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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
April 25, 2024
When Scott Hoen ran to be Carson City, Nevada’s chief election official two years ago, he campaigned on “election integrity,” promising to make sure voter registration lists were accurate.
In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, he believed that too many of his fellow Republicans were convinced that there was widespread voter fraud. By keeping voter rolls current, Hoen thought he could restore voter trust in his county’s election system.
He won. And every day since he took office, he and his staff have tried to keep that focus, using data from all levels of government to remove voters who have moved or died from the active voter list.
....(snip)....
The Nevada lawsuit is just one example of the tactics Republicans and conservative activists are using ahead of November’s presidential election, as they seek to purge voter rolls of allegedly ineligible voters. The efforts have election experts worried about voter access. ................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/25/republicans-scrutinize-voting-rolls-and-ramp-up-for-mass-challenges-ahead-of-election/
Republicans scrutinize voting rolls and ramp up for mass challenges ahead of election
When Scott Hoen ran to be Carson City, Nevada’s chief election official two years ago, he campaigned on “election integrity,” promising to make sure voter registration lists were accurate.
In the chaotic aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, he believed that too many of his fellow Republicans were convinced that there was widespread voter fraud. By keeping voter rolls current, Hoen thought he could restore voter trust in his county’s election system.
He won. And every day since he took office, he and his staff have tried to keep that focus, using data from all levels of government to remove voters who have moved or died from the active voter list.
....(snip)....
The Nevada lawsuit is just one example of the tactics Republicans and conservative activists are using ahead of November’s presidential election, as they seek to purge voter rolls of allegedly ineligible voters. The efforts have election experts worried about voter access. ................(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/25/republicans-scrutinize-voting-rolls-and-ramp-up-for-mass-challenges-ahead-of-election/
April 25, 2024
(Michigan Advance) As Tuesday’s campaign filing deadline has passed, the races for the Aug. 6 primary election are beginning to take shape with all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives on the ballot.
Democrats currently hold a narrow 56-54 advantage in the House. As the party also controls the Senate and all top executive posts, Republicans are looking to take back the chamber this fall to serve as a check on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s power.
....(snip)....
Incumbents face primary challenges
Overall, 36 members of the House who are seeking reelection could have one or more opponents in the primary, with 18 Democrats and 18 Republicans potentially facing a challenger in August.
....(snip)....
Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) could be up against three other candidates in August in the 9th District: Bobby Christian, R.M. Nelson and Lory Renea Parks. On the Republican side of the ballot is Michele Lundgren, one of the 15 individuals charged for submitting a false slate of electoral votes for Donald Trump following the 2020 election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden. ..............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/25/with-michigans-house-seats-back-on-the-ballot-in-2024-here-are-the-key-races-to-watch/
With Michigan's House seats back on the ballot in 2024, here are the key races to watch
(Michigan Advance) As Tuesday’s campaign filing deadline has passed, the races for the Aug. 6 primary election are beginning to take shape with all 110 seats in the Michigan House of Representatives on the ballot.
Democrats currently hold a narrow 56-54 advantage in the House. As the party also controls the Senate and all top executive posts, Republicans are looking to take back the chamber this fall to serve as a check on Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s power.
....(snip)....
Incumbents face primary challenges
Overall, 36 members of the House who are seeking reelection could have one or more opponents in the primary, with 18 Democrats and 18 Republicans potentially facing a challenger in August.
....(snip)....
Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit) could be up against three other candidates in August in the 9th District: Bobby Christian, R.M. Nelson and Lory Renea Parks. On the Republican side of the ballot is Michele Lundgren, one of the 15 individuals charged for submitting a false slate of electoral votes for Donald Trump following the 2020 election, which Trump lost to President Joe Biden. ..............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/25/with-michigans-house-seats-back-on-the-ballot-in-2024-here-are-the-key-races-to-watch/
April 25, 2024
"Where's Melania?": Missing wife is why Trump's lawyers can't pull off the "family man" defense
National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that Trump's wife was the last thing on his mind
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 25, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) In his opening statement in the People v. Donald Trump, defense attorney Todd Blanche told the Manhattan jury to gaze upon the criminal defendant and see a devoted family man. "He’s a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father," Blanche said of the former president accused of election interference. "He’s a person just like you and just like me." Hamfisted as it may be, it was a play by Blanche to distance his cranky, often sleepy client from what promised to be days, if not weeks, of testimony detailing a tawdry conspiracy to pay hush money to an adult film actress in order to cover up what sounds like rampant adultery.
