Login
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who is rumored to be in contention for former President Donald Trump's running mate, joined Donald Trump Jr. on his Triggered podcast for an interview Thursday.
The post WATCH: JD Vance Takes Center Stage in Veepstakes as Interview with Don Jr. Goes Viral appeared first on Breitbart.
Thursday on FNC's "Hannity," conservative talker Mark Levin laid out why New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg may have knowingly violated former President Donald Trump's constitutional rights throughout and other established legal precedents during his office's prosecution of Trump.
The post Mark Levin: ‘Bragg Should Be Disbarred’ — He Has Violated the Brady Rule appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump on Thursday evening suggested that Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg should drop his business records case against him.
The post Trump Suggests ‘Soros-Backed’ Alvin Bragg Should Drop Case Against Him appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump's business records trial is drawing to an end, with closing arguments possible on Tuesday.
The post The End Is Near: Trump Trial Heads Toward Finish appeared first on Breitbart.
Trump' s defense team continued its cross-examination of the prosecution's "star witness" Michael Cohen, during which even establishment media acknowledged Cohen's lack of credibility.
The post Trump Defense Gets Cohen to Backtrack on Alleged Key Call with Trump Green-lighting Hush Money Deal appeared first on Breitbart.
Defense attorneys for former President Donald Trump stunned observers in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday with a devastating cross-examination of the prosecution's star witness, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
The post Prosecution in Trouble as Trump Defense Traps Michael Cohen on Witness Stand appeared first on Breitbart.
Lawmakers appearing alongside Donald Trump as he faces his business records trial in New York are using their soapbox, Sen. Ron Johnson said.
The post Exclusive — Sen. Ron Johnson: Lawmakers Appearing at Court with Donald Trump Are Calling Out ‘Egregious Abuse of the Constitution’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump slammed the pace of the trial in Manhattan for his falsifying business records case, saying the prosecution and Judge Juan Merchan were trying to rush it in order to hurt him before the election.
The post Trump Says Prosecution, Judge Merchan Are ‘Rushing’ the Trial to Hurt Him Before the Election appeared first on Breitbart.
Almost a dozen Republican lawmakers trekked up to New York City on Thursday to support former President Donald Trump as he faces charges of falsifying business records years ago, brought by a Democrat district attorney in the midst of the 2024 presidential election.
The post ‘The Cavalry Has Arrived’: Army of Lawmakers Accompany Trump to Court in Show of Support appeared first on Breitbart.
A bill requiring the deportation of immigrants who attack police officers passed the House but not before 148 Democrats voted against it.
The post 148 Democrats Vote Against Bill to Deport Immigrants Who Attack Police appeared first on Breitbart.
A dozen of former President Donald Trump's top supporters so far have shown up to Manhattan to support him, which not only likely engenders his gratitude, but also has become a high-profile speaking slot, with a crowd of reporters assigned to detail the trial's every development.
The post Trump Trial Becomes Prime Venue for Veep Contenders, Supporters appeared first on Breitbart.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), the prosecutor linked to billionaire George Soros who is currently prosecuting former President Donald Trump on 34 felony counts, has offered plea deals to six of the nine migrants accused of attacking two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers in January.
The post Alvin Bragg Offers Plea Deals to Migrants Accused of Attacking NYC Cops as He Prosecutes Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., in New York on Tuesday, condemned the so-called hush-money criminal trial of former President Donald Trump.
Johnson blasted the trial as a “sham” and said that it’s being used to manipulate the 2024 presidential election.
I’m disgusted by what’s happening in the sham trial against President Trump.
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) May 14, 2024
The American people can see it’s politically motivated.
Their star witness, Michael Cohen, is a known liar who is clearly on a mission for personal revenge. pic.twitter.com/dub4dyu91s
“I’m an attorney. I’m a former litigator myself. I’m disgusted by what is happening here,” the Louisiana lawmaker said. “What is being done here is being done to our entire system of justice overall.”
Johnson said the American people are “losing faith” in the U.S. justice system and our institutions because they see them being “abused.”
The House speaker said the facts in Trump’s case are important, as they always are in a trial. The former president’s actions were “previously reviewed, and no charges were filed. Why is that?” Johnson asked rhetorically.
“Because there’s no crime here,” he said, answering his own question.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg started up this case eight years after the crime was allegedly committed, Johnson said, because “it’s painfully obvious, we’re six months out from an election day, and that’s the reason they brought these charges here and across the country.”
Johnson noted that the legal officials in this case are all partisan Democrats.
“What we’ve got here is a partisan Democrat district attorney. We have a [President Joe] Biden donor judge, and we have an [assistant district attorney] who was recently a top official at the Department of Justice, Biden’s DOJ, and recently received over $10,000 in payments from the Democratic National Committee,” he said.
Bragg, who brought the charges against Trump, also is a Democrat.
Johnson said the “star witness” in the Trump trial, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, is simply out for retribution.
