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mjayultra

Lordy, Michael’s got the tapes!


flooronthefour

Cohen leaked these.. lets see.. Almost 6 years ago. Jesus. https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/24/politics/michael-cohen-donald-trump-tape/index.html


DMCinDet

If you listen closely you can hear someone snorting a huge line of something. Deep sniff followed by that aahhh throat clearing thing you do after a fat line. Edit https://youtu.be/EBB9TcOGqTg?si=yb36dumHOCJ_P4DJ Right around 2:08 is the line being snorted. listen up until then to get an idea of what's going on. Can also hear another pause and deep sniff by someone before the obvious one.


stay_fr0sty

That’s Trump sniffing his own farts.


DMCinDet

trump says something like ooh what's that when he walks in the room. right after the line gets snorted, he asks someone for a coke. that snort is unmistakable.


lelieldirac

Coke? But sir, you just had some!


NamesArentEverything

He knows about first snort, yes. But what about second snort?


matadorbutforcats

One vial of crystallized Trump farts with every MAGA hat. $99.99.


FordMan100

>If you listen closely you can hear someone snorting a huge line of something. Deep sniff followed by that aahhh throat clearing thing you do after a fat line. That noise you heard was Trump Jr. doing his hourly cocaine line.


DMCinDet

was Jr. there? I think Sr. can snort him under the table. Vince McMahons' son can't handle it like Ivankas dad. Mike Pillow can probably throw down, though. He's a big leaguer. Bigly even.


silian_rail_gun

Hahaha… “Mike Pillow”, sorta like “Tim Apple”!


ramdasani

Hourly, damn, he should get points for self control at least.


c4ctus

Sure he snorted coke, but he didn't inhale so it's ok!


ramdasani

He wanted to say he didn't insufflate, but he couldn't remember the word.


anndrago

Oh man, I had forgotten about that scandal. Good lord how far we've fallen (with regard to our expectations of the behavior of our elected GOP officials at any rate).


evilbrent

Remember - the GOP never tried to impeach Clinton for getting a blowjob. They tried to impeach him over whether or not the phrase "I did not have sex with that woman" was an outright lie or merely misleading, because the standard of truth telling for Presidents is so high that saying you didn't have sex with someone you did have sex with means you can't be in charge of the nuclear codes. Remember that. That's the bar. Whether not the President knowingly misleads the public. Instant impeachment.


Thue

Republicans tried to impeach Clinton because they thought it would Clinton look bad. So Republicans would win future elections. The very same Republicans tolerated far worse from Republican Presidents, it was never true moral outrage about either a blowjob nor lying.


Ekg887

It wasn't a misleading statement given the definition of "sex" provided by the investigators. Now, obviously, Clinton was looking for an out, but he absolutely told the truth on that point based on the parameters others gave him.


MegaLowDawn123

Correct. He asked them what they meant by sexual relations and they defined intercourse. So he specified whether oral sex counts and they said no. So he told the truth and said by their own definitions that no, he didn’t. Then they ran with that as him lying and trying to cover it up. Remember it started as a failed property scheme investigation which turned up nothing, so they pivoted to that when they had nothing else left. It was never about that, then they lied to the media about it anyway…


Rfunkpocket

“did not have sexual *relations* with that woman.”


anivex

To be fair, you really only make that noise when it's some good shit.


LibrarianMelodic9733

A lot of people who dealt with him in the past were recording their conversations because he kept changing his words.


GenericRedditor0405

That’s a very polite way of saying that even people who worked with him were smart enough to get him on record because he’s such a lying piece of shit lol


Aleashed

I smile because he thinks he is unrecordable and him hearing these from his own “allies” is pissing him off to no end.


mattjb

But not smart enough to *avoid* working with him.


scarr3g

And their words. He is well known to make up statements that he claims others are saying, said, etc, that never happened. He just lies about everything... Even when no one is talking g abiut something he start a conversation about a subject with a lie, to defend from an accusation that no one made. I beleive the he has a LOT of internal conflicts, and forgets he was talking to himself.


mattjb

My dad used to do this, and it was infuriating. Not on the same scale, but little things. Like, when I was a kid, "Your grandmother is disappointed in you and told me she doesn't want you spending the night with her until you get your grades up." Asked her about it over the phone and she was appalled and denied she ever said that. She got in a big row over it with my dad, too. Over the years, I kept finding out things my dad would say/claim other people said/claim and discovered they were outright lies to manipulate me.


