Donald Trump indicted by Manhattan grand jury

[Say it aint so]

Well my skepticism mixed with cynicism might be due to being in conversations about him being indicted and convicted for six or seven years now, which can't all be blamed on Trump. And this latest, even though it's finally an actual indictment, will probably only lead to a misdemeanor, if it even succeeds, which isn't all that likely. How come it didn't take so many years with so many excuses to idict and convict Cohen and so many others tied to Trump? I keep hearing what a buffoon Trump is and how incompetent his layers are, yet they somehow supposedly manage to do what no one else, like lawyer Cohen, and high level people with top lawyers, have even come close to managing.

You know, rather than be mired in skepticism and cynicism, the information is out there. And yes, I agree. This is the minor case come Trump. This is just the frying pan, the Special Counsel will be the fire. Cohen sought a pardon from Trump. He was rebuffed, so he plead guilty and flipped. Not the dragged out Trump mode of operation.

 

[Say it aint so]

The previous AG (Vance), before leaving at the end of his term), indicated that the investigation wasn't complete, and needed more work. In NY, these cases often take years.

It wasn't complete for a reason:

""I was asked by the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District to stand down on our investigation," Vance told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, "and as someone who respects that office a great deal and believing that they might perhaps have the best laws to investigate, I did so,​

 

[mark46]

It wasn't complete for a reason:

""I was asked by the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District to stand down on our investigation," Vance told Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, "and as someone who respects that office a great deal and believing that they might perhaps have the best laws to investigate, I did so,​

There are so many better situations to indict Trump. In the end, this one is very minor, only 34 felonies for only a maximum of 136 years in jail.

 

[Brihaha]

Too bad for the country

Americans were warned and actually knew better than to elect Mr Trump. It is too bad for our country. And Mr Trump will continue to be bad for our nation until people quit enabling him.

 

[BPPLEE]

Americans were warned and actually knew better than to elect Mr Trump. It is too bad for our country. And Mr Trump will continue to be bad for our nation until people quit enabling him.

Bringing charges against him is only helping him. They should have waited.

 

[Brihaha]

Bringing charges against him is only helping him. They should have waited.

Yeah, I'm sure being criminally indicted was Trump's goal. We'll see how much help getting indicted is in a year or two. What should authorities have waited for? Waiting would have been as political as charging Trump anyhow. Why not restore some faith in our justice system again? Millions of Americans have waited, some patiently, for Mr Trump to be held responsible for his actions. I actually think I saw a hint of humility on Trump’s face while he sat in court today. Either that or it was just flatulence lol.

 

[BPPLEE]

Yeah, I'm sure being criminally indicted was Trump's goal. We'll see how much help getting indicted is in a year or two. What should authorities have waited for? Waiting would have been as political as charging Trump anyhow. Why not restore some faith in our justice system again? Millions of Americans have waited, some patiently, for Mr Trump to be held responsible for his actions. I actually think I saw a hint of humility on Trump’s face while he sat in court today. Either that or it was just flatulence lol.

Okay there’s 34 charges for falsifying business records to advance another crime. What is the other crime?

 

[Brihaha]

Okay there’s 34 charges for falsifying business records to advance another crime. What is the other crime?

Why are you asking me? Gleaning from what I've read you have much more experience than I. I leave the details to the experts. I am simply happy a precedence has been set. Finally. I think the only time a president was arrested was US Grant speeding on his horse lol.

 

[BPPLEE]

Why are you asking me? Gleaning from what I've read you have much more experience than I. I leave the details to the experts. I am simply happy a precedence has been set. Finally. I think the only time a president was arrested was US Grant speeding on his horse lol.

I’m just wondering what the crime is he was furthering. I missed it somehow. If it’s a campaign finance violation the FEC declined to pursue that.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Okay there’s 34 charges for falsifying business records to advance another crime. What is the other crime?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/04/trump-arraignment-takeaways/

“The first is New York state election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means,” [Bragg] said. “I further indicated a number of unlawful means, including additional false statements, including statements that were planned to be made to tax authorities. I also noted the federal election-law cap on contribution limits.”

The state charge, as The Washington Post wrote in January, appears to focus on a statute that makes it illegal to “conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.”

