Manhattan Grand Jury – Deep Left Field

The Trump spawn were out in full force Thursday evening after disgraced former president Donald Trump was indicted on more than 30 counts by a Manhattan grand jury.

Eric Trump, who serves as Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization, made an appearance on Fox News, whining to host Sean Hannity about how unfair it is that his old man is now facing the very serious prospect of spending significant time in prison.

HuffPost reports that Eric made an odd subject shift during his discussion with Hannity.

Eric Trump, who called the indictment “third world prosecutorial misconduct” in a tweet, suggested in an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James have political motives in targeting his father.

He claimed that his family didn’t receive “so much as a speeding ticket” before his father’s presidency and name-dropped CVS during his claim that New York City was falling apart.

“I went into literally CVS the other day, and you can’t buy Tylenol because it’s locked behind these glass counters because there’s so much theft, there’s so much looting, there’s so much homelessness and crime.

“But their attention is going after Donald Trump.”

Eric Trump: I went into literally CVS yesterday and you can’t buy Tylenol because it’s locked behind these glass counters… but yet their attention is going after Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/WsGA1oBsGv
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2023

When someone says they “literally” did something (especially if their last name is Trump), you can automatically assume that they’re lying their ass off.

While he was at it, Eric also insisted that his dad “deserves a pass,” which led Hannity to make the obligatory right-winger mention of Hillary Clinton, whom he claimed received a pass.

Eric Trump: At some point, the guy deserves a pass
Hannity: Hillary Clinton got a pass pic.twitter.com/3VKFMBeBmt
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 31, 2023

Don’t you just love how the Trumps continue to believe they should be allowed to commit any criminal act and get away with it? Karma is finally catching up with them and it’s so damn fun watching them squirm.

Lock ’em all up and throw away the key!

Now that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. has indicted the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, it’s clearer than ever that the justice system is starting to catch up with Donald Trump and those associated with him.

And now there’s a new twist to the case against Trump, with legal experts saying that Vance’s office may be planning to file state racketeering charges against the Trump Organization, which would give them more leverage over potential witnesses and also lead to greater penalties for those who are convicted, Politico reports:

“Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance could be considering a criminal charge that former President Donald Trump’s business empire was a corrupt enterprise under a New York law resembling the federal racketeering statute known as RICO, former prosecutors and defense attorneys said.
New York’s enterprise corruption statute — which carries the potential for severe penalties — can be applied to money-making businesses alleged to have repeatedly engaged in criminal activity as a way to boost their bottom line.”

New York’s organized corruption statute, which is often referred to as “little RICO,” can be used if there are as few as three crimes involving a business located in the Empire State and carries a prison term of up to 25 years, which would be a death sentence for Donald Trump, who turns 75 next month.

Manhattan defense attorney Robert Anello said he’s certain Vance is considering bringing charges under the New York RICO law:

“I’m sure they’re thinking about that. No self-respecting state white-collar prosecutor would forgo considering the enterprise corruption charge.”

Anello’s comments were echoed by Michael Shapiro, who used to prosecute corruption cases in New York:

“It’s a very serious crime. Certainly, there are plenty of things an organization or business could do to run afoul of enterprise corruption, if they’re all done with the purpose of enhancing the revenue of the enterprise illegally. … It’s an umbrella everything else fits under.”

The crimes the former president’s company is suspected of having committed include submitting inflated real estate valuations to banks and insurance companies while reporting those same properties as undervalued when it came time to pay taxes. There have also been rumors that Trump may have used his corporation to launder ill-gotten funds from organized crime outfits in the United States and Russia.

Also under investigation by the Manhattan DA’s office are the hush money payments made during the 2016 campaign to two women who had sexual encounters with Trump and were paid in order to remain silent. Those payoffs, according to legal experts, may well violate New York laws against making false statements as part of a company’s business records.

As for the newly formed grand jury, attorneys say it is almost certain to go along with whatever charges Vance is seeking against Trump and his company, with Shapiro noting:

“The prosecutors work together with the grand jury, day to day. … The natural thing that happens is everyone gets the idea we’re all on the same team. Ultimately, the grand jury will do what the prosecutors asks them to do. … If at the end of a number of months, this grand jury is asked to bring charges against Trump and others, they’ll do it — 999 times out of 1,000 they do it.”

In other words, the likelihood that Trump and others in his orbit are going to be indicted is all but certain.