With a potentially looming criminal indictment of Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, the former president has been full of bluster and bravado, according to The New York Times.
Trump has reportedly told friends and associates he thinks the media circus surrounding the Stormy Daniels hush money case will be a “fun experience,” and that he is hoping law enforcement officials make a “circus” of his arrest for the cameras—something they are very unlikely to do. In all likelihood, it’ll be a private affair, by arrangement between New York court officials and the Secret Service.
Meanwhile, New York City might not be the only perp walk opportunity for Donald Trump.
Over in federal court, Judge Beryl Howell handed off the classified documents case to Judge James “Jeb” Boasberg, who was recently sworn in as the chief judge of the federal district court in Washington, D.C. According to ABC News, Howell noted that special counsel Jack Smith’s office had presented "prima facie showing that the former president had committed criminal violations.” Furthermore, she ordered Trump attorney Evan Corcoran to comply with a grand jury subpoena.
In her sealed filing, Howell ordered that Evan Corcoran, an attorney for Trump, should comply with a grand jury subpoena for testimony on six separate lines of inquiry over which he had previously asserted attorney-client privilege.
Sources added that Howell also ordered Corcoran to hand over a number of records tied to what Howell described as Trump's alleged "criminal scheme," echoing prosecutors. Those records include handwritten notes, invoices, and transcriptions of personal audio recordings.
As if that weren’t bad enough, as The Bulwark notes, Trump’s facing more criminal investigations than most of us have fingers. There’s the other Jack Smith-led investigation into his myriad efforts to block the transfer of power after losing reelection in 2020. There’s the Letitia James-led investigation into his corporate bad deeds. There’s also that “perfect phone call” (and more) case in Georgia, where prosecutors are reportedly considering racketeering and conspiracy charges.
And there’s also the rather complex federal investigation into hijinks surrounding the funding of Trump’s Twitter knockoff, Truth Social.
The Guardian:
Federal prosecutors in New York involved in the criminal investigation into Donald Trump’s social media company last year started examining whether it violated money laundering statutes in connection with the acceptance of $8m with suspected Russian ties, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The company - Trump Media, which owns Trump’s Truth Social platform - initially came under criminal investigation over its preparations for a potential merger with a blank check company called Digital World (DWAC) that was also the subject of an earlier investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Towards the end of last year, federal prosecutors started examining two loans totaling $8m wired to Trump Media, through the Caribbean, from two obscure entities that both appear to be controlled in part by the relation of an ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, the sources said.
...
Even if Trump Media and its officers face no criminal exposure for the transactions, the optics of borrowing money from potentially unsavory sources through opaque conduits could cloud Trump’s image as he seeks to recapture the White House in 2024.
The extent of the exposure for Trump Media and its officers for money laundering remains unclear.
And those six cases are all in addition to the dual civil cases surrounding Trump’s alleged rape and defamation of author E. Jean Carroll.
So what does a sociopathic narcissist who’s dying to return to the White House do in the face of so much legal trouble? According to the Times, Trump wants to display “defiance.” It’s ironic the man who launched a million “RESIST” bumper stickers and T-shirts is now hoping to send that very same message to his devoted followers.
Trump might be loudly boasting he’s ready for the “fun” to begin, but like all bullies, he’ll crumble when the time comes. And that time is coming.
Sign the petition: Disqualify Trump from running for public office. It’s in the Constitution.
Today, Kerry is joined by Drew Linzer, the director and co-founder of the well-regarded polling company, CIVIQs. Drew and Kerry talk about a recent CIVIQs poll that asked Americans from all walks of life about trans issues, among other things. Drew talks about the methodology and how the results show that conservatives tend to have more liberal views when questions are framed in terms of fundamental rights.