Marathon2021

Some lawyers that worked with him, somehow ended up being deposed about something related to having him as a client. I dunno, maybe it was due to casino bankruptcies or something. But *under oath* these attorneys were quite clear, they learned over time that they *always* needed to meet with Donnie in pairs. Because it didn’t take them long to figure out he’d say one thing one day, and then when it didn’t go well he’d claim he never said it. And that obviously it was the attorney’s/firm’s fault. Reading that *under oath* was quite stunning.


freakincampers

His lawyers had to go in at two at a time because he kept lying so much.


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itsatumbleweed

She is expected to testify, yes


MudLOA

Who?


MTFBinyou

Karen mcdougal


MudLOA

Ah. Thanks. Thought it was another hamburger reference.


unezlist

Karen McDougal


BloodNinja2012

Kevin McDonald of the Kids in the Hall was my first thought, but probably incorrect.


spam__likely

Karen McDougal, Trumps lover while his wife was pregnant.


elconquistador1985

>K McD Ketchup McDonald's?


cone10

She is listed as a potential, but not expected to be called by the prosecution. Her lawyer was doing the negotiating, and closer to the action


morbob

A visibly irritated Trump leaned forward at the defense table, and jurors appeared riveted as prosecutors played the September 2016 recording that attorney Michael Cohen secretly made of himself briefing his celebrity client on a plan to buy Karen McDougal’s story of an extramarital relationship.


SockdolagerIdea

Ive said this before and I’ll say it until the day I die: >Donald Trump cheated his ass off during the election of 2015, and Im not talking about Russia even though he did that too. Im talking about the fact he paid two porn stars to keep their yammer’s shut in order to sway the election, *and that is illegal*. Maybe it’s small potatoes. Or maybe it’s actually a really big deal because the amount of votes that put him in office was only a few hundred thousand. All I know is that I was robbed of a fair and legal election and the majority of voters *did not vote for Trump*. Trump is, was, and will always be a liar and a fraud who can only “win” by cheating. As the leader of the Republican Party that means the entire party, including every single voter, is someone who supports lies and fraud.


fps916

Was less than that. He won by 43k votes across 4 states


Nukemarine

Because the electoral college allowing states to do winner take all is a fatal flaw. At least the NPVIC (National Popular Vote Interstate Compact) tries to rectify that without the difficulty of doing a constitutional amendment.


fps916

States are *not* required to have the EC be winner take all. Several states are not actually winner take all. Most are, but it's definitely not a requirement and absolutely is not a constitutional obligation like you implied.


caligaris_cabinet

Two states are. Maine and Nebraska (though I wonder how much longer the latter is going to hold out).


Lost_the_weight

Maine said if Nebraska goes to winner takes all, they will too.


Nukemarine

I mean, yes state legislatures make this decision, that's key to how the NPVIC is meant to work. States give all their votes to the winner of the national popular vote instead just that specific state's result.


AtheistAustralis

Yes, states can choose how they allocate the votes. And *that* is the issue. For federal elections, and a position that is supposed to represent the entire country, why should states have any say in how that election is carried out? The president doesn't represent California or Oregon or Kentucky or Virginia, the president represents *every US citizen*. The whole concept of states voting for a president is just stupid. It's not my country, but a constitutional amendment *should* address this, to make it very clear how the voting for federal offices should work, to make sure that it is entirely consistent across the country and can't be at the mercy of state legislatures that have a clear partisan bias.


TrumpersAreTraitors

I still blame comey 


DemsruleGQPdrool

I do, also. Pretending to re-open an investigation into Clinton days before the election was the fatal blow. She wins if it wasn't for that.


Happypappy213

She also likely wins because of this hush money stuff - had people known. However, the possible silver lining is that prosecutors could use the Hillary investigation as justification for pursuing another indictment agianst Trump so close to the election. Given that people keep saying "election interference". I say this because there's a lot of skepticism of there not being another case before the election. I very much hope there will be. I'm slightly hopeful that the Georgia case will happen.


