The Trump legal team is struggling. If you didn’t watch Lawrence O’Donnell last night, do watch this bit now:
O’Donnell says this corroborates a portion of the new indictments; see paragraph 93. During a meeting on January 4, 2021, the indictment said, Trump directed Vice President Pence to either reject the ballots from the seven “targeted” states outright or send the ballots back to the seven states to have the state legislatures decide the outcome. Pence objected, as you know. This is a key part of the attempt to defraud the United States. And then in a television interview last night, Trump lawyer John Lauro told pretty much the same story:
“President Trump wanted to get to the truth. He desperately wanted to get to what happened in the 2020 cycle,” Trump’s attorney John Lauro said on Newsmax on Thursday evening. So, he said, “at the end he asked Mr. Pence to pause the voting” — that is, counting the submitted electors on Jan. 6, 2021 — “for 10 days, allow the state legislatures to weigh in and then they could make a determination to audit or reaudit or recertify.”
But Philip Bump points out in WaPo that Trump had already publicly admitted this in a tweet on the morning of January 6.
States want to correct their votes, which they now know were based on irregularities and fraud, plus corrupt process never received legislative approval. All Mike Pence has to do is send them back to the States, AND WE WIN. Do it Mike, this is a time for extreme courage!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 6, 2021
Plus, Trump said this in his rally speech:
“The Republicans have to get tougher. You’re not going to have a Republican Party if you don’t get tougher,” Trump said at one point, clearly referring at least in part to Pence. “They want to play so straight. They want to play so, sir, yes, the United States. The Constitution doesn’t allow me to send them back to the States.”
“Well, I say, yes it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country and you have to protect our Constitution, and you can’t vote on fraud,” he continued. “And fraud breaks up everything, doesn’t it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you’re allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do.”
Per the new indictments, there was no evidence that the election result for Joe Biden in the “targeted” states was inaccurate, and Trump knew that. Hence, fraud. What had O’Donnell gobsmacked was that Trump’s own lawyer readily admitted at least part of the fraud.
But this suggests to me that Trump’s legal team has decided it’s pointless to deny that Trump asked Pence to mess with ballots. They’re probably going to pretend Trump genuinely believed there was fraud. Zachary Beau at Axios writes,
Former President Trump’s legal team is teasing a risky defense to his historic third indictment: that Trump genuinely believed his own lies about election fraud — despite being told by dozens of his closest advisers, allies and agencies that they were baseless.
Why it matters: If they proceed to trial, Trump’s lawyers effectively could be asking a jury to believe that the former president was delusional — undermining special counsel Jack Smith’s core thesis that Trump “knowingly” sought to defraud the country.
What else have they got? I assume the Trump lawyers anticipated Trump would be charged with inciting the January 6 violence, but Jack Smith chose not to go there. So all their blathering about “free speech” is irrelevant.
But what will Trump say about this? Is Mr. Stable Genius going to allow his lawyers to claim he was too deluded to understand what people were telling him? I don’t think so. He’s going to want the trial to be about how the 2020 election was stolen from him.
Oh, I so hope the trial is televised.
This didn't start in November of 2020, because tRUMP has been crying "FRAUD!" his whole life.
Of course, that's a combo of projection and admission, because throughout the course of his long and useless life, he's been the real 'fraud.'
He was a fraud in business. There's a long list of him committing fraud throughout his business career.
He wasn't the self-made billionaire he c!aimed to be. He was a "trust-fund baby!" living off the money his scumbag daddy gave him when he was still alive. And then the money his dad left him in his will – AND the money Donnie stole from the other recipients of the fortune his dad left!
In politics, tRUMP didn't waste any time in accusing others of fraud. He accused Iowa of some form of fraud when he lost their primary in 2016 to Ted Cruz.
He was making plans to cry " FRAUD!" if he lost to Hillary in 2016.
And throughout his reelection campaign, he was planning on crying "FRAUD!" If he lost in 2020.
