Below is my column in the New York Post on the meltdown of Michael Cohen on the stand in the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump. In a trial careening out of control, Judge Juan Merchan seemed to be furiously working to just get the matter to the jury as fast as possible. Judge Merchan seems in open denial of the legal farce playing out in his courtroom. He is only the latest person pulled into the vortex of the swirling corruption around Michael Cohen.
Here is the column:
The completion of the testimony of Michael Cohen left the prosecution of Donald Trump, like its star witness, in tatters.
In the final day of cross-examination, Cohen admitted to committing larceny in stealing tens of thousands of dollars from his client.
Even more notably, he admitted to the larceny on the stand — after the statute of limitations had passed. There will be no dead felony zapped back into life against Cohen, as it was for Trump.
Cohen clearly has found a home for his unique skill as a convicted, disbarred serial perjurer.
It was not the first time that prosecutors looked the other way as Cohen admitted to major criminal conduct: In a prior hearing, Cohen admitted under oath that he lied in a previous case where he pleaded guilty to lying.
If that is a bit confusing, it was just another day in the life of Michael Cohen, who appears only willing to tell the truth if he has no other alternative.
The result is truly otherworldly. You have a disbarred lawyer not only casually discussing lies and uncharged crimes, but prosecutors who proceeded to get him to remind the jury that he is not facing any further criminal charges.
If any one of those jurors had stolen tens of thousands of dollars, they would be given a fast trip to the hoosegow.
Yet Cohen then matter-of-factly said he plans to run for Congress due to his “name recognition” — the ultimate proof that it does not matter whether you are famous or infamous, so long as they spell your name right.
As a legislator, Cohen would have the unique ability to say he will not be corrupted by Congress — because he came to Congress corrupted.
While most members wait to take office to commit felonies, Rep. Cohen would show up with a self-affirming criminal record.
He could then take one of the few oaths that he has not previously violated as the Honorable Rep. Michael Cohen.
At the end of the day, Cohen is the ultimate shining object for prosecutors to use as a distraction from the glaring omissions in their case.
Prior witnesses testified that Trump’s payments to Cohen were designated as “legal expenses” not by Trump but by his accounting staff.
Moreover, Cohen admitted that he worked for Trump for years in his murky capacity as a fixer. References to payments as a retainer were approved by Allen Weisselberg, a retired executive with the Trump Organization.
The “legal expense” label was a natural characterization for a lawyer who was paid monthly and was on-call as Trump’s personal counsel.
In any other district, this case would never have been allowed in trial. It certainly now should be facing a directed verdict by the court.
Indeed, with any other defendant, a New York jury would be giving a Bronx cheer in derision.
Even CNN hosts and experts have admitted that this case would never have been brought against another defendant or in another district.
That is what Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is counting on.
The biggest problem facing the defense is not the evidence, but the judge: Judge Juan Merchan seems to be channeling George Patton’s warning, “May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won’t.”
Merchan has not given any indication that he is seriously considering a directed verdict, which he should clearly grant before this goes to the jury.
Merchan’s rulings have largely favored the prosecution, including some rulings that left some of us mystified.
Judge Merchan continues to allow the jury to hear references to campaign-finance violations that do not exist.
After gutting any use of a legal expert to testify on the absence of any such violations, the judge allowed the jury to hear Michael Cohen state that the payments to Stormy Daniels were clearly campaign violations.
All that Merchan would offer is a weak instruction telling jurors not to take such statements as proof of a violation.
The alleged campaign-finance violations allowed Cohen to try to implicate Trump. However, it is doubtful that Trump could have been convicted on such a charge in any other venue.
It is precisely what the Justice Department tried and failed to do with John Edwards, a Democratic candidate.
After that unmitigated failure, the Justice Department dropped this theory of hush money as a campaign contribution.
Indeed, after reviewing the Trump payments, not only did the Justice Department decline any charges but the Federal Election Commission did not even seek a civil fine.
On Monday, Judge Merchan’s orders became even more inexplicable when Cohen’s former attorney Robert Costello took the stand.
Merchan immediately started to sustain a flurry of prosecutors’ objections as Costello basically accused Cohen of multiple acts of perjury.
At one point, Costello — one of the most experienced lawyers in New York and a former prosecutor — exclaimed that one of the judge’s rulings was “ridiculous.”
The judge chastised Costello and even challenged him: “Are you staring me down?”
In fact, it was hard not to stare. What is happening in the courtroom of Judge Juan Merchan is anything but ordinary.
Jonathan Turley is an attorney and professor at George Washington University Law School.
