April 28, 2024

"So Bragg would use one dead misdemeanor to trigger a second dead misdemeanor to create a felony..."

"... on the simple notations used to describe payments for a completely legal nondisclosure agreement. This circular reasoning is already incredibly creative, but the actual evidence... is even wackier. Bragg decided to start with a witness to discuss an affair that is not part of the indictment. David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, had supposedly been paid to kill a story of a Trump affair with a different woman, Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model.... On cross examination, Pecker admitted that had Trump told him that he knew nothing about any reimbursement to Cohen for any hush money, that he had killed or raised such stories with Trump for decades before he ever announced for president...."

Writes Jonathan Turley, in "On Alvin Bragg and the art of not taking the law too seriously" (The Hill).

63 comments:

Achilles said...

I wish people would stop pretending that the Uniparty or people that support Joe Biden actually care about the rule of law in any way.

This is just transparently political. These people must be removed from power, defeated, and shamed.

They are enemies of freedom and equal protection under the law. If we want a free high trust society they must be suppressed.

Yancey Ward said...

The Bragg prosecution is a clown show- a kangaroo court.

Gk1 said...

Does anyone that isn't a moonbat crazy, liberal, partisan think this case will survive a moment in the appeals court if Trump is convicted? It's nonsense on stilts and they know it but don't care. They have guaran-FUCKING-teed that I will vote for Trump this go around when I have avoided voting for him at all. Millions of us feel that way.

Michael K said...

Even a New York jury might not buy this one.

n.n said...

That is [painfully] funny.

Lilly, a dog said...

Bragg knows that if you're going to have a show trial, you might as well put on a good show.

jake said...

IANAL. But as others have stated here and elsewhere, if this is the worst that NY has on Trump, Trump has to be the cleanest politician in recent memory.

Joe Smith said...

There is no 'rule of law' in this country anymore.

Liberals have sacrificed everything in the effort to 'get Trump.'

I'm not sure if they will be happy if he wins and has the balls to clean house.

Were I Trump, I would put thousands in prison, after a totally fair legal process, of course.

Chuck said...

Turley did an interview on Fox, which was duly echoed on Info Wars, in which he said that the prosecution case was “collapsing.”

Noted.

Bookmarked.

Rabel said...

Pecker was a prosecution witness. He did great harm to their case on cross (see Turley's full column).

This is what I was hinting at when I noted that trial coverage became much less visible from Thursday on.

Dude1394 said...

So what is trumps recourse after this blatant witch hunt.

Levi Starks said...

“cohen will ask the jury to send Trump to jail for following his own legal advice”
Trump is the penultimate ham sandwich.

Skeptical Voter said...

Bragg is engaging in a sort of activity called hurling dog poop against the garage wall to see what might stick. Whether it sticks or not, it's still the same material. And it also sticks to he who flung it.

phantommut said...

And yet, the jury will probably convict.

Hassayamper said...

Even more absurd and flimsy and ridiculous than it first appeared. What an embarrassment. This house of cards is the case that the Democrats want to go down in history as the first criminal prosecution of a former President? The only thing it proves is that Donald John Trump is the most honest politician that has graced the national stage since Washington and Lincoln.

Imagine the charges that could be elicited if this kind of Chekist scrutiny and persecution had been applied to other former presidents, and I don't even necessarily mean such obvious scumbags as LBJ, or the Clinton or Biden crime families. I have no doubt they could have come up with a far stronger case if they went line by line through the paperwork that Jimmy Carter filed for agricultural subsidies on his peanut farm.

Wince said...

The only outcome that makes any logical sense is Judge Merchan grants a directed verdict after the prosecution's case.

Maybe all this up until now Merchan's way of saying I gave Bragg every opportunity?

Jess said...

The New York State Bar Association has the power to jerk Bragg's chain. He needs it, and any business, or individual, in New York will have no path to legal justice until it happens.

chickelit said...

Alvin was hoping to bragg about being the one to bag Trump.

Dave Begley said...

It should be a directed verdict for the defense.

Ampersand said...

Progressives have such high moral standards, and can accomplish such transcendent civic good, that they are morally obliged to commit evil acts to secure their power.

Zach said...