There are many obvious pitfalls in this effort to recast Trump in the image of a suburban sitcom dad. The biggest might be one very noticeable absence in the courtroom. As a reporter who was pointedly ignored by Trump asked on Tuesday: "Where's Melania?"
It's not just the failed fashion model-turned-Mrs. Trump #3 who hasn't shown up in support. None of Trump's five children, or their spouses, have stood by his side in court, either. His two adult sons would rather spend time screening hypothetical future political appointments for "loyalty" than bother to show their father any in-person care at court. His eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is posting photos of her fancy vacations rather than staying in New York with her father.
....(snip)....
Trump's alienation is both very funny and deeply satisfying, but it also points to a much bigger legal problem for him: The near-impossibility of pulling off what is often called the "John Edwards defense." The former Democratic presidential candidate was indicted in 2011 for having donors pay off his mistress to keep quiet not just about the affair, but the child the two shared. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed by the FBI during its investigation, as I briefly worked for the Edwards campaign. It was an uneventful interview since I knew nothing about the affair or the payments.) Edwards was ultimately acquitted, in part because he successfully argued the payments were more about hiding his secret from his dying wife than helping him win an election. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/25/wheres-melania-missing-wife-is-why-lawyers-cant-pull-off-the-family-man-defense/
"Where's Melania?"
"Where's Melania?": Missing wife is why Trump's lawyers can't pull off the "family man" defense
National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that Trump's wife was the last thing on his mind
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 25, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) In his opening statement in the People v. Donald Trump, defense attorney Todd Blanche told the Manhattan jury to gaze upon the criminal defendant and see a devoted family man. "He’s a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father," Blanche said of the former president accused of election interference. "He’s a person just like you and just like me." Hamfisted as it may be, it was a play by Blanche to distance his cranky, often sleepy client from what promised to be days, if not weeks, of testimony detailing a tawdry conspiracy to pay hush money to an adult film actress in order to cover up what sounds like rampant adultery.
There are many obvious pitfalls in this effort to recast Trump in the image of a suburban sitcom dad. The biggest might be one very noticeable absence in the courtroom. As a reporter who was pointedly ignored by Trump asked on Tuesday: "Where's Melania?"
It's not just the failed fashion model-turned-Mrs. Trump #3 who hasn't shown up in support. None of Trump's five children, or their spouses, have stood by his side in court, either. His two adult sons would rather spend time screening hypothetical future political appointments for "loyalty" than bother to show their father any in-person care at court. His eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is posting photos of her fancy vacations rather than staying in New York with her father.
....(snip)....
Trump's alienation is both very funny and deeply satisfying, but it also points to a much bigger legal problem for him: The near-impossibility of pulling off what is often called the "John Edwards defense." The former Democratic presidential candidate was indicted in 2011 for having donors pay off his mistress to keep quiet not just about the affair, but the child the two shared. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed by the FBI during its investigation, as I briefly worked for the Edwards campaign. It was an uneventful interview since I knew nothing about the affair or the payments.) Edwards was ultimately acquitted, in part because he successfully argued the payments were more about hiding his secret from his dying wife than helping him win an election. ................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/25/wheres-melania-missing-wife-is-why-lawyers-cant-pull-off-the-family-man-defense/
April 25, 2024
(Salon) In a preliminary hearing on 15 Republicans who had been indicted on charges of election forgery for their plot to send illegitimate electors to the electoral vote count on January 6, 2021, a state investigator unveiled that Donald Trump, alongside advisor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, were considered unindicted co-conspirators in the case.
The revelation came as an attorney for alleged fake elector Michele Lundgren questioned Howard Shock, an investigator at the Michigan Attorney General’s office, on other conspirators in the case.
"Finally, former President Donald Trump?" Silverthorn asked, per ABC News.
"Yes," Shock said under oath. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/and-giuliani-named-unindicted-co-conspirators-in-michigan-fake-elector-plot/?in_brief=true
Trump and Giuliani named unindicted co-conspirators in Michigan fake elector plot
(Salon) In a preliminary hearing on 15 Republicans who had been indicted on charges of election forgery for their plot to send illegitimate electors to the electoral vote count on January 6, 2021, a state investigator unveiled that Donald Trump, alongside advisor Rudy Giuliani and former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, were considered unindicted co-conspirators in the case.
The revelation came as an attorney for alleged fake elector Michele Lundgren questioned Howard Shock, an investigator at the Michigan Attorney General’s office, on other conspirators in the case.
