३ मे, २०२४

"Trump defense suggests he was shakedown target, not hush money schemer/During contentious questioning of Stormy Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson, Donald Trump’s lawyers portray their client as the victim in the case."

 A headline at The Washington Post.

In the most contentious testimony yet in the criminal trial, Los Angeles lawyer Keith Davidson denied accusations that he flirted with extortion when he negotiated settlements with celebrities to keep potentially damaging stories out of the public eye.

By accusing him, Trump’s lawyers displayed a key element of their defense strategy: getting jurors to focus on the lawyers and middlemen....

Trump’s lawyers... tried to use Davidson to show that he was well versed in squeezing money out of celebrities, and that Daniels thought her chances of getting paid for her story would vanish after the 2016 presidential election, which she expected Trump to lose.

Fortunately, something of Trump's side of the story is coming out, but I do not trust mainstream media to tell us the story straight. We're not able to watch the trial, and we don't even get a transcript, just whatever the media see fit to report. And yet there seems to be this idea — among the Trump antagonists — that we the voters will allow this trial to substantially manipulate our opinion of the man. The case was brought to manipulate us. The presidential election is at stake. Give us a transcript. 

[CORRECTION: Even though I read the news every day, I had not noticed that the New York court system announced, back on April 22, that it would provide transcripts: "The court system is taking the novel step of posting the daily transcripts of the trial proceedings on its public website.... 'With current law restricting the broadcasting of trial proceedings and courtroom space for public spectators very limited, the release of the daily transcripts on the court system’s website is the best way to provide the public a direct view of the proceedings in this historic trial,' said Chief Administrative Judge Zayas."]

Back to the WaPo account of Trump's lawyer, Emil Bove, cross-examining Davidson:

Bove suggested that Davidson has spent years negotiating big-money settlements from celebrities such as Charlie Sheen and Hulk Hogan, and that his hardball tactics came close to extortion.

The purpose of Bove’s questions seemed clear — to show that, contrary to the argument by prosecutors, Trump was not a deep-pocketed bully buying the silence of women who made allegations against him. Instead, the defense team suggested, their client was a cash cow for opportunistic entertainers looking to bolster their careers and get paid once Trump became a candidate for national office.

Bove and Davidson squared off when the defense lawyer asked the witness if he once “extracted” a $2 million payment from Sheen, a movie and television star with a history of troubled behavior. Davidson argued that he did not “extract” money from anyone.... 
Asked next by Bove whether he arranged a settlement with Sheen, Davidson replied icily, “I’m not going to discuss that.”

There's no explanation of why (or whether) Davidson was allowed to refuse to answer. 

Bove then forced Davidson to admit that the FBI had investigated him in 2012, and conducted a secretly recorded sting operation, when Davidson was negotiating with Hogan for the return of sex tapes featuring the professional wrestler....

Bove also suggested that in another instance, in which a man was trying to secure a $100 million payment after claiming to have set up a high-profile boxing match, Davidson threatened the man that bad things could happen to him if they couldn’t reach an agreement.

“I would never, ever say that, and I did not say that,” Davidson shot back sharply.

I'd like some discussion of why Bove was able to ask that question. 

I'm going to give this post my "victim politics" tag. Is Trump the real victim here, the victim of Davidson, the extortionist? I wonder what  Charlie Sheen and Hulk Hogan think.

ADDED: Here's what the NYT did with the same material: "At Trump’s Trial, a Decade’s Worth of Celebrity Sleaze Is Exhumed/Donald J. Trump’s lawyers tried to paint Keith Davidson, the man who helped broker a hush-money payment for Stormy Daniels, as a specialist in extracting money from the famous."

An attempt to shake down the actor Charlie Sheen. Rumors that the Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan was in rehab. A lawsuit by Hulk Hogan, the former pro wrestler, against the gossip website Gawker for publishing a tape of him having sex. 

Testimony on Thursday at former President Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan dove deeply into the celebrity-obsessed digital media environment of the past fifteen years or so that helped fuel Mr. Trump’s rise to political prominence.

The lurid tales were introduced to the jury largely through the witness Keith Davidson, a Los Angeles lawyer who specialized in getting money for clients who had dirt on famous people. In his testimony, particularly as he was cross-examined, Mr. Davidson and a defense lawyer, Emil Bove, together led the jurors on a whirlwind tour of several gossipy and tawdry deals he had a hand in....

Oh! You see what the NYT is doing — minimizing this material as "sleaze" and "lurid tales." It's "gossipy and tawdry." We're 3 paragraphs in and we still have no idea of why this is relevant. One might think it's just a titillating distraction.

Mr. Bove questioned Mr. Davidson fiercely about several former clients and the arrangements they had reached with celebrities. Mr. Bove suggested that Mr. Davidson had tried to “extract” money from the boldface names his clients knew — a word that Mr. Davidson seemed to take offense at. 

Finally, the theory is presented: 

The purpose of Mr. Bove’s interrogation appeared to be to suggest to the jury that Ms. McDougal and Ms. Daniels may have sought to extract their own payments from Mr. Trump. But making that point required Mr. Bove to drag Mr. Davidson through some old patches of mud.

Bove was dragging poor Mr. Davidson through the mud. 

And so the jury heard about a “sex-tape broker” whom Mr. Davidson worked with while handling a video that featured a client, the reality TV star Tila Tequila.

The jurors also heard — at least a little — about how Mr. Davidson helped another client try to wrest a $2 million payment out of Mr. Sheen after she had claimed that “tortious activity,” as Mr. Davidson put it, had been committed.

“So you extracted sums of money from Charlie Sheen?” Mr. Bove asked.

“There was no extraction,” Mr. Davidson said.

