TWIT: The Cynical Plan to Defeat Prosecutions of Trump

credit: R. McKee

Latest:  Justice Merchan is pondering whether to call Alan Weisselberg into court to determine if he is willing to testify.  Neither side has subpoenaed him.  His testimony became an issue when the prosecution wanted to enter his severance agreement into evidence to explain why he is not called to be a witness to a conspiracy he in which he participated in a major way. The contract calls for him not to cooperate or  testify in any action against his former boss in return for $750,000.  Merchan may rule on this issue Monday; he apparently is considering summoning Weisselberg from jail and allow him to be question outside of the jury's presence. Weisselberg is currently severing a five month sentence for perjury at Rikers' Island, New York.  If called he could be examined as a hostile witness and shed even more light on the money for silence scheme, further corroborating Michael Cohen's testimony.  But he is a loaded gun that could backfire on the prosecution.  If questioned he would likely plead the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Weisselberg was the Trump CFO and worked for the family for 50 years. He is still loyal to his former boss, refusing to turn state's evidence on Trumpilini.  He directed the comptroller McConney to pay Cohen reimbursement for the $130,000 Cohen paid to Daniels' attorney for her non-disclosure.  The amount was "grossed up" to $420,000 to account for Cohen's tax bracket and a bonus of $15,000. The payments came in eleven installments in 2017.  

Update: {05.10.2024}Stormy Daniels survived a heated cross examination by Trump's attorney with her credibility in tact.   She countered her interrogator with humor at times, scoring points with jury. Friday was consumed with custodial witnesses who introduced into evidence supporting evidence that will no doubt be referred to during Michael Cohen's testimony that is expected on Monday.  Justice Merchan warned the prosecution to control Cohen's out of court statements about Trump before his testimony begins,

{09.05.2024}Team Trump's plan to defeat or delay the four criminal prosecutions against him until after the election is clear.   In NewYork they intend to provoke the judge into incarcerating the Ochre Menace for contempt to disrupt the proceedings and allow more grounds for appeal including perhaps a habeas corpus petition  to the highest court in New York, the Court of Appeals where he will claim he was jailed for defending free speech.  Meanwhile the MAGA partisans in the US Supreme Court have stalled the Jan 6th case until at least June, and will probably grant him limited immunity from prosecution for "official acts" that will a time-consumer require remand to a lower court.  The MAGA jurist Trump installed in Florida has indefinitely postponed his espionage trial by refusing to rule on outstanding motions and giving the defense more time to respond to deadlines previously set. When you give someone a lifetime job at $250,000 a year, what do you expect but favorable rulings? The Repugnant legislature in Georgia is set to put District Attorney Fani Willis on the witness chair for a grilling, and the judge's ruling allowing her to stay on the case will be reviewed by an appeal court.  Once again, possibility of a trial before the election is put out of reach.  

Of course should the nascent dictator achieve an Electoral College victory, the federal prosecutions will be  terminated on a partisan basis.  The state prosecution in Georgia could go forward if DA Willis survives an appeal or a legislative removal from office, but at a much slower pace and it stands a good chance of any verdict being overturned on appeal.  In New York, the case will probably be tried before the election.  Appeals on multiple grounds lie ahead, and the New York appellate judiciary have already demonstrated a willingness to accomodate Trump.  His appeal bond in the civil fraud case was reduced by more than half without explanation, and when questions were raised about the legal sufficiency of his surety, a hallway deal was cut to remove the substantial objections and protect him from execution on his assets.

Stephanie Clifford aka Stormy Daniels took the stand to testify in his criminal trial Tuesday, and her testimony apparently riveted the jury.  Although her sexual encounter is tangental to the charges concerning fraudulent records, it provided context for Trump's extraordinary effort to keep her quiet.  The media salivated over "Honey bunch's" details that ranged from his spanking with a rolled Forbes magazine to his Hugh Hefner pajamas, and the lack of contraception.  Remember dear readers, this was the President of the United States who attempted a historic autogolpe! Michael Cohen, the fixer, who set up the fraudulent scheme with his client's approval and participation, is the next substantial witness. Perhaps a more significant witness is Deborah Terasoff, a current accounts payable employee of Trump.Org who identified Trump's jagged signature on the check reimbursements to Michael Cohen. His testimony has been heavily corroborated by tangible evidence and unimpeached witness testimony.  But you cannot get around the fact that he is a convicted felon., which the defense will endlessly repeat before the jury. 

