Trump's Crimes & Investigations

[goldenvalley]

Looks like Trump has another court date and he isn't happy with it.  

The trial of Donald J. Trump has been scheduled for March 25, 2024, the judge presiding over his Manhattan criminal case said at a hearing on Tuesday.

Mr. Trump attended the hearing remotely, making his first courtroom appearance since 34 felony charges were unveiled against him last month. He appeared to react angrily when the trial date was announced by Justice Juan Merchan, though his microphone was muted and it was unclear what he was saying to the lawyer seated next to him, Todd Blanche.

The trial is set for three weeks after Super Tuesday, one of the most important days on the Republican presidential primary calendar. And the disclosure of the date came just a day before Mr. Trump’s chief rival for the Republican nomination, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, was set to announce his own run, highlighting the way that Mr. Trump’s legal entanglements could complicate his third campaign for the White House.

As a Vanity Fair author put it:

Oh, well, it’s like that old saying goes: Don’t allegedly commit numerous felonies if you don’t want to have to go to court on a day that’s inconvenient for your presidential campaign.

[pnwguy]

Exclusive from WaPo

Trump workers moved Mar-a-Lago boxes a day before Justice Dept. came for documents

New details, including alleged ‘dress rehearsal’ for moving sensitive papers, show a focus on Donald Trump’s instructions and intent





Criming is in Dumpster's core DNA.  I wouldn't be surprised if some MAGA FBI agent tipped off the raid.  Certainly It sounds like they were expecting one.

[goldenvalley]

May 25, 2023 19:21:18 GMT pnwguy said:

Exclusive from WaPo

Trump workers moved Mar-a-Lago boxes a day before Justice Dept. came for documents

New details, including alleged ‘dress rehearsal’ for moving sensitive papers, show a focus on Donald Trump’s instructions and intent





Criming is in Dumpster's core DNA.  I wouldn't be surprised if some MAGA FBI agent tipped off the raid.  Certainly It sounds like they were expecting one.

Apparently this was captured on the facility's internal surveillance cameras.  Wouldn't you think to turn them off before doing this?  The incompetence is astounding, but just because it was incompetently done...it doesn't mean they lacked motive to obstruct justice.

[pnwguy]

May 25, 2023 23:03:38 GMT goldenvalley said:

Apparently this was captured on the facility's internal surveillance cameras.  Wouldn't you think to turn them off before doing this?  The incompetence is astounding, but just because it was incompetently done...it doesn't mean they lacked motive to obstruct justice.

When you have never paid ANY cost to being a criminal, there is no incentive to hide it. 

If he does shoot someone on 5th avenue in NYC, do you think he'd be crouched down somewhere behind a trash can with a sniper rifle?  It would disappoint all his fanboys that have those flags with Trump as Rambo.  Go forth proudly and kill those libtards, before they drain the blood out of any more kids!

[LFC]

There's a tape? I can hardly wait!

Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case have released to his attorneys a recording of Trump and a witness, whose identity was not disclosed, according to a document the office made public Friday.

The document, called an automatic discovery form, describes the nature of the charges against a defendant and a broad overview of the evidence that prosecutors will present at Trump's preliminary hearing or at trial. Trump's attorneys and media organizations, including CBS News, had repeatedly requested that such a form be made public in the weeks since Trump's arrest on April 4.

Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges. He has entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records for alleged payments made as part of a "hush money" scheme.

The document lists the dates of 34 instances between Feb. 14, 2017 and Dec. 5, 2017 when he allegedly falsified records.

In a section devoted to electronic evidence that will be turned over, a prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office indicated they have disclosed to the defense a "recording of a conversation between defendant and a witness."

The section also indicates prosecutors intend to disclose recordings of calls between witnesses and others.

[LFC]

Sounds like somebody may be looking to save his own ass.

Donald Trump’s lawyer tasked with searching for classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after the justice department issued a subpoena told associates that he was waved off from searching the former president’s office, where the FBI later found the most sensitive materials anywhere on the property.

The lawyer, Evan Corcoran, recounted that several Trump aides had told him to search the storage room because that was where all the materials that had been brought from the White House at the end of Trump’s presidency ended up being deposited.

Corcoran found 38 classified documents in the storage room. He then asked whether he should search anywhere else, like Trump’s office, but was steered away, he told associates. Corcoran never searched the office and told prosecutors the 38 papers were the extent of the material at Mar-a-Lago.

The assertion that there were no classified documents elsewhere at the property proved to be wrong when the FBI seized 101 classified documents months afterwards, including from the office, which was found to be where the most highly classified documents had been located.

Corcoran’s previously unreported account, as relayed to the Guardian by two people familiar with the matter, suggests he was materially misled as the special counsel Jack Smith examines whether his incomplete search was actually a ploy by Trump to retain classified documents.

