Reposted from Dark Skies on the Horizon
It’s my opinion, subject to confirmation, that Donald Trump will lose the election interference case. He will be convicted. The defense is attempting to undermine Michael Cohen’s testimony and that seems to be falling flat. Cohen is calm, confident and contrite over his role in the “capture and kill” scheme and he’s unapologetic about honestly wanting Trump prosecuted and jailed. He’s admitted that he lied under oath repeatedly to protect Trump. Proving that he lied for Trump, only verifies that the documents involving his repayment for the Stormy Daniels NDA — was just another one of those lies.
Even before Cohen testified the prosecution had the case already won.
Trump faces 34 felony counts around the matter — and two former prosecutors say his guilt was proven before Cohen even took the stand.
Speaking on"The Cafe Insider Podcast," Joyce Vance and Preet Bharara honed in on the falsification of documents
"Even before Michael Cohen took the stand, they had pretty much proved beyond a reasonable doubt that these documents were false records," said Bharara. "And to put a fine point on it, Cohen testified ... 'I created a document called an invoice.'"
Cohen would send invoices for the reimbursement of money he paid to adult move star Stormy Daniels, and both Trump and the Trump Organization would pay it, he said.
It was registered as lawyer fees.
Cohen was asked whether there were "services rendered" for which he was requesting payment.
"No, ma'am," testified Cohen.
Bharara argued the reason the documents are known to be false is that the payment for Cohen could have been made in a lump sum, but CFO Allen Weisselberg and Trump decided to space it all out over time and call it a "retainer."
"So, that's just the sixth or seventh way in which prosecutors, I imagine, in summation, 'It was just B.S. Nothing was done in January, February, March, April. All those future months," he continued. "There was no reason to do that unless you were trying to cover up the nature of the expense."
Vance agreed, saying that there wasn't even a speck of reasonable doubt that the invoices were made to look as if they were for legal services rendered.
While Cohen said that the records were false, Bharara argued that other witnesses had already proven it.
But the expert said the witness did identify some things that he called "less corroborated."
Among the things on that list are conversations that Cohen said he had with Trump that were not recorded. One of those is a comment from Trump that ties the false documents to the 2016 election. Cohen claims that Trump told him if he could delay until after the election, it would be better because, if he wins, it will be irrelevant — and if he loses, he won't care.
Those conversations can't be confirmed, though what was said matches other testimony.
Stormy Daniels, for example, testified that she was pressing to have the deal made before the election, saying that after the vote, she lost her "leverage."
Vance explained that there are many legal analysts who believe Cohen shouldn't even be on the witness list, but she agreed with the strategy to corroborate as much of what Cohen says as possible.
"So, then, instead of asking jurors to take a leap of faith on believing him, they're asking jurors to take a couple more steps in a straight line," she said.
This is certainly not how MAGAs are seeing the case
The problem is that the payments were spread out over the course of a year, when Cohen wasn’t doing any legal work for Trump during that year. Plus, he was already on salary with Trump company. Trump personally signed off on everything and Allen Weissenberg drew out a chart of how Cohen would be paid, and what portion of the payment was intended to repay him for Stormy Daniels.
Sean Hannity and Alan Dershowitz can’t “find the crime” plus they claim that Cohen lied to the jury by claiming that he recorded Trump in order to share it with National Enquirer CEO Michael Pecker. But I really doubt that’s a material fact. It makes no difference as to whether Trump did the crime or didn’t. It’s just about why Cohen made a recording of Trump.
Greg Jarret argues that Cohen “recounted” all the legal services that Cohen provided which constitutes the justification for the payment — and “he’s not a bright guy” — but he’s was being paid for services rendered in January 2017 — when they he hadn’t yet done any work in January. During that time Trump was in the White House — so there wasn’t any work for Cohen to do for him.
So this is the level of Fox - “analysis.” Making up bogus issues and blowing minor things out of proportion.
Trump is clearly interfering with his own defense attorneys and using them to get out his grievances against Cohen and Daniels, they aren’t making a substantive defense. They aren’t explaining why Cohen made the payment to Daniels or explaining why Trump made the repayment to Cohen. They just have a bunch of GOP Congresspersons all dressed alike standing out in front of the courthouse complaining about the Judge and his daughter.
In courthouse rants, delivered by people like Sens. J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, they've relentlessly attacked the court process — and in many cases attacked people Trump is prohibited from going after under his gag order, like Judge Juan Merchan's daughter.