In Trump-think, if an adversary is shown to have done wrong, it somehow exonerates you of your misdeed.
The moral logic is breathtakingly solipsistic.
As an American going back 74 years, you defend yourself from accusation of crime by directly addressing what happened, and explaining any mitigating facts. Then, you leave it to others to weigh your defense. In this moral architecture, each of us is expected to take responsibility for our errors in judgment, so that we learn from our mistakes. This is an essential aspect of living in a highly civilized world.
Yes, young children are not expected to be behave this way….they naturally act defensively, and try to shift the blame onto others. However, they are expected to outgrow this narcissistic tendency as they mature toward adulthood.
Those who don’t end up as grown adults with the emotional toolkit of a 5-year-old in dealing with criticism and accusation. We’ll see on Tuesday in the defense summation whether Trump presents a grown-up defense of his actions, or that of a scared, petulant narcissist-manipulator.
What’s shocking is the Jonathan seems to buy into that style of defense, where you point to your adversary’s wrongdoing. It’s un-American. It’s decadent.
What was Trump’s “misdeed?”
What’s shocking is you’ve lived 74 years and learned nothing but drinking the democrats Kool aid!!
What’s the crime? Give me a break!
First, how can you defend yourself against a fabricated crime? Second, Innocent until proven guilty. The gov has to do the ‘splain’ the defendant can, and probably should, keep quiet. I don’t have to prove my innocence, the prosecution has to prove my guilt. ‘cept that ain’t the way it works in this regime.
The mainstream media keep saying that if the verdict is guilty, Trump would have that verdict reversed upon appeal. Considering the benefit to the American election process, how quickly could that appeal happen?
don’t worry NY will get Billions in Money from Republicans in Congress to continue their LAWLESS Fascists Rule!
Time to DEFUND Democrats…END ALL FEDERAL AID to cities, states, colleges and non-profits. TAKE AWAY THEIR MONEY!
Currently the worse they make it…the MORE Money they get!
There is TOO MUCH centralized POWER in DC and Wall Street! Cut Federal Spending 50%
karl roland freisler marchant sie sind jaein scabainlump trans you are a lousy piece of rash
Sick as he was, at least Freisler stood behind his ideology. He died trying saving court files during air ride in last days of war. I can picture Merchan running like a cockroach away from a flashlight when Merchan hits the fan.
Juan “The Con” Merchan is going down in the dustbin of worthless, corrupt judges along with Arthur “The Moron” Engoron and Scott “The Clot” McAfee.
All three will be historically referred to as examples of sleazy, vile, dishonest, dishonorable, unscrupulous, unprincipled, amoral, untrustworthy, underhanded, deceitful, double-dealing, disreputable, discreditable, and shameful “judges.”
Their names will become words. When a case is brought before a judge taking bribes, for example, people will say, that judge was a real “Juan The Con Merchan.” And when a house is offered for sale at market price, but someone puts in a low-ball bid of only 20% of the value, people will say “that bidder really tried to Engoron me.”
The best description of the crooked I have ever read!! I love it.
Try not to run out of slurs, Anonymous.🙂
Apparently Fanny Willis has won her primary by more than 80%.
Average black IQ in US is 85. Roughly half below that. They won’t be building any rockets to the Moon but they can probably still work at Boring or run Harvard and keep Fani in the game. There is that.
I thought racism was illegal or otherwise inequitable.
__________________________________________________________
“IT’S OK TO BE WHITE.”
– Rasmussen Poll
____________________
Only 53% of blacks agree.
47% of blacks disagree.
__________________________
“Blacks are a hate group.”
“As you know, I’ve been identifying as Black for a while – years now – because I like – you know, I like to be on the winning team.”
“The best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people.”
“Just get the f*** away.”
“Wherever you have to go, just get away because there’s no fixing this.”
“You just have to escape, so that’s what I did.”
– Scott Adams, “Dilbert”
__________________________
Even for the deranged, hysterical, incoherent, bleeding-heart, liberal, progressive, socialist, democrat, RINO, AINO communists, “…THERE’S NO FIXING THIS!”
A little racial stereotyping to start off your day? If you knew anything about American history, you’d know that African Americans are genetically mixed with varying degrees of European ancestry, and therefore your assumption of intellectual Euro-superiority must therefore benefit some blacks more than others — you wouldn’t lump them all together. You would also know that intelligence exists along a spectrum among white Americans,
and bell curves overlap, which implies that you cannot rank individual intelligence by racial grouping.