Cohen is “clearly on a mission for personal revenge,” the Louisiana Republican said, adding that Cohen is known to be a witness who “has had trouble with the truth.”
Cohen admitted to lying to Congress in 2017, which was among the crimes that led to his disbarment.
“There’s nothing he presents here that should be given any weight at all by a jury and certainly not by this judge,” Johnson said.
The charge against Trump is falsification of business records, he said, “but I think everyone knows that he is not the bookkeeper of his company.”
The House speaker said Trump is “innocent” in the case and that “anyone with common sense can see what’s happening here.”
On top of everything else, Johnson said, the court has issued a gag order against Trump, which deprives the former president of his right to free speech during an election campaign. The whole trial represents a clear case where the judicial system has been weaponized against Trump, he said, and is punishing one presidential nominee while providing “cover” for another.
“The American people are not going to let this stand,” Johnson said. “Election Day cannot get here soon enough, and we will continue to shine a light on all of this in Congress because we have that constitutional responsibility.”
The post ‘SHAM’: House Speaker Johnson Condemns Trial of Trump as ‘Politically Motivated’ appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Former President Donald Trump will remain gagged during his criminal trial in Manhattan, a New York appeals court ruled Tuesday.
The post Court Rules Against Donald Trump’s Gag Order Appeal appeared first on Breitbart.
Having served on three Manhattan juries, I would not be surprised if the 12 men and women hearing New York v. Donald J. Trump acquit him of all charges.
During two civil actions and one criminal case, my fellow jurors were serious, professional, and movingly civic-minded. A quiet, solemn patriotism infused our deliberations. Several jurors said that we should respect the justice system because, someday, we might need it to respect us.
My first case was a medical-malpractice lawsuit involving a botched abortion. We empathized with a woman wounded by her doctors, but her lawyer did not prove negligence. So, we backed her physicians.
“But we’ve got to give her something,” one juror insisted.
Others instantly rebuked him.
“That’s not how it works!” one said. “I feel sorry for her, too,” another admitted. “But her lawyer never made her case.”
So, we sent the plaintiff home without a penny.
Next, we deliberated intensely for almost three days before concluding that a Harlem drug counselor never demonstrated his defamation-of-character claim against his employers. My sympathetic pleas went unheeded, and he left empty-handed.
Finally, in her closing argument, a criminal prosecutor displayed a CD-ROM of a police dispatcher’s “Be on the lookout” announcement after an armed robbery. When we asked the judge to play that recording, he told us that it was not in evidence.
Disgusted by this prosecutorial deception, we instantly and angrily acquitted the defendants. Minutes later, as foreman, I proudly announced our verdict in court.
These three cases confirm that Manhattan juries are sober and perfectly capable of fairness.
That is good news for Trump.
A jury of levelheaded Manhattanites would appreciate these facts that verify the profound vacuity and fundamental unfairness of District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “case” against Trump:
“The Commission has exclusive jurisdiction over civil enforcement,” the memo says.
Nowhere does this federal rule grant local prosecutors authority to enforce federal election laws. Thus, Bragg’s case is a shack built atop a cloud of helium.
With 48% of registered voters telling Reuters-Ipsos last month that Trump’s Kafkaesque cases are “excessive and politically motivated” (41% disagree) even a Manhattan jury could scrap Bragg’s contraption.
My memories of jury duty, including within the Stalinesque building in which Trump is being persecuted, tell me that deliberating jurors could think, “I won’t vote for Trump. But I cannot convict him beyond a reasonable doubt in a shaky case about actions that are lurid, but legal.”
If just one juror agrees, this case will end with a hung jury. A second trial would be unlikely before Election Day.
And if “lurid, but legal” reflects the opinions of 12 of my fellow Manhattanites—who tend to be tough, but fair—then Trump will be acquitted on all charges and go back to where he belongs: The campaign trail.
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
The post Could a Manhattan Jury Acquit Trump? appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Former President Donald Trump decried election interference as he arrived at a Manhattan courthouse on Monday to begin the fourth week of his criminal trial.
The post Donald Trump Starts 4th Week of Trial: ‘I Should Be Out Campaigning … Election Interference’ appeared first on Breitbart.
A conviction in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump would boost his support among key swing state voters, a poll shows.
The post Poll: Trump to Get Boost in Key Swing States If Found Guilty in Criminal Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
Some records of phone calls related to the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump were deleted from case files, Manhattan District Attorney Office paralegal Jaden Jarmel-Schneider admitted during the trial.
The post Bragg’s Paralegal Admits Call Records Deleted from Trump Case Files appeared first on Breitbart.
Michael Cohen, the prosecution's "star witness," is expected to take the stand on Monday in former President Donald Trump's business records trial in Manhattan.
The post Convicted Felon Michael Cohen Expected to Take Stand in Trump Business Records Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
CNN host Fareed Zakaria said on this week's broadcast of "GPS Sunday" that the criminal charges brought against former President Donald Trump in New York City were politically motivated.
