“Donald Trump bought the presidency with the checks he wrote to silence two women with whom he had sex.” That’s the case, right there. Best summation, Lucian.
I have been hearing a great deal about what the charges are and how they are not that serious. And yet we really don't know exactly as of this moment. Trump knows and he might leak the charges before Tuesday.
Whenever we find out I am expecting something totally unexpected. I just have this feeling the NYDA has more than everyone believes.
I don't think Trump does know the charges (or he would surely have leaked already) and is waiting along with everyone else for the indictment to be unsealed. Guess he will find out, just ahead of everyone else, when they are read to him on Tuesday.
Trump will be his usual glowering, narcissistic self, issuing still more rants about his unfair victimization by the unpatriotic RADICAL LEFT, WHICH IS THE WORST IN HISTORY!!, but that's beside the point. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.
I appreciate your kind words difny. I cheated, however, by being informed. Thanks to Substack I am more aware of nuances concerning global current affairs, politics and legal matters than any prior time in my life, despite having lived and worked on two continents (plus one archipelago).
That's high praise indeed for Substack, Craig. But you're choosing your newsletters well. Not all deserve such praise. You deserve it yourself for instinctively confirming before commenting. When I see startling info coming from one source, unconfirmed by anyone else in a short time, I ignore it. Ersatz cyber-rumors are what gave social media a bad name in the first place. Well, rumors plus venom, but lkt drains the latter quickly.
Just like everything the Dumpster does, he will make the arrest, booking, fingerprinting, etc. all about him. He'll create a media circus and whine how he's being politically persecuted. I'm going to assume that in spite of his attorney telling him to keep his mouth shut during this unique event in his life, he will no doubt spout off to the judge and/or prosecutor(s) risking a contempt charge. I really hope he shoots his mouth off and I hope the judge follows up with a large fine, a gag order, and the possibility of throwing his fat ass into Rikers just to make a point to the Orange Blob that this is a serious matter. Well, I can dream can't I?
A wise, straightforward explainer, Lucian, given that the indictment's contents are still unknown. My lone unfounded prediction is that, after being allowed to dominate every situation since birth like a monarch, trump will be rendered rabid by a trial and any New York judge will meet the challenge in a walk. An additional note: I often don't like what it looks like, but nobody does crowd control more effectively than NYPD. The city has been willing to pay millions in damages to maintain that record and the present mayor, a former cop, is of that persuasion.
When I first started to hear about what might happen in NYC when Trumps boys got to town, I was pretty amused. Anyone who has spent time in the city knows that New York cops don't mess around and that it is hard to find one that isn't at least 6 ft 2 and bigger than crap. Put some boots on them and the all look like giants especially after they get suited up. On top of that they best not catch you with a gun either.
And all NYPD, including detectives, have been ordered to report for their tours in uniform for possible deployment to the courthouse area. While I often disagree with NYPD's tactics, the MAGGots will not prevail in NYC!
To pay homage to Mark Russell, who just died, I repeat a line from a song of his about Nixon and invite you to apply it to Trump: "Let us now play 'Bail To The Chief.'"
trump being treated like a common citizen, even as a common criminal, that will be a first in his life as a pampered egotist. And a sad first spectacle for the American Presidency as a former POTUS gets charged in a criminal proceeding…such a proud moment in the nation’s history, another ketchup stain on the wall of Mar-a-Lardo, Ho hum…
It may be a sad spectacle but a necessary one, if only to set a precedent that the law applies to everyone including the person hired to do the job as President of this country. Doing a lousy job doesn't get you arrested, but breaking the law does.
We'll see if the charge of treason is laid at his feet, as it should. Time will tell.
Yes, much of process of booking and arraigning anyone indicted will apply to *Rump. However, the media coverage he gets will not. The pillars of civilization are far from crumbling because the orange blob has been indicted for lying about the payoff of a sexual partner, and who-knows-what else. However the wall-to-wall, 24/7 media coverage, and the apocalyptic screaming coming from the reichwing is meant to stir up the cult and other gullible types into a seditious frenzy. The more chaos that ensues the happier his orangeness and spawn will be. He thrives on chaos, and often spins it to his advantage. Once again the media spotlight will be on him and him alone. Unless someone is able to cut themselves off entirely from the media world his grotesque image will once again be front-and-center everywhere. The more poublicity he gets, good or bad, the stronger he becomes. And he knows it.
