The Trump Card...

[ATeam]

In What Ways Does Trump's Attack Strategy Help Him?

With the first day of the New York v. Trump fraud trial complete, we may have an idea how subsequent days will be. The trajectory and tone can of course change, but day one of this trial that is expected to last three months may be the template.

Having already been found liable for fraud (count 1 of 7), and knowing his New York business certificates have already been canceled (making it soon illegal for Trump to operate those businesses), and knowing those businesses will soon be taken away from Trump to be dissolved by a court-appointed receiver, Trump sat silently in court as the six other counts are tried.

Not allowed to speak, Trump sat silent as he listened to the opening arguments against him. And he sat silent as he watched the first witness, a former Trump accountant, testify in support of the fraud case the DA's is making. The accountant shared intimate (and damning) details that reveal the inside workings of Trump's businesses.

Trump's response was to head directly to the cameras and microphones during breaks to viciously condemn the trial, the judge, and the prosecutor. He did not make legal arguments against them. He instead publicly raged with vitriolic name-calling rants.

Trump's response is no accident. It is clearly intentional. My question is, is it working? How does it help Trump to respond in this way? When Trump's fate and the fate of his companies rest, not in Trump's hands, but in the hands of a single judge in a bench trial, it seems counterproductive to viciously attack and label that judge. But Trump is doing it every chance he gets.

Why? How does this help Trump?

This is clearly something Trump wants to do. While he is not required to attend this trial, unless he is called to testify as a witness, he showed up yesterday and he is returning today.

 

[coalminer]

It would be easy to see the logic of Trump and his legal team preferring to take their chances with a NY judge instead of a NYC jury.

If I were ever to be in that situation I would request a bench trial, I would trust a judges opinion when it comes to the actual evidence rather than people who have no idea what the laws are and are basing their opinion on emotion.

 

[ATeam]

If I were ever to be in that situation I would request a bench trial, I would trust a judges opinion when it comes to the actual evidence rather than people who have no idea what the laws are and are basing their opinion on emotion.

It's sometimes fun to play Perry Mason, Jr. even though I'm not a legal expert. If I was in that situation, an attorney advising Trump, I would recommend a jury trial. This is a highly complex case with evidence that takes people deep into the financial weeds of a complex business structure. The opportunity to confuse jurors exists, and with that, the opportunity to sew reasonable doubt.

Reasonable doubt would be key, I would think, as Trump actually did commit billions of dollars worth of fraud for decades. Better to play things out in front of a jury of legal amateurs than a judge who knows the law.

 

[muttly]

If I were ever to be in that situation I would request a bench trial, I would trust a judges opinion when it comes to the actual evidence rather than people who have no idea what the laws are and are basing their opinion on emotion.

We are finding that the judge is just as clueless.

 

[ATeam]

We are finding that the judge is just as clueless.

No. So far, when Trump has appealed the judge's rulings, the appeals court upheld the rulings.

 

[ATeam]

Size Matters to Trump

I was in no hurry to embrace this idea because it's about something internal to Trump's thoughts and feelings, so it's not easily verified. The idea is Trump cares deeply about being perceived as a highly successful owner of a big business empire.

Commentators have been talking about this as Trump takes time and reacts strongly to the idea that his net worth is smaller than he claims it is. Some suggest that of all the legal and political interests Trump has to be concerned about, this one -- the perceived size of his wealth -- matters most to him. It was his first topic when he spoke to the press yesterday. He's talking about it today on Truth Social.

“In actuality, I am WORTH FAR MORE than the numbers put down on the Financial Statements, not less."

Over the years he has actually lobbied Forbes magazine about his placement on the billionaire's list. Many people who know him say he often exaggerates the size of his net worth. Now, when he is not required to attend a trial where his wealth claims are literally on trial, he shows up.

Some commentators are suggesting he's doing that to fight to maintain the public perception that he is a successful and wealthy man. He cannot tolerate the idea that the public will come to believe he is worth far less than he claims to be.

In less than 30 days, control of Trump's New York companies will be stripped from him and placed in the hands of a court-appointed receiver. Per the judge's order, the receiver will dissolve those companies. That means the company assets and liabilities will be placed on the market where their true value will become known. I think it will be a very difficult pill to swallow for Trump when he sees his net worth claims go up in smoke as his businesses assets are fairly valued on the open market.

 

[muttly]

Trump keeps hammering the witch hunt.

https://x.com/newsmax/status/1709210493485781058?s=46&t=d_l2HMNrla_oQHd9HhBKfw

 

[ATeam]

Trump keeps hammering the witch hunt.

https://x.com/newsmax/status/1709210493485781058?s=46&t=d_l2HMNrla_oQHd9HhBKfw

Does it help? Has it stopped him from being investigated? Has it stopped him from being indicted? Has it stopped the jury from finding in favor of plaintiff Carrol who sued him? Has it stopped Judge Engoron from finding Trump liable for fraud? Is it stopping people from testifying against him today?

 

[muttly]

Does it help? Has it stopped him from being investigated? Has it stopped him from being indicted? Has it stopped the jury from finding in favor of plaintiff Carrol who sued him? Has it stopped Judge Engoron from finding Trump liable for fraud? Is it stopping people from testifying against him today?

Yes it helps. People see him defending himself and fighting back with facts.
Gaining more support as the Left steps on rakes.

 

[ATeam]

Yes it helps. People see him defending himself and fighting back with facts.
Gaining more support as the Left steps on rakes.

It's of no help regarding the Court, his punishment for fraud, and his likely imprisonment from the other trials.

