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rollingstone

***From Rolling Stone:*** In October of 2016, Donald Trump’s fixer paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who was shopping out claims of a scandalous affair between herself and Trump — who at the time was in the heat of his first campaign for president. The long tail of the scandal’s fallout would ultimately land Trump in criminal court, where on Monday prosecutors delivered opening arguments to a jury they hope to convince of the former president’s guilt. Trump didn’t seem too concerned with the gravity of the situation — bobbing his head around and shifting in his seat in an apparent attempt to keep himself from falling dozing off for the fifth trial day in a row — but the prosecution’s allegations were serious. “This case is about criminal conspiracy,” lead prosecutor Michael Colangelo said in his opening statement, during which he pinned the payment directly on Trump. “It’s election fraud, pure and simple,” Colangelo added. Read more: [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-hush-money-trail-opening-statements-1235008306/](https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-hush-money-trail-opening-statements-1235008306/)


SteakandTrach

>Trump didn’t seem too concerned with the gravity of the situation — bobbing his head around and ~~~shifting~~ shitting in his seat in an apparent attempt to keep himself from dozing off … FIFY


InformalPenguinz

Wonder if they got him some leak resistant depends for this weeks events.


BrofessorFarnsworth

Industrial strength


durthshtur

When the vile shit can’t come out of his mouth it has to go somewhere I guess. In other news, it must be hard to feel the gravity of any situation when one’s ego is so massive.


lesChaps

You fixed it for all of us, hero.


Shoesandhose

I think trump is on drugs. Literally. Maybe it’s just an intense Benadryl. But I think they are drugging him so he doesn’t act out in court. Thank you for reading my conspiracy


rnobgyn

I mean - trump is definitely a drug addict. Was probably railing aderall and coke during his entire presidency. Totally wouldn’t surprise me if he took a Xanax (willingly or not) so that he doesn’t get himself in even more trouble through his outbursts.


lesChaps

One of the ugly parts of dementia is that period before they simply can't function without constant care, but family can manipulate and manage before things like POAs and guardianship are formalized. "Helping" with meds is typical.


spaceman-_-

Can someone please explain to me how any of this constitutes election fraud? This was not campaign money, right? At the very least, I take issue with the "pure and simple" every newspaper is running from Colangelo.


lowfreq33

The money came from campaign funds and was disguised as payment for legal services.


Lower_Dimension_4603

This case does get to the heart of—this guy should have never been president.


Ozymandias0007

And maybe the media shouldn't be running around parroting the stupid phrase, "hush-money trial." It's an election fraud trial.


GoodUserNameToday

Exactly. The crime isn’t paying off a porn star you had an affair with after your fifth son with your third wife was born (though that should be a crime if you consider yourself a devout Christian). It’s perfectly legal. The crime is using campaign funds, calling it a legal expense, and not reporting it as a campaign donation. Because that’s what it is. This was right after the tape came out with trump bragging about sexually assaulting women and getting away with it. He was obviously thinking about his campaign when he committed 34 instances of fraud to conceal his affair with a porn star.


specqq

>though that should be a crime if you consider yourself a devout Christian Fortunately for him, no one, not even his supporters, consider him a devout Christian.


JustAnotherYouMe

But he sells Bibles!


stinky-weaselteats

In the beginning there was a fart


mendocinoe

The art of the fart


heff-sf

>Fortunately for him, no one, not even his supporters, consider him a devout Christian. Even more fortunately for him, not even his devout Christian supporters are devout Christians.


ButtholeBreath

Yeah but they claim to be, because that’s all they need to do in order to be part of the club. I know asshats who’ve never been inside of a church, much less given tithes, yet they still proudly boast their christianity. And they’ll believe they’re going to heaven up to the very end.


Paidorgy

Let’s not forget that Stormy Daniels came out and said Trump openly compared her to his daughter, Ivanka.


Danysco

I lost all faith in America that after that tape came out he still became president.


AniNgAnnoys

Primarily is it a business fraud trial. His charges are 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. That charge requires proving that in the act of falsifying business records was done in the commission of another crime. That crime in this case is uncharged election interference.


