fully on board. When a rock groupie told Penthouse in late 1991 that a state trooper approached her on Gov. Clinton’s behalf, Hillary said “we have to destroy her story.”
When the Star tabloid reported that Clinton had affairs with five Arkansas women, including Gennifer Flowers, the Clinton campaign waved affidavits signed by all them denying it. (This is what Clinton had advised Flowers to do in a taped conversation.) Then, Flowers admitted to an affair, saying it had lasted 12 years.
For anyone who doesn’t know Politico is unquestionably pro-establishment and left of centre, albeit nowhere near as batshit crazy as many other US media sources.
As far as I can see, the defence could have concluded by presenting a signed affidavit from God and the prosecution could have summed-up by reading 6 hours’ of excerpts from the telephone directory before the “unbiassed” jury briefly retired, then brought in their verdict of “more Guilty than charged”!
What a total farce.
Sure, but neither was the New York building loans thing, but Trump was found guilty of that one.
They’ve got selective prosecution down to such an art form that it only applies to one person, Donald Trump.
What is going on in the States would be hilarious if it were not frightening.
What is going on in the States would be hilarious if it were not frightening.
It might be frightening if there wasn’t a predictable end-point in November but we ought to brace ourselves for more hilarity.
@TMB
Pretty much every agency from the CIA and the FBI to the IRS to HHS has been mobilised against normal Septics.
Hundreds of people are in jail on ludicrous charges and more are being arrested all the time; a 69-year-old woman was arrested over J6 last week, and some 400 Republicans and lawyers who were engaged by Republicans are currently either in trial or awaiting trial on spurious charges.
The opposition’s candidate in the forthcoming election is on trial on no discernible criminal charge. This may make him more popular but the Democrats clearly stole the last election and they’re quite likely to steal the next one.
Who’s going to arrest them for it? The FBI? Lolz. Who’s going to expose them for it? The NYT and CNN? Double lolz.
I’m sorry to say I find it unlikely that November will bring any relief – even if Trump does the impossible. He’s a dickhead who would present little more than a minor speed bump on the downhill race.
Could Facebook et al squashing the Hunter Biden laptop story have been what got Biden elected? Or doesn’t the logic apply to Democrats?
Interested: «I’m sorry to say I find it unlikely that November will bring any relief – even if Trump does the impossible. He’s a dickhead who would present little more than a minor speed bump on the downhill race.»
I used to think that the US system whereby an incoming president makes a plethora of appointments to friends and supporters was pure cronyism and inimical to good governance whereas the British system of a professional and independent civil service ensured continuity in standards of service irrespective of the government of the day.
Well sadly we have shown since the Blair era, that a neutral civil service is for the birds and that any number of quangos and campaigning charities and arm’s length agencies perpetuate a regime that nobody has voted for and only the left support.
All of which is to say that I am now a devotee of sweeping out the contaminated dross that has become encrusted in Britain and I imagine that Trump will do the same in the US with more than a little relish.
Dershowitz posted a video where he was critical of the judges summing up, effectively told the jury to prosecute