I wasn't in the least bit surprised when he cried "FRAUD!" when he lost – and I doubt any if you were, either.
I almost feel sorry for his attorneys. Almost.
How does one defend a lifelong liar and fraudster from his greatest lie and fraud?
____________________________
Oh, and yeah: His federal trials need -NEED! – to be televised!!!
His followers will never believe -or care – about his illegal actions, and the damage this sociopath has done to this country.
Nothing can change their "minds" about the (cowardly) Warrior God.
But there are tens of millions of people who, to varying degrees, may finally realize that not only does their Emperor have no clothes, but he probably bilked whatever clothes he does have out of some charity.
Televise the trials!
We the people demand it!!
Harry Litman put out a video about this very thing. He knows Lauro professionally, and has some respect for him – Lauro isn't one of the Grade Z attorneys Trump surrounded himself with – but Litman was likewise amazed by this slip up.
I saw an earlier video of Lauro where he was totally onboard, arguing for cameras in the courtroom. He comes across as so cocksure of himself, but with the admission above, he does the legal equivalent of stepping on a rake. I hope he doesn't change his mind about cameras. I really thought the Republican spin machine would vigorously fight against televising the trial.
I've read from a couple sources that the trial could be over and done by spring or summer of next year. Thank God we seem to have an experienced judge who also wants this thing fast-tracked.
And then there's this, from Thursday, I think. Per Maddowblog:
"Take Alina Habba, for example. As Trump prepared to be arraigned for alleged crimes related to his post-election wrongdoing, Habba, a prominent member of the former president’s legal team, held a brief press conference. As part of a larger set of comments, Habba conceded that “everybody” on Team Trump “was made aware that he lost the election.”
Everybody except Trump? He went out on J6 and repeated lie after lie about election fraud to justify what turned into a riot. So if they concede that Trump tried to thwart the J6 proceedings (in violation of the law) AND they concede that everyone "was made aware that he lost the election" on what basis does a jury find Trump not guilty?
Trump will always issue the defense that everything he does is "perfect." But in the statement after the arraignment, Trump never offered a basis for a defense. Claiming it's "election interference" is not gonna be accepted as a defense by the judge. The prosecution will object and the judge will sustain as soon as Trump's lawyers try to put Biden or the DOJ on trial in the courtroom. Outside, they will let blabbermouth flap his face, but the jury won't hear it. Trump seems not to grasp this fact.
This morning, Trump suggested the USSC needs to "intervene." My opinion is that Trump wanted his lawyers to draft a motion to the USSC requesting all the cases be dismissed or at least delayed. Again, my opinion, Trump's lawyers declined because there is no basis for such a request and they want to keep their license to practice law. So Trump, knowing how all the USSC hangs on his every tweet, put it out on Truth Social, expecting one of the justices will issue an order.
At four this afternoon, Trump tweeted, "If you come after me, I'm coming after you!" Yes, that's a violation of the court order from Thursday.
A detail from Thursday that I missed: The judge asked the DOJ for a proposed timetable and trial date. After that, the defense has ten days to reply with thier proposal for a timetable. This was from the magistrate, not the regular judge. On the 28th at the next meeting, the regular judge will set the trial date. (Trump's lawyer had a near heart attack, protesting the instructions because the defense hadn't seen discovery (evidence) and couldn't comply.) I suspect Jack can expedite the delivery of discovery, which is required within 30 days, if I recall. It looks like the judges in DC are way ahead of Trump's games. We may have a firm trial date before September.
The other shoe that hasn't dropped: Mark Meadows. If he's flipped, he was there for the meetings. He knows who told Trump that he lost. Meadows knows who Trump fired for speaking the truth about the election. Meadows isn't even indirectly mentioned in the indictment.
"If they proceed to trial, Drumpf’s lawyers effectively could be asking a jury to believe that the former president was delusional …"
Yessir, MAGAts, you want to elect a president who is delusional in 2024? Who knows what other delusions roam thru what's left of his mind?