"Finally, former President Donald Trump?" Silverthorn asked, per ABC News.
"Yes," Shock said under oath. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/and-giuliani-named-unindicted-co-conspirators-in-michigan-fake-elector-plot/?in_brief=true
April 25, 2024
(Detroit News) Lansing — Former President Donald Trump and some of his top aides were co-conspirators in the plot to submit a certificate falsely claiming he won Michigan's 2020 election, an investigator for Attorney General Dana Nessel's office testified Wednesday, as new details of the effort to prosecute the alleged scheme took shape in two battleground states.
Howard Shock, a special agent for Nessel, said Trump; Mark Meadows, who was Trump's chief of staff; and Rudy Giuliani, who was his personal lawyer, are considered "unindicted co-conspirators" in Michigan's false elector case. Shock's comments came the same day that 11 Arizona Republican electors and seven other Trump allies, including Meadows and Giuliani, were indicted in Arizona.
In total, over the last two days, Shock, the Michigan investigator, identified 11 conspirators who haven't been charged with a crime. That means Michigan prosecutors believe they participated, to some extent, in an alleged scheme to commit forgery by creating a false document asserting Trump had won Michigan's 16 electoral votes when Democrat Joe Biden had won them.
Shock's testimony highlighted the sixth day of preliminary examinations in Ingham County District Court as Nessel's office pursues felony charges against a group of Republican activists who signed the certificate of votes claiming Trump won. ..............(more)
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/04/24/donald-trump-unindicted-co-conspirator-in-false-electors-plot-michigan-rudy-giuliani-mark-meadows/73420368007/
Trump is a co-conspirator in Michigan's 2020 false electors plot, state investigator says
(Detroit News) Lansing — Former President Donald Trump and some of his top aides were co-conspirators in the plot to submit a certificate falsely claiming he won Michigan's 2020 election, an investigator for Attorney General Dana Nessel's office testified Wednesday, as new details of the effort to prosecute the alleged scheme took shape in two battleground states.
Howard Shock, a special agent for Nessel, said Trump; Mark Meadows, who was Trump's chief of staff; and Rudy Giuliani, who was his personal lawyer, are considered "unindicted co-conspirators" in Michigan's false elector case. Shock's comments came the same day that 11 Arizona Republican electors and seven other Trump allies, including Meadows and Giuliani, were indicted in Arizona.
In total, over the last two days, Shock, the Michigan investigator, identified 11 conspirators who haven't been charged with a crime. That means Michigan prosecutors believe they participated, to some extent, in an alleged scheme to commit forgery by creating a false document asserting Trump had won Michigan's 16 electoral votes when Democrat Joe Biden had won them.
Shock's testimony highlighted the sixth day of preliminary examinations in Ingham County District Court as Nessel's office pursues felony charges against a group of Republican activists who signed the certificate of votes claiming Trump won. ..............(more)
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2024/04/24/donald-trump-unindicted-co-conspirator-in-false-electors-plot-michigan-rudy-giuliani-mark-meadows/73420368007/
April 24, 2024
( Detroit Metro Times) Racist and pro-Nazi messages appeared on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
A group dubbed “White Lives Matter Michigan” took credit for the signs in Hazel Park, Mount Clemens, and Brownstown.
“White Lives Matter Michigan permeated censorship to obtain three roadside billboards throughout Southeastern Michigan to dog-whistle morale boosting messages to pro-Whites for this 4/20 Day of Action!” the group tweeted Saturday. ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/racist-messages-splashed-across-billboards-in-metro-detroit-on-hitlers-birthday-36078810
Racist billboards appeared across metro Detroit on Hitler's birthday
( Detroit Metro Times) Racist and pro-Nazi messages appeared on at least three digital billboards in metro Detroit over the weekend to celebrate Adolf Hitler’s birthday.
A group dubbed “White Lives Matter Michigan” took credit for the signs in Hazel Park, Mount Clemens, and Brownstown.
“White Lives Matter Michigan permeated censorship to obtain three roadside billboards throughout Southeastern Michigan to dog-whistle morale boosting messages to pro-Whites for this 4/20 Day of Action!” the group tweeted Saturday. ...........(more)
https://www.metrotimes.com/news/racist-messages-splashed-across-billboards-in-metro-detroit-on-hitlers-birthday-36078810
April 24, 2024
(Michigan Advance) Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee on Friday announced a “100,000 person strong” program designed to harass election officials and their employees and discredit democracy in Nevada and a dozen other states.
