Trump's team is more focused so far on building a sprawling network of "#ElectionIntegrity" #lawyers & #PollWatchers than on rounding up organizers & door knockers to reach voters.
It's a sign that 5 months before Election Day, the legal battle is underway —& that Trump PLANS to cry "rigged" if he loses, as it did after the #2020election & his #felony#convictions.
Big show of family support on the 1st day of #HunterBiden’s trial.
In addition to #POTUS’ statement, Hunter’s wife, Melissa Cohen, his sister Ashley Biden, his friend Kevin Morris, Peter Neal, who is married to Hunter’s daughter Naomi, & #FLOTUS Dr. #JillBiden are in attendance.
President #Biden will be in Wilmington, DL, w/no appearances scheduled. But he has given no indication that he would be in the courthouse — a possibility that would require considerable security arrangements.
Judge Maryellen Noreika swore in 12 #jurors — + 4 alternates — to determine the #legal fate of #HunterBiden, who is on trial for 3 #felony#gun charges….
A substitute #teacher, a fmr #SecretService employee & multiple #GunOwners were among those chosen to report back to court Tues morning, when opening arguments are expected to begin.…Most were people of color, &…appeared to range from mid-20s to 70s.
The most recent example: In his first interview since being #convicted on 34 #felony counts in Manhattan, #Trump this weekend addressed the possibility of being imprisoned or put under house arrest by saying, “I’m not sure the public would stand for it.”
“I think it would be tough for the public to take,” Trump told #FoxNews. “You know, at a certain point, there’s a breaking point.”
The bill which goes into effect in July, allows #privateproperty owners to #shoot first and questions later if they believe that a trespasser or homeless person is going to commit a #felony or is attempting to “deposses” them.
The set of #toughoncrime laws also #criminalizes being homeless.
The latest #doxxing attempt fits a pattern of #threats against people who speak out against Trump.
The addresses & phone numbers of fmr Trump lawyer Cohen's family members were posted to a doxxing website after Trump was #convicted of 34 #felony counts in connection w/a scheme to illegally #influence the #2016election.
WI’s AG filed charges against an aide & 2 attys who advised Trump over a meeting of #Republicans who claimed to be the state’s 2020 presidential electors even though Trump had lost the state.
The charges are the first in WI related to the meeting of electors. Prosecutors have separately charged Republicans who were involved in similar efforts in #Arizona, #Michigan, #Nevada & #Georgia.
#POTUS underscored #Trump “was given every opportunity to defend himself” & the case “was heard by a jury of…12 people like you & millions of Americans who serve on juries…chosen the same way every jury in America” is chosen.
“The jury heard 5 weeks of evidence, 5 weeks, & after careful deliberation, the jury reached a #unanimous verdict. They found Donald Trump #guilty on all 34 #felony counts. Now, he’ll be given the opportunity, as he should, to #appeal that decision….”
“I do believe the Supreme Court should step in,” Johnson told #FauxNews. “Obviously, this is totally unprecedented.” neither the [#law or not the #crime are unprecedented, plenty of #precedent, it’s just the #criminal committing the crime that’s new].
#Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection w/a #HushMoney payment made to a porn star to influence the 2016 election. The case could be in the jury’s hands as early as Wed.
#Blanche is focusing on the 34 docs that led to the 34 #felony charges. He sounded as if he was getting close to making a #legal argument about “intent to defraud.” The #jurors would have to find that #Trump acted w/ #intent to #defraud when he directed the falsification of the docs in order to find him #guilty.
Justice #Merchan appeared to glare at Blanche as he came close to commenting on the #law. But the defense lawyer moved away & the judge said nothing.
@Nonilex By itself, the conclusion of closing arguments in the #felony#trial of #trump today is a cause for celebration! The case is now with a jury composed of people a lot like us and their decision will be further demonstration of the power of law over individuals. Take a breath, enjoy the moment, and make a memory.
Tues 29 May 2024 🧵
Good morning! It’s the last day of the #TrumpTrial before jury #deliberations.
Today Justice #Merchan will give #JuryInstructions. Then they will discuss the case among themselves for the first time; they have not been allowed to even discuss it w/each other as yet.
Closing arguments took place yesterday, & the lawyers will have no further opportunity to address the jurors before they determine whether #Trump is #guilty or not guilty of 34 felonies.