That's worse than electing your crazy uncle. What's wrong with these mindless zombie-like MAGAts?
*Trump* says states wanted to change their votes. Did any states say that, and say it through the existing and proper channels for doing so?
No. No they did not.
Why Trump's obvious bullshit keeps getting repeated over and over again is a mystery. Well, no it isn't really. He wants his case tried in the little 'c' court of public opinion rather than the big 'C' Court of Law. For all the sway he holds over the media for getting his public case (i,e, bullshit) out into the public court, that dog won't hunt in front of a proper Court Court. Which is where this is going. Bad news for Donny. Welcome to the 'find out' part of the game.
The Best Defense is subversion of the Country and Republicans have been doing that for 50 years in response to their Tricky Dick being taken from them.
re Mark Meadows: unless Jack Smith is holding a lot of cards for later, I've concluded Meadows must be cooperating. The indictment is peppered with his comments, and he witnessed everything.
I've read some background about Meadows, he's a real political chameleon, a smarter and less public Kevin McCarthy. Recall Cassidy Hutchinson's testimony, that as the J6 riot was underway, she testified Meadows was calmly scrolling through his messages, in response to her questions and alarm. Everything's proceeding according to plan, he seems to be calculating.
Joyce Vance (substack) has an entire piece today about Trump's posting IF YOU COME AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU. Sooner or later he's going to cross a line and get his wings clipped. It can't come too soon.
There will be no trial. One way or another no jury will be allowed to render a judgement because they would most likely find Trump guilty. He and others were caught red handed with their hands in the "cookie jar" on several occasions trying to steal an election and subvert democracy. They mobilized domestic terrorists and others to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power from an election they honestly lost. They had overt support within the House and Senate which continues to this day to provide obstruction and cover for the extent of their operation. They substituted perception for reality though their extensive propaganda machine to the extent that a substantial percentage of the electorate doubts the election results to this day without any supporting evidence. The operation was a plot to make a lie real, and to many it worked. No jury verdict will make them face up to how gullible and conned they were. Their verdict will be against the justice system or more. These are not the kind of people who admit to error and seek redemption in a sane way.
Trump and followers got wrapped up in an insane craze for power and did some criminal things because of their insanity. That is their only defense. That is the only path to any redemption for the republican party. I doubt if they take it.
"Oh, I so hope the trial is televised"
I think that would be a huge mistake, hopefully the prosecution won't allow it. Trump's only real power is his ability to manipulate public opinion, he knows what our tabloid media wants and he gives it to them, it's the only reason he ever became president and the only reason he is still viable as a candidate. The charges he faces are serious and the process should play out under regular order. The Trump team can be counted on to lie about the proceedings televised or not, it makes no difference, GQP'er lie about J6 they lie about what we see and hear, all a televised trial would do is give them more content to lie about and the Trump team would use the cameras to their advantage. This case needs to be tried under normal order, this asshole needs to be convicted.
The judge won't let Trump – or his attorneys – get away with talking BS in the courtroom. Trump would be far more able to manipulate the public over what happened in the courtroom if it's NOT televised. In fact, he'll constantly trumpet (pun intended) the message that it's not being televised because it's a sham trial with no real evidence…all reporting to the contrary is lies and propaganda from the “despotic and criminal” Biden administration.
It has to be televised…this is the most important trial in the history of the country.
I'm for televised: if there were no visual record of what actually happened in the courtroom, the right can and will make up anything to support their cause. With such a record, they can be much more easily debunked. There's only going to be so much nonsense (like: none) the judge will tolerate in her courtroom.
In short, a visual record grounds whatever reactions occur to the trial, greatly reducing the noise, distortions and lies. It's analogous to shutting down a right winger with the fact that Trump lost 60 plus cases of alleged voter fraud. Facts are the best way to squash nonsense.
Trump is now claiming that he needs just one more indictment to clinch the presidency in 2024. Georgia is going to put him over the top.