In a statement announcing its Orwellian named “election integrity program,” the RNC said it is “establishing a robust network of monitoring, and protection against any violation or fraud.”
Neither the RNC, Trump, nor anyone else has ever provided any evidence of fraud that would have altered results of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
....(snip)....
The RNC’s announcement issued Friday is loaded with hyperbole and innuendo about “voter fraud,” and a “rigged” election, but refers to no evidence of either. That’s not surprising. To reiterate, the courts and election officials in state after state, including Nevada’s then-Secretary of State, Republican Barbara Cegavske, found no evidence that the 2020 election was “rigged.” .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/23/trump-rnc-promise-aggressive-election-interference-in-battleground-states/
Trump, RNC promise 'aggressive' election interference in battleground states
(Michigan Advance) Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee on Friday announced a “100,000 person strong” program designed to harass election officials and their employees and discredit democracy in Nevada and a dozen other states.
In a statement announcing its Orwellian named “election integrity program,” the RNC said it is “establishing a robust network of monitoring, and protection against any violation or fraud.”
Neither the RNC, Trump, nor anyone else has ever provided any evidence of fraud that would have altered results of the 2020 election that Trump lost to Joe Biden.
....(snip)....
The RNC’s announcement issued Friday is loaded with hyperbole and innuendo about “voter fraud,” and a “rigged” election, but refers to no evidence of either. That’s not surprising. To reiterate, the courts and election officials in state after state, including Nevada’s then-Secretary of State, Republican Barbara Cegavske, found no evidence that the 2020 election was “rigged.” .............(more)
https://michiganadvance.com/2024/04/23/trump-rnc-promise-aggressive-election-interference-in-battleground-states/
April 24, 2024
Donald Trump has neutered Republicans' power to sabotage Joe Biden
It also doesn't hurt that Democrats in Congress have held unprecedentedly united
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While most of the country was riveted by recaps of Donald Trump's sordid hush-money trial on Tuesday, something amazing was happening in Washington: the Senate debated and then passed the national security package that's been consuming the Capitol for the last six months. With a lopsided vote of 79-18, the bills with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan among some other things will soon be signed by the president and behind us. Notably, there is no increased funding for the border because Donald Trump ordered the Republicans to reject it so that he could keep demagoguing the issue during the campaign. Nevertheless, Tuesday's vote is a big win for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
The GOP infighting has escalated in the wake of the House's months-long tantrum led by the far-right extremists who seemed to truly believe that they could hold their breath until they turned blue and they would eventually get everything they wanted. Leading MAGA rebel Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left town without calling for Speaker Mike Johnson to vacate the chair, demanding instead that he resign, which isn't going to happen. Podcaster Steve Bannon and a couple of fellow right-wing sad sacks — Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Az. — joined the call but it's clear that however frustrated some of them might be there is no appetite in the House GOP for any more internecine fights, at least for the moment. And the rest of the party is obviously sick of the kooks.
....(snip)....
It's been a bad run for Trump and for Greene these past few weeks. But you know who's having a great run? President Joe Biden. His poll numbers are edging up but the general election still looks incomprehensibly tight considering how much policy success the president has had with a Congress that is so dysfunctional. Somehow he and the Democrats have made it work for them.
I think we're all familiar with Biden's big legislative wins in the first two years: the American Rescue Plan, which set the table for a very positive economic recovery, a big infrastructure bill that is just now coming online all over the country, the first major gun safety bill in decades, capping prescription drug costs for seniors and much more. And it was all done with razor-thin majorities in both chambers. Most pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan votes despite what is arguably the most toxic political environment since the 1850s. It was a remarkable feat but I think most observers assumed that it was going to be the end of it when Republicans managed to eke out a tiny victory and flip control of the House in 2022. How could anything get done with Donald Trump pulling the strings and crazed right-wing extremists dominating the caucus? ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/donald-has-neutered-republicans-power-to-sabotage-joe-biden/
Trump fumes, GOP caves and Biden wins
Donald Trump has neutered Republicans' power to sabotage Joe Biden
It also doesn't hurt that Democrats in Congress have held unprecedentedly united
By HEATHER DIGBY PARTON
Columnist
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) While most of the country was riveted by recaps of Donald Trump's sordid hush-money trial on Tuesday, something amazing was happening in Washington: the Senate debated and then passed the national security package that's been consuming the Capitol for the last six months. With a lopsided vote of 79-18, the bills with aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan among some other things will soon be signed by the president and behind us. Notably, there is no increased funding for the border because Donald Trump ordered the Republicans to reject it so that he could keep demagoguing the issue during the campaign. Nevertheless, Tuesday's vote is a big win for President Joe Biden and the Democrats.
