Still another crazy week in Trumpland

Donald Trump posted a $175 million bond to prevent New York authorities from seizing his assets, including properties such as Trump Tower, pending appeal of a civil fraud judgment against him of nearly a half-billion dollars. Trump posting of the bond was necessary to keep New York Attorney General Letitia James from initiating legal steps to take over his properties. The bond arrangement was made with Knight Specialty Insurance Company, according to a court document. About 30 surety companies he consulted with would not accept his real estate as collateral, only liquid assets.

[The CEO of Knight Specialty Insurance Company is also a large investor in Internet bank named Axos. Axos’ CEO and top investors have strong financial ties to the GOP. Axos loan Trump $100 million previously. Not surprising with the 30 companies. Between going bankrupt 4 times and inflating the worth of those properties he owned, it’s no surprise he wasn’t popular with them.]

If he does not win his appeal, Trump will still owe more than $450 million from a civil court judgment after James won the fraud case against him, alleging he deceived lenders and insurance companies by inflating his net worth by up to $2.2 billion annually from 2011 to 2021. Trump’s tab is growing by about $100,000 per day because interest will continue to accrue until the appeal ends.

Trump attacked Judge Juan Merchan for issuing the gag order – and he went after the judge’s daughter for her liberal political work, exploiting the ambiguous language in the order that didn’t explicitly forbid discussion of Merchan’s family. It didn’t take long for Merchan pushed back, expanding the gag order to cover his family – though the judge remains fair game for Trump – and attempting to limit Trump’s vitriol two weeks before the trial is set to begin.

[It should be standard practice that when you have Trump as a defendant, a gag order should be issued to cover the judge, court personnel and their families. The Republicans and their propaganda backers are saying that since the judge’s daughter works as a Democrat “activists”, she will influence her father’s decision. She did post something a while back saying Trump should be in prison. But that could be the same thoughts of most left leaning voters. Does Trump want a right leaning judge with a right leaning family who want no prison time for Trump?]

Then Merchan denied his motion to delay its start until after the US Supreme Court rules on Trump’s presidential immunity claim, calling it untimely and noting Trump’s lawyers had months to file a motion over the issue.

The prosecutor, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in Trump’s upcoming hush money trial has asked Judge Merchan to clarify whether a gag order issued for Trump recently bars him from publicly attacking the judge’s adult daughter — and to expand the order if it doesn’t.

Trump’s lawyers said Merchan’s gag order does not apply to comments about the judge’s family members and Trump’s recent posts had not violated the order and repeatedly argued that any limitation on his speech is a clear violation of his First Amendment rights and his rights as a presidential candidate.

[It would basically be open season any judge and his/her family if someone like Trump can constantly lie, harass and abuse the judge and his family. What judge would want to be a judge knowing him/her as well as the family could be threatened?]

A criminal case that was once viewed as the most open-and-shut prosecution against Trump has been mired in delay, unresolved logistical questions and fringe legal arguments that appear to have hijacked US District Judge Aileen Cannon’s attention. Special counsel Jack Smith said Cannon had asked for briefs that were premised on a “fundamentally flawed” understanding of the case that had “no basis in law or fact.”

In a 2022 lawsuit Trump brought attacking the FBI’s documents investigation, Cannon granted an extraordinary Trump request for a third-party review of the FBI’s 2022 search of his Mar-a-Lago resort for the classified documents. A conservative appeals court repeatedly reversed her rulings in the lawsuit, scolding her for giving Trump special treatment no other private citizen would receive, and shut down the review. Cannon’s rulings in the 2022 lawsuit were so outside the bounds that people rightly became suspicious of her motives.

[Cannon was appointed by Trump in 2020 and it shows that she is inexperienced. The probability of having the trial begin before the election is fading. On top of that, if Trump does win the election, he will shut down this and any other open cases against him.]

Observers were shocked when Cannon summoned the parties to Florida to present their theories on the validity of the charges.

[A judge generally doesn’t do that. She is judging 32 of the 91 charges against Trump.]

Judge Cannon will not dismiss the classified documents charges against Trump, who argued that he had the authority to take classified or sensitive documents with him after he left the White House. The short order from Judge Cannon leaves open the possibility that Trump could still use the argument to defend himself at trial.

[Well, at least she did something that is mostly right.]

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee upheld the criminal indictment against Trump in Georgia, rejecting the argument that Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election were protected under the First Amendment. “The defense has not presented, nor is the Court able to find, any authority that the speech and conduct alleged is protected political speech,” Judge McAfee wrote in his order.

[Unsure how Trump could ask for a dismissal when he clearly asked for an exact number of votes to be found that would declare him barely the winner.]