Mr. Bove tried again: “You got Mr. Sheen to pay?”

Mr. Davidson refused to answer this time.

“That settlement would be confidential and I wouldn’t discuss it here,” he said.

That's where the article ends. 

१२२ टिप्पण्या:

Todd म्हणाले...

The case was brought to manipulate us.

Of course! This is the point of ALL of the current Trump trials. How can you "rubes" STILL support the CRIMINAL! Why don't you appreciate all the trouble we [Democrats] are going through to SAVE DEMOCRICY!

I am constantly reminded of that line from Blazing Saddles: We've got to protect our phoney-baloney jobs, gentleman! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately, immediately! Harrumph, harrumph!

Give us a transcript.

Fat chance of getting it until way after it might matter...

tim maguire म्हणाले...

Non-disclosure agreements are usually about protecting trade secrets from competitors. The one we're talking about here is more like "Nice political campaign you have here. Be a shame if something happened to it."

If it was initiated by Daniels, then of course it's a shakedown. What else could it be?

But I don't see how that's relevant. Non-disclosure agreements are not illegal and Trump didn't file a complaint about being blackmailed. The question is whether it is a campaign expenditure, and therefor should have been declared as such. Unless the prosecution can provide evidence that Trump paid to protect his campaign and not some other reason like protecting his marriage, then they have no case and never did.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

None of it even matters. There's no crime by Trump in the first place.

Chuck म्हणाले...

Althouse:
Fortunately, something of Trump's side of the story is coming out, but I do not trust mainstream media to tell us the story straight. We're not able to watch the trial, and we don't even get a transcript, just whatever the media see fit to report. And yet there seems to be this idea — among the Trump antagonists — that we the voters will allow this trial to substantially manipulate our opinion of the man. The case was brought to manipulate us. The presidential election is at stake. Give us a transcript.

That is spectacularly wrong.

The New York State Univied Court System website is putting out daily transcripts, and the New York Times linked it:
https://www.nytimes.com/article/trump-hush-money-trial-transcripts.html

I give this post by Althouse my "Trump Derangement Syndrome Derangement Syndrome" tag. Althouse's fevered Anti-Anti-Trump whining about how the prosecutors are trying to "manipulate" voters instead of conducting a prosecution under the law.

Heartless Aztec म्हणाले...

Trump as the patsy is probably more on target than Trump as the bully.

tommyesq म्हणाले...

Asked next by Bove whether he arranged a settlement with Sheen, Davidson replied icily, “I’m not going to discuss that.”
There's no explanation of why (or whether) Davidson was allowed to refuse to answer.


Clearly (and as reported by the Times) it is because there was a confidentiality agreement with respect to that settlement, and everybody knows that confidentiality agreements can never be broken...

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

I'd like some discussion of why Bove was able to ask that question.

“Every trial is a contest of credibility.” Judge Lyle E. Strom.

Jersey Fled म्हणाले...

Not a lawyer, but are witnesses allowed to refuse to answer questions from the defense?

Seems to me that there are grounds for a mistrial here.

Everywhere but NYC and DC anyway.

But I guess the whole point here is to slime Trump as much as they can before the whole thing is bounced on appeal. And to keep him locked up in a courthouse during the campaign.

Aided and abetted by the NY “justice” system of course.

tommyesq म्हणाले...

Unless the prosecution can provide evidence that Trump paid to protect his campaign and not some other reason like protecting his marriage, then they have no case and never did.

Thus far, I have not heard any testimony even remotely related to this point.

gilbar म्हणाले...

"Trump defense suggests he was shakedown target, not hush money schemer/During contentious questioning of Stormy Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson, Donald Trump’s lawyers ..

isn't THIS a fundamental violation of the judges gag order?
Wasn't THE POINT of the gag order to prevent Trump from having a defense?
Surely, having his lawyers badger witnesses that are just trying to give testimony is a Clear violation

tommyesq म्हणाले...

Further to Chuck's point re transcripts, you can access them at https://ww2.nycourts.gov/press/index.shtml rather than behind the NYT paywall.

gilbar म्हणाले...

Chuck? drinking Already? or drinking Still? it seems early (or late) for you

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility.

Todd म्हणाले...

I think I found it here (to save anyone else from having to try the NYT site (paywall):

https://ww2.nycourts.gov/people-v-donald-j-trump-criminal-37026

https://pdfs.nycourts.gov/PeopleVs.DTrump-71543/transcripts/

If this is the right spot, they sure don't make it easy to access/view and I can not see a way to download the entire thing. The most recent I have found here is from 5/1 which covers the 4/30 day.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Althouse's fevered Anti-Anti-Trump whining about how the prosecutors are trying to "manipulate" voters instead of conducting a prosecution under the law."

My statement was about why the case was brought not how it is being "conducted." Big difference.

gilbar म्हणाले...

Trump's side of the story is coming out, but I do not trust mainstream media to tell us the story straight. We're not able to watch the trial, and we don't even get a transcript, just whatever the media see fit to report.

transcripts on the court website.. but NONE in the media (JUST LIKE ALTHOUSE SAID)

meanwhile..
Poll: More Than 8 In 10 Americans Don’t Trust Corporate Media To Report Facts.. (JUST LIKE ALTHOUSE SAID)

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Who sincerely believes this case was brought in the ordinary course of treating like cases alike?

Jake म्हणाले...

Sounds like a pretty effective cross.

Leland म्हणाले...

They posted the transcripts!!!