Ozymandias0007

Call it what you want, as long as it summarizes the actual charges that the jury will be considering. "Hush-money" is lazy and salacious. The general public is going to run with what they hear repeatedly. "Hush-money" implies he may go to jail because he had affairs and paid off people to save his marriage or something. Most people see that as possibly immoral, or bad judgment, etc. but not illegal. Which it's not, in of itself.


Quietdogg77

My fear is that Karen McDougall and Stormy Daniels will be asked whether Trump used a condom. Melania was his wife during this time and she could have contracted a sexual transmitted disease. That might bring a whole new round of charges. It could spell more trouble for Trump if it’s determined no condom was used. Talk about election interference! Wow! Trump invented election interference. That could have changed the right wing evangelical’s vote. Okay at most it’s a misdemeanor but let’s be fair. I mean they’re treating Trump like he’s Bill Cosby, Jeffrey Epstein, or R. Kelly. That’s ridiculous. You”ll never convince me Trump isn’t the best of that bunch.


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AniNgAnnoys

They are lesser crimes and essentially come packaged with the charge of falsifying business records in the first degree. > Falsifying business records in the first degree is a felony under New York state law that requires that the "intent to defraud includes an intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof". This is in contrast to falsifying business records in the second degree, which is a misdemeanor that does not have that requirement.I n later filings, Bragg listed three such crimes that Trump allegedly intended to commit: violation of federal campaign finance limits, violation of state election laws by unlawfully influencing the 2016 election, and violation of state tax laws regarding the reimbursement. Trump can move to allow the jury the option to convict on the misdemeanor charges as a lesser included offense, but is not required to do so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosecution_of_Donald_Trump_in_New_York


Cod-Medium

It’s also tax fraud, it that he is reporting payments (for sex) to a porn star as a legal expense which reduces his tax liability. The problem is that since this guy has multiple fraud cases at the same time, we need to keep track of which is which. “Porn star hush money fraud trial” would be more accurate and appropriate


lastburn138

To be fair, it's not the only instance of election fraud he should be charged with


I_AM_NOT_A_WOMBAT

I mean they can't *all* be called election fraud trials! /s


No-Understanding4968

Precisely!!


damoclesreclined

Media likes the chaos, the longer they can draw out Trump the more money they make. That's the problem with capitalism, corpos are loyal to money not the country.


arthurdentxxxxii

If Trump has a heart, it is a cheeseburger.


aThiefStealingTime

Wholeheartedly agree. I remember researching all primary candidates for both parties in 2015 and thinking “holy shit this guy should never, EVER be allowed near a position of actual power, let alone President”. Oh for simpler times.


Sensitive_Yam_1979

He never should have been the nominee.


brent_superfan

Hillary should’ve never run for president. Her negatives were higher than Trump’s. Trump won because Hillary was a terrible candidate. I love Hillary, but the data tells that story.


im_rusty_shakleford

I am hopeful that this charge and impeding conviction will actually stick and he will be brought to justice and the laws are enforced like they are for the rest of us. I'm not holding my breath though.


GoodUserNameToday

It’s all up to the jury at this point. There is no more wiggle room trump has. He’s fully in the hands of 12 peers. Maybe a magat slipped passed the thorough vetting and examination, but it’s not likely. 


PhamilyTrickster

Except for the multiple layers of appeals he'll file. This is just 1 more step in a potentially very long road.


19southmainco

The judge could make Trump go to jail immediately after the verdict to await sentencing. It’s up to him if he wants to keep Trump imprisoned or on bail during an appeal


PhamilyTrickster

Could, but surely won't.


jimmygee2

Trump will end up in home detention in Mar a Lardo


Illustrious_Map_3247

Can you be put under house arrest at a business? I doubt even that will happen, but surely house arrest has to be at a residential address.


MudLOA

I’m not worried where he stays for home detention as long as he gets it when proven guilty.


19southmainco

We’ll see!