The farcical quality of some of the Trump indictments, in addition to the sheer number of them, will surely play an unacknowledged role in the Presidential immunity case currently before the Supreme Court.

It seems like the right model would be something like the Vexatious Litigant treatment, which acknowledges that some lawsuits can be simple harassment. I have no idea how or on what basis you could label governmental bodies vexatious litigants, however.

rsbsail said...

We have become a third-world banana republic. Congratulations, Democrats.

SteveWe said...

Chuck,

You've been bookmarked as an ass for a long time.

Humperdink said...

@Chuck. "Noted and Bookmarked" you say.

You never fail to amuse.

Kakistocracy said...

Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen was convicted of a *felony* for the exact same thing.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

If I remember correctly, there’s a lawyer in the jury. It’s possible the lawyer is picking up on the unfairness before him. Then again, if he’s a Trump hater, everything Trump is accused of doing, rises to the level of Trump shooting someone on fifth avenue. Ergo, the trial is the prize, not the outcome.

Drago said...

Michael K: "Even a New York jury might not buy this one."

A leftist jury in a Soviet "trial" in a Soviet jurisdiction overseen by a Soviet "judge" has an approximate 100% chance of delivering a verdict of guilty.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Pollo!

Drago said...

Previously Banned Commenter, LLR-democratical And Violent Homosexual Rage Rape Fantasist Chuck: "Turley did an interview on Fox, which was duly echoed on Info Wars, in which he said that the prosecution case was “collapsing.”

Noted.

Bookmarked."

LOL

"Echoed on InfoWars"
...and literally everywhere else not censoriously controlled by Psycho Chucky's beloved far left media heroes.

But yeah, "InfoWars" was worth mentioning!

Too funny.

I'll bet fellow LLR-democratical Brigade member hacks Rich and lonejustice are questioning their affiliation with psycho Chuck.

BTW, did everyone catch Chuck's hilarious spittle-flecked assertion from just last week that Trump "ruined" Althouse Blog?!

It might just be the funniest moronic thing Chuckles has claimed since his Great Pecan Pie-gate Meltdown in 2017. If you haven't experienced that, when you have a moment, sit down with your favorite beverage, outside in pleasant weather, and relive the entire LLR-democratical Chuck psychotic break from reality.

Tim said...

The only way we will stop this crap from setting off the next civil war is for Trump to appoint US Attorneys who will aggressively go after everyone involved in this, including every judge and prosecutor who was involved in any of these nonsense trials. Then have them go after the FBI, CIA, and any other alphabet agency employee who was involved in any way. And I am talking about felony convictions and jail time. Otherwise, the next time a Democrat wins the White House, we will face it again, and next time the guns and knives will come out. Heinlein has predicted so many things so exactly, why do people not see "the night they killed all the lawyers" or the Future History books with a Theocracy are becoming possible?

David53 said...

And Trump still has time to post stuff like this

Wow! Former A.G. Bill Barr, who let a lot of great people down by not investigating Voter Fraud in our Country, has just Endorsed me for President despite the fact that I called him “Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy” (New York Post!). Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word “Lethargic” from my statement. Thank you Bill. MAGA2024!

iowan2 said...

Chuck ignores the law,(surprising nary a soul) and opts for ad hominem attacks, (surprising nary a soul).

Gospace said...

Here's something that no one seems to be noticing. The election was in 2016. The payments by Trump were made in 2017.

So, regardless of how they were classified, what the line items were, or anything else- where's the time machine come in?

Wait, what? Time machine? Without one, I'm sorry, but it's not possible for Trump to make any payments in 2017 to anyone to influence an election in 2016.

effinayright said...

If Trump is convicted and jailed, I suspect the New York Times has a headline--taking up half the front page--- ready to print:

"Trump Shot while Trying to Escape."

Beneath that will be another:

"Our Long National Nightmare is Over"

And another:

"A Victory for Our Democracy"

Yancey Ward said...

Don't mistake Chuck for a lawyer or even someone with any ethics at all.

Dude1394 said...

"Blogger Hassayamper said...
Even more absurd and flimsy and ridiculous than it first appeared. What an embarrassment. This house of cards is the case that the Democrats want to go down in history as the first criminal prosecution of a former President? The only thing it proves is that Donald John Trump is the most honest politician that has graced the national stage since Washington and Lincoln."

