Why the hush money case against Donald Trump is on shaky ground

[Social Media]

Why the hush money case against Donald Trump is on shaky ground

 

At the heart of the matter lies a series of glaring inconsistencies that undermine the narrative put forth by the prosecution. Firstly, the augmentation of the payment to Michael Cohen, ostensibly to cover taxes, sheds light on Trump's intent. This substantial increase in payment reflects a conscientious effort to adhere to legal obligations, suggesting a lack of criminal intent on Trump's part. Furthermore, it underscores Trump's trust in Cohen's ability to handle the transaction competently, albeit misplaced, given Cohen's apparent shortcomings in structuring the agreement.

 

Secondly, the prosecution's contention that the payment was not solely for legal expenses conveniently overlooks the inclusion of a bonus for Cohen. This bonus likely compensated Cohen for his legal services, reinforcing the legitimacy of categorizing the payment as a legal expense. The prosecution's insistence on disregarding this crucial aspect raises questions about the coherence of their argument and their selective interpretation of the facts.

 

Thirdly, the assertion that Trump committed a crime by withholding damaging information from the public before the election fails to withstand scrutiny. The information regarding Trump and Daniels was already in the public domain long before the election, diminishing the relevance of Trump's actions in this context. Moreover, the suggestion that Trump should have publicized what could be construed as an extortion attempt is dubious at best and ignores the nuances of campaign finance regulations.

 

Bragg's insistence on pursuing Trump's alleged transgressions is further compounded by his disregard for established legal precedents and the absence of tangible victims in this matter. The reliance on Cohen's guilty plea to federal election charges as evidence against Trump is tenuous and fails to establish culpability beyond reasonable doubt. Mark Pomeranz's insights into the case highlight the troubling trend of using Trump's presidential candidacy as justification for unfounded allegations, a stark departure from principles of impartiality and fairness.

 

As the trial unfolds, it becomes increasingly evident that Bragg's crusade against Trump is fueled more by political animus than a pursuit of justice. The outcome of this trial will resonate far beyond the confines of the courtroom, serving as a litmus test for the integrity of the legal system and the principles it upholds. Ultimately, the jury tasked with delivering a verdict will be the collective conscience of the American people, tasked with upholding the sanctity of justice and the rule of law.

 

2024-04-26

 

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[jerrymahoney]

Wow! There oughta be a lot of 'corrections' from the vox populi on this one.

[Tug]

I’m no leagle beagle but it’s blatantly obvious to me a lay person there was lots of underhanded stuff going on obviously hiding trumps disgraceful behavior from the public.time will tell if it gets a conviction….more troubling to me is over at the Supreme Court several of the justices seem to be throwing a bit of (shade trumps way) perhaps the fix is in

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Social Media said:

As the trial unfolds, it becomes increasingly evident that Bragg's crusade against Trump is fueled more by political animus than a pursuit of justice.

 

Looks like the prosecution's case is falling apart already.

 

I suppose it comes down to whether the jury is in fact unbiased. If in doubt do not convict and all that.

[Roo Island]

What's the source for this?

[jerrymahoney]

7 minutes ago, Roo Island said:

What's the source for this?

https://thehill.com/opinion/4617077-why-the-case-against-donald-trump-in-hush-money-trial-is-on-shaky-ground/

[Roo Island]

13 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

https://thehill.com/opinion/4617077-why-the-case-against-donald-trump-in-hush-money-trial-is-on-shaky-ground/

An opinion piece from a conservative republican. Biased a bit?

[Roo Island]

14 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

https://thehill.com/opinion/4617077-why-the-case-against-donald-trump-in-hush-money-trial-is-on-shaky-ground/

How did you find that?

[jerrymahoney]

7 minutes ago, Roo Island said:

An opinion piece from a conservative republican. Biased a bit?

That's OK. I've posted comments from left-leaning former federal  prosecutors who are critical of the case and people don't like those either.