The post CNN’s Zakaria: NYC ‘Prosecutors Are Politically Motivated’ Against Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump said on Friday that his New York business records trial is "election interference" and that "it all comes out of" Washington, DC.
The post Trump on N.Y. Trial: ‘It All Comes Out of Washington, They Have Their Reps Here’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump shredded Justice Juan Merchan, who gagged Trump in his business records trial, as he left court on Friday.
The post Trump Rips Merchan over ‘Unconstitutional’ Gag Order: ‘I’d Be Very Proud to Go to Jail for Our Constitution’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump’s defense on Thursday seemingly worked to paint the picture that porn actress Stormy Daniels attempted to financially benefit from his wealth and fame, according to reports.
The post Defense Paints Picture That Stormy Daniels Tried to Get Rich Off Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
Years before the prosecution called the former porn star to testify Tuesday in Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial in Manhattan, Democrats viewed Stormy Daniels as an avenue for impeaching Trump when he was president.
My 2020 book “Abuse of Power” details the origins of Left’s lawfare against Trump, which began immediately after his 2016 election to the presidency.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, led the first criminal case against Trump, followed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia and two federal prosecutions by special counsel Jack Smith.
Indicted in four separate criminal cases for a total of 91 counts, Trump got some good news Tuesday when a federal judge in Florida postponed indefinitely his trial in the classified documents case, one of Smith’s.
Below is an adapted excerpt from “Abuse of Power”:
It’s funny how “legal experts” who would pop up working for Democrats were talking and writing about Trump’s demise for other reasons months earlier.
Two lawyers whom the House Judiciary Committee hired for impeachment, Norman Eisen and Barry Berke, wrote a New York Times opinion piece along with Noah Bookbinder, also a lawyer, with the headline: “Is This the Beginning of the End for Trump?”
The lawyers suggested Trump could be taken down for a possible campaign finance violation tied to alleged flings with former porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Or, as the lawyers characterized it in their Times piece, federal prosecutors determined that “Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization, and the campaign were all directly involved in an illegal scheme to silence two women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump.”
The lawyers’ op-ed in the Times further says Trump “could be named as an unindicted co-conspirator” or “charged if he leaves office before the statute of limitations runs out (most likely in 2022).”
Still, regarding the hush money [for Daniels and McDougal], even House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi had said after the news of Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen’s planned guilty plea that it wasn’t grounds for impeachment, even as some of her members were pushing for that.
“Impeachment has to spring from something else. If and when the information emerges about that, we’ll see,” Pelosi said in 2018. “It’s not a priority on the agenda going forward unless something else comes forward.”
But impeachment was a priority for members of the House Democratic Caucus, which she led.
In December 2018, when Cohen pleaded guilty to a campaign finance violation for paying hush money to Daniels, the plea agreement referred to “Individual 1” as directing him to do so. It was clear that this individual was Trump.
Cohen also pleaded guilty to tax evasion and other financial crimes and was sentenced to three years in prison. He later pleaded guilty to lying to the Senate Intelligence Committee.
In late 2019, with Democrats in control of the House, many of the hardliners in Pelosi’s caucus were pushing the speaker to go beyond Trump’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as grounds for impeachment.
Democrats in the House Progressive Caucus wanted to include the ambiguous obstruction arguments from special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the discredited Trump-Russia claims, the campaign finance allegation in the Stormy Daniels case, the emoluments clause of the Constitution, and potentially other matters. By this point, the House had launched 12 separate investigations into Trump.
But after initial resistance, Pelosi had already caved once to the members demanding Trump’s impeachment on the Ukrainian phone call. The other matters would only prolong the process.
Trump admitted he and Zelenskyy talked about Joe Biden. Now, Democrats just had to turn it into an impeachable case.
Nevertheless, keeping swing district House Democrats in the loop was one reason why, early in the process, leadership had considered progressives’ demands for a “kitchen sink” impeachment involving Russia, Stormy Daniels, emoluments, and anything else they could think of.
This would allow moderate Democrats to go home and say they had voted against some articles of impeachment while still voting to oust Trump in order to appease the base and avoid a potential primary challenger from the left. In the age of MAGA and #Resistance voters, primary challenges are a forefront concern for incumbents on both sides.
During the impeachment hearing, Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee called former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch to testify.
As with other witnesses, Yovanovitch’s legal counsel was steeped in Democratic politics. Lawrence S. Robbins represented both Republican and Democrat clients.
But in a December 2018 op-ed for Politico, Robbins called for either impeaching or prosecuting Trump for campaign finance violation regarding the Daniels hush money.
Robbins wrote: “The Department of Justice’s description of the role of Individual 1—the president himself—leaves no doubt that career Justice Department prosecutors regard Trump as a full blown co-conspirator. And most serious-minded criminal lawyers agree that, if these allegations are true, the president, but for his day job, would have been sitting in the dock with his long-time fixer.”
