charges are falsifying business records to hide #HushMoney payments in lead up to 2016 election to #influence electorate
just one Trump supporter at the courthouse draped in a Trump flag.
#StormyDaniels's lawyer, #KeithDavidson, to return to stand. He negotiated the hush-money payment at the center of the case, & is expected to lay out details of the deal.
Testimony & jurors are done but court isn’t. Prosecutors have asked whether they can question #Trump, if he testifies, about his 9 violations of his #GagOrder.
Todd #Blanche, defense, asks Justice Merchan to bar such questioning.
🤣Blanche slips & calls Trump "Mr. Trump," before correcting himself & using Trump's preferred label: "President Trump."
@tristansnell
I do wish people would stop giving Defendant Trump credit for creating this complex subterfuge. It's on record that #CitizenTrump wanted to pay Stormy in cash, but Cohen insisted on the financial rigamarole to hide the transaction. #UnindictedCoConspirator1 has the mind of a child, incapable of thinking up a shadowy chain of loans and shell companies. This sort of crap was always left up to more intelligent criminals like Weisselberg and Mitnick.
#Trump's bitter about being hauled into court to face his NY felony charges, so he decided to cosplay as the President to soothe his burns. He invited the former prime minister of Japan to #TrumpTower to take a photo of him presenting the Japanese politician with a golden key to the #WhiteHouse. Trump isn't president. He's a basic citizen with no access to the White House, or its keys. This is completely made-up bullshit.
“For the purpose of this #criminal case, fmr President #Trump has become #citizenTrump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the panel wrote. “But any executive #immunity that may have protected him while he served as #president no longer protects him against this prosecution.”
When the case was argued in the appeals court, a lawyer for Trump argued that former presidents are absolutely immune from prosecution even for murders they ordered while in office.
When a fed appeals court last wk rejected the claim, it temp paused its ruling, saying it would rtn the case to #trial court Mon, allowing Judge #Chutkan to restart proceedings….the appeals court said it would extend the pause until #SCOTUS rules—if Trump files…for a stay.
… #JackSmith urged the justices to move fast: “The public importance of the issues, the imminence of the scheduled #trial date & the need for a prompt & final resolution of respondent’s #immunity claims counsel in favor of this court’s expedited review at this time.”
“The #UnitedStates recognizes that this is an extraordinary request,” Mr. Smith added. “This is an extraordinary case.”
#Trump is apparently incensed that the appeals court judges referred to him as #CitizenTrump. He finds that designation to be a personal insult. So, whatever you do, don't refer to him as Citizen Trump!
It would be a striking paradox if the President, who alone is vested with the constitutional duty to 'take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,' were the sole officer capable of defying those laws with impunity — US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit #quotes#quote#CitizenTrump#CriminalDefendantTrump#Trump#NoTrumpImmunity#law#uspolitics
'“For the purpose of this criminal case, former President Trump has become citizen Trump, with all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant,” the D.C. Circuit judges wrote. “But any executive immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution.”
“For the purpose of this #criminal case, fmr President #Trump has become #citizenTrump, w/all of the defenses of any other criminal defendant. But any executive #immunity that may have protected him while he served as President no longer protects him against this prosecution,” the panel of 3 judges wrote. “The interest in criminal accountability, held by both the #public & the #ExecutiveBranch, outweighs the potential risks of chilling Presidential action & permitting vexatious litigation.” #law
“…fmr President #Trump's stance would collapse our system of separated powers by placing the President beyond the reach of all 3 Branches. #PresidentialImmunity against federal #indictment would mean that, as to the President, the #Congress could not #legislate, the #Executive could not #prosecute & the #Judiciary could not review. We cannot accept that the office of the Presidency places its fmr occupants above the #law for all time thereafter.
“Careful evaluation of these concerns leads us to conclude that there is no functional justification for immunizing fmr Presidents from federal prosecution in general or for immunizing fmr President #Trump from the specific charges in the Indictment. In so holding, we act, ‘not in derogation of the separation of powers, but to maintain their proper balance.’”
“Fmr President #Trump's alleged efforts to remain in power despite losing the 2020 election were, if proven, an unprecedented #assault on the structure of our government. He allegedly injected himself into a process in which the President has no role - the counting & certifying of the Electoral College votes - thereby undermining constitutionally established procedures & the will of the Congress.“
“We cannot accept fmr President #Trump's claim that a President has unbounded authority to commit #crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power - the recognition & implementation of #election results. Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the #rights of individual citizens to #vote & to have their votes count.”