<<< click link >>>

In the most annoying way possible with each 1500+ page being its own web page showing a single PDF'd page, meaning they could have provided the entire PDF, which would be searchable and could be indexed. However, it is NY justice system and they don't want anyone to have nice things.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

Like the Biden administration, this prosecution may not be taking the path envisioned at the outset. It may be a question of competence. It may be that the inability to see past a certain mindset blinds the prosecution to how they may appear to citizens who do not share that mindset. They do have the security of knowing that the judge in this case shares this mindset, and the jury selection was crafted to see that the jury is also on board.

Is there a greater than trivial chance that this turns out to be about as successful as our withdrawal from Afghanistan or the way our Commander in Chief can function in a spontaneous debate? They'll get what they want, but in the worst possible way.

I'm starting to see a pattern here. I don't think I'm the only one.

Chuck म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility.

It's a funny thing; on the many occasions where I have praised you for blog posts that I found to be commendable (there have been too many of those for me to count right now), I've been called "Eddie Haskell." Or, uh, "Dick."

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"transcripts on the court website.. but NONE in the media"

The NYT has the transcripts, and in fact they are in a better format. You can download and search them. The transcripts at the court website can only be looked at one page at a time. I couldn't see how to search for, say, Hulk Hogan.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/01/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-transcript-april-30.html

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I've got to admit, I'm not going to read the whole transcript!

Things you'd have to pay me (a lot) to do.

Therefore, virtually no one will just read the transcript. But I will search the transcript for particular things and follow up on suspicions that occur to me as I read the news.

Iman म्हणाले...

Chuck…the lonely guy.

Time is running out, think it over carefully.

Do you want The Curtain?

Or The Money?

Leland म्हणाले...

I would say the article the NYT is writing and the way they are writing them is exactly what Democrats wanted out of the trial as a minimum. A felony conviction that removed Trump from the ballot would be the best outcome, but I think most people know that would never last a reasonable appeal, and I think even NY is afraid of actually putting Trump behind bars. Still, for those of us that wonder exactly what is it that we are supposed to hate about Trump; his distractors hope these paraphrasing of the court discussion will sway us. The reality... So a guy divorced twice and married three times has a sketchy past with women and some are using that history for blackmail. Seems boring and I'm for it.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Just to be clear: I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted.

Mary Beth म्हणाले...

The question is whether it is a campaign expenditure, and therefor should have been declared as such.

All of the talk that I remember about this story when the news of the affair broke was how he was a cad for cheating on his wife. Based on that reaction, I'd say it's logical to believe the payment was to protect his wife and his marriage, not to protect his campaign.

The Clintons spent the '90s teaching us that a candidate's sexual behavior was irrelevant. Obviously it had nothing to do with politics.

narciso म्हणाले...

Yes greg kelley on newsmax is the only one who is reading and interpreting the transcript

Achilles म्हणाले...

"https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/05/01/nyregion/trump-hush-money-trial-transcript-april-30.html"

trump-hush-money-trial-transcript-april-30

If it was a Democrat or a Uniparty Republican the NYT slug would be:

daniels-extortion-trial-transcript-april-30

MadisonMan म्हणाले...

If I were to pay you read the transcript, I'd be expecting a simultaneous consumption of egg salad.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"If I were to pay you read the transcript, I'd be expecting a simultaneous consumption of egg salad."

The egg salad challenge was undertaken for $200 — that's $301.27 in today's money.

To read the transcript, even for one day, I would have to charge $3,000. That's $3,000 a day. And that's not extortion.

Birches म्हणाले...

Wow, not that it's a surprise, but Althouse completely outclasses Chuck here.

That was gratifying.

Bob Boyd म्हणाले...

Dideediddler even? Trump I mean.

Did Trump and Miss Stormy like...you know...do we know that happened? I can't remember now. I guess he must've or there wouldn't have been a non-disclosure, but honestly, who cares, grand scheme of things? War and pandemic and revolution...and didn't we move past that old-fashioned, Puritanical, pearl-clutching sometime back in the Clinton administration?

So to sum this up, Trump, a famous billionaire/TV star, buys his pecker an ice cream cone, so to speak and gets a non-disclosure agreement.
Fast forward a few years. Trump takes a shot at the presidency and Stormy, soggy old cone that she is now, thinks, there's no such thing as bad publicity when you're a bad girl already, especially when anything bad for Trump will be guaranteed good publicity and he can't enforce the non-disclosure without making things worse for himself, so what the hell?

Stormy gets a lawyer and goes public. She says, Trump fucked me, then she says, Trump didn't fuck me...or something...I can't remember. But the media goes to town on the story, naturally. Poll-wise, the needle doesn't even twitch. Trump is not destroyed. For all his faults, his voters still think he's way better than anyone the Dems or the GOP has on offer. Even the Christians forgive him. It's a fizzler. There is much gnashing of very expensive teeth on the TV and America moves on, or so we thought.
But then, Trump's extremely frustrated political opponents come out and say they have determined it was a crime for Trump not to have told us voters a dirty little secret from his past which everyone now knows and doesn't care about. They indict and hold a semi-secret trial. This is good and right they say because no other politicians have any dirty little secrets or they would have told us.

Jimmy म्हणाले...

It's the 1930s, and another show trial. The party apparatchiks applaud like trained seals. The big difference here is that there were no transcripts available for the masses.
The people were well trained to react with hate for the current person on display.
The difference between now and then is that the earlier party apparatchiks didn't know they were next. They never thought they would be deemed enemies of the state.
The current group of seals haven't read history, think they are righteous and unique, and should their heroes succeed, will have that same stupid shocked look on their face when it happens.
They can't assassinate him, so they try to ruin him.
It has been almost a decade, and the left still can't figure out that this focused hate and party rhetoric only result is to expose them as incompetent idiots.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

And I wouldn't do that egg salad challenge or something at that level of difficulty for only $301.27. That's up to.... Hmm. The egg salad challenge was funny to do at a specific price. In today's social media world — beset by Only Fans and all that — there really isn't any price that would work to induce me to do something that disgusts me on camera.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

Reading the transcript is mentally difficult. It wouldn't just be reading. I would be reading and blogging. You'd have to pay me at least as much as the NYT pays its journalists to cover the trial. But even that would not be enough incentive. It would wreck my blog project, which has intrinsic energy and value, to have an onerous reading and writing task that had to be done for hours a day, day after day.