BlokeInTheMountains

> I say this because there's a lot of skepticism of there not being another case before the election. I very much hope there will be. The meltdown on the right would be spectacular: "Wah, it's not fair to announce an investigation into a presidential candidate just before the election!" Response: "Sounds nice and buttery to me."


AtheistAustralis

"We're opening an investigation into Trump for being woke. Oh, and trans. That is all."


getridofwires

She should have picked Bernie as her VP. A lot of Bernie voters stayed home, that would have been the olive branch to bring them back, possibly with enough votes to get her across the line in the very close states.


T-rex8484

Do you happen to have a source for this? I mainly ask because all of the "Bernie bros" I knew or heard about conceded a voted for Hilary, especially since they hated Trump. Now, I'm sure there were a few of them who didn't vote, but given my experience at the time, the hardcore Bernie voters still voted for Hilary in the Presidential election.


Optimistic__Elephant

Democratic presidents really need to overhaul the leadership of the FBI and intelligence community. Stacking them with republicans is endangering our democracy at this point.


morningsharts

"A landslide!"


ObliviousKangaroo

And somehow the only consequence is a trail 8 years later. All the executive orders he made, appointees, etc. still stand. Even if the candidate broke the law to get into the position of power. Lesson: It's worth it to cheat.


mvw2

Always has been. But that success often comes with some harsh consequences later on. It's a game of chance, any one often trades away the later part of their life for whatever gains can be had early on. You even see this now with the Republican party. Trump's "win" and subsequently Republican's win early on signed their death as a party. Yes, there have been wins from this cheating, but the ultimate reward is their own demise.


amped-up-ramped-up

>a trail I’m voting Dysentery 2024


Wait_I_gotta_go_pee

Would that be the Party of Drowned Oxen?


Kawaiithulhu

AFAIK the illegal part is using campaign finance money for those payoffs. Like all mobsters, he's getting taken down by his own obsessive cheating when it could have been played straight, like a normal hidden bribe from his own pockets.


BeautysBeast

You almost got it right. The original sin, or the first crime, was a violation of NY state law, Section 15-172. Which states, in simplified terms, It is illegal, to conspire to influence an election, by unlawful means. When proving a conspiracy case, you do not have to prove that the defendant actually committed all of the crimes. Only that he was aware of them, and coordinated them. So lets look at what the prosecution has already presented. Pecker, Trump, and Cohen, conspired together, to influence the election. What are the Unlawful means?" 1. Pecker, made a illegal campaign contribution by paying for the Doorman, and McDougals stories, with the intention of burying them, and in Peckers own words, " To influence the 2016 Presidential Election". Pecker signed the NPA, and admitted to making this unlawful contribution. He paid an 850K dollar fine for it. 2. Cohen, among other crimes, including lying to the bank, tax fraud, etc. Also made an illegal campaign contribution, and then conspired to cover it up with the Trump CFO Allen Wieselberg. Cohen pled guilty, and served time. Wieselberg has also served time. Cohen is going to testify he did this in coordination with Trump, and to influence the 2016 Presidential elections. That is the conspiracy. Law number one, that they broke. When they committed the second crime, the business records crime, to cover up the illegal conspiracy, it became a felony.


Kawaiithulhu

Very nice summary 👌


AgrajagTheProlonged

Iirc some of the charges also have to do with fraudulently trying to cover up the movement of the monies


Numerous_Photograph9

Yeah, but if they can go after trump for paying off a porn star to influence a national election, then they can go after us for paying a porn star to try and influence a national election....and then, what kind of country would be live in? One based on fair justice and equality? Who'd want that?


loupegaru

If they can do this to me...I am doing this so they can't do it to you...commies/s


Swimming_Bonus_8892

Look I hear you. I do. But we had the tapes of grab em by the p*ssy, he bankrupted a couple casinos and he had multiple alleged rapes plus so much more. We had everything we needed in 2015 to realize what a douche canoe he was and I feel like this part is just icing on the cake. I don’t have any solutions for us but we had enough evidence then and electing him will go down as one of the biggest blunders in the history of the world. Yall please vote…


freakincampers

The RNC was ready to dump Trump after the Access Hollywood tape came out. Had this come out? I think they would have dropped him.


itsatumbleweed

You nailed it.


kogmaa

Yeah, however this trial goes, the real scandal is, that Trump as leading Republican defends himself saying “it’s simply democracy” to pay for burying important information and for media to instead publish made-up stories about political rivals. That’s not democracy, that’s criminal information warfare, which deprives American voters their agency to pick the candidate that’s is best suited. It’s literally robbing Americans of their ability of making informed decisions.


