Well, I won’t believe it until judge Merchan bangs his gavel to adjourn after reading out the sentencing decision, but it looks like Trump has failed to stop things. I just did a web search and yes, today’s sentencing in a New York courtroom is set to take place. Trump went all the way to SCOTUS to try and stop it and got turned away. Still, we’re talking about Trump so who knows what crazy b.s. his lawyers will try in the hours ahead?
For now, as The Baltimore Sun tells us (it was the most recent reporting I could find from a major publication) Trump will in fact face a sentencing hearing. Not that there will be any real “teeth” to his punishment:
With Trump 10 days from inauguration, Judge Juan M. Merchan has indicated he plans a no-penalty sentence called an unconditional discharge, and prosecutors aren’t opposing it. That would mean no jail time, no probation and no fines would be imposed, but nothing is final until Friday’s proceeding is done.
Regardless of the outcome, Trump, a Republican, will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the presidency.
I’m angry that there won’t be a suspended sentence or probation of some sort. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Once again Trump will get away with being a f**king criminal. Even though he FINALLY was convicted in court of crimes. It’s been clear since shortly after the election that there’d be no jail time. Yes, he’s a “first time offender” at least legally. Indictments/charges are not convictions, nor are trials if a jury (or judge if it’s a bench trial) find a defendant guilty. However Trump has committed lots of crimes. Some small and some very, very significant. Everyone knows it including Trump. Alas, there have always been two systems of justice in this country. Far too often the rich and/or powerful don’t get hit with actual consequences like almost any regular, or even moderately well-off person would. It sucks but it’s nothing new.
Donald Trump belongs in jail. He should be sitting in a prison cell right this very second. Infuriatingly however one of his very few talents is the ability to manipulate a legal system that indulges people with money and/or power. Trump has in his long, miserable despicable life proven better at avoiding consequences than most. Today it will happen again and we will be haunted by the question of what might have been had Trump not won re-election. I’m not sure the judge would have sent him to prison, but I’m fairly sure there’d have been a suspended sentence and probation. Perhaps even a short stint in lockup for all those contempt rulings just to make a point to shut the hell up, go away and behave. That ain’t happening.
Trump doesn’t even have to show up in court. He can attend remotely and the linked article indicates he’ll “attend” via video link from ‘Marmalade Ago’ down in Florida. Even if he behaves during the hearing the explosion from him on social media will likely be epic. NO actual consequences for his crimes won’t be the point for Trump. However having a criminal conviction on his record which even if overturned on appeal will sit there for years will be personally humiliating for him. For someone with HIS ego it’s going to sting. He won’t ever get over it.
It’s not enough. Not nearly enough. However that’s all WE the people get. Trump being embarrassed by being officially branded by the New York state legal system as a felon. We get to refer to him that way. And he can’t do a damned thing about it. JOURNALISTS can, and should refer to him that way too but don’t count on it. Most of them, and if not them then the bosses in the executive offices and/or boardrooms won’t allow much of that kind of talk. It will be up to sites like this, and folks like you and me that engage in social media to keep making the point that Trump is a CONVICTED FELON.
Well, if that’s all we can do then by god we should at least do that. “Convicted Felon President Donald Trump is kinda wordy. Maybe we need to come up with a shorthand version. Off the top of my head an acronym is what comes to mind. CFDT as in Convicted Felon Donald Trump, or just CFT for Convicted Felon Trump. Perhaps something like ConFel Trump, or ConFel President Trump. If you’ve got your own ideas speak up. Please.
It’s a sad and appalling thing that for the first time in our history we will have a convicted felon as President. I don’t know how many generations it will take to scrub away the worst of the stain on our country but as with any “spill” the sooner you start the less chance it has to “set in” so let’s get to work BRANDING Trump for what he will officially be later in a while. A convicted felon
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I read elsewhere that one of the biggest reasons why Trump’s been trying so hard to get this whole thing quashed is how it will affect his clubs in New Jersey: Being branded a felon will cause the clubs to lose their liquor licenses (even though the properties are “technically” in Don Junior’s name, Don the Dotard has some legal entanglement with the properties that makes his felonies be a risk to the clubs’ licenses). New Jersey has allowed the clubs to continue serving liquor while the case has been going through all the delays but after Merchan’s sentencing, if Don the Dotard is formally declared a felon (even without any actual punishment that would apply to ANYONE else–including 99.99% of the Dotard’s MAGAt sheep), his Jersey clubs will be stripped of their liquor licenses (it may not be immediate but as the state’s only allowed the clubs to keep their licenses because the sentence hasn’t been finalized–and, I may be mistaken, but I think it’s the sentence that formalizes the “felon” status–the state would likely give the clubs a few days at most to get rid of their existing stocks of liquor).
And who wants to play a freaking round of golf if there’s no booze to drown your sorrows after a bad game or celebrate a good game (or just to forget that you just wasted hours of your life playing one of the most stupid “sports” in existence)?
Like you, I can’t fathom golf (the infamous “long walk spoiled”) but but I am happy that those who are so afflicted can continue to enjoy their affliction. Happier that it won’t be on CF Trump’s courses, thereby adding to his do$$ar pile.