No, I can't conceive of the amount of money it would take to get me to do that project. It would have to be more like the amount of money Davidson tried to get Hulk Hogan to pay.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

The leftwing press (Hack-D) cannot stop using the word "Insurrection" to describe a riot.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted."

Illustrating the Dems' gamble: that the "pain" experienced by the nice people in the middle as they observe the persecution will not be intense enough to turn them into "Trump supporters." Hypothesis: the gamble is rational and will pay off. They can hamper Trump's campaign while claiming to go after his election interference, throw any absurd charges at him in several cases, cause "pain" among his supporters and across the land, and still get enough pro-abortion/anti-Orange Man votes.

Of course, regardless of the payoff, the pain is a gain in itself: see, we can do this to you, and to the system, and to DJT, with impunity, with contempt for your standards, and there's nothing, next to nothing, you can do about it.

Leland म्हणाले...

I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted.

To see him prosecuted or to see the distortion of due process being done to have him prosecuted?

I'm more of a Trump supporter than you, and I don't care at all that he is prosecuted. I don't value politicians that much to care. But I do care about seeing a corrupt Justice system using corrupt Judges and Prosecutors railroading a defendant on a bogus charge. If I thought it would be uniformly used for all politicians, I might see a reason to get behind it. Instead, I know it is only meant to be used to silence one side's viewpoint.

No one is prosecuting any member of the Intelligence Community that defrauded NY voters on the facts of Hunter Biden's laptop. No one is prosecuting the FBI agents that sat on sexual assault allegations from Team USA gymnasts to defraud the USOC in giving the agent a future job. No one is being prosecuted for the lies made during the Covid pandemic. Instead, we are seeing a prosecution that "at best" suggests a candidate hid consensual sex from voters. This is the what the NY legal system and journalism best and brightest thinks it needs to spend its time doing. You'd think there is no longer violent crime at all in New York, if this is the most important case to prosecute.

Achilles म्हणाले...

""Trump defense suggests he was shakedown target, not hush money schemer/During contentious questioning of Stormy Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson, Donald Trump’s lawyers portray their client as the victim in the case.""

The New York Times was forced to address the fact that Daniels was seeking to sign the deal before November because she thought Trump would lose, and the accompanying fact that she thought she wouldn't get anything because her extortion would be worthless after he lost the election.

She also hired a lawyer that specialized in extortion.

I always wondered why Daniels signed for less than McDougal.

Well, there you go.

And it is pretty obvious that 70-80% of the country thinks this case is an abomination.

Breezy म्हणाले...

“All of the talk that I remember about this story when the news of the affair broke was how he was a cad for cheating on his wife.”

This is what baffles me about this whole hush money saga. Trump’s womanizing was a well-known secret. This info coming out would not have concretely affected any election, especially in NY. If the hush money was paid by Obama, say, about some affair he had, that would have made a difference in his election.

mezzrow म्हणाले...

Wow, not that it's a surprise, but Althouse completely outclasses Chuck here.

That was gratifying.


Taking a leap over that limbo stick is a long standing tradition here. When our gracious host allows herself to seize that opportunity, it is particularly pleasurable, isn't it!

Go ahead, Chuck. It's not like you can help yourself. Your contempt for us needs release, and someday we'll probably all be sitting in that cell with DJT, like another finale of Seinfeld or Curb.

What a glorious day that will be for a true LLR. Justice, law, and order in this land of nothing but Our Democracy.

Meade म्हणाले...

“To read the transcript, even for one day, I would have to charge $3,000. That's $3,000 a day. And that's not extortion.“

For all the hot sex I want — any time, any place, any manner — I am willing to pay you $200,000/year.

Wait! We already have that agreement! Dang.

Whoops — I hope I didn’t just violate someone’s non-disclosure thingy. Now I know how Trump feels.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

Media breathlessly - in D-hack unison - called this sham trial "the trial of the century!"

Fred Drinkwater म्हणाले...

Stormy Daniels, Hulk Hogan, Egg Salad, Extortion, and now Meade's latest contribution.

Folks, remember, there's children present.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

All of these sham trials are paid for by the tax payer.

All while our corrupt hack-D press insist Biden created millions of J O B S.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

Hey NBC Chuck - Are NBC affiliates brokering transparent transcript honesty in their *reporting*

Fred Drinkwater म्हणाले...

Reading the transcript (full-time) is going to come out to roughly $720,000 per annum gross to Althouse. Meade needs to up his offer.

Temujin म्हणाले...

The bad deal is that this cheap lawsuit is keeping a candidate for President in a courtroom during the key months of campaigning leading up to the election.

In my entire life, I've never before see such a thing in the United States. And it's not because of what Trump has done. It's pure lawfare to prevent Joe Biden from having to work for his dinner.

Ann, we don't expect you to use your time to read the transcript to a bullshit trial. It's bad enough you have to scour the NY Times and WaPo for us daily.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

Sounds like Trumps team has raised the question to Merchan, why he has allowed all this testimony that lacks probative value. The Defense is citing the appeal court overturning the Weinstein conviction for the very reason of baseless testimony.

Our history with Merchan, informs us that he will ignore the precedent.