Robbins further wrote that Trump would use his office as president to shield himself from prosecution, so “Congress would surely have no choice but to hold him accountable in the way prescribed by the Constitution.”
That way, of course, was impeachment.
The post How the Left Tried to Use Stormy Daniels to Impeach Trump appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Former Stormy Daniels attorney and convicted felon Michael Avenatti on Tuesday accused the porn star of engaging in “falsification of business records, wire fraud, and fraudulent transfers” to defraud former President Donald Trump out of money she allegedly received from a documentary.
The post Stormy Daniels’ Ex-Lawyer Michael Avenatti Accuses Porn Star of Falsifying Business Records in Blow to Prosecutors in Trump Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
Most voters predict the business records trial will lead to a conviction of former President Donald Trump "on some charges," per a poll.
The post Poll: Most Predict Trump Conviction ‘on Some Charges’ in Business Records Trial, Plurality Says It Has Been Unfair appeared first on Breitbart.
Donald Trump cited some of his fiercest critics on Tuesday to underscore the political nature of his criminal trial in Manhattan.
The post ‘No Smoking Gun’: Donald Trump Cites Media Critics to Debunk Criminal Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
Manhattan prosecutor Matthew Colangelo's wife, Anne Small, sits on the board of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund with Jonathan Soros.
The post Matthew Colangelo’s Wife Sits on NAACP Legal Defense Fund Board with Jonathan Soros appeared first on Breitbart.
The lead prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “hush money” case against former President Donald Trump received thousands of dollars from the Democratic National Committee in 2018, Federal Election Commission records show.
Matthew Colangelo, who was President Joe Biden’s acting associate attorney general and spent two years in the current president’s Justice Department, joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as senior counsel in December 2022.
The lawyer received $12,000 from the Democratic National Committee for “political consulting” in two payments of $6,000 on Jan. 31, 2018, FEC records show.
Fox News Digital first reported the payments to Colangelo from the DNC.
Reports say Matthew Colangelo received $12,000 from the DNC for "political consulting" in 2018.
— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) May 6, 2024
Colangelo delivered the opening statement for the prosecution in the Trump hush money case.
Yet Trump can't talk about this due to his unconstitutional gag order.
Trump is not supposed to speak about Colangelo because Judge Juan Merchan imposed a gag order that prevents the former president from speaking about prosecutors on the case besides Bragg.
Colangelo was appointed in 2022, while Bragg was still investigating Trump in relation to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to keep her silent regarding an alleged affair. Colangelo delivered opening statements for the prosecution in April, arguing that Trump falsified business documents about the payment as part of a broader initiative to “corrupt the 2016 election.”
“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” Colangelo said.
Trump consistently has characterized the case as “election interference,” referring to it as a “Biden witch hunt” and the “Biden case.”
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan sent a letter Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding Colangelo, requesting documents and communications from his tenure at the Justice Department. Jordan demanded personnel files pertaining to Colangelo’s hiring, employment, and termination there, as well as records and correspondences related to Trump or his organization.
“Bragg is engaged in one such politicized prosecution, which is being led in part by Matthew B. Colangelo, a former senior Justice Department official,” Jordan wrote. “Accordingly, given the perception that the Justice Department is assisting in Bragg’s politicized prosecution, we write to request information and documents related to Mr. Colangelo’s employment.”
While at the New York State Attorney General’s Office before Biden became president, Colangelo led the probe into the Trump Foundation, which resulted in its dissolution. He also led the investigation that eventually became Trump’s civil fraud case, according to The New York Times.
Neither Bragg nor the Democratic National Committee immediately responded to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Originally published by the Daily Caller News Foundation
The post Former Biden DOJ Official Prosecuting Trump Received Thousands of Dollars From DNC appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Judge Juan Merchan admitted in court Monday that former President Donald Trump could become "the next president" -- a tacit acknowledgement that his business records trial is occurring in the middle of a presidential election with direct bearing on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
The post New York Judge Juan Merchan Calls Trump ‘Possibly the Next President’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Matthew Colangelo, an ex-Biden Justice Department official who delivered the prosecution’s opening statement for former President Donald Trump's business records trial in New York, was paid by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) for political consulting in 2018, raising further eyebrows regarding the integrity of Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg's entire case.
The post Ex-Biden Official Prosecuting Trump Paid $12K by DNC for Political Consulting in 2018 appeared first on Breitbart.
New York County Judge Juan Merchan ruled Monday for a second time former President Donald Trump violated his gag order during the trial, holding him in criminal contempt and threatening him with jail time for any further infractions.
The post Judge Juan Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Contempt Again for Violating Gag Order appeared first on Breitbart.
President Joe Biden's historically low polling numbers would not receive a boost if former President Donald Trump is potentially found guilty in any legal case against him, a poll shows.
The post Poll: Potential Trump Conviction Would Not Lift Biden’s Lagging Support appeared first on Breitbart.
Alvin Bragg asked Justice Juan Merchan to punish Donald Trump for four comments concerning Michael Cohen and David Pecker.