This is 1000% true. President Donald J. Trump is THE most honest POTUS in my 60+ years lifetime. And it can almost be proven by the quality of the witch hunts against him.

Yancey Ward said...

"It might just be the funniest moronic thing Chuckles has claimed since his Great Pecan Pie-gate Meltdown in 2017."

It was funny, but nothing tops "Chuck the Pecan Pie Detective" for hilarity- nothing will ever top that one.

Yancey Ward said...

"Trump’s lawyer Michael Cohen was convicted of a *felony* for the exact same thing."

Feel free to post a link, Rich, but Cohen was convicted and sent to prison for tax evasion. He most definitely was not convicted of anything remotely resembling the charges against Trump. And, I know you will be claiming he was convicted of an illegal campaign donation, but again that doesn't resemble what Trump is charged with, literally at all, since Trump was spending his own money for his own benefit, and Cohen wasn't convicted of it- he pleaded to it even though he was quite clearly not even guilty of it since he was fully reimbursed by Trump- it was another kangaroo court action in that case.

But you keep lying, Rich, and we will keep correcting you.

Yancey Ward said...

I think Whitmer was forced to shut down the Michigan Bureau of Investigation's Pastry Division after the Pecan Pie Gate debacle.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

Gospace,

Here's something that no one seems to be noticing. The election was in 2016. The payments by Trump were made in 2017.

Strictly speaking, the first sentence is not true. I remember reading a pretty detailed post somewhere on this, about a week ago (or a little more).

IIRC, the prosecution's response to that is that, while the public filing followed the election, internal Trump campaign documents showed plans to do this before the election took place. Why this is significant is not made clear.

Prof. M. Drout said...

Dude1394 said: "President Donald J. Trump is THE most honest POTUS in my 60+ years lifetime. And it can almost be proven by the quality of the witch hunts against him."

To be fair, he was tipped off right at the beginning that multiple agencies were tapping his phones and otherwise spying on him, and he had to assume that it continued into the White House. So although it is impressive that for all of that (illegal) spying, the best they can do is this motley collection of fake crimes, I'm not sure we can attribute that to Trump's inherent personal probity. It's simply rational not to commit any crimes when you know every word and action are being illegally recorded by hostile people.

On the other hand, widespread illegal wiretapping and recording managed to transform a New York Real Estate mogul into the most law-abiding President since Eisenhower. Maybe we should just pre-emptively spy on ALL future Presidents.

Jersey Fled said...

Now if we could just get Michael Avenatti to testify as a defense witness for Trump …

What? We can?

Hey Skipper said...

Chuck:

Learn about the ad hominem fallacy.

Then stop doing it.

Jupiter said...

I'm hoping Alvin Bragg doesn't die of cancer. Cancer is too good for Alvin Bragg.

Mason G said...

"And it can almost be proven by the quality of the witch hunts against him."

The witches don't like being embarrassed.

Crazy World said...

If it wasn’t so pathetic it would be funny. Chuck bookmarked itt though!

Drago said...

Yancey Ward: "I think Whitmer was forced to shut down the Michigan Bureau of Investigation's Pastry Division after the Pecan Pie Gate debacle."

What we dont have access to are the stalker direct messages LLR-democratical Chuck sent to Althouse over this "crisis".

And believe me, to Chuckles it WAS a crisis, every bit as large as the Cuban Missile confrontation. Chuckles was demanding Sarah Huckabee Sanders be dragged before a Judge and put under oath to answer questions about the pies!!!

I mean, how can anyone top that?

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

What Bragg & Merchant need is a good flogging. The same goes for the NYAG. They don't care about the rule of law and ciil rights.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Bragg is going after Trump because Trump allegedly paid money to silence a negative story about him, thereby influencing the 2016 election. We have a word for such evil actions: campaigning! What a horror! Trump wanted to present positive stories and suppress negative stories!

Iman said...

“Noted.

Bookmarked.”

Duly noted, Chuckles. 🤭

wendybar said...

Chuck said...
Turley did an interview on Fox, which was duly echoed on Info Wars, in which he said that the prosecution case was “collapsing.”