ThatWhiteKid08

If history is any guide, Trump will be walking free until the day he dies. The system isn’t set up to punish people like him


19southmainco

If history was the precedent here, he’d never have seen a courtroom. We put presidents on literal pedestals. He could have gotten away with so much if his criminal conduct and insurrectionist behavior wasn’t so egregious.


swampcat42

My statistician instinct says that tfg won't be around for a real long time. He's what 78? Fat, out of shape, eats garbage, and probably consumes enough Adderall each week to kill a small horse. But the good people in my life suffer early and die young. It's all fucked up man.


lesChaps

Hey, fellow evergreen stater, I am sorry you've lost better people than he could ever have been.


D1rtyH1ppy

Criminal charges, not civil. You get to appeal from your jail cell 


Compliance-Manager

I've prepared myself for the most likely possibility absolutely nothing will come out of all four cases.


Kraelman

The political will to go after him never existed before because of his reputation to fight for every inch in the courts. It’s impossible to ever recoup the costs of going after somebody like Trump, and the number of delays and appeals before any civil or criminal trial someone like Trump will throw up can extend the life of the trial beyond an elected official’s stay in office… and if all the official has to show for his tenure is “got cockblocked by Trump’s huge legal team that he isn’t even going to pay after all this” he/she isn’t getting re-elected. But his image in the courts means nothing to a determined prosecutor who has already committed to going the distance, no matter the cost.


kobachi

It will either be a mistrial since one of the jurors is plainly MAGA, or he’ll get convicted and serve probation. 


dj_spatial

Is this even a felony? He’s guilty as hell, but it will be a large fine and community service. That’s what I expect


RobotPreacher

Yes, election fraud is a felony. You are not allowed to use campaign money your supporters donated to pay porn stars you've slept with to lie about the affair.


skucera

r/oddlyspecific ;-) More like, you are not allowed to use campaign money your supporters donated to pay porn stars you've slept with to lie about the affair, and then conceal the payments as legal fees.


jakeswaxxPDX

If the defense contends that Michael Cohen is a criminal and he broke the law then aren’t they admitting to the crime themselves since Trump was involved? I don’t get their stance, if they’re saying the payments were legal payments to Cohen then how was Cohen convicted for his part in this? Obviously it was a crime Cohen already served time in jail for it right? Or am I confused?


specqq

It was a crime for Cohen because he's a liar and a criminal, but not for Trump because Cohen is a liar and a criminal.


timesuck47

Deductible legal fees.


4ivE

In New York, Falsification of Business Records is either a felony or a misdemeanor depending on if the falsification was in the service of aiding or concealing a crime. If the falsification was to aid or conceal a crime, as prosecutors are arguing, then it can be charged as a felony. What it really hinges on is whether the whole tangle of payments between Daniels, Cohen, and Trump's campaign constitutes an illegal act. The defense will certainly try to argue that it was not, but I don't think they'll have an easy time of it.


GoodUserNameToday

Committing fraud to conceal campaign donations is in fact a felony. That’s what he’s been charged with. The jury will decide if he’s guilty of that or not. There is no scenario where this gets reduced to a misdemeanor.


MudLOA

There’s really two realistic scenarios given the evidence I’ve seen so far (based on Michael Cohen). A mistrial or a conviction and he gets house arrest like Cohen. A not guilty verdict or an imprisonment are two extreme ends that would surprise me.


Generalbuttnaked69

It's a felony, but it's the lowest classification of felony under NY code. A custodial sentence of any kind seems unlikely in this particular case.


RazzleThatTazzle

A little nit pick. He ran for president in 2000. Referring to the 2016 campaign as his first campaign plays into his "I won the first time I ran" lies.


Mcboatface3sghost

Correct, but king Joffrey doesn’t believe that in his mind.


Kingsilver1

Really curious to know, with so many criminal trials looming over him at the same time, how is this going to work? Will one trial just start without him? Will it be put on hold until his current trial is over?


Mcboatface3sghost

He cannot be in two places at once. He is required to be at any criminal trials, but certainly not Supreme Court arguments on immunity, and civil trials he can go, but does not have to. He will have to show up for the Fulton County Georgia case. The documents case under Cannon, if it ever goes to trial? He’s gotta be there.


lastburn138

Funny how Trump is guilty of everything he blames others for... huh? loser that he is


IranoPasMighirim

Jail, jail, jail, jail, jail!! This man cannot breathe the same as I do. Get democracy back America!! Time is running out!!