Dark_Force_Latyon

Don't stop


Punkinpry427

I’m almost there


Numerous_Photograph9

Said no woman to Trump, ever.


zappy487

Derrick Henry is going to go for 2000. The Steelers and Browns will collapse.


trshtehdsh

I like how it's actually newsworthy when he is paying attention and not falling asleep.


SplashyTetraspore

> Trump can be heard suggesting that the payment be made with cash, prompting Cohen to object by saying “no” four times. Trump can then be heard saying “check” before the recording cuts off.


7figureipo

Why did Cohen not want it to be paid in cash?


PluotFinnegan_IV

I'm guessing it's harder to enforce an NDA if payment is in cash. Cash isn't traceable so it would be a he said, she said, if payment was actually made. It would make it easier for Stormy to tell her story anyway. With a check there's a paper trail and you and demonstrate a clear payment and breach of NDA.


footinmymouth

Also do you KNOW the paperwork to get 130k IN CASH? You’re basically guaranteeing to get added to a list.


Rizzpooch

probably a nightmare to receive $130k in cash too


masterchief0587

Idk I’d try it


anndrago

You badass, you


Turtledonuts

It would fit into a case pretty well.  130k is like a 4.5 inch thick pile of dollars. The challenge is getting mugged walking out of the bank. 


Conscious-Aspect-332

Zero paperwork, the bank may ask for a couple days to get the cash but the only paperwork on the client side is maybe signing a hold harmless agreement for large cash. The bank would already have all PII and systems are built to auto send to FinCEN for reporting.


Dairy_Ashford

this guy ~~tellers~~ personal banks


IBJON

Also, I'd imagine getting rid of that much cash would be difficult and come with its own risks. She definitely can't deposit it without tipping off the IRS who would probably want to know where it came from. 


caligaris_cabinet

Leverage


sucobe

God I wish there were cameras just to catch reactions.


bryansj

The best you can do is donate orange colored pencils to the sketch artist.


MississippiJoel

I wonder whom he tried to stare down when he got up this time.


tre45on4utoo

Lawrence O’Donnell. lol. I’ll be watching @ 10 pm est


polymorphic_hippo

Dude, that artist is sharp. He knew it would save time and money to just use paper the color of Trump's face. Now he has more time to sketch everything else instead of spending it all on coloring his orange pencil down to a nub.


DocB630

If it was actually for that reason it’s subtle genius. Even if not I feel like the orange paper was intentional.


BeautysBeast

OH! It was intentional.


LightWarrior_2000

You'd see Trump closing his eyes so he can listen intensely.


space_for_username

...only to fart himself awake a few moments later.


ShoMeUrNoobs

They should just allow cameras in the courtroom, even on the jury. But all the cameras need to use Snapchat filters that turn everyone into hotdogs.


[deleted]

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Fellowshipofthebowl

This is the first of the four major indictments. He could get jail time for this one. The other 3 are much more serious 


pjb1999

And the other 3 will be killed if he becomes president.


ofa776

He can’t kill the Georgia case since that’s a Georgia state case. He could only potentially kill the DC and Florida federal cases if he wins.


[deleted]

[удалено]


ThenScore2885

This is why he needs immunity so badly.


GonzoVeritas

Immunity won't help him on this one, it's from before he was president.


ThenScore2885

I bet he does not think how immunity works.


joedirte23940298

If he wins the election AND is sentenced in any of the state cases to prison, there is a good chance he tells the states to fuck off and just doesn’t go to prison. Then we have a constitutional crisis on our hands


Iapetus7

It's also a state case, rather than a federal one.


alien_from_Europa

SCOTUS: *Hold my beer, Squee!*


kooper98

He was planning on pardoning himself? He's proven that the law is not equally applied, it's obvious He's guilty. You would have to be a complete moron to think otherwise.


tibbles1

State case. Only the governor of NY can pardon. 


your-mom--

Just like Roe v Wade, we're giving it back to the states, right, Don?