[jerrymahoney]

8 minutes ago, Roo Island said:

How did you find that?

I searched.

[Hakuna Matata]

This is a politically motivated witch hunt as he is saying.

 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-campaign-calls-latest-indictment-part-of-a-politically-motivated-witch-hunt

 

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

 

 

Edited April 26 by stats
trolling image removed

[wwest5829]

Sounds like the post was written under the direction of Pecker. His testimony has been quite revealing.

[Hanaguma]

6 hours ago, Tug said:

I’m no leagle beagle but it’s blatantly obvious to me a lay person there was lots of underhanded stuff going on obviously hiding trumps disgraceful behavior from the public.time will tell if it gets a conviction….more troubling to me is over at the Supreme Court several of the justices seem to be throwing a bit of (shade trumps way) perhaps the fix is in

Rich guys pay money to hide their disgraceful behavior all the time. It is unseemly, but not illegal.  I mean, Mushroom Man banged the porn woman what, 18 years ago? The only person who should be p!ssed off is his wife.  Nobody else's business. 

[Roo Island]

51 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

That's OK. I've posted comments from left-leaning former federal  prosecutors who are critical of the case and people don't like those either.

I tend to avoid opinion pieces unless from a really respected source.

[Roo Island]

12 hours ago, Hakuna Matata said:

This is a politically motivated witch hunt as he is saying.

 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-campaign-calls-latest-indictment-part-of-a-politically-motivated-witch-hunt

 

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

 

 

 

Hard to believe anything Trump says. World's biggest liar

[Roo Island]

6 minutes ago, Hanaguma said:

Rich guys pay money to hide their disgraceful behavior all the time. It is unseemly, but not illegal.  I mean, Mushroom Man banged the porn woman what, 18 years ago? The only person who should be p!ssed off is his wife.  Nobody else's business. 

If you're a public figure....you're under the microscope. But yes, for private individuals, it's nobody else's biz

[Presto]

1 hour ago, Roo Island said:

What's the source for this?

It's a crappy article, with no basis for the assumed 'political animus'.

[jerrymahoney]

29 minutes ago, Roo Island said:

I tend to avoid opinion pieces unless from a really respected source.

I tend to avoid comments from people who decide whether they like or don't like a legal analysis based on something other than what was written.

[Eric Loh]

Last few days of Pecker’s testimony has given the prosecutors a leg up. 
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/25/trump-trial-david-pecker-testimony-00154517

[gravity101]

4 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

 

Looks like the prosecution's case is falling apart already.

 

I suppose it comes down to whether the jury is in fact unbiased. If in doubt do not convict and all that.

..or your reading an opinion piece.

[gravity101]

1 hour ago, Roo Island said:

An opinion piece from a conservative republican. Biased a bit?

New Thaiger direction?

[TorquayFan]

The 'bonus' paid to Cohen was simply to cover the taxes that would arise and that would have to be paid by Cohen under the arrangements.

 

The 'catch and kill' scheme disclosed by Pecker and the 'National Enquirer' was truly shocking and this evidence has so far been damning for Trump.

 

The indictment covers 34 (?) felonies regarding falsifying business records which would be otherwise regarded as misdemeanours were it not for the fact that it was all done for the purpose of hiding truths from USA voters at a time when hackles were up about attitudes to women. Clearly a scheme for electoral manipulation.

 

I'm glad to have read the 'other side' of the argument in that piece from 'The Hill' but for me it was just, 'huffing and puffing'. It's amazing to me that a sordid and unstable character like Trump can be taken seriously, by anyone at all.

[Thailand]

12 minutes ago, TorquayFan said:

The 'bonus' paid to Cohen was simply to cover the taxes that would arise and that would have to be paid by Cohen under the arrangements.

 

The 'catch and kill' scheme disclosed by Pecker and the 'National Enquirer' was truly shocking and this evidence has so far been damning for Trump.