If jurors were required to be #unanimous on which unlawful means (#crimes) #Trump employed, it may have been harder to reach a verdict.
Merchan explains the elements of the #felony falsification charge. He says the records at issue can pertain to a private business & can be electronic or other data.
Last week, prosecution won a major argument when they argued that the jurors did not have to agree #unanimously on the “unlawful means” (#crimes) they might determine that Trump used.
Yesterday, Costello behaved so atrociously on the witness stand that Juan Merchan cleared the courtroom to admonish him & the defense attorneys. Costello is due back on the stand
Tues afternoon, the #TrumpTrial will go into some dry legalities, as prosecutors & defense present to Justice #Merchan how they want the court to instruct the #jurors as they deliberate.
The 2 sides will lay out their arguments for #JuryInstructions as it prepares to weigh the charges against #Trump — 34 #felony counts of falsifying business records.
#Jury instructions are meant to translate #legal doctrine into intelligible language for the 12 laypeople who will decide the case.
Defense proposes #JuryInstructions on campaign finance law “#FECA” (federal election campaign act) must include the word "willfully" to specify a #criminal violation.
The 34 falsifying business records charges against #Trump are #felony charges bc prosecutors say he used the false records to try to conceal a 2nd #crime.
That 2nd crime, prosecutors specified, is a violation of a state #ElectionLaw that forbids a person from seeking election by “unlawful means.”
Justice Merchan points out that the #felony charges of falsifying business records #Trump faces includes an #intent to conceal another #crime. The #law doesn't require prosecutors to show that Trump intended to orchestrate a #conspiracy, but rather that by falsifying business records, he intended to hide said conspiracy.
#Merchan says he will leave that instruction as is – a win for prosecutors.
We saw #AllenWeisselberg’s notes during Jeffrey McConney’s testimony, he worked under Weisselberg. But now, #MichaelCohen is testifying that he was in the room as Weisselberg made these notations on how to repay him for the #HushMoney, + his shrunken bonus. This document goes straight to the repayments to Cohen, & the false documents.
#Trump is charged w/ 34 #felony counts of falsifying business records: 11 checks, 11 invoices & 12 ledger entries.
#Trump has a huge posse today, including #KashPatel; #GerryKassar, a #conservative party leader in NY; #BernieKerik, fmr NYPD commissioner who was imprisoned for tax fraud & false statements; #AlanDershowitz, lawyer who defended Trump during his first impeachment, & #BorisEpshteyn, legal adviser who was #indicted in AZ for attempts to keep Trump in power after the 2020 election.
#Trump defense atty Emil #Bove suggests that the prosecutors, in their proposed #JuryInstructions, shifted their theory of the case.
He’s possibly talking about the state #ElectionLaw that underlies the #felony business records charges against Trump. Justice #Merchan doesn’t seem to agree, but says prosecution’s proposal for jury instructions holds no weight — it’s only a proposal.
“Just relax,” Merchan tells defense. Nothing, he says, has been determined.
“…a class ‘E’ #felony under NY #law carries a maximum 4-yr prison sentence for each count if convicted.
“#Trump could face over 100 yrs in prison if he were convicted of every charge…, but }legal experts suggest it’s unlikely he’ll face any prison time at all in this case as a first-time offender”
As I was unable to do a #TrumpTrial 🧵 today, here’s a #GiftArticle on the day’s proceedings:
“After 2 wks of enthralling jurors w/stories of sex & scandal, prosecutors delved into the documents at the heart of Trump’s #criminal trial on Mon, a pivotal turn in the case that came on the same day the judge held #Trump in #contempt & threatened to #jail him.”
“#Trump, the first American president to face prosecution, is on #trial for 34 #felony counts of falsifying business records, 1 for each doc: 11 checks to #MichaelCohen, 11 invoices from Cohen & 12 entries in Trump’s general ledger. The invoices & ledger entries claimed that Cohen had been repaid for ‘legal expenses’ that arose from a ‘retainer agreement.’”
For the record, #Elon#Musk was watching incest #porn, and was going to #court for the #felony of having #sex with animals, not the other way around.
In fact, in a preliminary #hearing last week I heard #Space Karen Elon Musk say as he was charged with animal necrophilia “Gee your honor I didn’t know the cat was dead when I was #fucking it.”
#NY’s highest court on Thurs overturned Harvey #Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on #felony#SexCrime charges, a stunning reversal in the foundational case of the #MeToo era.