The post Justice Juan Merchan Weighs Punishing Donald Trump a Second Time for Allegedly Violating Gag Order appeared first on Breitbart.
Legal experts have been sounding the alarm that former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen's TikTok fundraising videos have hurt the prosecution.
The post Legal Experts: Michael Cohen TikTok Videos, Fundraising May Have ‘Torpedoed’ NY Trump Prosecution appeared first on Breitbart.
There are many reasons why legal experts are questioning the legitimacy of the criminal prosecution of former President Donald Trump. But the major reason is that the main claim in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case—that Trump’s $130,000 settlement payment of a potential claim by Stormy Daniels was a campaign-related expense—is totally bogus.
Here’s a quick tutorial on why Bragg doesn’t have a legal leg to stand on—call it “Federal Campaign Finance Law for Dummies 101”—an apropos title, given what’s going on.
Daniels claims that she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, fully 10 years before the 2016 presidential election, which Trump denies. For the payment, Daniels agreed to sign a nondisclosure agreement, which is a standard provision in many settlement agreements of personal injury cases and other claims.
Bragg contends that Trump falsified business records, a misdemeanor, when this payment was listed as legal expenses instead of a campaign expense.
Supposedly, according to Bragg, that converted the misdemeanors into felonies because Trump was concealing another crime. That other crime, according to prosecutors, is a violation of Section 17-152 of New York law, which makes it a misdemeanor to “promote … the election of any person to public office by unlawful means.”
Besides the fact that it’s very strange to allege that the commission of a misdemeanor for the purpose of covering up the commission of another misdemeanor is enough to allege a felony, the only plausible theory that Bragg is pushing for the alleged “unlawful means” was a violation of federal law by concealing a campaign-related payment.
With me so far?
But Trump was running for president. The raising and spending of money for campaigns for president and Congress is governed by federal law, the Federal Election Campaign Act, not state law. Any wrongdoing related to federal campaign financing falls under the enforcement authority of federal officials, not a local prosecutor like Bragg.
In fact, the Federal Election Commission, on which I served as a commissioner, has civil enforcement authority and the U.S. Department of Justice has criminal enforcement authority over violations of this law.
For the nuisance-value settlement payment to Daniels to fit within Bragg’s rickety legal structure, it would have to be a crime under federal law. In other words, it would have to be considered a campaign-related expense that was falsely reported under the Federal Election Campaign Act.
If you want an example of such a violation, just look at the $113,000 civil penalty the Hillary Rodham Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee agreed to pay in 2022. They listed the payments for the opposition research that formed the basis for the infamous Steele dossier, which fabricated the entire Trump-Russia collusion hoax, as legal expenses instead of opposition research.
But opposition research on the opposing candidate is obviously a campaign-related expense under applicable federal law, so the FEC had authority to investigate and enforce the law against this deception.
That’s not the case with the Daniels’ payment. For starters, the incident in question that led to the payment is alleged to have happened 10 years before the 2016 campaign. More importantly, the payment fails the test the FEC applies to determine whether an expense is campaign-related.
Under federal law and corresponding regulations, the FEC applies the “irrespective test” to “differentiate legitimate campaign and officeholder expenses from personal expenses.” As the FEC explains on its website, under the irrespective test, “personal use is any use of funds … to fulfill a commitment, obligation, or expense of any person that would exist, irrespective of the candidates’ campaign.”
In other words, if the expense would exist even if the individual were not a candidate, then it’s personal and not a campaign expense.
The payment to Daniels clearly fails that test. Trump was a celebrity long before he ran for office, and celebrities get these kinds of nuisance claims all the time. In fact, the prosecution’s first witness in the New York case, David Pecker, said he had helped settle similar claims to avoid legal costs and embarrassment by suppressing stories for numerous other celebrities, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tiger Woods.
The easiest way to understand this test is to take the example of a personal injury claim.
Candidate A has a car accident several years before he runs for Congress that injures another driver. After the campaign has started, the candidate decides to settle the personal injury claim made by the other driver by paying that driver $130,000 in exchange for a nondisclosure agreement.
Settling and paying the claim may help the candidate in his campaign by avoiding personal embarrassment. But that doesn’t make it a campaign expense. It’s a claim that would exist even if the candidate were not running for office and is thus considered a personal expense under federal law.
Daniels’ claim is also a personal claim that existed long before Trump ran for the presidency and, given his celebrity status, would have continued to exist even if he never ran for president.
That’s no doubt why neither the FEC nor the Justice Department ever filed an enforcement action against the Trump campaign or Trump personally over the payment; specifically, because it was not a campaign-related expense.
You know what would have led to enforcement actions? If Trump had actually claimed this was a campaign-related expense and had used campaign funds to make the payment, I have no doubt he would have been prosecuted by the feds for the illegal use of campaign funds to pay a personal expense.
That’s what former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., went to prison for after he pleaded guilty in 2013 to spending $750,000 on personal expenses.