 

The indictment covers 34 (?) felonies regarding falsifying business records which would be otherwise regarded as misdemeanours were it not for the fact that it was all done for the purpose of hiding truths from USA voters at a time when hackles were up about attitudes to women. Clearly a scheme for electoral manipulation.

 

I'm glad to have read the 'other side' of the argument in that piece from 'The Hill' but for me it was just, 'huffing and puffing'. It's amazing to me that a sordid and unstable character like Trump can be taken seriously, by anyone at all.

Has been President once and amazingly it is possible it could happen again.

 

I guess if that happens again even more Americans over here will be pretending to be Australians!

[Walker88]

Read through the piece twice. I came away thinking it's about as shaky as 1000cc's of silicon nom on a Vegas showgirl.

 

It's merely a feel good piece for those who think trump is their messiah and totally immune form any form of accountability.

 

The whole case is funny in one sense, as it is likely the one case trump is facing where he will suffer the most in terms of his fragile ego. I think he would be proud to be considered a dictator, a coup plotter, the instigator of the terrorist attack on the US Capitol, part of the fake elector scheme, or the guy who felt John Gotti-ish as he tried to scare GA SecState Raffensperger into finding him 11,780 votes. He would wear all of those with pride and even try to grift off of them with his goobers.

 

I think he might be slightly upset that he couldn't keep---and monetize---all the classified documents he stole.

 

The one case he could not delay until after the election, however, is the one that will shatter his fragile ego more than anything else, because in the trial there will be public talk of the extremely economical size and mushroom-like appearance of his junk. Of course I wouldn't put it past him even to try to grift off Stormy's upcoming testimony, as in "Help out your favorite President---me---by sending $5, $10, $25 so that I can have a penile extension operation...Let ME be your tip of the spear!"

[jerrymahoney]

16 minutes ago, TorquayFan said:

Clearly a scheme for electoral manipulation.

By Richard L. Hasen
April 14, 2024 3 AM PT 

 

Although the New York case gets packaged as election interference, failing to report a campaign payment is a small potatoes campaign-finance crime. Willfully not reporting expenses to cover up an affair isn’t “interfering” with an election along the lines of trying to get a secretary of state to falsify vote totals, or trying to get a state legislature to falsely declare there was fraud in the state and submit alternative slates of electors. We can draw a fairly bright line between attempting to change vote totals to flip a presidential election and failing to disclose embarrassing information on a government form. 

 

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-04-14/donald-trump-new-york-alvin-bragg-stormy-daniels

 

Professor Richard L. Hasen (JD, PhD) is an internationally recognized expert in election law, writing as well in the areas of legislation and statutory interpretation, remedies, and torts. He is co-author of leading casebooks in election law and remedies. 

https://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/richard-l-hasen

[Homburg]

All is fair in love politics and war?

[Roo Island]

44 minutes ago, jerrymahoney said:

I tend to avoid comments from people who decide whether they like or don't like a legal analysis based on something other than what was written.

Agreed. Unless what was written is a dodgy opinion piece

[dhupverg]

1 hour ago, Roo Island said:

I tend to avoid opinion pieces unless from a really respected source.

Who cares? 

[ignore it]

When asked about this case Biden said " Germunsy flax"

[riclag]

1 hour ago, Hakuna Matata said:

This is a politically motivated witch hunt as he is saying.

 

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-campaign-calls-latest-indictment-part-of-a-politically-motivated-witch-hunt

 

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

 

No reasonable prosecutor would take on this case , unless they have a political axe to grind .Bragg campaigned in getting Trump.

The show trial in NY, consist  of Dem Prosecutors, Dem Judge , 87% Dem electors. And a far left  philanthropist  help donate to his cause.Dershowitz, Turley, Barr , McCarthy all experts in law say is political, which has been reported on.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/soros-family-helped-push-manhattan-da-bragg-power

Edited April 26 by riclag