LosLobo

7 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

Why was Trump indicted by the Manhattan D.A. over hush money, but not by the Justice Department?

As a purveyor of innuendo, perhaps Geoffery Berman could offer you a reason:

Geoffrey Berman, the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, discusses his dismissal in his book titled “Holding the Line.” In the book, Berman describes his firing by Attorney General William Barr as politically motivated and details his clashes with Barr over various legal matters. 

He suggests that his independence and the investigations he was overseeing posed a threat to President Trump’s re-election, which led to his dismissal.

The book provides an insider’s perspective on the tensions between the Department of Justice under Trump and the Southern District of New York, offering a detailed account of Berman’s experience and the political pressures he faced.

Holding the Line review: Geoffrey Berman blasts Barr and dumps Trump | Books | The Guardian

10 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

OK you did say criminal. As to what and why are Judge Marchan's restrictions on Brad Smith, I don't know. 

It seems you've provided the 'what' in your original post, and I've already provided the logical and likely 'why' in mine.

1 hour ago, jerrymahoney said:

The FEC administers federal campaign finance laws. It enforces limitations and prohibitions on contributions and expenditures, administers the reporting system for campaign finance disclosure, investigates and prosecutes violations (investigations are typically initiated by complaints from other candidates, parties, watchdog groups, and the public), audits a limited number of campaigns and organizations for compliance, and administers the presidential public funding programs for presidential candidates.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Election_Commission

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has exclusive jurisdiction over the civil enforcement of federal campaign finance law. This includes handling investigations, audits, and administrative fines related to campaign finance violations.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), on the other hand, is responsible for the criminal enforcement of election law violations. This includes pursuing cases related to election fraud, campaign financing crimes, and civil rights crimes.

These distinctions clarify the separate roles of the FEC and DOJ in the context of enforcing election laws and are relevant to understanding the legal proceedings in cases like that of Donald Trump.

The FEC’s role is informative in such trials, but the determination of criminal violations is indeed made by the court, based on the evidence and applicable criminal statutes.

FEC | Legal resources | Enforcement

Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses Seventh Edition May 2007 (Revised August 2007) (justice.gov)

Interesting analysis of today's court case...
 

2 hours ago, G_Money said:

And why these are charges being made now and not within a timely manner after the supposed allegations?

 

Because Trump is running for President and will most likely win.  No other reasons.

Perhaps you need to consider the reasons behind the dismissal of U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Geoffrey Berman, by Barr and later Trump, during the investigation of Individual No.1 after Cohen's 2019 arrest for campaign finance violations.

3 hours ago, Walker88 said:

In what Universe do the feelings of the daughter fall on the father?

 

I guess only in trumpistan.

 

Does it go father-to-son?

 

trump's daddy was arrested at a KKK march in NYC in the 1920s!

 

As they say the 'rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree'.

Donald's ancestry appears to have shaped the man he is today.

The family patriarch and grandfather, Friedrich Drumpf, was expelled from his native Germany for failing to complete mandatory military service.

He later moved to the United States, where he ultimately became the owner of a brothel.

Historian finds German decree banishing Trump's grandfather | Donald Trump | The Guardian

2 hours ago, Walker88 said:

If a nation has not signed the international agreement against the development of nukes, then they are breaking no law. Israel hasn't signed any agreement either, so if Iran's program is illegal, Israel's 140 already-built nukes would also be illegal.

 

That's just semantics, not a slur against Israel.

 

As for the JCPOA, which trump abrogated, it was 100% successful. I've written this elsewhere enough, but the combo of the JCPOA and Stuxnet had Iran a decade or more away from even coming close to a nuke. (Even the Israeli govt admitted its success, although they tried to muddy the waters by 'leaking' documents from 2003 about Iran's nuke program...the equivalent of Iraq's WMD, which Saddam had ceased development of after Gulf War I.) The JCPOA was also intended as a stepping stone to additional deals, such as getting Iran away from supporting Shi-a terrorism. Tearing it up, as trump did simply because it was an Obama victory, put everything back to square one, and most significantly, put Iran back in the nuke game.