It was not clear who waved off Corcoran from searching elsewhere at Mar-a-Lago – whether it was Trump himself or Trump employees who advised him to look for classified documents in the storage room, according to an account of his testimony to the grand jury.

My schadenfreude is kicking in as his legal team may not even trust each other.

With three anticipated indictments, two ongoing court cases, and an ever-expanding cadre of lawyers, former President Donald Trump is at a critical juncture—and yet his legal advisers are starting to turn on each other.

According to five sources with direct knowledge of the situation, clashing personalities and the increasing outside threat of law enforcement has sown deep divisions that have only worsened in recent months. The internal bickering has already sparked one departure in recent weeks—and that could be just the beginning.

As Trump’s legal troubles keep growing—with criminal and civil investigations in New York City, Washington, and Atlanta—so too does the unwieldy band of attorneys who simply can’t get along.

The cast of characters includes an accused meddler who has Trump’s ear, a young attorney who lawyers on the team suggested is only there because the former president likes the way she looks, and a celebrity lawyer who’s increasingly viewed with disdain. Worst of all, now that federal investigators have turned the interrogation spotlight on some of Trump’s lawyers themselves, defense attorneys on the team seem to be questioning whether their colleagues may actually turn into snitches.

“There’s a lot of lawyers and a lot of jealousy,” said one person on Trump’s legal team, explaining that the sheer number of lawyers protecting a single man accused of so many crimes is without parallel.

Part of the concern over lawyers turning on each other is due to the fact that the Department of Justice already has one Trump attorney’s professional notes, which could position him as a future witness against his own client, and the DOJ has another lawyer who said too much in an unrelated case and has positioned herself as yet another potential witness against her client.

[LFC]

Oh, shit! They have a tape of this too? This is serious, even for the Teflon Don. Hanging on to war

Hanging on to highly classified war plans is pretty tough to explain away. So is the admission that he can't do anything he wants with them.

Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything.

The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. On the recording, Trump’s comments suggest he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.

CNN has not listened to the recording, but multiple sources described it. One source said the relevant portion on the Iran document is about two minutes long, and another source said the discussion is a small part of a much longer meeting.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the Justice Department investigation into Trump, has focused on the meeting as part of the criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of national security secrets. Sources describe the recording as an “important” piece of evidence in a possible case against Trump, who has repeatedly asserted he could retain presidential records and “automatically” declassify documents.

Prosecutors have asked witnesses about the recording and the document before a federal grand jury. The episode has generated enough interest for investigators to have questioned Gen. Mark Milley, one of the highest-ranking Trump-era national security officials, about the incident.

The July 2021 meeting was held at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two people working on the autobiography of Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as aides employed by the former president, including communications specialist Margo Martin. The attendees, sources said, did not have security clearances that would allow them access to classified information. Meadows didn’t attend the meeting, sources said.

[pnwguy]

May 31, 2023 22:21:11 GMT LFC said:

Oh, shit! They have a tape of this too? This is serious, even for the Teflon Don. Hanging on to war

Hanging on to highly classified war plans is pretty tough to explain away. So is the admission that he can't do anything he wants with them.

Federal prosecutors have obtained an audio recording of a summer 2021 meeting in which former President Donald Trump acknowledges he held onto a classified Pentagon document about a potential attack on Iran, multiple sources told CNN, undercutting his argument that he declassified everything.

The recording indicates Trump understood he retained classified material after leaving the White House, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation. On the recording, Trump’s comments suggest he would like to share the information but he’s aware of limitations on his ability post-presidency to declassify records, two of the sources said.

CNN has not listened to the recording, but multiple sources described it. One source said the relevant portion on the Iran document is about two minutes long, and another source said the discussion is a small part of a much longer meeting.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the Justice Department investigation into Trump, has focused on the meeting as part of the criminal investigation into Trump’s handling of national security secrets. Sources describe the recording as an “important” piece of evidence in a possible case against Trump, who has repeatedly asserted he could retain presidential records and “automatically” declassify documents.

Prosecutors have asked witnesses about the recording and the document before a federal grand jury. The episode has generated enough interest for investigators to have questioned Gen. Mark Milley, one of the highest-ranking Trump-era national security officials, about the incident.

The July 2021 meeting was held at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, with two people working on the autobiography of Trump’s former chief of staff Mark Meadows as well as aides employed by the former president, including communications specialist Margo Martin. The attendees, sources said, did not have security clearances that would allow them access to classified information. Meadows didn’t attend the meeting, sources said.

I'm sure they were worth a few hundred million to Jared's benefactors in Saudi Arabia.  When you're a star, and The Chosen One, they let you sell your country's secrets for top dollar.  