Lawyers for several defendants in the Georgia criminal case against Trump and others have been weighing whether to press for a gag order against Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis, especially if efforts to disqualify her fail. Willis has continued to speak publicly about the case. A gag order against one of Trump’s biggest foes could score political points and help him and his co-defendants in the short term. But it could also backfire by undercutting their efforts to have Willis disqualified from the case, or by inspiring efforts to seek a gag order against Trump and other defendants who have publicly criticized Willis.

In one of Trump’s ever growing number of lies, after a 25 year old woman was killed by a migrant, Trump said “She lit up that room, and I’ve heard that from so many people…. I spoke to some of her family.” Except the family said he never spoke to them.

[Shocked? I’m not.]

“What the hell was Biden thinking when he declared Easter Sunday to be Trans Visibility Day?” Trump said, suggesting that the declaration showed “total disrespect to Christians.”

[Trans Visibility Day has always been May 31st. It just so happens that Easter was early this year. He said nothing about National Crayon Day.]

In the federal election interference case, Judge Tanya Chutkan previously also heard – and rejected – the argument that Trump’s actions should be considered protected political speech.

“Sending eight emails and texts a day that promise an artificial match, threaten to take away your GOP membership, or call you a traitor if you don’t donate doesn’t build a long-term relationship with donors,” said a Republican fundraiser.

[Spam, abuse, and threats all rolled into one.]

Trump said recently if he does not win November’s presidential election it will mean the likely end of American democracy.

[More like if he wins….]

Just a couple weeks after saying there will be a “bloodbath” if he doesn’t win the election in November, Trump repeated his call as well as repeatedly calling illegal immigrants “animals” and claiming they bring in disease and violence. After the first time he mentioned bloodbath, his campaign after claimed the word was intended for the auto industry.

[If you believe that I have a nice piece of land to sell you on Pluto.]

Some Trump cronies are thinking of pushing Nebraska to change their electoral vote. Nebraska and Maine are the only two states where their House representatives are not an all or nothing but by district. MAGA people think that they have a better change of getting the Nebraska state House of Representatives [note that they don’t have a senate] to switch to all or nothing before the elections and before the state House session ends.

The reason for the push to change? If the states won by Biden stays the same except Nevada and New Mexico, Biden would be ahead by 2 House representatives. If Nebraska went all to Trump [instead of one district that would go to Biden], it would be an even 269 representatives for each. In a tie, each state would then have one vote to cast and there are more Trump states than Biden states.

[Another dumb way to break a “tie breaker”. Just as bad as the NHL tiebreaker by having a shoot-out.]

At least six Republicans want to change the name of Washington Dulles International Airport to Donald J. Trump International Airport.

“Donald Trump is facing 91 felony charges,” Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly, whose district includes part of Dulles, said in a statement. “If Republicans want to name something after him, I’d suggest they find a federal prison.”

[Or maybe Rikers Island? Dulles is considered as one of the worst airports in the world. It is old and antiquated.]

Trump’s DJT stock on NASDAQ lost over $4 billion in worth at one point in its first week of trading. In about ten days the stock was half the price of the highest price [almost $80 on March 26].

Trump has filed a lawsuit against two of the company’s co-founders, both former contestants on “The Apprentice.” Trump Media’s lawsuit accuses them of “mismanagement,” saying they “failed spectacularly at every turn” and “made a series of reckless and wasteful decisions.”

[And why wait so long to release this lawsuit? Unlike the morons who he hires in his cabinet who later on say things he doesn’t like, he can’t sue them. But he can sue the two co-founders.]

A Florida venture capitalist and his brother moved toward potential guilty pleas in an insider trading case connected to the merger that took Donald Trump’s social media company public. A third man was also involved in the insider trading. They pleaded innocent from the 2021 case but could change their pleas. Prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of a bank account, the yacht and three Yamaha Jet Skis that were tendered to the vessel by one of the three men.

Trump has previously called immigrants “animals” and blamed migrants for “coming into our country with contagious diseases.” He warned of “illegal alien criminals crawling through your windows and ransacking your drawers,” where they “loot the jewellery.” When migrants aren’t busy doing that, they’re fixing to “obliterate Medicare and Social Security” and fill schools with “new migrant students who don’t speak a word of English.”

Regarding Trump [and the various conspiracy nuts] regarding that immigrants are causing higher crime, homicide and violent crime, after rising during the pandemic, have dropped for two straight years and are lower than during Trump’s final year in office. There is scant evidence that immigrants — legal or undocumented — commit more than their share of crime, and a lot of evidence that migrants are more law-abiding.

Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro asked the Supreme Court to take another look at his request to avoid prison, filing a long-shot request on Tuesday that the high court rarely grants. This after serving so far 15 days of his four month vacation. He’s in prison for his contempt of Congress conviction.

[He wants out early maybe because he was a bad boy and his TV privileges were reduced. ]

Trump still takes claim for killing Roe vs Wade but all he did was load the supreme court with right wing justices unless he ordered them to kill Roe vs Wade.

Trump also takes at least partial credit from the various states who have reduced or banned abortions.

Former Republican leaning contributor, George Conway, donated over $900,000 to Biden’s campaign and will headline a fundraiser for Biden.

More legal issues for Trump

Stormy Daniels’s lawyer has submitted a complaint with a New York attorney grievance committee against Joe Tacopina, alleging that Donald Trump’s co-lead defense lawyer in a hush-payment probe has a conflict of interest. Clark Brewster said he submitted the complaint this week after it was raised during Trump’s arraignment whether Tacopina should be conflicted out of representing him. Daniels, an adult-film actress whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford and who is now a witness in the case against Trump, contacted Tacopina in February 2018 about potentially hiring him to represent her in matters related to her encounters with Trump.

Trump has asked for a four-week delay of a civil trial involving an allegation of rape by author E. Jean Carroll, claiming a “cooling off” period is needed after the former president’s recent indictment and arraignment in Manhattan in a criminal case involving hush money payments to an adult-film star to silence her about an alleged affair.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a federal lawsuit seeking to stop Rep. Jim Jordan from what the prosecutor said is a “brazen and unconstitutional attack” by members of Congress on the prosecution and investigation. Lawyers for Bragg’s office and private law firm Gibson Dunn filed the 50-page civil complaint in US District Court in Manhattan against an investigation launched by Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Jordan and other members of the committee are trying to obtain confidential investigative materials compiled during the district attorney’s criminal probe.

If Trump expects any help from swing/independent voters in a 2024, the support is dwindling according to analysts. Legal charges isn’t helping.

Trump has pulled in $34 million in the first quarter of this year in donations including in donations to his defence fund.

Trump indicted. So what else is new?

Donald Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records under Article 175 of the New York Penal Law. Falsifying business records is a felony in New York when there is an “intent to defraud” that includes an intent to “commit another crime or to aid or conceal” a crime. In this case, prosecutors will have to prove that Trump is guilty of maintaining false business records with the intent to hide a $130,000 payment in the days before the 2016 election to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged 2006 affair.

Trump and his cronies are now aiming their sights at discrediting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It will go nowhere and is mainly to pump up his base and get more donations.

New York judge Juan Merchan has received threats to his safety since he began presiding over the arraignment of Trump, according to a law enforcement source. The NYPD intelligence division is investigating the threats to Merchan, which came in the form of social media posts. At the same time Trump and his cronies are also trying to discredit him. [he donated to the Democrats a donation of $15 [!!!]

After his arrest and arraignment, Trump flew back to Mar-a-Lago and had a variation of a rally where he ripped into everyone against him.

Trump’s legal peril is far from over. Among those closely watching the proceedings were state and local officials in Georgia, where Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis is expected to announce in coming weeks whether she will file charges in connection to efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the state’s 2020 presidential election results. Willis has not spoken publicly about Trump’s criminal indictment in New York.

Elliott Broidy, a former top Republican fundraiser who admitted to illegally lobbying the Trump administration on behalf of foreign nationals, described his actions publicly for the first time, testifying in court about his failed attempts to quash a federal investigation of a Malaysian financier and to spur US officials to extradite a wealthy Chinese dissident living in New York, whom Beijing had branded a criminal. Although he could have pocketed up to $75 million if his efforts had succeeded, he told a federal jury, he wound up with far less: an $8 million retainer and a $1 million “appearance fee” for travelling to Thailand for a secret meeting.

Trump claimed at one point he was the most innocent man in the world. How do you calculate that?

Those who are on Trump’s various mailing list [paper, Email, text messages] are getting bombarded with requests for donations to his cause. Exactly why does a supposedly billionaire need help? So he doesn’t use his own money – if he has some.

Was he indicted?

Donald Trump said he expected to be arrested in connection with the years long investigation into a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels and called on his supporters to protest any such move. In a social media post, Trump, referring to himself, said the “leading Republican candidate and former president of the United States will be arrested on Tuesday [March 21st] of next week” – though he did not say why he expects to be arrested.

Even Trump’s lawyer says that “No one tells us anything which is very frustrating. President Trump is basing his response on press reports.” Wonder which press reports. I’m guessing – if they exist – they are not from main stream media – even Fox News. A spokesperson for Trump said that Trump has not received a notification from the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office regarding any potential indictment. And remember that this is Trump – a serial liar.