I note with interest that Salon opened the article with a much more flattering picture of His Orangeness than the one here, which suits him down to the ground. 😉😂😂
My visceral reaction to this particular picture was "I can't believe this cretin was ever president of the United States." My second, somewhat more rational reaction was "Well, we've had presidents who were pretty ugly on the inside, so maybe it's good that in this case the outside reflects the inside, and vice versa."
There is no way to put a price on the psychological damage Trump has inflicted on a majority of American citizens over the past 7 years. It's incalculable. This indictment is one very small step towards bringing our world back into equilibrium. It will also require the prosecution of every single republican who broke the law in service of Indicted Criminal Trump - starting now, for a long as it takes. In return, we'll do our part by making sure no republicon is ever elected president again.
I don't know if I personally suffered psychological damage, maybe. But I lost 95% of my family because of that fat fuck. I would definitely be excused from his jury.
Same … perhaps not 95% but both of my sisters, so I currently have no siblings. Fortunately, none of their children are on board so I still have contact with them.
On the face of it, you might think so, but I envision some sort of amalgam of New Orleans Marti Gras parade, Halloween in the San Francisco Castro District, and Ben Hecht's Chicago in "The Front Page"; a multidimensional circus of utter chaos to beat the band. Trump won't appear in handcuffs, but undoubtedly, a photoshopped version with Trump in shackles will undoubtedly appear on the Internet before Trump exits the Criminal Courts Building in Lower Manhattan. Trump will be bellowing his innocence from the time he hits the curb in front of the courthouse to the moment he enters Judge Merchan's courtroom, and all the way back to the street. I don't think mob boss John Gotti got this kind of attention at his arraignment. And Donald Trump will be going out of his mind savoring all the attention he'll be getting. Rather than shaming Trump, this will raise his energy to stratospheric heights. None of this does our democracy any good. All of the pushing and shoving between the cops, the media, the lawyers, and the usual coterie of courthouse hangers on, this is going to look ridiculous. Things will eventually calm down, but in the meantime the beat goes on.
Most Americans (63%) believe this indictment is political. Sadly they have the memories of gold fish. Can you say John Edwards? Or the many US mayors, politicians, governors who went to prison. We say no one is above the law as some are saying, "This little case with almost no penalty attached if found guilty has almost no down side for Trump, he is using it as a fund raiser and a rallying cry for his base."
So far no real protest, none in NY and none in Florida but for less than 2 dozen supporters seen outside Mar-a-Lago.
However, this is just the start.
If the DOJ had been more on the ball, the insurrection connection would already have been an indictment or the Georgia attempt to overturn the election there. And I would bet the house another indictment will happen. Then again, our legal system, takes years to play out. The prosecution which ended up sending Trump's CFO to prison --took 16 months from the indictment to the prison sentence. And the CFO took the bullet for Trump probably making Trump think this was just one more time in his long life that money, power, playing the US court system would keep him forever above the law. After all in our nation, the elite, the top 1% are above the law and of course as was argued in court, a US president is also above all laws. As Trump said, "I could shoot someone on 5th and they would still support me."
I had to shake my head at DeSantis telling us he would not honor the indictment in New York. Obviously the governor does not know our US Constitution. If DeSantis refuses to give up the grifter, he will be violating the US Constitution and could himself be indicted. Historian Richardson in her superb blog pointed this out:
Article IV, Section 2, United States Constitution- “A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.”
I just hope that they are sophisticated enough to think that "political" means Bragg getting reelected, not Trump. If they are dumb enough to believe the Manhattan DA would go through all the death threats just over political differences we have no hope.