Keep in mind that Bragg’s entire manufactured case of 34 counts of falsifying business records depends entirely on the legitimacy of his contention that the settlement payment should have been listed as a campaign-related expense.
It shouldn’t because it wasn’t.
And all of the other testimony from the prosecution’s witnesses about this payment and other settlement payments that are obviously intended to blacken the character of the former president and prejudice the jury doesn’t change the fact that none of these payments were campaign-related expenses. Period. End of story—or at least it should be.
The post Trump’s NY Prosecution Is a Bogus Case by a Bogus Prosecutor appeared first on The Daily Signal.
Joe Biden’s fascist lawfare assault on former President Trump is backfiring, according to the latest polling.
The post Nolte: NYC Trial Makes 32% More Likely to Vote for Trump, Only 26% Less Likely appeared first on Breitbart.
“How far we have fallen with the standards for government,” Peter Schweizer says of the apparently coordinated efforts to prosecute Donald Trump before the 2024 elections.
The post Peter Schweizer: Biden’s ‘Sinister but Brilliant’ Campaign Strategy Is Lawfare appeared first on Breitbart.
New York County Judge Juan Merchan has ruled that former President Donald Trump violated a gag order during his trial, holding him in criminal contempt and threatening him with jail time for any further infractions.
The post Judge Merchan Holds Donald Trump in Criminal Contempt for Gag Order Violations, Threatens Jail Time appeared first on Breitbart.
Less than half adamantly believe that former President Donald Trump will be convicted of a crime in his criminal trial at the hands of Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a recent survey from the Economist/YouGov found.
The post Poll: Just 26% Believe Trump Will Be Convicted in Criminal Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
Mercedes Schlapp slammed Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's business records trial against Donald Trump, calling it "authoritarian."
The post Exclusive — Mercedes Schlapp: The New York Trial Against Donald Trump Is ‘Authoritarian’ appeared first on Breitbart.
New York has been trending right, and Donald Trump should "keep the strategy up," former Rep. Lee Zeldin said on Breitbart News Saturday.
The post Exclusive — Lee Zeldin: New York Has Been Trending Right; Donald Trump Should ‘Keep the Strategy Up’ appeared first on Breitbart.
The CNN poll appears to confirm the diminishing impact of prosecuting former President Donald Trump to prevent his reelection.
The post CNN Poll: More Americans See Trump’s Trial as Irrelevant to His Fitness for Reelection appeared first on Breitbart.
A New York City cop who got into a scuffle with a suspect in an Apple Store in 2021 has been acquitted after being hit with assault charges.
The post New York City Cop Acquitted Three Years After Punching Suspect Who Refused to Leave Apple Store appeared first on Breitbart.
The survey appears to confirm former President Trump's argument that efforts to bankrupt and throw him in jail are politically motivated by the White House.
The post CNN Poll: Only 13% Say Trump Treated Same as Other ‘Criminal Defendants’ appeared first on Breitbart.
A majority of voters say a conviction in any of former President Donald Trump's various legal cases would have "no effect" on their vote.
The post National Poll: Majority of Likely Voters Say a Trump Conviction Would Have ‘No Effect’ on Their Vote appeared first on Breitbart.
I can’t tell you how many people I know who do not like former President Donald Trump yet nonetheless smell prosecutorial overreach in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged the former president with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.
The case began with Michael Cohen, Trump’s onetime fixer, making a “hush money” payment to the former adult film actress known as Stormy Daniels to keep her from revealing information about an alleged sexual relationship with Trump in 2006. Bragg used the fact that Cohen paid $130,000 to Daniels in 2016, when Trump was running for president, as a pretext to turn a moldy misdemeanor offense into a felony.
But is it even illegal? This trial showcases something rich men and big corporations have been doing for years—paying off mistresses or wronged staffers with cash settlements with little public scrutiny, thanks to nondisclosure agreements.
I don’t like it, but it’s not a crime.
On Tuesday, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that during a 2015 meeting in Trump Tower, he told Trump, Cohen, and campaign stalwart Hope Hicks that he wanted to help the Trump campaign, if behind the scenes.
What followed was “catch and kill,” the term for the scheme of paying to get dirt on a public figure, then killing the story, as happened with another alleged Trump gal pal, Karen McDougal. The National Enquirer paid her $150,000 for a story that never ran.
Trump has denied that anything extramarital occurred with McDougal and Daniels. But as Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, told CNN, “You don’t pay someone $130,000 not to have sex with you.”
Back to Cohen. He’s a flawed witness to be sure, who in 2018 pleaded guilty to charges that included tax evasion and lying to Congress when he testified about Trump, his former master. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison.
Then, last year, Cohen claimed that he lied when he admitted to tax evasion. A more careful prosecutor would not hang a case on an accomplished liar.
Given his capacity for self-pity and self-sabotage, it’s no surprise that Trump told reporters after the second day of trial, “I’m not allowed to defend myself.”
