If you’ve been following the Trump Organization fraud trial to any extent, you know what a farce it has been. Trump tried his Perry Mason moment, which consisted of his lawyer pointing out an inconsistency in Michael Cohen’s testimony, followed by a demand for a directed verdict, to which the judge replied, in essence, “Are you kidding?” Those weren’t his words. His actual words were “No way, not with all the evidence that exists.”
So that sent Trumpty running out of the courtroom, eyes ablaze. Then Ivanka took the stand and as charming as she was, she couldn’t avoid being linked with fraudulent statements of financial condition that she had benefited from, and which enriched her. And of course there were the days Eric and Junior testified, wherein they compared Trump properties to the Mona Lisa and the Louvre. And they weren’t even trying to be funny, these are Trump talking points they were repeating.
Then these performances were followed by an insurance broker who was there as an expert witness to the financial statements in question. The only problem there was that the man had no experience in preparing financial statements, which is a bit of a sticky wicket if that’s what you’re there to provide expert testimony on. It’s like being called in as an expert in airplane mechanics when you’ve never repaired a single one — but you do work in the ticket office.
But all that pales before yesterday’s witness stand performance by Jeff McConney, where he burst into tears when asking a basic background question, “When did you leave the Trump Organization?” Background questions like where do you live, how degrees do you hold, how long did you work at such and such company generally do not elicit hysteria. But yesterday that was the case.
And here’s why. McConney is just one more player in a human trail of bread crumbs which Letitia James is following to link Trump to his crimes. And his niece, Mary, has this to share on her Substack page:
A scribbled note said to have been written by former Trump Organization Comptroller Jeffrey McConney reads: “DJT TO GET FINAL REVIEW.” The note appears on a document that allegedly exaggerated Donald’s net worth by $3.5 billion, and contained expansive evidence of fraud.
I shared this evidence with attorney Joe Gallina of Call to Activism, who said, “I can’t think of a bigger smoking gun than one that says – in all caps – “DONALD TRUMP MUST APPROVE THIS” on a document riddled with fraud.”
This is significant for several reasons, which I’ll explain and I’ll then dive into some exclusive legal analysis below, and even more during my video with Gallina.[…]
GIST
Why is this a note from hell —not only for Donald, but also for his kids, Allen Weisselberg, and Jeffrey McConney ?
This Monday, McConney testified that the chain of approval for Trump’s net-worth statement was McConney, then Weisselberg, and finally the financial audit firm Mazars USA, which would complete the final document.
What he DID NOT testify to was that Donald got final review.
But there it is, clearly spelled out: “DJT TO GET FINAL REVIEW.”
This, the state will argue, puts Donald squarely in the chain of approval for the document, and therefore, fraud.
“BUT IT GETS WORSE” – LEGAL ANALYSIS
There’s one simple reason this scribbled note will live rent-free inside of Donald’s head over the next few days.
This potentially deal-breaking document was NOT provided in discovery by Donald’s lawyers. Instead, it was handed over by Mazars, Donald’s financial auditing company, .
According to Newsweek’s Khaleda Rahman, that fact could “doom the fraud trial defense.”
How specifically? Gallina broke it down:
“Once again Donald has a terrible day in New York court, and frankly, I think it was the worst one he’s had in this trial,” he said.
“The key significance of this notation is not only that it ties Donald directly to a fraudulent document, but it puts his lawyers in hot water for not providing it to the court during discovery.
The failure or refusal of the Trump Organization to preserve documents could lead to a host of consequences for Donald Trump and his family.
This is a big eff up, friends. New York State and any state, for that matter, looks dimly upon the improper maintenance of business records. In a worse case scenario, this could be construed as “spoilation” of evidence and that is a big no no. It is beginning to make sense why McConney fell apart on the stand yesterday and also why Trump has been frantically posting on social media. He does that in times of great stress and since he’s posted over a hundred items in the past 36 hours, I think we can rightfully opine that something is bugging him, bigly.
Mary Trump goes on to say that this potential spoilation of evidence “could lead to sanctions like monetary penalties, and permit the judge to make a negative inference against the Trump Organization for withholding evidence.” And remember, the entire purpose of this trial is to determine what level of monetary damages Trump owes the State of New York.
Expect more fireworks to come out of New York. I’m sure Trump is thankful that tomorrow is a court holiday. Maybe he can calm down a bit.
It makes sense, to me, that 45 is a total control freak. I’m sure he wanted final review of anything financially related and here’s proof. He can’t deny or wiggle his way out of this one. That his lawyers may be in peril, is a bonus.
What fool believes the shredders haven’t been running at all his properties since the law came to the door? Just like, what fool believes he hasn’t sold secrets for money? When it comes to orangebob shitpants, think of the worst case scenario, then go darker. I can’t count the number of times a serial killer gets caught for one murder, then it’s discovered there are bodies buried every goddamn where.
To see how stupid Trump is now, all we have to do is look at how stupid he’s been in the past.
Where there’s literally voluminous evidence.
Just waiting to be reread.
Another note found in a stack of ledger sheets reportedly
said “Past fraud indicative of future fraudulence.”
it’s the disclaimer from hell.🤷🏻♂️😲😂😂
trumps obsession with flushing documents is a pretty good clue that he is used to covering up fraud.
Could be he’s facing a cash crunch. His revenue streams may be drying up and his legal costs are probably skyrocketing. On top of this, New York now has a monitor overseeing his organization’s operations, which will likely severely limit his ability to sell assets and move cash around. Then there is his cherished mode of transportation, trump Force One, an aircraft worth $100 million or more, that could be seized and liquidated,
leaving its owner stranded on the tarmac in the heat of campaign season.
Wouldn’t losing the plane be the best part? That would absolutely kill him.
Crystal clear, thanks. DJT is f–d. Incidentally, the word is spoliation, not “spoilation.”