This prosecution was never designed to survive appeal. So Merchan is going to get overturned no matter how he rules. He has proven himself as nothing but a Democrat operative
Allowing this to go to trial

Roger Sweeny म्हणाले...

" to have an onerous reading and writing task that had to be done for hours a day, day after day."

OMG, that sounds like being a lawyer.

John henry म्हणाले...

Someone should do like they did for the Mark Steyn trial where they hired actors to act out the transcript each day.

John Henry

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Meade, "For all the hot sex I want — any time, any place, any manner — I am willing to pay you $200,000/year.

Wait! We already have that agreement! Dang."

The truth comes out! LOL.

But who's paying who?

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Chuck,

What did any of the Davidson's testimony have to do with the charges against Trump? Give us your keen legal opinion.

Wince म्हणाले...

If you're famous, they try to grab you by the wallet.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

"Who sincerely believes this case was brought in the ordinary course of treating like cases alike?"

Exactly. I have asked in the past for of the anti-Trumpers to cite a single case in any of these indictments for a person similarly charged. It has been a cricket parade.

hombre म्हणाले...

"There's no explanation of why (or whether) Davidson was allowed to refuse to answer."
If he was allowed to refuse, it's because the presiding kangaroo wished it so.

"I'd like some discussion of why Bove was able to ask that question." If this stuff is relevant, why wouldn't he be allowed to ask the question to bolster a claim of extortion.

Todd म्हणाले...

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...
All of these sham trials are paid for by the tax payer.

All while our corrupt hack-D press insist Biden created millions of J O B S.
5/3/24, 8:44 AM


In a way he did. The economy is SO bad many folks now need second and third part-time jobs to try and stay afloat.

Rusty म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
"Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility."
For a gal who doesn't like sarcasm as humor that was pretty good. Points.
Birches said,
"Wow, not that it's a surprise, but Althouse completely outclasses Chuck here."
Not a lot of heavy lifting there.

I think it was a brilliant move by Trumps lawyers. Do you think it was allowed because the judge is being distracted.

Rusty म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
tommyesq म्हणाले...

All while our corrupt hack-D press insist Biden created millions of J O B S.

And fail to report that the jobs report was just revised downwardly for the 17th time in 22 months. The whole "jobs" thing is pure propaganda, not based on facts.

Aggie म्हणाले...

..."There's no explanation of why (or whether) Davidson was allowed to refuse to answer...."

"...I'd like some discussion of why Bove was able to ask that question..."


It sounds a little like Bove was asking questions he knew the answer to, and could prove, and it sounds like he was doing it in a way that made 'objection' beyond the ken of the prosecutor. Maybe he knows the prosecutor's limits - and the judges.

Things that quack like a duck, but don't walk like a duck, and aren't a duck?

Chuck म्हणाले...

My second attempt to post this simple reply:

Ann Althouse said...
Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility.

I have in the past posted comments praising and congratulating Althouse on blog posts which I thought were commendable. I cannot even recall the number of times I have done that.

And I was met with accusations of being "Eddie Haskell." Or, uh, "Dick."

William म्हणाले...

Trump had some kind of relationship with a porn star. That's a mark against him. The MSM is not reporting on the shakedown aspects of this case. That's a mark against the MSM. The justice system is using Trump's accounting system to put him in jail. That's a mark against the justice system....Nobody looks good in this case, but the most egregious offense belongs to the justice system. This is not the kind of offense you prosecute people for, much less send them to jail. The MSM also looks worse than Trump. They have a duty to report all the news and not just the news that makes Trump look bad....Trump worried out how his affair would play in Peoria, but the the justice system and the MSM have no such worries. They will tell us what is worrisome in Peoria.

who-knew म्हणाले...

Althouse said "Just to be clear: I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted."
I think you misspelled persecuted.
Althouse also said: "I do not trust mainstream media to tell us the story straight."
Neither do I. Unfortunately, large numbers of citizens haven't reached that point yet and the press has reason to believe their manipulations may work. My son and I were discussing AI yesterday and concluded that it will leave to a world where nobody trusts anything they see or read. I may have already reached that point.

Dogma and Pony Show म्हणाले...

Someone educate me (serious question): Is there any evidence that Trump actually did have sex with Daniels other that his paying her money not to claim they had sex?

TickTock म्हणाले...

Ann, just wondering what possible reason you can have for not being a Trump supporter? I thought your preferences were policy based. Whose policies do you prefer. Not really expecting an answer to that second, rhetorical question. Or is that your status as a blogger whose brand includes cruel neutrality (may not have that exactly right but it's close) means you don't have to choose?

But not choosing means someone else chooses for you. Do you really want that?

narciso म्हणाले...

actually there is no evidence of that, or they would have presented in that book, that avenatti stole her royalties, I thought she was (redacting) him but it turns it was the reverse,

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

"Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility."

Is that sarcasm? It's literally true. That was his "usual level."

By the way, I could have excluded that comment. I used to systematically exclude everything Chuck offered, and I could have singled that out as distractingly abusive and just added a link to the transcripts to the post.

I just chose to be transparent. But the truth is, he doesn't deserve the attention, because he operates below the line that I would set if I had the time to be more aggressive excluding trolls.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

I mean, I have the time. I just don't want to spend it combing through submitted comments looking for all that is substandard.

I don't want to spend my lavishly available time reading the trial transcript either.

Chuck म्हणाले...

...By the way, I could have excluded that comment. I used to systematically exclude everything Chuck offered, and I could have singled that out as distractingly abusive and just added a link to the transcripts to the post.
...

I know -- all too well -- this to be true.