Trump also continued to throw shade at Judge Juan Merchan, whose gag order, Trump maintained, robbed him of his “right to free speech.” Trump also offered that Merchan “should recuse himself.”
Pecker testified that he was glad to help by running “positive stories about Mr. Trump,” as well as negative stories about his campaign rivals. I’m guessing many Big Media hotshots feel the same way—about President Joe Biden.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation.
The post Trump Faces 34 Felonies at Trial. But Was There a Crime? appeared first on The Daily Signal.
A group of anti-Trump lawyers and media analysts are secretly convening weekly via Zoom to discuss and strategize over former President Donald Trump's legal cases, according to a report.
The post Report: Anti-Trump Lawyers, Media Pundits Hold Secret Weekly Strategy Calls on Trump Legal Cases appeared first on Breitbart.
Those who intend to vote for Donald Trump in 2024 are more enthusiastic than individuals who intend to vote for Joe Biden.
The post Poll: Donald Trump Supporters More Enthusiastic to Vote than Joe Biden Voters appeared first on Breitbart.
Though most Americans expect our judges to be neutral arbiters of the law, Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the New York trial against President Trump, is anything but.
The post Exclusive—Matthew Whitaker: Conflicts of Interest Abound in Judge Merchan’s Handling of the Trump Sham Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan could fine former President Donald Trump up to $11,000 for violating a gag order that his legal team argues prevents him from defending himself publicly in a case where a Democrat district attorney is seeking to put him in jail.
The post Judge Juan Merchan’s ‘Manifestly Unfair’ Gag Order on Trump Comes Under Serious Legal Scrutiny appeared first on Breitbart.
Justice Juan Merchan appeared to show his dark side during a Tuesday gag order hearing concerning former President Donald Trump.
The post Gag Order Hearing — Justice Juan Merchan Rages at Donald Trump’s Lawyer: ‘You’re Losing All Credibility’ appeared first on Breitbart.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg reportedly backed down from asking New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan to jail former President Donald Trump for allegedly violating a gag order.
The post Gag Order Hearing: D.A. Alvin Bragg Backs Down from Wanting Trump in Jail appeared first on Breitbart.
Alina Habba, lawyer and spokesperson for former President Donald Trump, accused Democrats of going after the Republican presidential nominee in court because they cannot beat him in the polls.
The post Alina Habba: Criminal and Civil Courts Being Used Against Trump Because ‘They Cannot Beat Him in the Polls’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Matthew Colangelo, a former Biden DOJ official, delivered the prosecution's opening statement on Monday in the Trump criminal trial.
The post Trump Trial Day 5: Matthew Colangelo, Ex-Biden Admin Official, Gives Prosecution’s Opening Statement appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump's hush money trial in Manhattan is set to hear opening arguments on Monday, after a full jury of 12 jurors and six alternates were seated on Friday.
The post Donald Trump Hush Money Trial to Begin with All Jurors Seated appeared first on Breitbart.
David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, is reportedly set to be the first to testify in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial.
The post Former National Enquirer Publisher David Pecker Reportedly First to Testify in Trump Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
The former attorney for adult entertainment star Stormy Daniels, Michael Avenatti, claims that former President Donald Trump's legal team has "contacted" him, and says he would be willing to testify.
The post Michael Avenatti: Trump’s Legal Team ‘Contacted’ Him, ‘More than Happy to Testify’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) introduced legislation on Friday that targets former President Donald Trump and would take away his Secret Service protection if he is convicted in his trial.
The post Democrat Bennie Thompson Proposes Bill to Strip Trump of Secret Service Protection if Convicted, Sentenced to Jail appeared first on Breitbart.
Donald Trump continued to rip Justice Merchan for implementing an "unconstitutional" gag order that prevents him from "telling the truth."
The post Trial Day 4 — Donald Trump Slams Judge’s Gag Order: ‘They Can Say Anything They Want’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Court reporter Maggie Haberman's statement confirms a widely held belief among Republicans that former President Donald Trump will not receive a fair criminal trial.
The post Reporter: Potential Trump Jurors Are ‘More Left-of-Center Than Not’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Here is a breakdown of the 12 jurors seated in the trial of former President Donald Trump. The trial is taking place in solidly-Democrat Manhattan, making it challenging for Trump's defense to find fair and impartial jurors.
The post Who Are the 12 Jurors Seated in the Trump Hush Money Trial? appeared first on Breitbart.
One of two jurors who have been dismissed from former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York said the former president looked "bored" and "less orange."
The post Dismissed Trump Juror: Trump Looked ‘Bored,’ ‘Less Orange’ appeared first on Breitbart.
A woman whose son works for a House Democrat told the court that it would not affect her ability to serve as a juror on the Trump hush money case and be fair and impartial.
The post Potential Trump Case Juror Has Son Who Works for a House Democrat, Claims ‘No Feelings’ About Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump said his political opponents are trying to get him off the campaign trail and suggested it does not seem to be working.
The post Trump: Political Opponents Trying to Get Me Off the Campaign Trail appeared first on Breitbart.