I’m a supporter of post-racial meritocracy as MLK’s vision. In that mindset, immutables like race and ethnicity don’t count for anything…they are inconsequential and to be ignored, so that attention goes to harder to perceive qualities like character and responsibility-taking.
Pbinca: “immutables like race and ethnicity don’t count for anything…”
+++
Immutable? Millions of years of evolution would disagree.
Almost every measurable human characteristic, including hair, bone density, and biochemistry vary to some degree by racial categories. When everything else varies, why would mental characteristics remain identical? Why expect no variation when decades of intelligence testing have invariably shown racial differences? In any event, The Bell Curve explained that population distribution of intelligence IS on a bell curve so many blacks are smarter than most whites. It is the average of the population that is lower, not every single individual. But be at ease, judging by events, not excluding your reflections, everyone is getting stupider.
Pbinca: “attention goes to harder to perceive qualities like character and responsibility-taking.”
+++
How’s that working out for you in black communities, Detroit, Chicago, Haiti, South Africa, and the rest? Is there any black city or country that can stand on its own in the modern world? Keith Richburg, a smart reporter visited Africa with high hopes and expectations and came away dismayed and pessimistic. By the way he is also black.
it is apparent to Americans that Biden offers no solutions for our nation while the world spins out of control during his fake presidency.
Weakness Invites War With Iran
The death of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi may further unsettle the region, but it doesn’t change a fundamental reality: The U.S. has fallen into Iran’s trap. Tehran needed only seven months of war to accomplish a primary strategic objective—dividing the U.S. and Israel. The Biden administration has accelerated a potential rupture with the Jewish state that overwhelmingly benefits America’s enemies in the Eurasian axis. The result will be more war.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/weakness-invites-war-with-iran-651e54eb
Chinese activist who posted videos from Covid-hit Wuhan has left prison
A Chinese woman who served four years in prison over her video reports from Wuhan during the early days of the pandemic has been released from a Shanghai prison facility, following more than a week of online speculation about her whereabouts. Zhang Zhan, 40 years old, was detained and sentenced by a Chinese court in 2020 after documenting in more than 120 videos how Covid-19 ravaged the city where the coronavirus was first detected. She remains under tight surveillance, according to human-rights activists and dissidents, but has been able to contact her friends via the Chinese messaging app WeChat, said the activists and dissidents. Her current whereabouts remains unclear.
https://www.wsj.com/world/china/chinese-activist-who-posted-videos-from-covid-hit-wuhan-has-left-prison-b15649af
Biden’s Federales are no better when it comes to detaining, sentencing, raiding, censoring and canceling Americans on whims. That Soros funded DAs unleash violent criminals back into the streets or refuse to file charges for violent crimes, but choose instead to pursue Donald Trump ala lawfare, makes us look like China.
Grocery prices are going through the roof. Inflation is unchecked. American median income has dropped according to the latest US Census report, while Biden’s handlers lies 25/8 to cover his demented ass.
All very worrisome and it’s not even the height of summer when violence soars. No wonder Biden / MSM run headlines daily, hourly about Trump, to distract from Biden’s sins of omission.
Incomes have fallen, prices have increased, all on Biden’s watch
Income in the United States: 2022
Real median household income was $74,580 in 2022, a 2.3 percent decline from the 2021 estimate of $76,330
Householders under the age of 65 experienced a decline in median household income of 1.4 percent from 2021, while householders aged 65 and over did not experience a significant change in median income between 2021 and 2022
The real median earnings of all workers (including part-time and full-time workers) decreased 2.2 percent between 2021 and 2022. Median earnings of those who worked full-time, year-round decreased 1.3 percent (Figure 4 and Table A-6).
https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.html
Estovir, if only we could borrow a President from Argentina.
Trump Out-Cohens Cohen In Today’s Bizarre Denial
Donald Trump insisted in a social media post Tuesday that he has “never, and will never advocate imposing restrictions on birth control or other contraceptives,” after an interview released hours earlier included Trump saying he’s “looking at” restrictions on contraception.
The post came after Trump said in an interview with a local TV station in Pittsburgh that he plans to share a policy on contraception “very shortly,” without providing details.
“We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting,” Trump told KDKA political analyst Jon Delano when asked if he supported any restrictions on a person’s right to contraception.
In his social media post later Tuesday afternoon, Trump denied ever suggesting that he would impose restrictions on birth control.
“This is a Democrat fabricated lie, MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION, because they have nothing else to run on except FAILURE, POVERTY, AND DEATH,” Trump wrote in the post. “I DO NOT SUPPORT A BAN ON BIRTH CONTROL, AND NEITHER WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY!”