Inside the courtroom, wrote Marcotte, Trump attorney Todd Blanche was attempting "a variation of the 'Trump derangement syndrome' defense. Anyone who has been political on social media has likely been subject to it: Some member of the MAGA tribe accusing a Trump critic of 'TDS,' short for this alleged syndrome.
"The insult is as self-refuting as it is popular, coming invariably from a Trump acolyte spewing unhinged and badly spelled conspiracy theories. Even the most embarrassing member of #Resistance Twitter seems even-keeled next to any random person pulled from a MAGA rally."
The irony, she wrote, is that "Trump Derangement Syndrome" as a moniker would be better applied to the lawmakers outside the courthouse angrily rambling in his defense — which is exactly how Cohen himself describes his past allegiance to the former president.
"This contrast has been brought into full focus during Trump's trial. The two witnesses accused of being 'deranged' by Trump — Cohen and Stormy Daniels — told stories that are coherent and fit with the documentary evidence. Even their anger, which has been a focal point for Trump's defense, makes perfect sense.
"They're two people whose mistake was trusting Trump. He sent one to prison and subjected the other to traumatizing sex she didn't want. It would be weirder if they didn't hate him," wrote Marcotte.
"Meanwhile, the entourage that Trump has finally coaxed into coming out for him — almost exclusively Republican politicians who are hoping for a payoff in debasing themselves for Trump — all act exactly like the cult member Cohen described himself as once being. One gaggle of minions even wore matching outfits, as if begging for comparisons to a cult."
And there is evidence that Trump provided this gaggle of bridesmaids with hand-written notes for them to make speeches, which would have been a direct violation of his own gag order.
"I suppose the opening question, is the trial a sham, or is that effort by members of the government to undermine the government's rule of law a sham?" asked Melber.
"What a clown show of Republicans coming in, defending Donald Trump on the hush money case," said Brinkley.
"Dozens of republicans are saying the same kind of words because Trump wants them, you have a gag order on me, well, you can have my surrogates, they're going to defend me," Brinkley continued. "Look at Matt Gaetz, neofascist Proud Boy rhetoric there. Look at Tuberville tumbling in from Alabama. The collective idiocy of the Republicans there to defend Donald Trump, it's embarrassing for them."
"The Republican Party has many good members, smart people in it, but anybody who thought to show up and kiss Trump's ring and grab a media moment, I think ... dented their reputation," he added.
Notice that you don't see any Democrats showing up at a courthouse to pontificate about the “political prosecution.”
So it’s possible that Trump may see jail time before the trial is over if the judge decided to address the organized plot to defy his gag order.
Fox News is largely supplying Trump's defense arguments — and also gaslighting and deluding their audience into complacency.
Historian and authoritarianism expert Ruth Ben-Ghiat is sounding the alarm over the fact that Fox News appears to be coordinating with former President Donald Trump on his trial defense talking points.
This comes after Media Matters for America's Matt Gertz noted that at 9:18 am, Trump proclaimed that law professor Jonathan Turley and former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy are "great lawyers and legal scholars, every single one says there is no crime" — and then just three minutes later, Fox News brought Turley and McCarthy on to discuss his criminal trial in Manhattan.
"Authoritarian party propaganda arm alert," posted Ben-Ghiat to the X platform. "But please, continue to invite [Fox News parent company chair] Lachlan [Murdoch] to your fancy media and tech conferences and pretend all is well and normal!"
When this all goes down, the MAGA faithful will be outraged. They will be incensed, they’ve been told this trial is a sham, a hoax, a put-on. They’ve been repeatedly told “there’s no case” and that it’s only been because of a “George Soros Prosecutor.”
They’re likely to act out. They’re likely to try to attack or assault the Judge, his daughter, members of the jury, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels.
They’re going to lose their minds.
Whether or not this will help him in the election is unclear. His faithful will be more motivated than ever, they’ll feel that he’s been “railroaded” and “persecuted” by Joe Biden and the Democrats. On the other side, the 15-20% of GOP voters who are still pulling the level for Nikki Haley months after she left the race, are not going to be impressed. So the people he already has will stay with him, and the people he’s lost will stay away.
It may not matter in the election — but for once at least, justice just might be done.
You can join me debating the issues and the facts inside the belly of the beast on my Facebook Group: Army for Truth.
Have a listen to my new Vocal Cover — "Pill" originally by Pink and check out my new Patreon where you can download copies of my covers and original songs. You can also stream tracks from my previous Solo CD from ReverbNation.
And You can send Funds to Support me via Paypal