Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive William Shakespeare
As Ali Velshi just pointed out, Traitor Tot is no stranger to either litigation, or depositions. And as a general rule, when under deposition, Trump answers the softball questions, like his name and age, makes shit up on other questions, but the kind of shit you’ll never be able to hold him accountable for, and throws in plenty of I don’t knows, or I can’t recalls. Hey, whatever gets you through the night.
But Trump’s appearance today for a deposition in front of NY AG Letitia James was a different breed of cat. Before he had even been sworn in, Trump released a statement admitting that in the past he had ridiculed people for Taking the 5th, but in light of recent events, When his business, his family, his fortune, and his very freedom were threatened by a partisan political witch hunt, there is nothing else you can do. And then he pleaded the 5th for everything but his name.
Little wonder. Just a quick reminder, James is not on a criminal investigation, hers is a civil investigation into Trump fraudulently manipulating the value of his properties and holdings to gain favorable loan rates and lower taxes. But Trump is not looking at jail time here, just fines and sanctions.
But at the same time, The NY AG is the least of Trump’s worries. Trump is also facing the J6 Committee, as well as a criminal investigation led by the Fulton County District attorney, And God knows they’d like to see what Trump has to say, and a deposition is not grand jury testimony, it is not protected with privacy.
But here’s where the Law of Unintended Consequences rears its ugly head again. And it’s why Trump had no choice but to sit down, and shut the hell up. Because there is another pot sitting on a gentle simmer that His Lowness desperately doesn’t want to stir up.
A couple of years ago, former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr announced a marquis investigation into Donald Trump that pretty much ran parallel to what NY AG James was doing. The big difference was that Vance’s investigation was looking into criminal charges against Trump for manipulating the value of his properties for personal profit. Sadly, Vance retired and was replaced before the case could be brought to charges.
The man who replaced Vance, Alvin Bragg, took one look at the case, recoiled like a guy who had just seen a dead rat full of cooties, and paused the investigation. Which caused his top two prosecutors to resign in protest, one of them releasing his resignation letter publicly, citing overwhelming evidence to convict.
Enter Unintended Consequences. In a civil case, like the one James is pursuing, the judge would instruct the jury that they could infer negative inferences from Trump’s use of the 5th Amendment. That’s because Trump isn’t facing prison, just fines and sanctions. But in a criminal trial, it can’t be used against him. But it’s still incredibly valuable.
Because it tells Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg something that will almost certainly have him reevaluating his case. It tells him that Trump has no valid defense, otherwise he would have answered James’s questions fully and honestly. The defense is going to have to rely on smoke-and-mirrors to try to confuse the issue. If the case is as strong as his top prosecutors thought it was, there would be no reason to not go forward and indict, and go to trial. The defense is a toothless tiger.
I have a twitch in my whiskers about this. Bragg would have to be a moron not to reevaluate this case, what a feather in the cap of a rookie DA to bring down a former President. Trump’s invocation of the 5th proces he has no valid defense. And when a criminal defense team has no defense, then there’s no reason not to pull the trigger. Don’t touch that dial.
The news that all Trump answered was his name caused me to flash to an old Beyond the Fringe routine. They were a British comedy troupe pre-Monty Python and never all that well known over here in the early 60s but they were funny as hell. One classic routine, I Could Have Been A Judge (but I never had the Latin) explores the rigors of the exams to become a judge which were of course beyond the character’s capability. So he says he became a miner, as their exams were not at all rigorous. He notes they only ask one question which is who are you? His answer is priceless, and I encourage you to watch the first minute of the following clip:
On a serious note, I can’t help but ask myself if Bragg sold out. Literally. Like a certain former federal prosecutor you’ve heard of. Guy by the name of Rudy. Yep, back in the day when he was lord and master of SDNY they were (or had) built a good case, but Rudy wanted to get into politics. Problem was running for Mayor of NYC (for starters) was an expensive proposition and let’s face it, Rudy has never been the most personable of people and he was having trouble raising enough money to show he was a credible enough candidate for large donors to contribute to.
What he needed was a proverbial angel investor in his campaign, someone who would kick in enough money that he could point to an actual war chest with some real money in it. In a less than six month span Rudy got an “angel investment” from Trump and the investigation into the Trump Org simply faded away. Hmmmmm.
I’m sure people have looked but not found anything. Bragg at least would be smart enough to make sure any payoff doesn’t actually come to him or someone he loves until some years down the road and to make sure there are a couple of layers to provide deniability. That he cut a deal with Trump is for me at least a possibility that can’t be discounted. However, as you say the state AG has just upped the ante and by a lot. Bragg is going to get a steady stream of questions every time news breaks about what Ms. James and the state are doing about why he hasn’t moved on criminal charges against Trump. And with one of those who blasted him publicly in his resignation now a talking head/pundit you can bet the pressure is going to ratchet up.
For all that I’m stunned that Trump actually listed to and followed the advice of his lawyers. They might well have given him bad (in the long term, for his criminal exposure) advice but they’re being paid (by the RNC!) to protect him in civil litigation and billable hours are billable hours. There is much they can do to earn more by dragging this shit out!
I just checked and Alan Weisselberg’s (Trump Org CFO) trial is slated to begin in Sept or Oct. He’s an old man, so if it looks like he is going to go away for the rest of his natural life, he may just wise up and make a deal. He knows where the bodies are buried and who buried them. So, one more worry for the Mango Menance.
This clown couldn’t win a game of checkers against one of his peers…another 5 year old. Planted evidence? Sure 25 boxes were brought in by the FBI. The earth will always be flat to these mutherfuckers.
Trump LOVES to talk (until he is under oath.)