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/21/trump-contraception-abortion-00159118
……………………………………..
Restricting contraception is a ‘sexy’ idea in MAGA world because it demonstrates a willingness to really crackdown on women. Like, “This will put feminists in their place.”
^^ Paid DNC troll. Ignore. ^^
The problem for the nation is the fertility rate, which is in a “death spiral.”
More Americans die than are born, and Mexicans, Haitians, Arabs et al. are increasing their number of invaders exponentially.
What kind of actual Americans simply gift their country away on a silver platter to unassimilable, heterogeneous foreign sinners who rabidly covet, bear false witness, and steal?
Apparently, so-called American women do.
I wouldn’t worry about the alleged declining birth rate in America, George. Simply employ a small army of Handmaids as broodmares, with government benefits. This should solve the problem, provided actual males can be found who can still get it up.
So your, and republicans, solution is to force women to give birth. That sounds like a winning proposition for women of the world. Barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. Is that going to be the Repos rallying cry this November?
As women become educated all over the world, their desire to have children every 1 to 2 years declines. This is a universal fact that is pretty easy to look up.
I love your third paragraph. Unless you are a Native American you should probably take your own advice and leave the country. This country was taken by force from a native population. But might makes right, isn’t that the way of trump and his sychophants?
You do not actually cite Trump proposing restrictions on Birth Control.
No. the article links to politico
I don’t do click bait. These fools link to sources that contradict their posts.
Iowan2,
They never read past the headline.
When trump was asked if he supported “restrictions on a person’s right to contraception”
trump replied “We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly,”
Don’t you just love a strong leader that tells you what he things? Yes, some states are already forcing women to bear children even if they have been raped. No exceptions, you’re pregnant, have a baby or die trying. Sure sounds like a winning campaign promise.
@John Say,
He did cite him considering it.
“ We’re looking at that, and I’m going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think it’s something that you’ll find interesting,”
That’s what he said when the reporter asked him if he was considering restrictions on contraception. He didn’t say he opposed it. Not until he was called out on it and posted in all caps that he wasn’t considering it. When someone says, “we’re looking at that” it clearly implies they are considering it. He could have just said no, we are NOT considering it. But we all know Trump likes to shoot his mouth off because he knows his supporters are listening to him.
If Letitia James can run on a policy of going after Trump can a Republican less concerned about maintaining the law than Trump run on a policy of putting Biden, Garland, Wray, Schumer, James and Obama in prison?
He would get my vote. I wouldn’t even insist on a sham trial. Nobody is hurrying with the J6 defendants. These fools have given us precedents.
Wray and Garland authorized use of deadly force at their illegal Mar-a-Lago raid.
Should be the end of them and pedo Biden.
Anon, It’s particularly outrageous considering that all they had to do is go to the door and quietly ask for the boxes.
Same with Koresh at Waco. He went into town without an entourage and all they had to do is pick him up there. Instead they wanted a big public display, attacked the compound and ended up killing children and families.
tiny kanguru down small tiny kanguru down australian song /down to the banana republic down to the tropical sun jimmy where are you
Tie me kangaroo down, sport
Nothing About Cohen Ever Looked Good, Including His Education
Cooley Law School (Cooley) is a private law school in Lansing, Michigan, and Riverview, Florida. It was established in 1972. At its peak in 2010, Cooley had over 3,900 students and was the largest US law school by enrollment. As of the Spring of 2022, Cooley had approximately 500 students between its two campuses.
In November 2020, Western Michigan University’s board of trustees voted to end its affiliation with Cooley. As of 2024, Cooley has failed to reach the 75% two year bar passage required of ABA Standard 316 for continued accreditation. Multiple media outlets have labeled Cooley the “worst law school in America”.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooley_Law_School
…………………………………………..
Cooley was Michael Cohen’s law school: “The worst in America”. Did Trump not see that on Cohen’s resume when he first hired Cohen back in 2007?
Trump, for the record, went to the University of Pennsylvania, an ivy league school. Yet curiously Trump never sought an ivy league lawyer. Instead Trump contented himself with a lawyer from ‘America’s worst law school’.
Throughout this trial Cohen has come across as the very lowest of sleazy lawyers. An attorney who seemingly lied about ‘everything’. No one liked him, either, according to testimony. Cohen was legendary for his rudeness and excitability.
Should we honestly believe Donald Trump employed this attorney for more than 10 years having no idea how loathsome Cohen was? Like no one ever got back to Trump and said, “That lawyer of yours is really uncool. Where the hell did you find him?”
