Careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Donald Trump coached his lawyer, Christopher Kise, into an “aha!” moment, when Kise was questioning Michael Cohen. In Trump’s mind, the back and forth questioning about, “did you lie when you said such and such?” was going to lead to a Perry Mason moment where Kise would turn to the judge and ask for a directed verdict and the case would be over. And not just over, as in concluded, but over as in with a dramatic, vindicating finish, as only Earle Stanley Gardner could write (and Trump fantasize.)
So, the moment came and went. Kise dutifully asked Judge Arthur Engoron for a directed verdict and the judge said, “Absolutely not,” pointing out the mountain of evidence that there was to the contrary. And Trump lost it. He went rampaging from the courtroom, like a wounded rhinoceros, with fire in his eyes. The judge was seriously angry, as well, that Trump stormed out during trial like that. But, intriguingly, now Norm Eisen is saying that there was “a Perry Mason moment” today and that Ivanka caused it. Wowey, zowey, imagine that?
The “personal guarantee” in question is purely Trumpian. Eisen said that Trump was supposed to make a personal guarantee. Then he said, “They confronted her with evidence that the father turned around and demanded that his kids guarantee him for the guarantee. So it was neither personal nor guarantee.” Trump demanded that his kids guarantee “him?” For a loan that he wants to make? In what universe does that make any sense?
This is going to be one court transcript that legal scholars will pour over for some time to come. This is one gnarled skein of yarn, but then it would have to be, being the blueprint for Trump world, right? How could it be anything else? Think of it as multicolored yarn, where fraud is woven into duplicity, which is woven into chicanery, which is woven into dishonesty, which is woven into double-dealing, which is woven into perfidy. There aren’t enough colors in the rainbow, alas, to cover the shades of Trumpian deceit.
Somehow this country ended up in a bad bargain with Donald Trump. There is no other kind. 300,000 of us are no longer on this side of the grass because of it. And every single one of us have been debased and degraded from having him in our White House. Our collective image in the eyes of the world has been tarnished and it’s taking us a while to get it back.
Like any bad relationship, it blew up once because it was toxic. Now Trump wants to come back for a second try. And instead of saying that he’ll do things differently and be much better, oh no, he’s clearly stating that he intends to do things much worse. He’s out for revenge and retribution. The man needs instead to recuperate and rehabilitate in a rest home. He is not well.
Let’s see what happens when all the trials are adjudicated. Even that whack-a-mole New York Times/Sienna poll from a few days back, showing Joe Biden as the underdog, had a completely different result in the eventuality that Trump was convicted criminally. In that instance, those polled said they would vote differently.
I think it’s virtually assured that each and every trial will come down the wrong way for Trump. These cases would not have been brought in the first place if they weren’t air tight.
Trump’s going down down down the dark ladder and he’s never coming back. And he knows it. Now the kids are looking at their inheritances, for the first time in their lives, and wondering what’s what.
Rest home my fuzzy, pink donkey. He can recuperate in a 6 x 10 cell with one small, high window. Until 2055.
6×8 No T V, no radio, no phone, no internet. Nothing but Traitor Tot, his bare mattress on the floor, and his toilet/sink unit, and his orange jumpsuit. No contact with anyone ever.
“Wowey, zowey”??
Haven’t heard that since Suzy Creamcheese on The Mothers of Invention’s Uncle Meat.
The orange buffoon probably heard about directed verdicts but failed to understand that a ‘directed verdict’ is when a judge instructs the jury, not to retire but return a ‘not guilty’ verdict.
Now, as there is no jury – there is no-one to ‘direct’ (but he’s heard it on the 45 minute trials from any episode on TV)
My worry is that a unanimous decision is required to convict. It seems likely that at least one trumpanista will lie, during jury selection, for the sole purpose of not allowing a guilty verdict.
I hope that I am wrong, but I find it worrisome.
There isn’t (and won’t be) a jury as it’s a civil case and he forgot to tick the box to ask for one.
Judge Engoron has already said he’s guilty and what is happening now is to decide just how much they can fine him
There’s no jury here. Trumps DOLLAR STORE “lawyer” forgot to check the box.
she didn’t really have the option, due to the type of trial. juries are not expected to plow through mountains of financial disclosures and understand them. and the penalty in question is disgorgement of the ill-gotten gains. so it’s a bench trial by its very nature.
I did not know much about former guy’s other attorney Kise. Now I know he is another….Z lister (or worse). How? Because he took trump’s advice/coaching. You really have to be short a whole lot of tools in the shed to do that.
Sorry Ursula… you totally lost me here. First you talk of the COHEN testimony day … and then all of a sudden jump to the IVANKA day…. what on earth are you talking about?
Which day which trial ??