We don't really know that the DOJ was not "on the ball." In the first place the 1/6 Committed delayed them by about a year by refusing to share the interviews they did of the same people. There is no way the DOJ could proceed until they knew if there were contradictions. Many Democratic politicians love to boast that they supplied all this evidence to the DOJ and were way ahead of them. In fact, there is no way to verify this because the Department never defends itself. It is more likely a bunch of politicos tooting their horns.
Also, there is every reason to believe Biden wanted this thing slow walked so it wouldn't interfere with his agenda. It's an interesting coincidence that Jack Smith is going full throttle now that the GOP runs the House and Biden's agenda is on hold.
Also, there is a pro-Trump cabal at the FBI office in New York, my former place of business. They definitely made life difficult for anyone serious about investigating Trump.
Jan6 SC did not have authority nor interest in the law enforcement elements of the events of that day which fell to the FBI and other agencies. Gave them a head start with a sole focus of how it came to be. Keep in mind the SC didn't begin until late July 2021, circa 7months after the storming of the USCB. This after a Special Commission was informally agreed to, then withdraw as well as the Senate voting not (fell to a R led filibuster) to form a joint committee. Politics in the House and Senate did slow the seating of a Congressional Special Committee. And agree the WH had a say as to when they would like it to begin. Agree partly due to their legislative agenda and partly due to allow FBI-DoJ a head start. Dunno if that ever happened beyond tracking down those who breached the USCB.
DIR Wray's CYA Congressional testimony remains a red flag. He has never explained his approach instead hiding behind the veil of an ongoing investigation and evasive answers to questions about field rpts warning of violence. So, do agree it wasn't AG Garland throwing any sand in the gears. DoJ investigators usually follow up on FBI interviews, no?
You affirm other sources and media accounts of the NYC field office having a pro-Trump leaning. Chuckled when the current Speaker stated he wants the investigators investigated. Falls under be careful what you wish for.
Found it somewhat surprising the AG didn't think through the upside of selecting a SC much earlier although AG Garland deserves credit for choosing Smith. He shoulda' known a SC is an IG on steroids.
I am not aware of instances where DOJ investigators routinely review FBI interviews. That would be done by the AUSA handling the case if it is referred for prosecution. If the investigation is corrupted at that level EDNY and SDNY may pick up on inconsistencies or not. Either way the investigation is AFU. More likely the Special Agent doing an interview could easily omit statements or simply fail to ask the right questions. In a 302 only pertinent information is included. You won't see things like, "I asked him if he knew who killed Professor Plum and he said he didn't know." So you can see how easy it would be for an FBI agent to put the kibosh on an investigation.
I don't really remember exactly. For those who actually admitted to taking notes they went in an envelope called something or other. If I recall correctly each agent kept them in whatever location he or she felt was secure in the office. It's been a long time. I'll be retired 20 years soon and I was in special operations for my last 17 years where nobody took notes.
Appreciate the honesty in your response. Inquired due to being aware SAs on the witness stand stick tightly to the 4corners of the 302 yet it wouldn't exist w/o some degree of note taking.
(Note: Not going to pry or probe into the special ops area.)
As a general comment, saddened so many USG agencies/depts and beyond apolitical positions have permitted the blatantly political to encroach deeper and broader. Is an often-overlooked contributory to this zeitgeist's chitshow.
“Donald Trump bought the presidency with the checks he wrote to silence two women with whom he had sex.” That’s the case, right there. Best summation, Lucian.
I have been hearing a great deal about what the charges are and how they are not that serious. And yet we really don't know exactly as of this moment. Trump knows and he might leak the charges before Tuesday.
Whenever we find out I am expecting something totally unexpected. I just have this feeling the NYDA has more than everyone believes.
I don't think Trump does know the charges (or he would surely have leaked already) and is waiting along with everyone else for the indictment to be unsealed. Guess he will find out, just ahead of everyone else, when they are read to him on Tuesday.
Trump will be his usual glowering, narcissistic self, issuing still more rants about his unfair victimization by the unpatriotic RADICAL LEFT, WHICH IS THE WORST IN HISTORY!!, but that's beside the point. The wheels of justice turn slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine.
I wonder if he will slip and be his usual lying self during one of his rants. I wonder if such a blunder will be considered perjury?