Trump’s defense team is expected to be notified following any possible indictment and then they would engage in negotiations for surrender and an initial appearance. Trump also has Secret Service agents who are with him. The Secret Service had said nothing of an arrest coming up. If there is an indictment, his lawyers would negotiate an agreed upon surrender date with the district attorney’s office.

Again. Another case of Trump whipping up his far right base to protest. And what happens if he isn’t arrested on Tuesday? Maybe he will say he meant the following Tuesday. I’m surprised he didn’t say Thursday [March 23rd] when President Biden is visiting Canada. How many times has a leader of a country leaves the country on a trip only for a coup d’état to happen while the leader is gone? Quite a few [mostly] third world countries don’t leave their country for that reason. Has the US turned into a third world country? Maybe Biden should of cancel his trip?

Trump rivals and cronies including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Mike Pence, Senator J.D. Vance, Senator Lindsey Graham and Elise Stefanik have come out to support him. Potential GOP presidential candidate Florida “governor” Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, a declared candidate, have been quiet. Later, DeSantis decided to back Trump.

Some who are backing Trump are claiming so because the District Attorney should be going after criminals who plague New York City. A crook is a crook is a crook. I’m waiting for George Santos to say he’d back Trump.

But later McCarthy has said supporters of Trump should not protest if Trump is indicted. “I don’t think people should protest this, no,” McCarthy said during a news conference. “And I think President Trump, if you talk to him, he doesn’t believe that, either” and then added saying it involved “personal money” and shouldn’t be able to be prosecuted under the statute of limitations.

Trump then warned of “potential death & destruction” if he is charged in Manhattan in a criminal case. Reminds me a bit of a death threat or incitement. He also called Bragg a “degenerate psychopath.” He also added [with plenty of lies] “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?”

After various GOP politicians were saying that Bragg should be investigated, saying that the issue in question is over seven years old, or even jailed [for what?], Bragg’s spokesperson insisted: “We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law.” The spokesperson’s statement also rebutted Republican claims that Bragg has ignored violent crime in New York in his zeal to find a pretext to prosecute Trump in order to fulfill a political vendetta.

Joe Tacopina, a defense attorney representing Trump in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigation of Trump, made comments in 2018 as a prominent legal commentator – years before he would ultimately represent the former president in the case that may indict Trump – that Tacopina speculated that Trump had an affair with Daniels after she detailed their encounter. I guess he prefers the big salary over whether or not he can defend Trump.

A federal judge has ordered several former Trump aides, including former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Stephen Miller, Dan Scavino, former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, former national security adviser Robert O’Brien and former Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinellito testify before a grand jury as part of the criminal investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, rejecting Trump’s claims of executive privilege. Theoretically special counsel Jack Smith could give one or more immunity from prosecution and then force them to testify or face prison time.

A report commissioned by Trump’s own campaign dated at the beginning of January 2021 had a “high confidence” that only nine dead voters in Fulton County, defined as ballots that may have been cast by someone else in the name of a deceased person. They believed there was a “potential statewide exposure” of 23 such votes across Georgia — or 4,977 fewer than the “minimum” Trump claimed.

In a separate failed bid to overturn the results in Nevada, Trump’s lawyers said in a court filing that 1,506 ballots were cast in the names of dead people and 42,284 voted twice. Trump lost Nevada by about 33,000 votes. The researchers paid by Trump’s team had “high confidence” that 12 ballots were cast in the names of deceased people in Clark County, Nev., and believed the “high end potential exposure” was 20 voters statewide — some 1,486 fewer than Trump’s lawyers said.

Attorneys for Trump have asked for a judge to toss the final report and evidence from a special grand jury in Georgia that spent months investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election. Trump’s attorneys also are asking that a judge disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney’s office from overseeing the investigation, according to a new court filing.

Trump’s legal team has appealed last week’s ruling by a lower-court judge who said the lawyer, Evan Corcoran, must provide evidence to prosecutors because his legal services may have been used to facilitate a possible crime — obstruction of government attempts to recover highly sensitive documents. The appeal judge refused to block Corcoran from testifying and turning over documents.

The Conservative Partnership Institute, as the non-profit is known, now controls four commercial properties [bought by separate companies initially] along a single Pennsylvania Avenue block [just a couple of blocks away from Congress], three adjoining rowhouses around the corner, and a garage and carriage house in the rear alley. CPI’s aim, as expressed in its annual report, is to transform the swath of prime real estate into a campus it calls “Patriots’ Row.” The people behind PCI include Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert and Mark Meadows, who was chief of staff to Trump. $41 million was spent.

Note that I will be “off” for probably for the next couple of weeks.