As a poor hippie graduate student, through circumstances I won’t bother explaining, I was charged with a Class A felony, punishable up to 20 years in the pen. Having no money, and getting bad legal advice through a public ‘defender’, and having no money to defend myself, I cut the potential sentence in half by pleading guilty to a felony. One felony. I had never been in trouble before. It was an opportunity for a corrupt DA and judge to pad their records. The ‘crime’ had no victims, no evidence, and the charge was based on politics, and wasn’t justifiable. The parole board later admitted I shouldn’t have been arrested. How often does that happen? They also wrote me a letter of support for a pardon to clear my record. I remained in school, and was sentenced in January. The pre-sentence report supported probation given the circumstances. I was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in the penitentiary. My graduate school director asked the judge to allow me to finish the semester. My friends drove me to the penitentiary in May, and, with a rifle trained on me, I had to convince the tower guard to let me in. I had never been to the police station or had a pair of handcuffs on. For the next four months I had to survive the dangerous men in the joint. Luckily, I guess, I was raised by a dangerous man, so I had been trained all my childhood to deal with violence. By the time the parole board met, I stopped communicating with representatives of the law. As I refused to answer any of their questions, risking more time, the head of the parole board picked up my file, and slamming it on the table, YELLED these words: who the hell was the judge in this case? They released me that day. I never went for the pardon because I did nothing wrong and I refused to grovel to a corrupt system. I finished graduate school with straight A’s. If any of you want to justify the corrupt nature of the white rich man’s legal system…let me say now: go take a flying phuck at a rolling doughnut. You are a privileged, naive, probably white person. I have no respect for it, and now that this country HAS ALLOWED this true criminal to walk on EVERYTHING…I HAVE NONE FOR THIS COUNTRY OF HYPOCRISY. Let the HELL you evil asshats asked for come in spades. Then maybe I’ll start to believe in some form of justice. I already know the LAW IS FULL OF SHIT.
I just finished listening to the 30-minute recording of the sentencing. CFDT (I hope that catches on) was a little subdued (compared to his usual antics) while he said his yada-yadas. I laughed aloud when CFDT argued that “…Alan Dershowitz said this case should never have been brought.” When you are reduced to citing Alan Underpants, Esq., your case is a tad shaky! 🤣
When you add in CFDT’s failure to make the special prosecutor report die in darkness, I’m feeling pretty good about accountability (even though it isn’t punishment) today! ✊️👏
This year 700,000 mostly poor white, black and brown folks will become political prisoners due to the cannabis laws put in place in 1970 by the criminal Nixon, FOR POLITICAL PERSECUTION. They will be arrested, placed in cuffs, and some sent to jail. They will carry a record that will keep them from getting any good job. Oh, and that’s the number yearly since 1970. And you think ANY ACCOUNTABILITY has come the way of this child killing nazi?????? It’s nice folks like you, who’ve never been unjustly stepped on by the law, by the criminals who run it, who are naive. I used to believe but I’ve been ‘rehabilitated’ by the LAW. Me and my black family know better. You do realize your taxes are going into his pocket for more child killing, grifting, and God knows what…I refuse to give money to nazis to fund their evil. As Ghandi once said, you can do almost anything to me EXCEPT get my cooperation. Of course, he was a righteous man, and we are an EVIL society. There is that. I guess the good news for me is, as a felon, an official outlaw, I can now be president. Accountability? Not a chance in hell, which will be our country very shortly. Maybe I should join the ex-military in his militias to help bring it about so people will have a clearer idea of what’s about to happen, and that this is a war. I am in the mood for a fight, and controlling rage is a day by day deal…especially when the Democrats, the cowards they are, just quietly handed over our democracy, PAID FOR IN BLOOD BY BOYS, to a fascist traitor. Good job traitors. And simple folks think not shaking his hand at Carter’s funeral meant anything. GOD what a bunch of clueless apologists.
Wow, Scott, what a gift…being able to call me nice while brutally attacking my obvious stupidity! Trump was not punished and I said so. What he got was far more on-the-historical-record accountability than a lot of people ever thought possible! And, if not for Judge Merchan making the sentence clear ahead of time, we would not have seen the 5-4 SCOTUS denial of Trump’s plea for help. Given what could easily have happened, I’ll take this. I’ll also happily thank the very conservative 11th Circuit Court for kicking Aileen Cannon back into her own meager jurisdiction so we can see the Special Prosecutor report we paid for. Attacking me for being some kind of weak-minded optimist who is too stupid to see what Trump and his fellow Nazis are up to is wildly off the mark when I’m merely celebrating that POS’s losses, small though they may be right now!
As if this POS had enough human qualities to experience humiliation.
CON DON; DON CON; CON DUM; CONRUMPT This is too easy
Would love it if he got, like, a 7-day sentence on Riker’s.
Complete with being lead from the courtroom in shackles, put through the full intake process, delousing, body cavity search, and all.
Just the dehumanizing of this human sh*t-stain would be the highlight of the century.
I simply refer to him as “Felon 47”
make a good hat, dontcha think?
Acronyms are too esoteric. How about “Felonious Bloviator”?
I think the simplest idea is a white tee-shirt emblazoned with a large scarlet F on it. A capital F in bright red, maybe dripping blood or else dollar signs. The visual would be dramatic. Marchers could wear it and make sure the emblem makes it on the evening news. Ordinary people could wear it too.
The psychic impact on Donold would be profound. It would never let him forget his crimes or his legal standing. Maybe (if we’re really lucky) it would trigger a health event, too.