[indy]

According to CNN, the document that Trump is talking about on tape is actually missing.

www.cnn.com/2023/06/02/politics/donald-trump-iran-subpoena

[pnwguy]

Jun 2, 2023 17:39:06 GMT indy said:

According to CNN, the document that Trump is talking about on tape is actually missing.

www.cnn.com/2023/06/02/politics/donald-trump-iran-subpoena

It was hand delivered by Jared to MBS

[LFC]

Where are all the leaks coming from? Unlike the Ken Starr hitjob that was just flat out designed , it ain't Jack Smith or his crew.

Where’s It Coming From?

I’ve had quite a few questions in recents weeks from lay persons and readers about the stream of revelations coming out about the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation.

The short answer is that the sources of the flurry of stories we’ve seen are witnesses in the case or, more precisely, their lawyers. Trump World figures, in responding and reacting to some of the disclosures, have divulged some new information, too, but that’s been less revealing of the underlying facts than of potential defenses they might use and the public public narrative they want to create.

None of the big reveals about the MAL evidence from the last few weeks bear much sign of having come from Smith, the FBI, or DOJ more broadly.

Kurt Eichenwald, the veteran investigative reporter, had a good thread on the dynamics:

As Eichenwald notes, the timing of these revelations is probably another sign that we’re nearing the end of the pre-indictment phase of the case.

[goldenvalley]

Jun 5, 2023 15:57:24 GMT LFC said:

Where are all the leaks coming from? Unlike the Ken Starr hitjob that was just flat out designed , it ain't Jack Smith or his crew.

Where’s It Coming From?

I’ve had quite a few questions in recents weeks from lay persons and readers about the stream of revelations coming out about the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation.

The short answer is that the sources of the flurry of stories we’ve seen are witnesses in the case or, more precisely, their lawyers. Trump World figures, in responding and reacting to some of the disclosures, have divulged some new information, too, but that’s been less revealing of the underlying facts than of potential defenses they might use and the public public narrative they want to create.

None of the big reveals about the MAL evidence from the last few weeks bear much sign of having come from Smith, the FBI, or DOJ more broadly.

Kurt Eichenwald, the veteran investigative reporter, had a good thread on the dynamics:

As Eichenwald notes, the timing of these revelations is probably another sign that we’re nearing the end of the pre-indictment phase of the case.

One of Trump's lawyers was on MSNBC bleating about leaks from the DOJ.  Mueller leaked all over, right?  Nope.  Nor did the 1/6 Committee.  Witnesses are leaking stuff, I'd bet money on that.  

[LFC]

Oh, PUH-LEEEAZE let this turn out to be true!

[jackd]

Who was the White House Counsel who told Meadows to get a good criminal lawyer?

[indy]

Jun 8, 2023 0:49:15 GMT jackd said:

Who was the White House Counsel who told Meadows to get a good criminal lawyer?

That was Eric Herschmann maybe? And didn't he say that to Eastman? Or am I confusing things?

[goldenvalley]

Jun 8, 2023 1:54:13 GMT indy said:

Jun 8, 2023 0:49:15 GMT jackd said:

Who was the White House Counsel who told Meadows to get a good criminal lawyer?

That was Eric Herschmann maybe? And didn't he say that to Eastman? Or am I confusing things?

That was my recollection too.  Herschmann was a campaign lawyer, not a White House one.  And he told Eastman that.  I doubt Eastman took the advice.

[indy]

Could have been practically any (ethical) lawyer and directed at nearly anyone connected to the campaign or white house so we all might be confused.

[pnwguy]

Looks like the federal hammer is starting to fall.

www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/mar-a-lago-documents-probe-latest/index.html

[LFC]

That update is moving fast with a lot of little things. Here's a static take.

Former President Donald Trump has been indicted in the special counsel’s classified documents probe, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, a stunning development that marks the first time a former president has faced federal charges.

Trump has been charged with seven counts in the indictment, according to another source familiar with the matter.

The former president wrote on Truth Social that he had been informed by the Justice Department he was indicted and that he was “summoned to appear at the Federal Courthouse in Miami on Tuesday, at 3 PM.”

[indy]

'Willful retention of classified materials', if convicted, often results in 5-10 year sentences. Of course those people aren't ex-presidents.

[AnBr]

www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/06/08/trump-classified-documents-mar-a-lago/

[indy]

Let's see how quickly the Republican candidates trip over each other trying to be first to promise him a pardon.

[jackd]

Jordan, for the House Judiciary Committee, is already screaming, "politics" and I wouldn't be surprised to see him try to subpoena DOJ files on the investigation.

[goldenvalley]

I'm so sick of hearing about how this is unprecedented, as if somehow that means Trump shouldn't be indicted.  We're never had a president like Trump so he is unprecedented and anything that has anything to do with him is.  In 2015 when he announced I never dreamed we'd have to live through what we have and it's still not over.  

[jackd]

He set the tone when he said he could shoot someone on 5th Ave. and they'd still support him. We thought he was exaggerating.