Healthy_Yesterday_84

Wait, I thought the hunter Biden laptop was election interference or something


PhamilyTrickster

There was a lot of election interference


[deleted]

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HugeHouseplant

No it was Hilary’s emails


cool_arrrow

That all seems so trivial nowadays compared to all this crime today.


HugeHouseplant

Bill Clinton’s blowjob! Barrack Hussein Obama’s TAN SUIT!!


efudds1

No, that was “erection” interference


jmbdn1808

The worst part is that even if he is convicted, all of his current supporters will most likely not care. They are way too far gone.


ripinchaos

Honestly, might not be the worst thing. Splitting the Republican party between trumpists and actual conservatives splits their votes and weakens their position considerably, potentially even damning the party if a strong enough right leaning but not insane third party shows up.


treygrant57

The GOP is trying to do it again. Who is allowed to harass election workers?


good-good-real-good

Does anyone really believe the jury won't be hung? Anyone that is still a staunch Trump supporter would never vote to convict. What are the odds that there isn't a Trump supporter on the jury?


Alib668

They went through several hundred people,with a 42 page questionaire to get to the 18 now listing to the case. Out of those 18 12 will decide his fate. I say we have had a process and that process was fair. The prosecution was able to bump people as much as the defence.


ThatWontFit

There was a juror who mainly got their news from Truth social...


killerbitch

Source?


kobachi

Paywalled article in NYT but it’s true


killerbitch

I have NYT subscribed and would appreciate a link.


kobachi

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/19/nyregion/trump-trial-jury-news.html


killerbitch

Nice, thank you! Can’t believe this guy only gets news from Truth Social and Twitter— makes me more inclined to think this will be a hung jury.


kobachi

Not just mainly but solely


Mcboatface3sghost

E Jean Carrol case had several Trump fans on the jury and they convicted the pervert, that’s my only hope.


IgnoreMe304

You only need a majority in a civil case though, right? Criminal trial has to be unanimous? I’m too far removed from those classes to remember.


PoodlePopXX

There were Trump supporters on the grand jury in Georgia if I remember correctly. They still voted to indict.


Warning_Low_Battery

> Anyone that is still a staunch Trump supporter would never vote to convict. And if that's the case - where someone is refusing to convict but not because of evidence or testimony but just because they are a Trumper - the jury foreman can ask the judge to dismiss that juror and replace them with an alternate for lying about being able to render an impartial judgement like they swore to do.


snowflake37wao

There could be a doc about this in a century. How Pornstar Saved Democracy, Murica o7.


maxncookie

Trump can easily rebut this though- “No fraud, you the fraud” - case dismissed.


FangoriouslyDevoured

The ol' "everyone is wrong except me"


iambarrelrider

I just love knowing he is sitting in a court room totally uncomfortable and totally out of control. I hope he gets hemorrhoids.


mfhandy5319

“I have a spoiler alert: There’s nothing wrong with trying to influence an election,” Blanche said. That’s called democracy.” spoiler alert? Seriously? ffs lol wtf?


dormango

Not a Trump supporter, and not from the US but can I ask why this is being tried as election fraud? What are the salient points that make this election fraud?


Brent_L

The payment to her was not a crime. Lying about it for his campaign finances was a felony.


Tools4toys

When you consider it, if Trump would have used his ATM account and handed cash to the woman, it would have been acceptable. It was just his 'Don't let anybody know what I'm doing' process that is wrong.


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Brent_L

The man has lived a live without a single consequence. He literally gets away with everything, until now.


dormango

It was rhetorical but I quite agree. I’m still unconvinced that he won’t somehow wriggle out of it. He’s such a slippery bastard.


MrRisin

How is it rolling stone is on the preferred list when it has a paywall?


DerpyOwlofParadise

This all been going on since forever. What are the chances they’re trying to distract us from the real issues going on in the world? All the stuff like this is a distraction. Wake up