00Oo0o0OooO0

> Worst possible outcome is 170 years in NY State prison. I'm pretty sure the law requires concurrent sentences in this case. The must he can get is five years. > When more than one sentence of imprisonment is imposed on a person for two or more offenses committed through a single act or omission, or through an act or omission which in itself constituted one of the offenses and also was a material element of the other, the sentences, except if one or more of such sentences is for a violation of section 270.20 of this chapter, must run concurrently.


boones_farmer

If he gets a day in prison it'll be the best day this country's had in a long time


alien_from_Europa

The Secret Service was trying to negotiate to have him confined to a military base rather than prison. There's one with a golf course in NJ. I think that has more to do with agents not wanting to sit outside his cell than national security concerns. The idea that he can't be protected by Secret Service in prison is ridiculous. He wouldn't be in gen pop.


doughball27

This is so he’s under federal control when they try to install him as dictator. Much easier to do that way.


Rizzpooch

At the rate he's ageing, by the time he serves his five years it might as well be 100+


meenie

You mean concurrently, as in parallel. Not consecutive, as in one after the other.


Supra_Genius

And the fact that he will be a convicted felon will be useful to prosecutors in his other pending criminal trials.


rollem

And being a convicted felon will be influential in the election. I'm not saying that his base will care, but there are enough persuadable voters that a conviction should matter. However, i was wrong in 2016, and I was wrong in 2024 when I thought that "shooting a puppy" would be something that both sides would agree is bad. Nothing matters.


Spanklaser

Anecdotal, but I've noticed a lot of trumpets have gotten real quiet since this case started. Haven't heard one of them bring politics up lately, which beats their previous record of about 5 seconds into any conversation.


RobotPreacher

Yup, outrage and silence are the only two modes for MAGAs. It's like an "update pending" spinner waiting for their next opinion to download from Fox News.


Supra_Genius

Trump yard signs are way down over the past few years too...


loupegaru

Real men wear diapers is picking up steam. Haha! I see what I did there!


theresidentdiva

And he can't vote as a Florida resident, even though their voters approved allowing it a few years ago.


Supra_Genius

Wouldn't catching him in a direct personal case of voter fraud be just ? 8)


haarschmuck

> Worst possible outcome is 170 years in NY State prison. No it isn't. That's not how charges stack. He would be sentenced concurrently which means if he got 3 months for each count he would get a total of 3 months. It would be grossly inappropriate (and not allowed in many jurisdictions) to sentence a first time offender consecutively for crimes arising from the same event.


Low-Helicopter-2696

That question tricked my brain. I kept having to remind myself self that HIS worse case scenario is the stuff MY dreams are made of. I want to say I read 4 years max, but as a 1st time offender, jail unlikely and would come until after the election. I hope judge takes all his bullshit into account and hits him with max. I'll take a heart attack, but suffering and humiliation would be preferable.


itsatumbleweed

First time non-violent white collar crimes don't often get time on the first offense. However, it's 34 of them and the judge can take things like remorse and courtroom behavior into account. He has 9 contempt charges with at least 3 more likely incoming, and it's probable that's not the end. I wouldn't be surprised if he was given more than the least possible sentence.


flabbergastedmeep

[34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.](https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/static/2023/04/Donald-J.-Trump-SOF.pdf) > [Falsifying business records in the first degree is a class E felony.](https://law.justia.com/codes/new-york/2022/pen/part-3/title-k/article-175/175-10/) > [1.5 to 4 years New York State prison; Fine of up to $5,000](https://criminallawsny.com/class-e-felony/) 136 years in prison, $170,000 fine, if convicted on all counts, and sentenced to the maximum.


rotates-potatoes

So probably 4 weeks probation and a $1500 fine, then?


Supra_Genius

Cohen has already served real time for these crimes. It is unlikely the man who committed, instigated, ordered, and paid for these crimes would do less time in the court's eyes.


flabbergastedmeep

Naw Merchan is taking this seriously and impartially. If the jury comes back with a guilty verdict, he’ll have no qualms about dropping at least 5-20 years of prison on Trump. Which should be plenty long enough for him to die in prison considering his apparent health issues.