Arizona has issued an indictment of the Boss' co-conspirators, but the Arizona Attorney General did not indict the ringleader.  Perhaps she is hoping one or more of the plotters will turn on him, or does the politics of the state made indictment imprudent? Either way, don't hold your breath.  All of this obstructionism is possible because a corrupted legal system suffers wealthy, connected litigants to manipulate legal process to their advantage.  Trumpilini has had a lifetime of experience in court. 

credit E. Wexler
BC Idonwanna axes, how do you spell "Coup d' état"?

CA Brown Penguins are Dying

They are protected under law, but California wildlife officials do not understand the cause.  Many of the birds are dying from starvation despite the presence of prey in the coastal waters they inhabit.  Wildlife rescuers are attempting to save as many as they can by feeding them in their facilities.  The Huntington Beach Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center has taken in a hundred pelicans that are anemic and dehydrated, weighing only half of what a healthy peguin weighs.  Some hungry penguins become entangled in fishing gear suffering deep cuts as they attempt to grab fish from fishers.

A spokesperson from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife told interviewers that the problem may be related to poor visibility caused by storms in April.  A similar die off occurred in 2022.  Hundreds of pelicans were nursed back to health and returned to the wild.  The number of sick brown pelicans in 2024 is down compared to 2022.  Avian experts still have not determined a root cause of the illness. [photo credit: B. Peters]

COTW: The Big Rip-Off

It is no secret that the biggest friend the ultra-wealthy have is Don 'Legit'.  This chart shows that the richest Americans now enjoy an effective tax rate below what the rest of us pay! A so-called progressive income tax is no longer progressive thanks to Trump's massive tax cut for the wealthy while he was in office. It did not spur the economy nor raise wages--dishonest arguments used to pass the measure.  What happened is that corporations used the tax savings in corporate stock buybacks which benefited their already wealthy executives. 84% of the stock markets are owned by the top 10% of incomes. The shrinking of the middle class began with Ronald Reagan's "trickle down". [see chart] We can expect more of the same if the conman climbs back into the Oval Office.  A wealth tax and removing the earned income cap for social security is urgently needed to restore fairness to society.  The truth, not delusional scape-goating, will set you free.

More From Moscow

US Person found this video interesting.  It has more background and close-ups of the captured Abrams tank and other western armor.  The reporter does not identify for whom he is working, but note that he gets access to the tank beyond the barricades and even climbs on top of it. Clearly a person with privileges. He interviews an American living in Moscow with his Russian wife and child. The American seems non-plussed about looking at a piece of destroyed American equipment. Since the story about Ukraine withdrawing its remaining Abrams from the front, a video was posted of an Abrams allegedly being operated near Adiivka. If anything the video shows the propaganda war is alive and well.

More Humane Treatment of NA's Wildlife

US Person asks why this country resorts to violence so readily, whether it be violence against other creatures or other human beings. (See, Governor shoots family dog and goat in gravel pit!) The frontier and its anything goes attitude has been gone for more than a century.  Does it not make more sense to expand park boarders to provide more space for wild bison that have suffered so much at the hands of man?  

TWIT: Citizen Trump on Trial

credit: C. Bok
BC Idonwanna sez: Or maybe Barron's graduation?

Latest: Justice Merchan held Donny the Mouth in contempt again, fining him the maximum $1000, bringing his total fines to $10,000.  Merchan directly warned him that the next contempt will result in jail for his "direct attack on the rule of law." In court, Monday morning was spent leading the jury through the granular details of accounting documents for reimbursement of Michael Cohen.  After occupying the White House, reimbursements came out of Trump's personal checking account rather than from his company, former controller Jeffery McConney testified.  Merchan also reminded Don Trumpilini  that his gag order does not prevent him from taking the stand in his own defense.