 

The Iranians are quite clever, despite their mullahs' attempts to keep the place in the 7th Century. They might even have been the first nation after the US to independently develop nukes (Oppenheimer was incorrect that others would figure it out; instead, tech transfer and/or espionage was what gave every single other nuke power the ability.) Yes, Iran got help from Pakistan's A. Q. Khan, who got his knowledge from the Chinese, who got it via espionage. Iran's missile tech came from a very roundabout source which I won't note, but it would surprise many here. I believe it remains classified still.

 

Israel does not have the weaponry able to take out Iran's deepest bunkers, but they can take out power stations adjacent to HS centrifuge facilities, as HS centrifuges require an extremely steady and non-fluctuating power intake (A superior power station is one key used to detect nearby U235 enrichment facilities). Of course, Stuxnet, imbedded in imported machinery from an EU nation, worked previously to ruin Iran's HS centrifuge gear, which opened up things to engage in what resulted in the JCPOA.

Before the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was signed under the Obama administration, Iran’s breakout time – or the time it would have taken for Iran to gather enough fissile material to build a weapon – was only two to three months. 

The JCPOA was designed to increase Iran’s breakout time to one year or more. This was achieved by requiring Iran to reduce its stockpile of uranium by 98%, and keep its level of uranium enrichment at 3.67% — significantly below the enrichment level needed to create a bomb.
 

As of now, the situation has changed. Iran’s nuclear program has been advancing. According to estimates from February 2024, Iran can now make weapons-grade uranium (WGU) for seven nuclear weapons in one month.

This is a significant reduction in breakout time compared to the period immediately after the JCPOA was implemented. However, it’s important to note that Iran has not made the political decision to produce nuclear weapons, according to Western and Israeli intelligence.

The Historic Deal that Will Prevent Iran from Acquiring a Nuclear Weapon | The White House (archives.gov)

Iran nuclear deal: What it all means - BBC News

What to Know About Iran’s Nuclear Program: Breakout Time (fdd.org)

An Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons programme is unlikely – here’s why (theconversation.com)

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

How does the hush money payment an attempt to interfere with an election. 

Do you think that voters should have had all the information about the candidates, including any potential scandals, in order to make an informed decision during the 2016 election?

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

Georgia and what's the other? 

Have you come across any news or reports about other jurisdictions where Trump's actions following the 2020 election necessitated indictments involving election interference?
 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

All proven false

How so?

Finally, will you accept the court's decision is this case?

2 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

What the four Trump indictments reveal about American democracy - Vox

The summary in the second-to-last paragraph of your article struck a chord with me:

"Trying Trump is good and necessary, as are all the other steps that have been taken to safeguard democracy since his ascent to power."

This reinforces my deep-seated beliefs about the legitimacy of the 91 indictments against Trump, as well as the investigations into his election interference, such as The Mueller Investigation, the coercion of Ukraine that led to his impeachment, and the subsequent impeachment for insurrection.

It seems that this conclusion may not coincide with, and might even contradict, your viewpoint which implies that all your efforts to state otherwise may have been futile.

 

1 hour ago, candide said:

The condition attached was to support the Big Lie, which he did!

 

From the full article:

Johnson appeared alongside Trump for a press conference in Palm Beach, Fla., where the GOP leaders unveiled a bill that would ban non-U.S. citizens from voting, which is already illegal.

 

Trump is currently claiming that Biden won because millions of foreigners voted for him in 2020

 

GOP, the party of liars!

In Little Maga Mike's conversations with God, I wonder if he receives dispensation for lying, bearing false witness, and worshipping a false idol.
 

During his press conference with Trump, besides lying, he appeared to be swooning over his Messiah's every word and nodding his head like a bobblehead cat in agreement with every falsehood.

2 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

The typical U.S. household needed to pay $227 more a month in March to purchase the same goods and services it did one year ago because of chronic inflation... this is bidenomics personified... this is not acceptable to the voters.

I can understand why you blame Biden for global inflation.

As it takes logic, reasoning and critical thinking to see that inflation is a global phenomenon, influenced by a variety of factors such as supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and increased demand as economies recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.