Well, it’s official. Trump’s DC trial on January 6 related charges will begin on March 4, 2024. Not as early as Special Counsel Jack Smith had wanted (jury selection in Dec. and the trial itself starting in the first week of 2024) but WAY earlier than Trump wanted. DEMANDED actually. NPR did a nice write-up of today’s hearing in front of federal judge Tanya Chutkan in DC and it notes, as I heard pundits (including Glenn Kirschner on MSNBC who was in the courtroom) more than once judge Chutkan had to tell Trump’s lead lawyer John Lauro to “turn the temperature down.”
Oh, but it gets better. While I urge you to read the entire NPR article there are a couple of things I’ll share here:
“Setting a trial date does not depend and should not depend on a defendant’s personal obligations,” the judge said. She said setting a trial date while considering a professional athlete’s schedule would be “inappropriate” and the same would be true in a case involving a former president running to return to the White House.
The article also noted she would go on to say: “I take seriously the defense’s request that Mr. Trump be treated like any other defendant appearing before this court, and I intend to do so”
And finally, when Lauro claimed the date set was inconsistent with Trump’s right to due process judge Chutkan simply stated she’d note his objection for the record.
Ouch! Talk about a brush off! I for one am quite certain that judge Chutkan, who was once a defense lawyer handling tough cases including capital crimes has her legal bases well covered should (more like when) the matter is raised on appeal. Maybe that’s why Lauro kept raising his voice – he’s got a well qualified (including years of criminal defense work), experienced and no-nonsense federal judge who also happens to be well-versed in January 6 cases (having presided over multiple ones) and he knows she’s got his, and Trump’s number.
Which brings me to the headline for this article. Anyone reading this long ago learned how Trump has gotten away with so much in his life by running out the clock on the legal process. Delay is the next best thing to beating the rap entirely. Trump’s problem is he’s not some real estate mogul in “Kansas” (NYC) anymore where his legal problems tended to get lost in the mass of other goings on. Now the whole country, and a a slow but steadily increasing number of judges know his game. Delay, delay delay and then delay some more. Like a magician who gives up the secrets of the act by performing the same trick(s) twice Trump has revealed the secret to his “legal trick.”
Being a golfer (not nearly as good as he claims but he makes a BFD about golf and always finds time to play!) Trump is well aware of the long-time scourge of professional golf. SLOW play. Players complain, the culprits whine about being targeted and make excuses and the pro tours engage in multiple bouts per season of hand-wringing BUT they damned near ever enforce their own rules and penalize players. In the entirely too few instances where a penalty stroke(s) is actually assigned, my god the golf world goes bat-sh*t insane!
Being such an avid golf person Trump knows this as well as anyone. And probably laughs about it because he’s been doing it in legal proceedings for so many decades. Let me explain. Although for multiple reasons I don’t play golf anymore I used to. It was custom among many including me and people I’d play with regularly to play what we called “ready golf.” You hit your tees shots and when you get out to them in the fairway (okay, sometimes OFF the fairway, even way off) it’s easy to determine who’s away and plays first, and second and so on. AND, while that first person is figuring out their next shot and what club to use everyone else in the group does the same. That way once the first shot is played the others can step right up and hit their own shots. Same thing at the green. There’s no reason why everyone can’t start reading their putts or chips at the same time.
However in pro golf, players reach their shots and INSIST on going through their own individual “routine.” Wait for the first person(s) to hit, and ONLY when it’s their turn do they start consulting with their caddy about distance/yardage, what type of shot to play, which club to use etc. The length of some of these discussions are such you’d think they are negotiating a peace treaty in the middle east! It didn’t used to be that way but it long ago became the norm. And instead of a round of pro golf taking maybe as much as three and a half hours it now regularly takes over five hours! Sometimes closer to six.
THAT type of pro golfer mentality is the same approach Trump has always used when it comes to legal action. Oh, he knows when something’s coming but he fiddle farts around until something is actually filed. THEN and only then does he start “considering his shot”, or when it comes to a lawsuit what actions he should take. (like everyone doesn’t already know try to get it dismissed or failing that start the delay crap) What Trump is learning the hard way is that he’s a criminal defendant now. This isn’t civil court. Also, even though rich and/or powerful people get a large measure of deference us average folks (or worse, poor folks) don’t it’s harder to run out the clock in criminal cases. Yes, sometimes it works but again, Trump has chosen to walk into the Presidential spotlight and he’s facing a consequence he hadn’t anticipated.