I think your instincts are admirable, Craig.
I appreciate your kind words difny. I cheated, however, by being informed. Thanks to Substack I am more aware of nuances concerning global current affairs, politics and legal matters than any prior time in my life, despite having lived and worked on two continents (plus one archipelago).
That's high praise indeed for Substack, Craig. But you're choosing your newsletters well. Not all deserve such praise. You deserve it yourself for instinctively confirming before commenting. When I see startling info coming from one source, unconfirmed by anyone else in a short time, I ignore it. Ersatz cyber-rumors are what gave social media a bad name in the first place. Well, rumors plus venom, but lkt drains the latter quickly.
I agree with you, if only because Bragg was so hesitant to bring charges.
He is being charged as a private citizen because that is what he is. Doesn't matter what his former job was.
Just like everything the Dumpster does, he will make the arrest, booking, fingerprinting, etc. all about him. He'll create a media circus and whine how he's being politically persecuted. I'm going to assume that in spite of his attorney telling him to keep his mouth shut during this unique event in his life, he will no doubt spout off to the judge and/or prosecutor(s) risking a contempt charge. I really hope he shoots his mouth off and I hope the judge follows up with a large fine, a gag order, and the possibility of throwing his fat ass into Rikers just to make a point to the Orange Blob that this is a serious matter. Well, I can dream can't I?
You're not alone!
I hope every day he will fall into an active volcano. Unfortunately, neither will happen.
Thanks for that image!
A wise, straightforward explainer, Lucian, given that the indictment's contents are still unknown. My lone unfounded prediction is that, after being allowed to dominate every situation since birth like a monarch, trump will be rendered rabid by a trial and any New York judge will meet the challenge in a walk. An additional note: I often don't like what it looks like, but nobody does crowd control more effectively than NYPD. The city has been willing to pay millions in damages to maintain that record and the present mayor, a former cop, is of that persuasion.
When I first started to hear about what might happen in NYC when Trumps boys got to town, I was pretty amused. Anyone who has spent time in the city knows that New York cops don't mess around and that it is hard to find one that isn't at least 6 ft 2 and bigger than crap. Put some boots on them and the all look like giants especially after they get suited up. On top of that they best not catch you with a gun either.
You're so right, John! MTG has no idea what she's getting into.
And all NYPD, including detectives, have been ordered to report for their tours in uniform for possible deployment to the courthouse area. While I often disagree with NYPD's tactics, the MAGGots will not prevail in NYC!
To pay homage to Mark Russell, who just died, I repeat a line from a song of his about Nixon and invite you to apply it to Trump: "Let us now play 'Bail To The Chief.'"
RIP, Mark Russell. He was ready when needed.
Thank you for explaining how this “felony” over a misdemeanor surfaced. The Trump Trash will be collected on Tuesday!
Long overdue and well deserved.
Only praying that this will be a season of numerous indictments that the grifting, lying sociopath will face.
Then his conviction which will become a world wide celebration.
Each an opportunity to raise more money...
Grifters gonna grift 🤬
trump being treated like a common citizen, even as a common criminal, that will be a first in his life as a pampered egotist. And a sad first spectacle for the American Presidency as a former POTUS gets charged in a criminal proceeding…such a proud moment in the nation’s history, another ketchup stain on the wall of Mar-a-Lardo, Ho hum…
It may be a sad spectacle but a necessary one, if only to set a precedent that the law applies to everyone including the person hired to do the job as President of this country. Doing a lousy job doesn't get you arrested, but breaking the law does.
We'll see if the charge of treason is laid at his feet, as it should. Time will tell.
Yes, much of process of booking and arraigning anyone indicted will apply to *Rump. However, the media coverage he gets will not. The pillars of civilization are far from crumbling because the orange blob has been indicted for lying about the payoff of a sexual partner, and who-knows-what else. However the wall-to-wall, 24/7 media coverage, and the apocalyptic screaming coming from the reichwing is meant to stir up the cult and other gullible types into a seditious frenzy. The more chaos that ensues the happier his orangeness and spawn will be. He thrives on chaos, and often spins it to his advantage. Once again the media spotlight will be on him and him alone. Unless someone is able to cut themselves off entirely from the media world his grotesque image will once again be front-and-center everywhere. The more poublicity he gets, good or bad, the stronger he becomes. And he knows it.