All that I'd say is that there used to be posted this Blog's rules/guidelines/suggestions on commenting. There were several iterations of of those rules/guidelines/suggestions, in fact. I had no problem with any of them. But they are all gone.

A rules-based approach, I liked. I repeatedly urged more moderation, not less. Above all, a kind of Golden Rule for comments; make it about the blog post, and nothing else. My personal interest in that approach was that I was on the recieving end of more personal abuse on comments pages than anyone other commenter I can think of in the Age of Trump.

But as Althouse notes, she found it easier to just eliminate my comments on an authorship basis (picking my name out without regard to content), rather than on a content- or rules compliance-basis.

In keeping with that spirit, I am not going to respond to any of the off-topic personal attacks on me on this page. I think that's what makes for better comments pages.

n.n म्हणाले...

The Daniels case is a teachable moment that may have inspired Trump to dismiss discretion as the better part of valor, now repeated in the diverse indictments and subsequent gag orders paid off through "hush money". History rhymes.

Ann Althouse म्हणाले...

When you waste someone's time, you are stealing part of their life.

Real American म्हणाले...

they really don't care if the conviction this trial is rigged to produce is overturned on appeal. They just want to call Trump a convicted felon in the campaign against him.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

My statement was about why the case was brought not how it is being "conducted." Big difference.

We all know reading for meaning isn't in Chuckles' skill set. Being the Eddie Haskell of this blog is his avocation. And like the Beaver's neighbor, we see him as an abhorrent object of ridicule with some faint whiff of pity. But mostly ridicule.

And I'm only ten comments into the thread yet!

Inga म्हणाले...

“It's bad enough you have to scour the NY Times and WaPo for us daily.”

Is she doing it for her readers? I thought she was reading the Times and WaPo for herself. “Scour”, sounds like such a menial disagreeable task, I doubt she’s doing it out of dedication to her readers.

eLocke म्हणाले...

Is that sarcasm? It's literally true. That was his "usual level."

You are correct. You were not being sarcastic; you were being sardonic.

I rule you are still entitled to the points Rusty awarded.

Narayanan म्हणाले...

Thanks for the pointer, Chuck, delivered with your usual level of respect and civility.
=================
could be Chuck is emulating his role model FJB in such humble manner

Narayanan म्हणाले...

“Scour”, sounds like such a menial disagreeable task, I doubt she’s doing it out of dedication to her readers.
=================
scour goes well with cruel neutral filter

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted.

I found your coolly neutral presentation of the concerns about the prosecution perfect. No need for the standard disclaimer around here. Only senseless buttheads like Chuck would think being for fair and equal treatment before the law means "pro-Trump."

So no need for the standard disclaimer. It actually detracts from the strength of your POV.

tommyesq म्हणाले...

My statement was about why the case was brought not how it is being "conducted." Big difference.

As near as I can tell, both of these lead to the same conclusion.

Iman म्हणाले...

“In keeping with that spirit, I am not going to respond to any of the off-topic personal attacks on me on this page.”

No responses needed, Chuckles. Just take them to heart, reflect on them and simmer in your own fetid juices.

tommyesq म्हणाले...

When you waste someone's time, you are stealing part of their life.

Is this about what NYS is doing to Trump, or what Chuck/Howard are doing to you?

Original Mike म्हणाले...

"Therefore, virtually no one will just read the transcript."

Chuck will. Not that that's going to do us any good.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Whaddaya know. The dude went and Haskelled himself before I got around to it. This much is clear, we all know exactly what he is. I'll go back to skipping over the scourge of Franklin again (it's only when he's quoted that I usually see what he's screeded). Hey, now Inga's back. Whaddaya know.

TGIF.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

"Is that sarcasm? It's literally true."

Sarcasm and truth are mutually exclusive? Sarcasm is in the tone of voice, which is why it doesn't come across properly in written comments (or so I've always thought).

Christopher B म्हणाले...

Inga said... I doubt she’s doing it out of dedication to her readers.

Well, reading them, maybe not. I suspect she would be reading them regardless of the blog.

Blogging about them, however? I doubt the Amazon link or whatever ads show up bring in enough dinero to justify the work it takes to create the blog posts, consistently every day, most of which contain either extended commentary or links to related information. Plus comment moderation and often responses to comments.

Nobody is forcing her to do all this stuff, and while I can appreciate a certain level of self-satisfaction in just producing something, it's certainly a product that relies in large part on seeing how other people react and interact in my opinion.

But somehow I'm not particularly surprised you apparently didn't give any of that a second thought because somebody thinks your Holy Books aren't all they're cracked up to be.

Narayanan म्हणाले...

If I were to pay you read the transcript, I'd be expecting a simultaneous consumption of egg salad.
=================
professora > you can arrange through Too Godd to Go if requestor provide delivery directions + COD

Michael K म्हणाले...

At last the topic of extortion has been brought up in the "trial." That's what this is.

Michael K म्हणाले...

At last the topic of extortion comes up in this trial.

Meade म्हणाले...

Dave Begley said...
“Meade, "For all the hot sex I want — any time, any place, any manner — I am willing to pay you $200,000/year.

Wait! We already have that agreement! Dang."

The truth comes out! LOL.

But who's paying who?“

Dave,

I’ve already said too much. Suffice to add : for ever kiss I give her, she gives me 3.

Now, back to Trump.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

"The case was brought to manipulate us. The presidential election is at stake. Give us a transcript."

It's not that simple. It has to be translated from the original Kangaroo.

Christopher B म्हणाले...

Somehow I'm not surprised that Chuck's focus is on a rule that would inevitably generate endless argument about whether a comment was 'about the blog post', and not the far more obvious rule that everything posted here is at the forbearance of the proprietor.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

"The bad deal is that this cheap lawsuit is keeping a candidate for President in a courtroom during the key months of campaigning leading up to the election."