The truth is Michael Cohen was exactly the lawyer Trump wanted. Cohen represented Trump’s entire business style: ‘A rude, obnoxious bore who would tell any lie while engaging in any plot’. That’s the kind of lawyer Donald Trump preferred.
^^ Paid DNC troll. Ignore. ^^
Trump CHEATED to get into Wharton, according to his sister, Maryanne Trump Berry. He got a Jewish guy named Epstein to take the entrance exam.
A Jewish guy? Oh, no!
And it was pure luck that he doubles his wealth with Truth Social.
He is just really really lucky. No actual talent.
Not like he has been successful in NYC residential real estate
NYC comercial real estate. Global commercial real estate.
Golf Courses
Casinos
Reality TV
Beauty pagents and politics.
All just luck.
Or cheating.
Everything is cheating.
—
Gigi, you can if you are very lucky succeed once without skill and/or by cheating.
You can not succeed as many times as Trump has without significant actual skill.
ie, gigi
Interesting to note she has to go back the the lies from 2015. The world has marched on for 10 years and the best lies the left has is the very old, stale lies.
@John Say,
“ He is just really really lucky. No actual talent.
Not like he has been successful in NYC residential real estate
NYC comercial real estate. Global commercial real estate.
Golf Courses
Casinos
Reality TV
Beauty pagents and politics.”
Of course we forget, multiple failures and bankruptcies. Truth social’s value keeps going down since going public. He’s losing money fast. He couldn’t scrounge up $400 million despite claiming to be a billionaire.
Granted that Trump’s personal attributes may leave something to be desired—- in that capacity, he’s far from alone — what about any of that constitutes a prosecutable offense? A similar question might be raised about Judge Merchan’s behavior on the bench: how does one weigh integrity or its absence when the context in which it’s exercised is itself farcical, and more deserving of the National Enquirer than any judicial venue?
Throughout this trial Cohen has come across as the very lowest of sleazy lawyers.
Yet, Cohen is better on the law than the Judge Merchan
Turley: it’s to the point that I think in fairness you should disclose just how much Fox is paying you to shovel the kind of manure you are shoveling to defend Trump because the outrageousness of your claims cries out for context. You want to sell yourself as some lofty “law professor” at a “prestigious university”, when you are nothing but a pundit. Where the hell do you get off claiming that the trial is “careening out of control”, or to make the outrageous and audacious claim that the Judge is in “open denial of a legal farce”? Judge Merchan has been even-tempered and measured. Turley, you left out the part that when the Judge sustained an objection by the prosecution that Costello said, audibly so that even people in the last row could hear it: “Jeez”. Costello also said “Strike that”–knowing, as an attorney, it’s not the province of a witness to decide what does or does not get stricken from the records. Costello was trying to bully the Judge and the Judge wasn’t having it. Turley, you also know that a witness making such statements constitutes direct contempt of court. Is what you call “careening out of control”? Judge Merchan quickly and professionally handled the situation. In fact, if anyone else in any other venue with any other parties had acted like this, they would go to jail for direct contempt. You left out these details in your quest to., once again, smear Cohen and reassure the disciples.
Then, there’s the MAGA media outbursts when Judge Merchan ordered the courtroom cleared–these losers actually tried to argue with the Judge about some perceived “right” to be present. You know there is no such right. Merchan made clear that they would receive a transcript of the proceedings that happened in their absence. And, Costello staring down of the Judge came after the foregoing contemptuous comments he made. Costello also tried to play footsie with the prosecutor,, denying things like his trying to set up a “back channel” to Giuliani, even though there were emails from him using this very phrase–another detail you left out in your daily affirmation for the disciples.
Turley: you know damn good and well that it is the province of the trier of fact to decide witness credibility–you know that a judge cannot take the case from the jury based on issues of credibility. You also know that everything that Cohen testified to is backed up by documentary evidence–including, and especially, exposing Costello for what he is and what he tried to do. After admitting that emails from him “speak for themselves”, he tried to deny the contents, only to have the prosecutor put them in his face and ask — “does this email speak for itself”? Costello did Trump more harm than good because it reinforced the prosecutor’s case.
At the end of the day, taking the long view of this case, a few conclusions are obvious–Trump is a misogynist who cavorts with a porn actress and nude model while his wife is at home with a newborn. Trump is someone who hires bullies and thugs willing to lie for him–he WANTED Cohen specifically for the very traits you criticize him for. Trump is someone who cares more about deceiving his base about his dalliances than denigrating his wife. All of the bodily waste that is swirling around has a center gravity point–and it is Trump. So, the more you insult and debase Cohen and others, the more it reflects of the character of Trump and what he is.