 

[ATeam]

Judge Engoron Gags Trump

Responding to a Truth Social post Trump made about Judge Engoron's law clerk today, the judge said,

“'Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them under any circumstances.'

"Justice Engoron said that his statement should be considered a 'gag order' forbidding any posts, emails or public remarks about members of his staff. He added that serious sanctions would follow were he to be disobeyed". (Source)

 

[ATeam]

Trump Dropped From Forbes 400 List of Wealthiest Americans

"Trump is still a billionaire, with Forbes estimating his net worth at $2.6 billion. But that's down from the magazine's estimate a year earlier that the real estate tycoon was valued at $3.2 billion, which earned him a place on the 2022 rich list."

Donald Trump drops from the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. Here's what's changed.

Former President Donald Trump is no longer wealthy enough to be included in the Forbes 400, an annual list of the wealthiest Americans.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[Ragman]

Judge Engoron Gags Trump

Responding to a Truth Social post Trump made about Judge Engoron's law clerk today, the judge said,

“'Personal attacks on members of my court staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them under any circumstances.'

"Justice Engoron said that his statement should be considered a 'gag order' forbidding any posts, emails or public remarks about members of his staff. He added that serious sanctions would follow were he to be disobeyed". (Source)

I would love to be the fly on the wall...

Judge Kicks Reporters Out of Courtroom to Talk to Trump and AG

Justice Arthur F. Engoron also issued a gag order against Trump earlier in the day after the former president attacked one of his law clerks on social media.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[ATeam]

I would love to be the fly on the wall...

Judge Kicks Reporters Out of Courtroom to Talk to Trump and AG

Justice Arthur F. Engoron also issued a gag order against Trump earlier in the day after the former president attacked one of his law clerks on social media.

www.thedailybeast.com

I just saw a report from a reporter who was in the courtroom after the closed meeting and as the gag order was issued. He said Trump posted the offending post just before the Court broke for lunch. The closed meeting happened during lunch and led to a delay of the Court opening again to the public after lunch.

When reporters were allowed back in court, Trump had taken down the offending post. And the judge's demeanor had noticeably changed. Departing from his usual manner, the judge was very stern as he issued his gag order.

It seems Trump hit a nerve when he went after the judge's clerk, and Trump will be seriously sanctioned if he does it again. The judge spoke very clearly. "Personal attacks on members of my staff are unacceptable, inappropriate and I will not tolerate them in any circumstances. Consider this statement a gag order ...," he said.

For the second time ever, Trump has been gagged by a judge. It is interesting to see that Trump immediately removed the offending post and he said NOTHING publicly about the clerk or the gag order when he next talked to the press.

You can be sure Judge Chutkan is watching with great interest. Next week, or later this week, she is holding a hearing to consider a gag order for Trump in the federal election subversion case. What she saw today was bully Trump become coward Trump when he was confronted by an angry judge and directly threatened with sanctions. Trump's response was to immediately and meekly comply. And there was little to no public outcry about Trump's freedom of speech.

Or if there was an outcry, it was drowned out by today's news of McCarthy's ouster news. Either way, it has no impact.

The first time Trump was gagged by a judge happened a week or so ago when a Colorado state court judge gagged him too. As far as I know, Trump has complied with that order as well.

 

[muttly]

Interesting Questions RE Bench Trial

• Did Trump intentionally request a bench trial as the paperwork indicates?
• Did his attorneys request a bench trial as the paperwork indicates but without asking or telling Trump?
• Did Trump and his attorneys actually want a jury trial but got a bench trial instead because they mistakenly checked the wrong box?

Legal-expert commentators are astounded that Trump and/or his legal team requested a bench trial. Some say it is legal malpractice for Trump's attorneys to decline a jury trial and choose a bench trial instead. The answers to the above questions are available. The people who completed and signed off on the form know exactly what happened. But if they say nothing, we're all left to wonder.

I don't believe for one second that a mistake was made on the paperwork. With Trump hiring "the best people" for his legal team, and the high stakes associated with this trial, there is no way the form would have been submitted without being proofread multiple times. The box that was checked was intentionally checked. Trump got a bench trial because that's exactly what he and/or his legal team (and also the AG) asked for.


View attachment 23065

Fake News. Apparently they weren’t able to choose a jury trial, per statute.

https://www.newsmax.com/politics/andrew-napolitano-newsmax-donald-trump/2023/10/03/id/1136781/

 

[ATeam]

Fake News. Apparently they weren’t able to choose a jury trial, per statute.

On the form, pictured in my post above, what it the check box about if not a choice between a jury trial and a bench trial?

I agree with you, Trump did not end up with a bench trial by mistake. But as far as i can tell from the form that was actually filed, they did have a choice.

 

[muttly]

On the form, pictured in my post above, what it the check box about if not a choice between a jury trial and a bench trial?

I agree with you, Trump did not end up with a bench trial by mistake. But as far as i can tell from the form that was actually filed, they did have a choice.

Could be a standard form cover sheet with choices on it. But they checked box because they knew there wasn’t a choice per statute.

 

[ATeam]

Could be a standard form cover sheet with choices on it. But they checked box because they knew there wasn’t a choice per statute.

Or it could be exactly as the form choice suggests. I won't quibble about this. We both agree it was not a mistake that Trump ended up with a bench trial.

 

[ATeam]

Posted by a Republican on Twitter Today

Since Trump, the GOP has gone from:

34 to 26 governorships
68 to 57 state legislative chambers
241 to 222 House seats
52 to 49 Senate seats
1 President to no President
All we do is lose.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709365446120755391

Add to that 1 House Speaker to no Speaker (until the next one is elected).

 

[muttly]

Trump hasn’t been President for almost 3 years.