There's no such thing as "bad publicity". Even in Kangaroo.

Maynard म्हणाले...

By the way, I could have excluded that comment. I used to systematically exclude everything Chuck offered, and I could have singled that out as distractingly abusive and just added a link to the transcripts to the post.

I just chose to be transparent. But the truth is, he doesn't deserve the attention, because he operates below the line that I would set if I had the time to be more aggressive excluding trolls.


Well played Althouse. Well played.

When Chuck is abusive and annoying (which is all the time) I just scroll past the comments. Life is too short to be angered by assholes.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

Trump had some kind of relationship with a porn star. That's a mark against him.

Did he? Has that been established? I’m no longer convinced that Stormy Daniels and Trump necessarily did the deed. Davidson is slimy enough to have recruited a woman “of low repute” and extorted money from Trump lest a “she said - he said” played out in a hostile press.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

"Is she doing it for her readers? I thought she was reading the Times and WaPo for herself."

That is particularly dense. She definitely blogs about the articles for her readers- this blog is not just a diary.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

It will be interesting to see if Trump calls Sheen and Hogan or their attorneys as witnesses. I would- I would definitely want it on the record what their opinions of Davidson's activities were.

tommyesq म्हणाले...

Maddening thing about Chuck (and all of us responding to him) is that (a) he is one of the major reasons our host feels compelled to moderate all posts, which did in my opinion reduce some of the vibrancy of this site (and imposed a bunch of work on Ms. Althouse, which may have been spent on additional posting otherwise); and (b) here once again, he has successfully hijacked this post so that the comments devolve to being all about Chuck and none about the actual post.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Chuck,

Is it too much for one to ask you to defend the nature of this trial and the charges? I mean, a real intellectual defense- outlining how any other person not named Donald Trump could be hauled into court this way, and examples from the past with similar circumstances. Really, even you just admitting that the trial is a farce and you are happy to see Trump put through it for entirely political reasons would be more intellectually honest than you have been to date.

Inga म्हणाले...

“Nobody is forcing her to do all this stuff, and while I can appreciate a certain level of self-satisfaction in just producing something, it's certainly a product that relies in large part on seeing how other people react and interact in my opinion.”

“In large part”? No, I don’t think so. She continued blogging every day even when comments were shut down. She doesn’t rely on “other people's” reactions “in large part” to continue blogging, my opinion. I don’t think she particularly cares “in large part” how her commenters react to her posts.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

"No responses needed, Chuckles."

Iman, have you ever before seen a bottom dweller attempting to strike the Moral High Ground pose like that? I'm tempted to be drawn toward perhaps thinking about wondering if I'm capable, under the circumstances, of being impressed by it. But nah. No sale.

My addition to the topic at hand:
Sarcasm is meant to wound, which sets it apart from irony and sardonic wit. IMHO the hostess's summary was an humiliating remark, especially the "usual level" part, which was well deserved and likewise well placed, and so closer to sarcastic than sardonic. YMMV.

TGIF.

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Just to be clear: I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted.

I see your point of view. It's consistent. But they are not just prosecuting Trump. They are prosecuting and entire political movement that includes at least half the country. Obama did it when he allowed the IRS to be weaponized against the Tea Party. Biden's DOJ did the same prosecuting and politically imprisoning J6 protestors.

A Trump win in November might not fix all of this corruption. But it is the best chance America has to address voter fraud, censorship, and deep state lawfare.

This is all bigger than Trump. It was bigger than DeSantis during the primary. For some inexplicable reason, DeSantis didn't understand that. Same thing with RJK Jr.

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

Maynard said...
Chuck is abusive and annoying (which is all the time)

However Chuck represents the approach of a great deal of leftists in America. I don't seen any difference between Chuck, Joy Behar, Rachael Maddow, Joe Scarborough, or Nancy Pelosi.

If Rob "Meathead" Reiner or Dan Rather were commenting on the Althouse Blog, they'd be no different than Chuck. Let his bullshit stand.

There have to be people who just read Althouse posts, and the comment section, but do not participate. Some libs have to think, "I can't believe I'm on the same side as this guy."

Other libs probably think Chuck buries everyone everyday. If the view has a following of daytime dingbats, there's an audience for the likes of Chuck too. Come on. Madison, WI is filled with Chucks, TeaBagHags, Readerings...

Gusty Winds म्हणाले...

Meade said...
For all the hot sex I want — any time, any place, any manner — I am willing to pay you $200,000/year.

Wait! We already have that agreement! Dang.


Now I understand how Meade manages to live in Madison, WI.

William म्हणाले...

@Chuck: If you feel you are being unfairly judged on this forum, ponder how Trump must feel before a NYC jury and an activist judge.

Dave Begley म्हणाले...

Meade, "I’ve already said too much. Suffice to add : for every kiss I give her, she gives me 3."

And that, my friend, is why you two are married.

Richard Dolan म्हणाले...

"When you waste someone's time, you are stealing part of their life."

As rhetorical push-back goes, I suppose it works. But the 'stealing' idea is essentially denying one's own agency in deciding how to spend one's time, and shifts the decision-making from the one making that decision (you) to the guy demanding the attention you say he's not worth. Chuck may have wasted your time but he didn't steal anything. As a metaphor for what's annoying about time-wasting BS, 'stealing' just doesn't work, any more than (say) the 'speech is violence' shtick works when it's wheeled out to police discourse someone is looking to bar from the public commons.

Rabel म्हणाले...

You could open an OnlyFans account (it's not all porn) and do live analysis for tokens. I can see the big bucks rolling in.