Look in the mirror
Would that “Crazy Abe” had obeyed immigration law on January 1, 1863.
“Trump is a misogynist who cavorts with a porn actress and nude model while his wife is at home with a newborn”. SEESEE
His wife was a nude model and Bill Clinton is personally resposible for the Holocaust. You are a deeply disturbed fool.
Gigi: I couldn’t have said it better–so I won’t add my comment. It’s pretty clear Turley has lost his center of gravity in discussing this trial. You won’t see any other “legal scholar” discussing the case in such hyperbolic and bizarre terms. Turley is just a political/legal hack for the Rupert Murdock right-wing propaganda machine! But, then, we knew that long ago!
Dennis: Writing a comment as ‘Gigi’ then commenting on it as ‘Dennis’ again?
Liking your own comments, and congratulating yourself? What a ‘job’ you have!
On the plus side it keeps both hands out of his pants.
Yes, but he’s a political/legal hack that people have heard of. Unlike you, loser.
Thanks D.
Lighteredknot: I would say if there are any hacks on this website, it is Gigi and D Mc, with there DT hatred. I see Alan Dershowitz has had mainly same legal views as Prof Turley. But the Prof allows you to spew your venom of abject DT hate assiduously.. What will you say when US receives a big terrorist attacks primarily due to Joe Biden’s Southern Border policies? Coming soon Liberal chaos.
Dennis – you can go and watch the MSM – This trial blew up.
It is remotely possible that Merchan can get a conviction out of the jury.
Regardless few voters will beleive it.
Worse still in conjunction with the Evidence tampering that Smith was caught doing at MAL
The mess that Willis has made in GA,
This trial makes democrats look really bad.
I can not recall any witness anywhere ever being as damaging to the case he was testifying about as Cohen has.
Everyday we get this nonsense that the Trial is going badly for Trump. Then we actually check – and much of the time people like Andersen Cooper or Jake Tapper are saying “this went badly for brag”
Yes we have a few totally in the tank types like O’Donnell who try to spin disaster into triumph.
And we get you echoing them.
What is the “come to jesus” moment for you ?
What does it take for you to recognize that the people you trust are liars and they are evil ?
Is Trump jesus christ incarnate. No. He is not even a great president.
But he is the best president in the 21st century.
And Joe Biden has displaced James Buchanon as the worst president ever.
All Biden had to do to be massively popular and successful was …. Nothing.
He could have coasted into a great economy.
He promised to unite the country – no president ever has worked so hard at dividing us.
….Even my dog is mad, and Luna is a Golden Doodle, they don’t get mad.
J T at a congressional hearing
Oh I’m sorry, have you been in the trial everyday or are you using the talking points of msnbc??
Well, let’s see. I’ll presume to defend Prof. Turley here, as he might be too busy doing punditry to respond to a site troll:
1. I think it is safe to say that the trial careened out of control when the judge allowed lurid testimony form the porn star over matters which were already pretty much common knowledge and din’t enhance the case other than to try to embarrass the defendant. Then testimony was allowed from a convicted perjurer while being denied from a former FEC official who could have provided material defense to Trump.
2. Cohen has done such a good job of smearing himself that nobody needs to help him do it.
3. It doesn’t matter is Trump is a misogynist or anything else. He is on trial for a felony that was charged in an unprecedented way that should scare the pants off anyone who does not like the future of political prosecutions in this country. Remember, the next candidate charged like this could be one that YOU like, and none of us here will feel sorry for you when you scream about it being a political witch trial.
4. This entire affair is still a trial in search of a crime. Trump is charged with falsifying records to cover up a crime, yet after nearly a year of buildup and finally a trial, Alvin Bragg has yet to tell anyone exactly what crime was covered up. It certainly wasn’t the payment to Stormy Daniels, because that was legal. Tawdry maybe, but not illegal. This whole exercise only exists so that Joe Biden can call Trump a “convicted felon” on the campaign trail until some appeals court throws the conviction out with a terse instruction to both Bragg and Merchan that maybe they should have paid closer attention when they taught law in law school.
Don’t forget the “Reckoning of Bliblical Proportions”
https://jonathanturley.org/2024/05/14/unfixable-michael-cohen-faces-a-reckoning-of-biblical-proportions-on-cross-examination/
How about that star witness of trump that confirmed they were pressuring Cohen to toe the line? The emails he brought into evidence were completely contrary to the words coming out of his mouth. Is that the biblical reckoning we were expecting? trumps witness lies while his emails are read to the jury? Pretty smart move.