Criminal Court judges (both state and federal) who are all too aware of his standard delaying tactics and won’t put up with it. Well, he does have judge “Loose” Cannon down there in FL but Trump was a damn fool to go thinking other judges would follow HER “example.” Hell, if anything she’s made it more likely they will hold Trump’s feet to the fire as much as possible so as not to be lumped in with her!
Trump isn’t a pro golfer, playing in a professional tournament. He’s a criminal defendant and with the exception of the notorious judge Cannon he’s not dealing with golf tournament officials who will wring their hands and allow all manner of rule breaking delays. Nope. He’s now in the realm of people who have real legal power, and who will make damn sure he knows HE’S no longer the one in charge.
Trying to appeal to anyone but judge Cannon that he deserves a long break between trials so he can start preparing for the next one isn’t going to fly. The judges will look right back at him and in too polite tone and words say “You claim be rich AND have raised prodigious sums from donors for your legal defense. More than enough to hire separate teams for separate trials.” If one of the judges feels like twisting the knife they can remind him of what his lawyer Alina Habba said about him being so smart he won’t need “prepping.”
Even if Trump manages (likely) to avoid trial in GA in October he’s still looking at a couple of several criminal prosecutions during the GOP primary season. Also, even if he doesn’t face trial in GA in October all of a sudden December and January are now open! He could face three trials in a row, and prosecutors have him cold in all three. His ONLY hope is a hung jury, at least one MAGA in each trial managing to sneak through the jury selection process and refuse to convict. (In which case prosecutors will turn right around and re-file) Those aren’t good odds for Trump.
The news biz has craved another 2016 and done all they could do set up a Trump vs. Biden rematch with “possible criminal convictions” hanging out there and Trump railing away on the campaign trail about it. Ratings gold. You know what? They are STILL going to have their big ratings this spring. In addition to that, they will also finally have a wet-dream they’ve fantasized about for my entire adult life come to pass.
A brokered GOP convention!
As I wrote last night this is going to get far uglier than our worst fears. However, if we can weather the sh*tstorm in the long run the rule of law will have survived and we will be stronger for it.
I wonder how his ketchup supplies are holding out?
Screw his ketchup bottles, I wonder how his tighty-whiteys are holding out. lmao
“As I wrote last night this is going to get far uglier than our worst fears.”
What happens when Trump finally accepts that he isn’t going to win the 2024 election, his Plan A. He’s not going to just give up, he’s not going to go to prison for the rest of his life, so, what’s his Plan B?
Here is where I think the really ugly things will start.
Well now, he might not WANT to go to prison for the rest of his life (or be incarcerated in some fashion), but he’s not the one calling the shots. He’s been a weasel all of his worthless life and now four indictments are stuck on him like four brickle-burrs. I am not a prognosticator of any kind but the evidence in Willis’ and Smith’s indictments is not only compelling, but there is quite a bit of it. I’d say at least a couple of these things are going to catch up with him. He’s not walking away from these problems.
So, ugly? If he’s incarcerated, somewhere, for the rest of his natural life, he will not be able to do his constant little s & m bitch sessions-I’ve a feeling that even if his incarceration is in one of his homes, the rest of what goes along with prison ought to apply. That is if he will be treated like anyone else.
I thought the trial date is March 4, 2024? It reads March 4, 2025. Also, March 4th is known as “Go Ahead Day”, which I believe is somewhat appropriate….
Um, denis? Are you sure about that 2025 date? A Google search of “Trump DC trial date” leads to many sources with 2024 as the date.
I’m sure you must’ve made a real typo because you certainly don’t seem as outraged with a 2025 date as I’ve inferred from many of your earlier pieces (and comments).
Thanks for the catch. I’ll go in and correct it. I’d wanted to include something about shooting for spring 2025 (after Trump hopes he’d be Prez again) but decided against it. Still an unreasonable ask that would have gotten shot down but not nearly as outrageous as what they tried for. Any goodwill they might have had with the judge went right out the window!