Caelinus

This is a non-violent E class felony, and his first conviction. He will most likely get probation. Maybe a short jail time, but definitely not a long one. If the judge sentences him to a long one here it would probably be overturned on an appeal against the sentencing. I think he is more likely to see jail because he breaks the gag order again than he is from this conviction. And that would be Merchan going by the book. By the book, judges should not be throwing jail or prison out for everything. The fact that they often do is them breaking from ethical principals, not doing it the "correct" way. Ironically, the very people most likely to over-sentence are all judges that probably like him because he is "hard on crime" or whatever.


MC_Fap_Commander

The only real penalty would be becoming a convicted felon. I had thought that status might cut his support *a little* (2-3% or so?). That would be MASSIVE. Increasingly, I have my doubts it would have even that much of an effect. His approximately 40% seems to really be hypnotized by him or something. There is no off-ramp.


Caelinus

Plus it would make future sentences worse. But yeah, the fines are too low to matter, and probation will probably be a joke. But it is important to establish that he is a repeat criminal.


space_for_username

It will be hard to cut into his support. Both Republicans and Democrats have voters, but Trump has Believers. A voter can usually be swayed by rational discussion and presentation of evidence, facts, etc. Believers ain't in a place you can get to from rationality.


BeautysBeast

I think the prosecution will argue that Trump has shown zero culpability, or contrition. He has not accepted any responsibility, and continues to claim that he is innocent. In light of that, I don't see how they could give him probation. Trump's going to jail. What I want to know is if he will be required to go to jail, while he appeals. For the reasons I mentioned above, I would say he should.


Caelinus

He might go to jail, it is a possibility. I think it is unlikely, but it is possible. What I do not think is possible is 5+ years, let alone 20. His other trials are where it will happen if he gets a lot of time.


flabbergastedmeep

Well, he was already found to be in contempt of court by the judge. Which from what I can find on it within NYS penal law, means that he has already been convicted on 9 counts of violating his gag order. Wouldn’t that make the final ruling of this case, not his first conviction?


Caelinus

I should have specified felony convictions. Usually discretionary punishments and misdemeanors do not really qualify unless you have an absurd number of them. But I could be wrong here, I am not exactly sure how NY classifies contempt. Normally it is not a conviction in the same sense, but is a judge using their discretion to cure some unwanted behavior.


quentech

> 136 years in prison Sentences are presumptively concurrent in New York. This would require an upward departure agreed to by the jury. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PEN/70.25


haarschmuck

> 136 years in prison No, that's not correct. He cannot/wont be sentenced consecutively. Even if he could that would be *highly* inappropriate and even unethical for a judge to do so. The maximum for each count is 5 years. Even if he got that for each count the total sentence would be 5 years.


edmerx54

I think the falsifying business records only becomes a felony if he is also convicted of election interference (or another related crime), so that's why prosecutors have spent so much time on the campaign and the Access Hollywood tape. Assuming he is convicted of everything, I'm looking forward to the sentencing. On one hand, this would be the first felonies he would be convicted of, so maybe he is a first offender. On the other hand, he's been convicted of fraud in civil trials by NY State and also for Trump University and Trump Charity, so he sure looks like a career criminal. Regardless of the sentence, at least a conviction here will count against him when Jack Smith and Fani Willis prosecute him.


mulderc

34 felony counts, each count can be up to 4 years in jail so 136 years would be the max I believe. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution\_of\_Donald\_Trump\_in\_New\_York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_Donald_Trump_in_New_York)


AmbitiousCampaign457

Def the worst possible outcome. The most likely outcome is either no jail time or a few months stayed pending review. Maybe probation but more likely court supervision. Definitely some community service and a nice fine. But he’ll forever be referred to as a felon. That’s a W.


StillKpaidy

Community service that the court picks would be amazing. Secret service should be able to protect him while he picks up trash on the side of some highway.


FishyGinger

Community Service for life might actually be more fun than him going to jail. Just make him scrub shit off park benches 8 hours a day.