The GOP infighting has escalated in the wake of the House's months-long tantrum led by the far-right extremists who seemed to truly believe that they could hold their breath until they turned blue and they would eventually get everything they wanted. Leading MAGA rebel Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left town without calling for Speaker Mike Johnson to vacate the chair, demanding instead that he resign, which isn't going to happen. Podcaster Steve Bannon and a couple of fellow right-wing sad sacks — Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Paul Gosar, R-Az. — joined the call but it's clear that however frustrated some of them might be there is no appetite in the House GOP for any more internecine fights, at least for the moment. And the rest of the party is obviously sick of the kooks.
....(snip)....
It's been a bad run for Trump and for Greene these past few weeks. But you know who's having a great run? President Joe Biden. His poll numbers are edging up but the general election still looks incomprehensibly tight considering how much policy success the president has had with a Congress that is so dysfunctional. Somehow he and the Democrats have made it work for them.
I think we're all familiar with Biden's big legislative wins in the first two years: the American Rescue Plan, which set the table for a very positive economic recovery, a big infrastructure bill that is just now coming online all over the country, the first major gun safety bill in decades, capping prescription drug costs for seniors and much more. And it was all done with razor-thin majorities in both chambers. Most pieces of legislation passed with bipartisan votes despite what is arguably the most toxic political environment since the 1850s. It was a remarkable feat but I think most observers assumed that it was going to be the end of it when Republicans managed to eke out a tiny victory and flip control of the House in 2022. How could anything get done with Donald Trump pulling the strings and crazed right-wing extremists dominating the caucus? ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/donald-has-neutered-republicans-power-to-sabotage-joe-biden/
April 24, 2024
It's not just that Fox News told them entering New York results in instant murder
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 5:56AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump can't decide how he wants his supporters to feel about the scene outside of the Manhattan courtroom where he's being tried on 34 felony indictments for election interference and business fraud. He repeatedly argues that the city he travels through with a daily motorcade to his trial is a war zone. "Violent criminals that are murdering people, killing people" are free to "do whatever they want," he's falsely claimed, blasting District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "lazy on violent crime" because he's supposedly too focused on prosecuting Trump.
....(snip)....
On Monday, Trump begged his followers on Truth Social to "RALLY BEHIND MAGA" at courthouses, unsubtly suggesting that they model themselves after the mostly imaginary leftist rioters who "scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want." When the MAGA hats failed to show, Trump tried to inspire them with a post complaining that it's "SO UNFAIR!!!" that he doesn't get throngs of people like the kind seen at the anti-war protest up the street at Columbia University. Outside of a few scattered people with pro-Trump signs, though, the mob he longed for never showed. So he took his pleas to the cameras outside of the courthouse Tuesday morning:
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1782764365629820951
What's especially funny about all this is Trump can't quite admit that his people just aren't showing up. So he keeps blaming the barricades and the police presence. His lies got to the level of childish make-believe on Tuesday afternoon, as he falsely claimed on Truth Social that "Thousands of people were turned away from the Courthouse" and denied he "was disappointed by the crowds." Of course, by fantasizing about a massive caravan rallied to his defense, he proved he is not satisfied with reality.
....(snip)....
https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1782764091565617503
Perhaps the reason is they really are too scared to go into the city, after imbibing years of lies that New York is a war zone. I'd wager it is mostly because, despite the horror show on January 6, 2021, it turns out that most of MAGA is not actually as gung-ho to risk injury, prison or even death just because Dear Leader commands it. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/keeps-begging-for-a-rally-behind-maga--but-his-supporters-arent-showing-up-to/
Trump keeps begging for a "rally behind MAGA" -- but his supporters aren't showing up to court
Trump keeps begging for a "rally behind MAGA" — but his supporters aren't showing up to courtIt's not just that Fox News told them entering New York results in instant murder
By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 24, 2024 5:56AM (EDT)
(Salon) Donald Trump can't decide how he wants his supporters to feel about the scene outside of the Manhattan courtroom where he's being tried on 34 felony indictments for election interference and business fraud. He repeatedly argues that the city he travels through with a daily motorcade to his trial is a war zone. "Violent criminals that are murdering people, killing people" are free to "do whatever they want," he's falsely claimed, blasting District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "lazy on violent crime" because he's supposedly too focused on prosecuting Trump.
....(snip)....
