Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial resumes this morning at 9:30 a.m. Prosecutors are expected to continue questioning former tabloid executive David Pecker, who will then be cross-examined by Donald Trump’s lawyers.
A member of the Leopards Eating Faces Party eagerly waiting for the trial to resume.
Can we fast forward to the part where Trump is condemned to fifty lashes?
I’m immersed in all this the same way I was immersed in Watergate. Trump’s sins are so much worse than anything Nixon did.
The walls seem to be closing in on him finally, but I’m trying to rein in my expectations because he’s dodged so many bullets before—access Hollywood tape, Stormy Daniels revelations, Mueller investigation, impeachment 1, January 6, impeachment 2. He might squirm out of this too.
Since Pecker’s company already paid $175K FEC fine for illegal campaign contributions in the McDougal case…which I don’t understand because I thought it was Chump who paid her off (or ALSO paid her off) did the National Enquirer get slapped for the Stormy Daniels payments? If not, why not?
And another point…is this trial solely about the Stormy Daniels payments only, or do the McDougal and Doorman payments also count as instances/charges in these proceedings? If not, why not?
And am I reading this correctly, if National Enquirer got fined for the McDougal instance…as a breach of Federal Campaign Law (fined more than the pay-off, from what I can tell) is that a predicate that the jury cannot ignore that YES, this was all tied up with campaign implications and has already been settled as a campaign violation?
Yes those were all tremendous gut punches but what really bothers me most is how many times responsible people fell down on the job and never ever brought a complaint. Or failed to charge him or ANYONE with 100s of campaign and Hatch Act and Obstruction and Witness/Jury/Judge tampering and still ongoing crimes. Then all the times they did go after some low fruit but failed to hold HIM accountable. Now the guy is under indictment for Espionage and he is still working the phones and hosting foreign adversaries. A new crime was just uncovered with Red Curve where he is secretly washing a ton of his legal expenses even while everyone knows what he is doing in plain sight to launder all his legal expenses.
In a more honest world, Sean Hannity’s pattern of talking with Trump every day and then attacking Trump’s enemies that night would count as an in-kind donation from Newscorp. Hannity was also involved with Cohen at this same time — there are no doubt still skeletons in that very deep closet.
Trump gave brief remarks today before leaving for the courthouse. Among other things, he complimented Pecker: “David’s been very nice. He’s a nice guy.”
Is that an indication that Pecker is a ringer that will protect TIFBG under threat of something post-trial?
I suspect there could be some bombshells today, but I’m not getting too hopeful. It’s early in the game.
Might be nice to hear the upshot of the sanctions, though (not that anything short of jail time will stop the vitriol).
In very real ways, Chump was the defacto ‘decider’ for The National Enquirer and now for 8 years, FOX news. He has had the illegitimate tabloid blackmail factory going full steam and reacting to his every whim, and the “legitimate” FOX org doing about 95% of his bidding since he became the top R personage.
He was deciding what they would cover, what they would say about him, what they wouldn’t say about him, and attacking his enemies; and making shit up out of whole cloth and ramming it repeatedly down American’s throats without mercy. And I mean working harder than they ever have in their history to perpetrate a fraud and force-brainwash as many millions as possible.
Someone will correct me if I’m wrong, I believe Cohen paid Stormy and Trump reimbursed him. Pecker paid McDougal and Trump didn’t reimburse him. The state crime is misrepresenting the payments to Cohen as Legal fees instead of Campaign costs because that constituted breaking Federal campaign laws.
That is an indication that Pecker has even more embarrassing/damaging information on Trump than what is now public.
And that could be very likely true, but is he brave enough to present that info under oath, with the target sitting just ten or fifteen feet away from him?
Is Pecker brave enough to deal with the slings and arrows that will come his way as he presents this info?
I’m not so sure that he is. I hope to be proven wrong.
Trump is Fine With Pecker
Of course he is, because there were other Trump stories that never saw the light of day in Pecker’s safe.
I don’t think he would do it in court, he’d allow his secret files to become public. He’d do it in a way that wasn’t directly attributable to him but Trump would know who knifed him. Trump is only complimentary to people that can hurt him.
@iafixture and @becca656 - it is a given that Pecker has tons of info on Chump and my belief is the court can’t force a peep out of him on any of that. But AMI/Enquirer/Pecker have enough money and lawyers to have fought him testifying at all if they thought they had even half a legal leg to stand on. The fact that Pecker has cooperated and testified, basically truthfully, before and during this trial makes me think they have him dead to rights on the stuff he IS testifying about. But again, I don’t think there is any leverage to get him to spill on different matters. Not A Laywer
They copped to a plea deal. That’s why Pecker is testifying against Trump. Because of the plea deal. In other words, Pecker “flipped” on Trump. Also since Trump stiffed him for paying off Pecker for the catch-and-kills, there is no reason Pecker should fall on his sword for deadbeat Don.
Pecker still seems enthralled by Chump, I don’t see him giving up any more info than this court compels from him.
Agreed, unless Trump were to cross him. I think if Trump attacked Pecker things might change. I think Trump thinks that too. And, really, in his testimony Pecker is not making any personal statements against Trump. He isn’t calling him stupid or a criminal.
Agreed. It’s all transactional in that world of sleaze. Why give away the goods you don’t have to under the plea deal? Trump and Pecker not going after each other while Pecker holds more dirt on Trump is totally not shocking at all. In fact it only underscores how corrupt the “relationship” is.
I don’t need Pecker to spill on anything other than what he’s being asked about under oath. I don’t see the guy taking the fifth on any of it.