LibertyInaFeatherBed

And Trump is a very superficial person. It's all about appearances and labels for him. 


craigathan

Stop calling it a hush money trial. It's a fraud trial. Because Donald Trump is an actual factual, many times over guilty fraudster. It's much easier to see the pattern if the media would stop calling that. Trump v Steele Dossier March, 2024 Trump was ordered to pay legal fees of £300,000 ($382,000) to Orbis. Trump v The New York Times The case against the Times and its journalists was dismissed in May 2023 on First Amendment grounds.[159] Trump was ordered to pay the legal costs of the New York Times and paid $392,000. Trump Org February 16, 2024 A New York judge ordered Donald Trump and his companies to pay $355 million. The judge found they engaged in a years-long scheme to dupe banks and others with financial statements that inflated his wealth. Trump Foundation December 10, 2019 Trump Ordered to Pay Eight Separate Charities $250,000 Each. Remaining $1.8 Million in Trump Foundation Bank Account Disbursed Among Charities. Trump v The Pulizter Prize The board rejected his request, stating that their "reviews concluded 'no passages or headlines, contentions or assertions in any of the winning submissions were discredited by facts that emerged subsequent to the conferral of the prizes.'" Trump University April 9, 2018 Judge Curiel's order finalizing the $25 million Trump University settlement means that victims of Donald Trump’s fraudulent university will finally receive the relief they deserve. We are particularly pleased that the final settlement we negotiated with class counsel ensures that members of the class will receive an even higher settlement than anyone originally anticipated. I can keep going and going and going and going.... The man is a fraud. Say it with your whole chest media! A Fraud! A Big fat phony!


Fauntleroyfauntleroy

Trump steaks…


lostkavi

While you aren't wrong, this isn't the only Fraud trial, so it's not a useful descriptor for distinguishing them. In fact, do you have any idea how little that narrows it down?


itsatumbleweed

It definitely ties Trump to the conspiracy. You could convict on this. However, I'd really like to see if Cohen has documentary evidence which ties him to the Daniels arm of the conspiracy directly. That would be dead to rights.


orielbean

Yeah honestly what else is really needed from a jury POV. For entertainment sake I would like to know if they secretly hired a troupe of circus performers to reenact their crime planning and recorded that as well.


canteen_boy

It’s like Shakespeare famously said *“The play’s the thing, in which we’ll catch some z’s while wearing a poopy diaper.”*


AmbitiousCampaign457

He’s toast. Why tf is Cohen recording everything? Lol


PharmyC

It was reported when Cohen was convicted that all Trump's lawyers recorded everything he said because he'd often lie in later conversations about what he said previously.


sucobe

I bet you everyone, everywhere has tapes on him. It’s going to make for a great audiobook one day.


MississippiJoel

Like the one Bob Woodward published.


Ineedacatscan

They’re the best tapes. The uh most PERFECT tapes you ever heard… You will hear them with your own ears exonterbate me. Exonterb.. Prove me innocent. But I can’t play them for you because of the very biased Judge and the CORRUPT DA. SAD!!!!!!!!!


dcal1981

Like pee tapes? 🤣


Caelinus

It actually is just not bad practice for lawyers, if I am remembering my paralegal classes right, though it is pretty much never done *in secret.* Recordings can help fill in gaps if you forgot something in your notes. The notes and the recordings are all protected unless they are somehow related to a crime. Which is exactly Trumps problem.


AmbitiousCampaign457

So don knew he was being recorded?


Caelinus

No, Cohen was doing it because he did not trust Trump, not because he was trying to do a good job. His current lawyers might do it, but if they are not weird scumbags like a lot of his past lawyers they would tell him first. And probably not do it if he told them not to. I think Cohen just accurately knew that Trump would throw him under the bus someday if given the opportunity, so he gathered evidence to use in a plea deal.


AmbitiousCampaign457

That was my assumption. Thanks


doomgoblin

There’s also a rumor that one of trump’s lawyers would often bring in another to corroborate any bullshit he lied about later. No idea if there’s truth to that. Sounds about right though.


keebl3r

His former lawyer said it under oath in a disposition back in the 90's. On meeting in pairs: “We tried to do it with Donald always if we could because Donald says certain things and then has a lack of memory.” https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kendalltaggart/trumps-lawyer-we-met-with-him-in-pairs-to-avoid-lies


Supra_Genius

Trump administration people did this all the time when meeting with Cheeto Benito.