Noted.

Bookmarked.

4/28/24, 1:45 PM

If it isn't on MSNBC, Chucky doesn't believe a word of it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Does Turley truly ignore the judge’s responsibility for this travesty? Bragg is a politician, elected by the people. Merchan is supposed to be the fact- and law-based adult in the room. At what point does his malfeasance rise to the level of a firing offense?

gadfly said...

Some years ago, academics and legal and political commentators began joining in a lament that eventually became a kind of trope: “What the heck has happened to Jonathan Turley?” The sad refrain recalled that George Washington University law professor Turley was once a serious and respected legal scholar—a civil libertarian who often constructively criticized liberal cant –and then observed that he had turned his energy into appearing all over the media, but especially welcomed the chance to be on Fox News. Turley, who acknowledges that he is a paid Fox News contributor, began to regularly pop up on the Fox shows that purport to be journalistic, but also the clownishly right-wing Fox & Friends in the morning and then the demagogic right-wing propaganda evening programming. He presented himself as a kind of Alan Dershowitz with table manners—his stance was that of one of the last remaining “principled liberals” speaking truth to leftist power.

The answer to "What happened?" is, of course: Ka-ching! Far-right is mighty and when questioned about his right lean, his responses always end with 'lawfare'!

RMc said...

Liberals have sacrificed everything in the effort to 'get Trump.'

Kinda like 25 years ago, when they sacrificed everything in the effort to prop up Clinton.

The rule of law is for suckers.

Chuck said...

The Althouse Blog Pecan Pie post.

I stand by every word, as I always do. Without a care (apart from "contempt") for what the TrumpWing commenters think.

Patrick Henry was right! said...

The worst aspect of all this is the failure of the appellate courts in NY to shut this down. Trial judges and prosecutors tend to get political. It's the appellate courts that are supposed to be the voice of reason. Not in NY.

Chuck said...

But it is a beautiful week to remember Sarah Huckabee Sanders down there in Little Rock, isn't it?

As she Governor Pecan Pie is drawn into the Trump hush-money trial with the testimony about her manipulating and lying about Trump's payoff... and as the Arkansas state auditor's office wraps up its investigation into #Lecterngate with a referral to Pulaski County (Arkansas) prosecutor.

Drago said...

LOL!

Yes, LLR-democratical And Violent Hmosexual Rage Rape Fantasist Chuck really is atrempting to use Lectern-gate to deflect from his Pecan Pie-gate psychotic meltdown!

Could it get any more spastically democratical than that?

Rhetorical!

LLR-democratical Chuck stepping on another rake! What a fun way to start a new week!

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Bless his tiny heart, Chucklet keep plugging way. The butTrumps(TM) have him trapped, as if in amber, and he has no interest in the fact "hush money" isn't a crime and if lying from a podium was then there would be a lotta people ahead of SHS in the line to get prosecuted. Let's see just how far he will prostitute his "I'se a lawyer and a publicant" schtick before resorting to threats of violence (again). Bless his tiny violent raging Trump-hating heart.

The best part is that evil soviet-supporting hatred eats at him so much more than his weak prose affects us. I really hope he can keep from getting banned (again) long enough to entertain us with his preelection psychopathy (again). That truly is the LLR gift that keeps on giving. "SHE DIDN'T BAKE THE PIE. I KNOW SHE DIDN'T. I WAS THERE."

OMG I love election season.

Mark said...

All this talk talk talk - and a lot more whine whine whine cry cry cry - but I've yet to see anyone say anything about any motions to dismiss filed by Trump's generously paid attorneys, much less any trial court opinions addressing Turley's arguments.

Don't we do that anymore? You know, consider that actual merits of issues? Or is it all just rant and rave in the era of Trump?

Yancey Ward said...

Chuck can always rise to new heights of self-beclowning- just hold his beer....er.....gin bottle.

Drago said...

VA Lawyer Mark: "Or is it all just rant and rave in the era of Trump?"

Per your postings, its "rant and rave", obviously, which is on you and the other "rant and rave"-ers.

Not Trump.

Rusty said...

Is Chuck here? Did somebody forget to secure the doggy door?