I note with interest that Salon opened the article with a much more flattering picture of His Orangeness than the one here, which suits him down to the ground. 😉😂😂
I have also noticed MSM, including left leaning MSM, doing the same thing and it is disgusting.
My visceral reaction to this particular picture was "I can't believe this cretin was ever president of the United States." My second, somewhat more rational reaction was "Well, we've had presidents who were pretty ugly on the inside, so maybe it's good that in this case the outside reflects the inside, and vice versa."
There is no way to put a price on the psychological damage Trump has inflicted on a majority of American citizens over the past 7 years. It's incalculable. This indictment is one very small step towards bringing our world back into equilibrium. It will also require the prosecution of every single republican who broke the law in service of Indicted Criminal Trump - starting now, for a long as it takes. In return, we'll do our part by making sure no republicon is ever elected president again.
I don't know if I personally suffered psychological damage, maybe. But I lost 95% of my family because of that fat fuck. I would definitely be excused from his jury.
Same … perhaps not 95% but both of my sisters, so I currently have no siblings. Fortunately, none of their children are on board so I still have contact with them.
I hear you. Lost my sister, and I'm not too sure about the bro, but I think he's erring on the side of patriotism, and that's not Trump.
I'd be excused for being deaf, but that wouldn't be the only reason. I'd get high blood pressure and have a stroke listening to him and his lawyers.
I also lost all of my immediate family to the orange one .🤬
I hope they get a DNA swab too. That would help Jean Carroll with her lawsuit against Trump for rape.
She may have his DNA on the dress she wore the day he forced himself on her. How wonderful would that be!
Trump produced a DNA sample for E. Jean's case.
I’m dreaming of the TiC in an orange jumpsuit, manacles, at Rikers Island. Probably too much to hope for, but…
On the face of it, you might think so, but I envision some sort of amalgam of New Orleans Marti Gras parade, Halloween in the San Francisco Castro District, and Ben Hecht's Chicago in "The Front Page"; a multidimensional circus of utter chaos to beat the band. Trump won't appear in handcuffs, but undoubtedly, a photoshopped version with Trump in shackles will undoubtedly appear on the Internet before Trump exits the Criminal Courts Building in Lower Manhattan. Trump will be bellowing his innocence from the time he hits the curb in front of the courthouse to the moment he enters Judge Merchan's courtroom, and all the way back to the street. I don't think mob boss John Gotti got this kind of attention at his arraignment. And Donald Trump will be going out of his mind savoring all the attention he'll be getting. Rather than shaming Trump, this will raise his energy to stratospheric heights. None of this does our democracy any good. All of the pushing and shoving between the cops, the media, the lawyers, and the usual coterie of courthouse hangers on, this is going to look ridiculous. Things will eventually calm down, but in the meantime the beat goes on.
Most Americans (63%) believe this indictment is political. Sadly they have the memories of gold fish. Can you say John Edwards? Or the many US mayors, politicians, governors who went to prison. We say no one is above the law as some are saying, "This little case with almost no penalty attached if found guilty has almost no down side for Trump, he is using it as a fund raiser and a rallying cry for his base."
So far no real protest, none in NY and none in Florida but for less than 2 dozen supporters seen outside Mar-a-Lago.
However, this is just the start.
If the DOJ had been more on the ball, the insurrection connection would already have been an indictment or the Georgia attempt to overturn the election there. And I would bet the house another indictment will happen. Then again, our legal system, takes years to play out. The prosecution which ended up sending Trump's CFO to prison --took 16 months from the indictment to the prison sentence. And the CFO took the bullet for Trump probably making Trump think this was just one more time in his long life that money, power, playing the US court system would keep him forever above the law. After all in our nation, the elite, the top 1% are above the law and of course as was argued in court, a US president is also above all laws. As Trump said, "I could shoot someone on 5th and they would still support me."
