Cult fans of Donald Trump envision him as playing multi-dimensional chess, having things gamed out on multiple levels. I don’t know about that, but I do know that his stalling tactics in the New York State investigation spearheaded by Letitia James have run their course and he has until April 15 to substantially comply and then two weeks beyond that to fully comply with a court order issued today.

Then, the last line of the Wall Street Journal piece reporting this development is “Mr. Trump agreed to hand over documents by March 31” and that was with respect to other subpoenas issued by the state with respect to the depositions of Trumpushka and his spawn. Point being, he’s having to cave in and agree to produce documents right and left because he’s in litigation up to his neck and he has no choice. The wheels of justice are frequently slow and cumbersome but when they grind, they grind exceedingly fine.

The office of Ms. James, a Democrat, has been investigating the business affairs of Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization since 2019, when former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen testified before Congress that the former president inflated some assets and deflated others for financial gain. Mr. Trump has said the investigation is politically motivated and denied the allegations.

At issue are subpoenas from early in the investigation, which sought materials that included information held on Trump Organization employees’ devices.

“We are in a truly unusual place with these subpoenas that have been outstanding for two years and three months,” Austin Thompson, a lawyer for the attorney general’s office, told the judge.

He said the Trump Organization had handed over just 10 documents from Mr. Trump’s files and repeatedly missed sources of information from other relevant people.

Lawrence Rosen, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told the judge that the company was turning over the required materials. The attorney general’s office had made additional requests for information, Mr. Rosen said.

“Their investigation just continues to grow and expand,” said Mr. Rosen. “The tentacles go everywhere.”

The subpoenas discussed Monday are separate from those issued by the state that seek documents from Mr. Trump and depositions of the former president and two of his adult children. Earlier this month, lawyers for the attorney general and the Trumps agreed to put those depositions on hold while an appeals court considers the issue. Mr. Trump agreed to hand over documents by March 31.

You can read between the lines and conclude: 1) Waiting over two years for a lawful subpoena to be respected is a very long time; 2) Time finally runs out. Trump’s lawyers have done every dodge.

Now the mystery remains of what’s going on with the Manhattan DA? That would certainly be good to know.

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8 COMMENTS

  1. When career prosecuters quit over non prosecution of clear felonies, I’m way past skeptical that the law will EVER do anything punitive other than flap lips or fine the criminals. The law is for the poor. Period. Trump was born into the criminal class the law protects at every turn, i.e., the well funded & the well connected. Facts are facts.

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  2. A small fact that rant ignores: 1) the keyword in the term “legal system” is “system”. Ergo, those career prosecutors you’re lionizing always have a political angle to play (see conviction rates AKA the one number every one of that tribe cares about), namely getting froze out of the biggest case they’ve ever seen.

    So in lieu of that, a badmouthing of the guy who took them off it is the best they can manage. Given the large number of angry, brain-broken outrage junkies the Trump era fostered, they know they’ll have a receptive audience. That might turn into other opportunities later.

    • Yeah system is correct & it’s only a ‘rant’ if u drink the Kool aide & have never experienced the swift injustices of the law for us folks who have. By the way how long have those criminal referrals from the committee been sitting on garlands’ desk for Mark meadows who also committed voter fraud while organizing the insurrection? Wanna bet on him going to jail? I’d rather rant than be deaf dumb & blind. By the way didn’t ur state quickly lock up a black lady in the penitentiary for less? Sure they did. But the ‘justice’ system is just. Sure it is. What a fairy tale. Maybe ur right that it’s the system that will finally take down the well connected instead of just the trailer trash. Here I go. I’m holding my breath. At almost 69 I’ll be dead first.

      • I think I remember Bareshark pontificating about the Trumpies eventually facing the cold hard realities of 1) Trump being an incompetent moron 2) COVID being real at some point. So don’t put too much stock on one persons opinion. Those Trump supporters are STILL dying/nearly dying and being STUNNED that ‘the world’ doesn’t know the truth about COVID simply b/c they watch Fox News and have no connection to reality. Judging by the ‘politics’ comment, Leticia James is ONLY doing what she’s doing for cold hard cash. Leticia James may well be only prosecuting Trump to get in the NY govs mansion. I don’t give a damn, at least she’s trying. Some lawyers are political and the ones that quit at the NY DA may very well be ‘quitting’ to simply further their career. But if we’re to believe that that’s the only motivation, or if we should disregard their resignation letters, we may as well just stop prosecuting once a certain income level is attained. There’s no explanation for Bragg dumping Trumps indictment other than 1) he’s protecting his career at the expense of the public 2) he’s afraid Trumpies will kill him/his family 3) he’s on the Trump payroll/some other corruption 4) what ever the hell you want here. These are all the reasons for why Bragg should NOT be DA. Why Bragg is part of the problem and not a whit interested in the solution. Assuming the other lawyers in that office are the same, we should just stop prosecuting people.

        I’m still trying to figure out why Purdue got sued for OxyContin but Fox News spreading COVID lies is A-OK.

  3. Thinking most of us are both frustrated and fatigued from all this BS stalling……I agree with Glenn Kirschner, of Justice Matters, that it is waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy past time the wheels of justice at least begin to move forward and that were it, as Scott says here so well, any of us, well shoot, we’d be in a courtroom faster than we could blink.
    I have a grandbaby being threatened by the IRS because she owes them $34, but this after they seized her refunds, state and federal, and that after they neglected during the pandemic to send her any communication telling her she hadn’t paid enough tax. The threats aren’t teensy either–they include we will ruin your credit, we will seize all your property, we will garnish your wages (this kid was working at a local grocery store as a freshman college student, so a really high roller, eh?), we will yadayadayada……And all of this for $34 bucks, not $34 million bucks or more .
    Is it any wonder so many of us don’t believe justice matters anymore?

    • It’s easier to intimidate people without means than those with attorneys & accountants & tax experts on the payroll. I read that 20 something percent of millionaires who don’t pay taxes never get audited. Too much work. The top corporations, making billions in profit pay ZERO in taxes. Any idiot who post here arguing the system is just hasn’t gotten out of middle school or lives with mommy.

  4. Once again Scott I couldn’t agree with you more. If Mo Brooks trotting all over Fox and elsewhere, touting his famous Green Bay Pass, didn’t get the gears of justice turning? Then I have a better chance of meeting the Easter Bunny in real life, before my eyes will behold the birds of this feather do any time at all???

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