Update: It was only a matter of time before crocodile tears showed up on the witness stand. The photogenic former White House Press Secretary and campaign aide, Hope Hicks (not a Playmate!) filled in more details about the scheme to suppress damaging press during the campaign. She shed some tears before cross-examination. Her testimony on Friday made the connection between Don 'Legit' and the illegal payments clearer: he signed the blasted checks after all! She was especially impactful when describing the campaign panic created by the "Access Hollywood" grabbing videotape, which motivated the scheme to suppress salacious stories about the Boss. She inserted a dagger when she said that Trump told her he knew about the payments, but blamed them on his fixer.  She testified Cohen was not one to make such  large payments on his own accord. Michael Cohen, who facilitated the money transfer to Daniels by taking out a house equity loan, will supply the final links, but he is in for a blistering attack on his credibility. Defense attorneys will argue that because he did not get a White House or Cabinet job, he has a grudge to settle with his former Boss.  US Person is betting that the jury will be believe his story since he is so heavily corroborated by physical evidence.  One of those is an admission in court that Trump made the payment to Daniels by reimbursing Michael Cohen. (p20).

{02.05.2024} While we wait with abated breath for the Supremes to decide the obvious, that a President does not enjoy absolute immunity from criminal prosecution, Justice Merchan in New York decided to fine Don 'Legit' $9000 for his contempt of his gag order. It may be Trump change, but more fines may be on the way this week as Merchan hears four more contempt charges on Thursday.  In his decision he sternly warned Donny the Mouth that further contempt of court will result in his incarceration. 

At his criminal trial this week, a Beverly Hills lawyer who represented both Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels, described in detail the arrangement to pay both of his clients to keep their sexual encounters with Trump private. The National Enquirer bought McDougal's story for $150,000, but balked at paying Daniels. Pecker notified Cohen that Daniels was shopping her story. Lawyer Keith Davidson told prosecutors that Trump's go-between, Michael Cohen, "did not have the authority to actually spend any money", and it was his "understanding that Mr, Trump was the beneficiary of this contract."  His testimony and David Pecker's lays the foundation for the sensational testimony to come from Daniels and Cohen about the conspiracy to make illegal, in-kind campaign contributions by burying Daniel's sex story.

credit: M. Lukovich, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
BJ Idonwanna sez:  Jury not impressed!

Abrams M-1A1 Withdrawn From Battlefield

a captured Abrams on display in Moscow

The American super tank, Abram M-1A1, which earned its outsized reputation in Iraq by destroying T-72s at long range without losses to enemy fire has been withdrawn from the Ukraine battlefield.  AFU has lost five of its 31 Abrams to enemy fire.  As predicted here, the Abrams is too heavy (70+ tons) and lacks effective anti-aircraft defense to be effective in the mud-soaked, drone-filled theatre. {23.01.2023} Abrams has also proved vulnerable to Russian anti-tank missiles. A T-72B3 crew reportedly took out an Abrams with one shot in March near Avdiivka. The projectile was probably a Reflex ATGM fired at a range of 5k.  The twenty-five remaining 8-9 million dollar armored vehicles are withdrawn from the front pending a re-think of how they can be tactically useful in the current battle environment.  There are some complaints from American sources that the Ukrainians are not using the tank in suitable roles.  Ukrainians have been suing the Abrams in limited reconnaissance missions and single tank attacks supported by more maneuverable  M-2 Bradley IFVs.

The older M1-A1 was delivered in January 2023, but not put on the front lines until February. Thenewer M1-A2 was held back by the Pentagon for fear of possible secret technology transfer. All of the western MBTs have proved to be vulnerable to portable ATGMs, and especially to low-cost UAVs, which are effective against various types of targets. These developments were not yet available on the Iraqi battlefield. [photo credit: AFP].

Some pundits are claiming the tank era in warfare is over, but US Person thinks these speculations are premature. Effective air defense weapons such as laser-guided auto-cannons and jamming equipment mounted on tanks could minimize the drone threat. Establishing close air support would also help. Armor is constantly being improved against ATGMs. The role of the MBT supporting infantry in offensive operations is still needed on the modern battlefield; the tank ended attritional trench warfare on the western front in 1918.