I had to shake my head at DeSantis telling us he would not honor the indictment in New York. Obviously the governor does not know our US Constitution. If DeSantis refuses to give up the grifter, he will be violating the US Constitution and could himself be indicted. Historian Richardson in her superb blog pointed this out:
Article IV, Section 2, United States Constitution- “A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime.”
I just hope that they are sophisticated enough to think that "political" means Bragg getting reelected, not Trump. If they are dumb enough to believe the Manhattan DA would go through all the death threats just over political differences we have no hope.
We don't really know that the DOJ was not "on the ball." In the first place the 1/6 Committed delayed them by about a year by refusing to share the interviews they did of the same people. There is no way the DOJ could proceed until they knew if there were contradictions. Many Democratic politicians love to boast that they supplied all this evidence to the DOJ and were way ahead of them. In fact, there is no way to verify this because the Department never defends itself. It is more likely a bunch of politicos tooting their horns.
Also, there is every reason to believe Biden wanted this thing slow walked so it wouldn't interfere with his agenda. It's an interesting coincidence that Jack Smith is going full throttle now that the GOP runs the House and Biden's agenda is on hold.
Also, there is a pro-Trump cabal at the FBI office in New York, my former place of business. They definitely made life difficult for anyone serious about investigating Trump.
Intriguing thoughts and observations. Respect.
Jan6 SC did not have authority nor interest in the law enforcement elements of the events of that day which fell to the FBI and other agencies. Gave them a head start with a sole focus of how it came to be. Keep in mind the SC didn't begin until late July 2021, circa 7months after the storming of the USCB. This after a Special Commission was informally agreed to, then withdraw as well as the Senate voting not (fell to a R led filibuster) to form a joint committee. Politics in the House and Senate did slow the seating of a Congressional Special Committee. And agree the WH had a say as to when they would like it to begin. Agree partly due to their legislative agenda and partly due to allow FBI-DoJ a head start. Dunno if that ever happened beyond tracking down those who breached the USCB.
DIR Wray's CYA Congressional testimony remains a red flag. He has never explained his approach instead hiding behind the veil of an ongoing investigation and evasive answers to questions about field rpts warning of violence. So, do agree it wasn't AG Garland throwing any sand in the gears. DoJ investigators usually follow up on FBI interviews, no?
You affirm other sources and media accounts of the NYC field office having a pro-Trump leaning. Chuckled when the current Speaker stated he wants the investigators investigated. Falls under be careful what you wish for.
Found it somewhat surprising the AG didn't think through the upside of selecting a SC much earlier although AG Garland deserves credit for choosing Smith. He shoulda' known a SC is an IG on steroids.
I am not aware of instances where DOJ investigators routinely review FBI interviews. That would be done by the AUSA handling the case if it is referred for prosecution. If the investigation is corrupted at that level EDNY and SDNY may pick up on inconsistencies or not. Either way the investigation is AFU. More likely the Special Agent doing an interview could easily omit statements or simply fail to ask the right questions. In a 302 only pertinent information is included. You won't see things like, "I asked him if he knew who killed Professor Plum and he said he didn't know." So you can see how easy it would be for an FBI agent to put the kibosh on an investigation.
Am grateful for the response and for laying out and filling in the flow the flow.
Yes. the 302 is most definitely a weak link and makes no sense in the 21st-C. Another question if I may, where do the SA's notes go?
I don't really remember exactly. For those who actually admitted to taking notes they went in an envelope called something or other. If I recall correctly each agent kept them in whatever location he or she felt was secure in the office. It's been a long time. I'll be retired 20 years soon and I was in special operations for my last 17 years where nobody took notes.
Appreciate the honesty in your response. Inquired due to being aware SAs on the witness stand stick tightly to the 4corners of the 302 yet it wouldn't exist w/o some degree of note taking.
(Note: Not going to pry or probe into the special ops area.)
As a general comment, saddened so many USG agencies/depts and beyond apolitical positions have permitted the blatantly political to encroach deeper and broader. Is an often-overlooked contributory to this zeitgeist's chitshow.