A prospective juror who reportedly told the court she could remain unbiased in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial admitted in an interview this week that she is "not a fan" of him, listing various reasons including his comments on China, which she claimed made her "angry."
The post Prospective Juror Who Said She Could Remain Unbiased Admits ‘Not a Fan’ of Trump appeared first on Breitbart.
Justice Merchan excused a second seated juror for unknown reasons during the third day of the Trump criminal trial.
The post Trump Trial Day 3: Judge Excuses Second Seated Juror for Unknown Reason appeared first on Breitbart.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan reportedly warned court reporters on reporting about the "physical descriptions" of jurors in former President Donald Trump's criminal case.
The post Report: Judge Juan Merchan Warns Court Reporters About Writing ‘Physical Descriptions’ of Trump Jurors appeared first on Breitbart.
Judge Juan Merchan "abruptly" dismissed a previously approved juror after she raised concerns about her identity becoming public.
The post Judge Dismisses Trump Juror over Concerns About Her Identity Becoming Public appeared first on Breitbart.
Just over one-third, 35 percent, of individuals believe former President Donald Trump did something overtly "illegal."
The post Poll: Just 35% Believe Donald Trump Did Something ‘Illegal’ in Alvin Bragg’s Criminal Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's criminal trial swore in 7 jurors Tuesday, 4 men and 3 women from different backgrounds.
The post Meet 7 of Trump’s Jurors: Nurse, Foreman, Lawyers, Teacher, Engineer, Consultant appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump visited a bodega in New York City where a worker was attacked, robbed, and wrongfully prosecuted for murder by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The post Donald Trump Visits NYC Bodega Where Worker Was Wrongfully Prosecuted by Alvin Bragg appeared first on Breitbart.
As day two of former President Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial continued, attorneys for the former president had a potential juror dismissed after they found posts calling for Trump to be jailed.
The post Potential Juror Dismissed After Trump’s Legal Team Finds ‘Lock Him Up’ Posts on Social Media appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump speaks in New York City following the second day of his trial by District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Tuesday, April 16.
The post Watch Live: Donald Trump Speaks in New York Following Second Day in Court appeared first on Breitbart.
The first six jurors were selected in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial on Tuesday afternoon, after a two-day process, whittled down from a potential 96 potential candidates.
The post First 6 Jurors Selected in Trump Hush Money Trial After Questioning of Anti-Trump Social Media Posts appeared first on Breitbart.
The judge reportedly allowed a juror who celebrated Donald Trump's 2020 election loss on social media to stay in the jury pool.
The post Report: Judge Allows Juror Who ‘Celebrated Trump’s Loss in 2020’ to Stay in Pool appeared first on Breitbart.
The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's New York criminal case, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, is a Biden donor, Trump lawyer Jesse Binnall said during an appearance on Breitbart News Daily.
The post Exclusive – Trump Lawyer: ‘Extremely Improper’ that Judge in Trump Criminal Case Is a Biden Donor appeared first on Breitbart.
Republican National Committee (RNC) Co-Chair Lara Trump praised her brother-in-law Barron Trump, describing him as "incredibly smart."
The post Exclusive — Lara Trump: Barron Trump ‘Incredibly Smart,’ Nobody Safe When He Bursts onto the Scene appeared first on Breitbart.
The prosecution in former President Donald Trump's criminal trial is attempting to "stack the deck" against Trump in the selection, Jesse Binnall said.
The post Exclusive — Trump Lawyer: Prosecution Seeks to ‘Stack the Deck Against’ Trump in Jury Selection appeared first on Breitbart.
The massive single-day haul supports Donald Trump's belief that his legal challenges might come back and haunt Democrats.
The post Lara Trump: Donald Trump Raised $1.5M After Day One of Trial appeared first on Breitbart.
Trump attorney Jesse Binnall gives an insider’s take on the state of play in former President Donald Trump’s court cases, including the so-called “hush money” trial underway this week in New York City.
The post Breitbart News Daily Podcast Ep. 518: Trump Attorney Jesse Binnall on the Trump Trials appeared first on Breitbart.
Donald Trump condemned his criminal trial on Tuesday, citing fresh polling that supports his premise of the political nature of the case.
The post Day 2: Donald Trump Says ‘Trial Is a Disgrace … Just Look at the Polls’ appeared first on Breitbart.
Thirty-four of the 96 potential jurors remain from the first pool in the juror selection process for President Donald Trump's criminal trial, court room journalists reported.
The post Trump Trial: At Least 50 Potential Jurors Excused from First Pool appeared first on Breitbart.
Former President Donald Trump after his first day in court as part of the hush money case blasted Judge Juan Merchan for likely not allowing him to attend his son Barron's graduation ceremony on May 17.
The post ‘Unjust Scam’: Trump Says He Will Likely Miss Son Barron’s Graduation Due to ‘Conflicted and Corrupt’ Judge appeared first on Breitbart.
Vaunce News 