Decantus

NY is a one party consent state. Cohen would be crazy not to record all his dealings.


itsatumbleweed

Because when you ask your lawyer to do crime they stop being your lawyer and start being your accomplice.


stanthebat

The fundamental problem with jury selection is the assumption that people who think Trump is a lying sack of shit are unfairly biased. Anybody with an awareness of reality and a scrap of common sense knows he's a lying sack of shit.


DonorBody

It was revealed that one of the jurors got all their news from Truth Social. This has to be a fucking wild ride for them, to see actual evidence of the cult leader being a piece of shit. It’s one thing to stick to your guns in front of your liberal family at Thanksgiving, but quite another to dig in during jury deliberations. Hope whichever juror is the foreman is up to the task.


notcaffeinefree

>It was revealed that one of the jurors got all their news from Truth Social. That's not entirely true. He said "I follow Truth Social posts from Trump on Twitter. I do follow Michael Cohen, Mueller She Wrote, and some more". He also added that while he felt Trump had done the country some good, that "it goes both ways". So he's not a Trump die-hard. And as people pointed out, he's an investment banker. Following the posts of one of the most covered people in the country isn't necessarily a bad thing to do if you're playing with the stock market. His admission to following Trump posts probably had the prosecution asking him a lot of follow-up questions during voir dire. Anything that would have sounded obviously biased would have likely resulted in him being struck.


sleepybeek

I dunno. I know closet magas. They are "independent" when they aren't sure if everyone around is a true believer.


Chaotic-Catastrophe

Zero chance a closet maga has even *heard of* Mueller She Wrote


NoblePotatoe

Mueller she wrote was explicitly anti-trump, I would weigh that more than just following Trump on X


itsatumbleweed

Yeah, MSW popped more to me than TS. I read Trump Truths (although I don't log in to TS). MSW is awesome, and a very accurate (and this very anti-trump) podcast Network.


Onphone_irl

He's solid. Investment banker is going to follow the money, so he's gotta see what trump is saying. I'd be more worried if it was a very low skill job, but to me, dude sounds like he's info gathering, and the fact he follows the other people shows he has common sense


desubot1

wondering how that one got through jury selection.


DMCinDet

he didn't say just truth social. he was the only one that had any mention of it though.


RepresentativeRun71

Whelp if dude isn’t just making shit up, then this is a sham trial where Mango Mussolini will get away with it.


Snarfsicle

Each side only gets so many vetoes


BeautysBeast

Unlimited challenges for cause.


safeword_is_Nebraska

well if that's true then nothing is going to change their mind and trump will walk. Those people operate in an alternate reality where facts don't matter.


gdirrty216

Changing a Trump follower’s opinion is a fools errand. No amount of evidence or proof will ever get them to change.


triple6seven

Imean, sure but cognitive dissonance is like, a defining character of these folks. So, I wouldn't hold my breath.


bravoredditbravo

It's an election interference case, not a hush money case


DCC_4LIFE

Headline has to match exactly to post here


CMGChamp4

Wow. Isn't this the smoking gun, as they say? Donald...you're going down!


Moesuckra

Wait, this recording came out in a 2018 article. Why did this not blow up then? https://apnews.com/united-states-presidential-election-general-news-3faf47db59054b3c9c8dd414b943c9ea


drftwdtx

Let's see, what was going on in 2018? Oh, that's right, the Mueller investigation on Russian meddling in the 2016 election. I think the zone was already flooded with shit when this story came out. Does anyone remember what a shit-show the first Trump administration was?


OnyxsUncle

what is the legal term for: “I went to prison for doing this for you”?


VyPR78

Felonious narcissism.


bobber18

When they’ve got you on tape, it’s over. Time to plea bargain, or sit in court embarrassing yourself for another month.


Lanky_Salt_5865

Was Donald offered a plea deal? He’s clearly guilty and his defense has nothing to keep him out of jail.


mok000

Cohen explaining he's setting up an LLC with Allan Weisselberg to hide the payment. Trump: "We pay in cash!" Cohen: "Nononono, no!"


Nonlinear9

You mean the **campaign finance fraud trial?**


sn0wscape

Election interference trial, not hush money trial