And why was trump not on the stand? He promised us he would testify, multiple times. Oh that’s right, trump lies like the water flows down rivers. But hey, at least he continues to be the orange man/baby/child god.
Gigi
Even the MSM thinks this mess in NYC has BOMBED.
All of us get paid – none of us are living off the land in Wyoming.
Turley used to appear on MSNBC and CNN – but they got tired of hearing the truth.
A significant portion of the Current Trump jury says they watch Fox among other sources.
some perceived “right” to be present. You know there is no such right.
Gee, I wonder why all trials are “public”?
@Gigi,
Fantastic post. Great job! Succinct and to the point.
I did not believe it possible for a Judge to do non Judicial prosecution of a defendant any worse than Judge Emmitt Sullivan. I was wrong. Judge Merchan just said hold my beer!
I have an academic legal question. Possibly substantive, but probably more likely purely speculative. Can Donald Trump address the jury in pro se during the summation, within procedural parameters and certainly not carte blanch?
One: It gives DT the opportunity to directly answer his accusers. The jury will hear from the defendant himself of his innocence.
Two: You can’t cross examine a summation. If there is a response from the Prosecution, what will they say that hasn’t already been said.
Three: If the Defense summation can be bifurcated, Defense counsel can then address any deficiencies.
From what I see, everything in this case has honored Circus Maximus. Why not one more?
Michael Florio: The answer to your Q is NO. DJT could have testified but he has refused. That was his one and only chance to address the jury.
Recently redacted documents indicate that Garland had authorized the FBI to use lethal force on their raid on Mar-O-Lago. Who would they shoot? Secret Service? Guests? Trump?
The FBI is the Merchan and Bragg of law enforcement. They need to be disarmed and headquarters moved to someplace like Fairbanks, though they likely wouldn’t be welcome there or anywhere else except, maybe, West Hollywood or parts of SF.
Young said: “The FBI is the Merchan and Bragg of law enforcement. They need to be disarmed and headquarters moved to someplace like Fairbanks”
The FBI needs to be completely disbanded. Hopefully, that would be part of dismantling the entire adminsitrative state, but the abuses wreaked by that agency on Constitutional strictures and liberties more than amply justify flushing it down the provebial toilet as a standalone remedy,
Yeah, Young, we don’t need any law enforcement agency to investigate Federal crimes. The Proud Boys have no use for the FBI, nor do the cartels.
The Proud Boys don’t appear to be a threat to anyone. As for the cartels the fed under Fast and Furious illegally sent guns across the border to ‘prove’ American guns were being sent to Mexican criminals, sort of like the Whitmer Kidnapping fraud and several others. One of those guns was used to kill a Border Patrol agent. The feds are a greater danger than the cartels it seems. It wasn’t Proud Boys or cartels that murdered Americans at Waco and Ruby Ridge.
The elephant in the room is this debacle represents typical behavior among our judiciary. Look at the appearance of impropriety of Judge Juan R Sanchez and how he has made hundreds of millions ruling favorably in the cases brought by the lawyers who put him on the bench. Just look. They are unable to hide his collusion.
Pretty good description of the proceedings by Professor Dershowitz:
https://nypost.com/2024/05/21/opinion/i-was-inside-the-court-when-the-judge-closed-the-trump-trial-and-what-i-saw-shocked-me/
Excerpt: Many experienced lawyers raised their eyebrows when the judge excluded obviously relevant evidence when offered by the defense, while including irrelevant evidence offered by the prosecution. But when the defense’s only substantive witness, the experienced attorney Robert Costello, raised his eyebrows at one of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s rulings, the court went berserk. . . . For some reason, I was allowed to stay, and I observed one of the most remarkable wrong-headed biases I have ever seen. The judge actually threatened to strike all of Costello’s testimony if he raised his eyebrows again. That of course would have been unconstitutional because it would have denied the defendant his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses and to raise a defense. It would have punished the defendant for something a witness was accused of doing.
The frightening aspect of these revelations is two-fold. 1. They go on all the time. 2. There is no way to stop our courts from their plunge into debauchery. Please don’t consider any possibility that Turely and Dersch and our other best lawyers in America haven’t been aware of the loss of even the appearance of justice. Look at the judges in PA who went to prison for sending juvinilles to jail for kickbacks with which they bought a luxury estate in Florida.
Buddy Banker sounds a lot like Floyd James Estovir.