A little décolletage would help get the bell ringing.

effinayright म्हणाले...

Gusty Winds said...
Blogger Ann Althouse said...
Just to be clear: I'm not a Trump supporter, but I find it very painful to see him prosecuted.

"I see your point of view. It's consistent. But they are not just prosecuting Trump. They are prosecuting and entire political movement that includes at least half the country. Obama did it when he allowed the IRS to be weaponized against the Tea Party. Biden's DOJ did the same prosecuting and politically imprisoning J6 protestors."
****************

Over at aceofspadesHQ today there's this reference to Obama as:

"..the jug-eared dog-eating closet queen from Kalorama.."

Harsh, but true.

Rusty म्हणाले...

Ann Althouse said...
When you waste someone's time, you are stealing part of their life.
Speaking of your life being stolen....
Inga said,"Is she doing it for her readers? I thought she was reading the Times and WaPo for herself."
Althouse has said again and again that she posts stuff that interests her. Our reaction is her entertainment. Hence the "cruel neutrality" She doesn't want to influence our stupid opinions.
You should know this by now.

Kakistocracy म्हणाले...

This case is about falsification of documents. The sleaziness of Trump while telling is not the illegal act, it is the falsification of documents to conceal the sleaziness that is the problem for him.

Jupiter म्हणाले...

"I don't seen any difference between Chuck, Joy Behar, Rachael Maddow, Joe Scarborough, or Nancy Pelosi."

Much as it pains me to come to the defense of Joy Behar, Rachael Maddow, Joe Scarborough, and Nancy Pelosi, I don't believe that any of them have ever claimed to be a life-long Republican.

Iman म्हणाले...

Mike (MJB Wolf)… Chuck is, of course, entitled to his opinions, however excremental they may be deemed. Commenters have the choice of reading them or scrolling past. I usually find a chuckle there, as well as evidence of his coprophilia - he can sure choke it down - and how far gone a Democrat can be. And he’s as predictable as the Sun rising in the east.

Here’s to a happy Friday!

Drago म्हणाले...

Gusty winds: "I don't seen any difference between Chuck, Joy Behar, Rachael Maddow, Joe Scarborough, or Nancy Pelosi."

On the contrary, in terms of policy preference, LLR-democratical And Violent Homosexual Rage Rape Fantasist Chuck is far to the left of each person Gusty listed.

And he always has been.

Goetz von Berlichingen म्हणाले...

Chuck's commentary, as well as that of some others, I relegate to 'scroll over country'. Also known as 'Chuckatucky'.

MfG,
Goetz



iowan2 म्हणाले...

The prosecutors put up yet another 'own goal' Witness.

Hope Hicks kept coming back to President Trump extremely worried about his wife and kids reading about the lies.
The repeated reference by Hicks recounted all the times Trump put family first, exploded the Idea that Trump was "inluencing" the election. Also, Hicks found out about the story about the NDA's from the Wall Street Journel Story. So there was no prior plotting being done By Trump.

Despite the fact Trump is not guilt of election interference so that cant keep this alive.

Goetz von Berlichingen म्हणाले...

Jupiter:
Scarborough was a GOP congressman from the Florida panhandle. Joe sold his soul for a TV gig. I've always wondered if someone had something on Joe when a dead intern was found, IIRC, in his office.

Joe may've never said those words, but he kinda played one for a while.

MfG,
Goetz

P.S. "MfG" is short for the German words meaning, literally, "With friendliest Greetings"

Goetz

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

"This case is about falsification of documents. The sleaziness of Trump while telling is not the illegal act, it is the falsification of documents to conceal the sleaziness that is the problem for him."

What records were falsified, Rich? Where in the law of New York State does it say that paying someone to not tell a story in public has to be labeled in one manner and not another? And, finally, what does all the testimony about the sleaziness have to do with the charges themselves- how does it further the case for the State of New York in any manner that isn't just blatantly prejudicial? If you were on trial, Rich, for tax evasion, would you happily accept having the state parade a line of witnesses claiming that you were a pedophile?

Drago म्हणाले...

Jupiter: "Much as it pains me to come to the defense of Joy Behar, Rachael Maddow, Joe Scarborough, and Nancy Pelosi, I don't believe that any of them have ever claimed to be a life-long Republican."

Quite so, which is why your list of typical dems, as lunatic as they are, are actually to the right of the Althouse LLR-democratical Brigade (Chuck, Rich, lonejustice).

Achilles म्हणाले...

Rich said...

This case is about falsification of documents. The sleaziness of Trump while telling is not the illegal act, it is the falsification of documents to conceal the sleaziness that is the problem for him.

Really?

What documents are those? The publicly released NDA? The letter that everyone signed denying the affair?

Maybe it was the documents proving Trump colluded with Russia? You know that hoax that the DOJ, FBI, and Clinton campaign colluded to create and try to pull down a sitting president?

You are just really making yourself look stupid trying to defend this. Just one lie after another with you people.

You are all just completely dishonest.

Chuck म्हणाले...

Goetz von Berlichingen said...
Chuck's commentary, as well as that of some others, I relegate to 'scroll over country'. Also known as 'Chuckatucky'.

MfG,
Goetz

Goetz von Berlichingen! Dude, are u related to Don Von ShitzinPants?

There are lots of questions.

How did VonShittzenpants enter the trial court record? (It was Trump attorney Todd Blanche.)

Did the NY court reporter get the correct spelling of "Von ShitzinPantz"? What the hell IS the correct spelling of VonShitzinPantz?

Is #VonShitsinpants the Scott Adams Kill Shot of the Year? Yes, I say!

How does Laura Ingraham like VonShitsenpants?