On Monday, Trump begged his followers on Truth Social to "RALLY BEHIND MAGA" at courthouses, unsubtly suggesting that they model themselves after the mostly imaginary leftist rioters who "scream, shout, sit, block traffic, enter buildings, not get permits, and basically do whatever they want." When the MAGA hats failed to show, Trump tried to inspire them with a post complaining that it's "SO UNFAIR!!!" that he doesn't get throngs of people like the kind seen at the anti-war protest up the street at Columbia University. Outside of a few scattered people with pro-Trump signs, though, the mob he longed for never showed. So he took his pleas to the cameras outside of the courthouse Tuesday morning:
https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1782764365629820951
What's especially funny about all this is Trump can't quite admit that his people just aren't showing up. So he keeps blaming the barricades and the police presence. His lies got to the level of childish make-believe on Tuesday afternoon, as he falsely claimed on Truth Social that "Thousands of people were turned away from the Courthouse" and denied he "was disappointed by the crowds." Of course, by fantasizing about a massive caravan rallied to his defense, he proved he is not satisfied with reality.
....(snip)....
https://twitter.com/VaughnHillyard/status/1782764091565617503
Perhaps the reason is they really are too scared to go into the city, after imbibing years of lies that New York is a war zone. I'd wager it is mostly because, despite the horror show on January 6, 2021, it turns out that most of MAGA is not actually as gung-ho to risk injury, prison or even death just because Dear Leader commands it. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/24/keeps-begging-for-a-rally-behind-maga--but-his-supporters-arent-showing-up-to/
April 24, 2024
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"Now's the time to cut your losses": Former Trump prosecutor outlines potential "win-win situation"
"All you have to do is agree to be a regular citizen from now on and concentrate on your businesses"
By CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 23, 2024 6:38AM (EDT)
(Salon) This is the second week of former president Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial in Manhattan for allegedly engaging in a hush-money scheme to conceal his adulterous relationship with adult film actress Stormy Daniels (legal scholar Norm Eisen has more accurately described this first trial as being about the crime of election interference).
....(snip)....
In an attempt to better understand what is likely to happen next in Donald Trump’s first criminal trial, the strategies the prosecution and defense will likely use, what would happen if a so-called “Trump sleeper agent” infiltrated the jury in order to rig the outcome, and why the corrupt ex-president should take a plea deal in exchange for agreeing to drop out of the 2024 election and leaving public life, I recently spoke with Kenneth McCallion. He is a former Justice Department prosecutor who also worked for the New York attorney general's office as a prosecutor on Trump-related racketeering cases. McCallion's books include the companion pieces "Profiles in Courage in the Trump Era" and "Profiles in Cowardice in the Trump Era," as well as "Treason & Betrayal: The Rise and Fall of Individual-1."
....(snip)....
One of the prospective jurors told reporters that seeing Donald Trump in court diminished him in her eyes. He didn’t have all the cameras and fanfare around him. He was just a regular person to her. Seeing him in that light surprised her. Is that a common response in your experience with organized crime figures for example?
I've had experiences where the head of organized crime families first walk into the courtroom with their chest outs and chin up like a mafia boss is supposed to act in real life or on TV. But when the evidence starts coming in, and the jurors know that the courtroom is quite secure, and there are marshals in the vicinity who are ready to pounce on anyone who might threaten the judge or jurors, then they start feeling more comfortable. The jurors focus on the evidence, not the man, and not the histrionics and theatrics of the courtroom. They have confidence in the system to keep them secure. The jurors also keep getting reminded of their obligations and the very unique position they are in to decide the facts of the case and render a guilty or not guilty verdict. As Trump's trial advances, the jurors are going to get much more comfortable and focused on their duties.
....(snip)....
How is the defense likely going to proceed?How is the defense likely going to proceed?
.....It's all very tough for Trump because he's in the middle of a presidential campaign. If this was just an organized crime case, there would come a point where he would clutch his chest like he was having a heart attack and needed to be rushed to the hospital. But that would hurt Trump's presidential campaign. The only way he can really save himself is to get a mistrial declared, or make a deal that Nixon’s vice president, Spiro Agnew, made to avoid doing prison time. He would have to agree to withdraw from politics and salvage what he can of his foundering businesses. But Trump is between a rock and a hard place, His ego will not let him to withdraw from the presidential campaign as part of a plea deal, and he can’t fake a health emergency would make him look old and feeble compared to President Biden. Trump really is in a tough spot. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2024/04/23/nows-the-time-to-cut-your-losses-former-prosecutor-outlines-potential-win-win-situation/
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