That’s because he is Estovir. Everything is Estovir and Estovir is everything. You cannot escape. Resistance is futile. Bwahahahahahahaha!
I do not know what Costello actually did.
Dershowitz’s account is not the same as some others.
What we do know is what Costello testified publicly in congress a few days ago.
What we do know is that it is the defenses absolute right to attack the credibility of a prosecution witness – even on matters unrelated to this case. Evidence of A witnesses lies when they had a duty to tell the truth is ALWAYS admissible.
Further Everything Cohen Told Costello or Costello did that tied to this case is admissible.
Judge Merchan that forgotten that he too is on Trial.
Both before the jury and the court of public oppinion and if he can manage to bring this circus to a guilty verdict – before the appellate courts.
It is generally a bad idea for a judge to get angry with a witness – even if they are openly disrespectful.
I am still not sure that is the case with Costello.
While it is not really Costello’s place to adress the admissibility of his testimony and the legitimacy of objections.
He is without any doubt the most experienced legal mind in the room at the time – save possibly Derschowitz.
Still even if Merchan is a biased moron, Costello was a witness.
At the same time – Merchan is the judge. When he attacks a witness in front of the jury he undermines his own impartiality.
The way to deal with disrespectful witnesses is to ignore that. The conduct of the witness undermines their trust by the jury – especially if they are obviously wrong and disrespectful.
By attacking Costello – Merchan essentially asked the jury to weigh the judges credibility against the witnesses.
That is always a mistake for the judge
@John Say,
“What we do know is that it is the defenses absolute right to attack the credibility of a prosecution witness – even on matters unrelated to this case. ”
The defense can attack the credibility of the prosecution, but it can only address the matters related to the case. That’s where Costello and the defense got into trouble. Merchan can and did limit the issues only to those of the case. Costello and the defense defied the judge’s restriction intentionally and got admonished for it.
“He is without any doubt the most experienced legal mind in the room at the time – save possibly Derschowitz.
Still even if Merchan is a biased moron, Costello was a witness.”
No, he’s not. He’s the not the smartest and neither is Dershowitz. Costello made the mistake of disrespecting the judge and tried to usurp his authority that’s not a good thing for the jury to see.
“ At the same time – Merchan is the judge. When he attacks a witness in front of the jury he undermines his own impartiality.
The way to deal with disrespectful witnesses is to ignore that. “
He didn’t attack the witness he admonished him for being disrespectful and contemptuous. Judge Merchan had every right to remind the witness whose court it is. A judge has full authority in HIS court room to enforce decorum. Costello, the brilliant lawyer he is purported to be should have known that.
Merchan is in no way obligated to allow such disrespect in his court. Costello was clearly wrong and very disrespectful the jury is not going to see Merchan negatively because he exercised his authority as a judge as he should.
Costello already damaged his credibility when he chose to be disrespectful and tried to usurp the authority of the judge. The prosecution successfully impeached Costello by using his own emails against him.
. Merchan can and did limit the issues only to those of the case
Are you this stupid, or the person feeding this to you, stupid.
Cohen is “the case”.
Costello is part of the case. Bragg subpoenaed Costello to testify in front of the Grand Jury.
This is just one more reversible error committed by Merchan.
@Iowan2,
No, Costello and the defense were trying to argue something else besides Cohen’s claims. Costello tried use his grudge against him to paint him as a liar. The judge put the scope of the questions for Costello in a narrow path. He did not want a trial within a trial. Both Costello and the defense ignored the judge’s restrictions and prosecution objected. Every time the judge correctly sustained the objections Costello disrespected the judge and the court by loudly complaining and even usurping the judge’s authority when he demanded the court reporter strike testimony from the record.
Both the defense and the prosecution agreed on the scope of the questioning after a sidebar discussion. When the defense and Costello violated that agreement the prosecution rightfully objected and the judge sustained.
Merchan has full authority on how witnesses, counsel, and the public comport themselves in HIS court. Obviously you don’t understand how things work in a court of law.
Costello’s words did not comport with the emails presented. The emails, at least in my mind, shows they were pressuring Cohen to not be a snitch on trump. Costello was arguing that no, the emails really don’t mean what the words say. The jury will decide.
Boom!
Another sure sign that Merchan, Bragg, Cohen, etc. are doing wrong is
people like George, Dennis, Gigi, etc. defend their actions/lack of integrity.
Got to love it. Proof right there them boys deserve prison. If Gigi likes them, they’ve got to be despicable.
Put Merchan in a straight jacket and take him away.