The federal crime is less vague. If the payments were intended to keep negative stories from coming out before the 2016 election, then the payments were political spending. And if they were political spending from a candidate or an agent of the candidate’s campaign, they are subject to contribution limits and reporting requirements. These payments, obviously, weren’t reported. The legal question, then, centers on whether the payments were aimed at influencing the election. [Narrator: They were.]

 

[BPPLEE]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/04/04/trump-arraignment-takeaways/

“The first is New York state election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means,” [Bragg] said. “I further indicated a number of unlawful means, including additional false statements, including statements that were planned to be made to tax authorities. I also noted the federal election-law cap on contribution limits.”

The state charge, as The Washington Post wrote in January, appears to focus on a statute that makes it illegal to “conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.”

The federal crime is less vague. If the payments were intended to keep negative stories from coming out before the 2016 election, then the payments were political spending. And if they were political spending from a candidate or an agent of the candidate’s campaign, they are subject to contribution limits and reporting requirements. These payments, obviously, weren’t reported. The legal question, then, centers on whether the payments were aimed at influencing the election. [Narrator: They were.]

So is a state prosecutor going to bring federal charges? I’m also curious how you charge someone for statements that were planned to be made.

 

[Say it aint so]

Bringing charges against him is only helping him. They should have waited.

Help him, hurt DeSantis, hurt Trump if he is nominated. In reality, this should have happened long ago, but the DOJ got in the way.

 

[BPPLEE]

Help him, hurt DeSantis, hurt Trump if he is nominated. In reality, this should have happened long ago, but the DOJ got in the way.

Can you show me a case that has ever been made for paying someone hush money?

 

[Hans Blaster]

So is a state prosecutor going to bring federal charges?

Nope. NY state crimes:

“The first is New York state election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means,” [Bragg]

I’m also curious how you charge someone for statements that were planned to be made.

A question about the next sentence, so I know you read the line from Bragg above.

 

[Say it aint so]

Can you show me a case that has ever been made for paying someone hush money?

It's more than just paying hush money. John Edwards was brought up on similar charges, but unlike Trump the hush money he paid was soley to hide it from this wife. Trump on the other hand in both incidents with Stormy and McDougal, intent was to hide it from the voting public; then he had the gall to falsify his business records to hide it. The indictment is available to read. I don't know, it should come as no surprise the person whose name sake business org that was found guilty of being a criminal org, is now on trial for the same fiasco that sent his lawyer to jail.

 

[BPPLEE]

Nope. NY state crimes:

“The first is New York state election law, which makes it a crime to conspire to promote a candidacy by unlawful means,” [Bragg]


A question about the next sentence, so I know you read the line from Bragg above.

The statute of limitations for federal crimes is generally five years. I’m not sure what they are for the charges brought against Trump since they are misdemeanors Bragg has manipulated into felonies using the election law you quoted. The statute of limitations for a misdemeanor in my state is one year.

 

[BPPLEE]

It's more than just paying hush money. John Edwards was brought up on similar charges, but unlike Trump the hush money he paid was soley to hide it from this wife. Trump on the other hand in both incidents with Stormy and McDougal, intent was to hide it from the voting public; then he had the gall to falsify his business records to hide it. The indictment is available to read. I don't know, it should come as no surprise the person whose name sake business org that was found guilty of being a criminal org, is now on trial for the same fiasco that sent his lawyer to jail.

Wait a minute if Edwards was only trying to hide an affair from his wife how do you know or prove that Trump wasn’t doing the same thing? You may have just provided his defense and precedent for it. Good job

 

[Say it aint so]

Wait a minute if Edwards was only trying to hide an affair from his wife how do you know or prove that Trump wasn’t doing the same thing? You may have just provided his defense and precedent for it. Good job

From the indictment with my * clarifications:

"The Defendant (* Trump) directed Lawyer A (* Michael Cohen) to delay making a payment to Woman 2 (*Stormy) as long as possible. He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public"​

​

Kind of obvious it wasn't about Melania.

 

[NxNW]

Yes he beat Trump. Staying in the basement was his best strategy

What does that say about Trump?

 

[BPPLEE]

From the indictment with my * clarifications:

"The Defendant (* Trump) directed Lawyer A (* Michael Cohen) to delay making a payment to Woman 2 (*Stormy) as long as possible. He instructed Lawyer A that if they could delay the payment until after the election, they could avoid paying altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public"​

​

Kind of obvious it wasn't about Melania.

According to who, Cohen? He has lied and changed stories so much I’m sure he’ll make a great witness