Tag: Trump crimes

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Crime Donald Trump Melania Trump

Trump Is Facing A Legal Dilemma That Could Wind Up Ripping His Family Apart

Disgraced and failed one-term, twice-impeached former president Donald Trump is about to be forced to choose between two equally terrible outcomes.

If the disgraced ex-president refuses to follow the advice of his attorneys, he’s facing criminal charges from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

But if Donald chooses to listen to his lawyers, it’s very likely that it will destroy what remains of his marriage to Melania, cause a fracture in his relationship with his youngest son, Barron, and rip apart his family at the very seams.

According to Rolling Stone, the hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels are at the center of the decision Trump will soon have to make.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office right now is laying out its case against Trump, arguing that the $130,000 paid to Daniels, an adult-film actress, in 2016 constituted violations of election and business-records laws. But according to two sources with knowledge of the matter, multiple Trump advisers — including at least one of his lawyers — have told him in recent months that he has a stronger case if he argues the payments had nothing to do with the election. Instead, these advisers would have Trump argue that the payments were entirely about preventing conflict with his wife, Melania.

In order to bring felony charges, New York law requires that prosecutors prove defendants falsified records in order to cover up a separate crime. In Trump’s case, District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office is reportedly attempting to prove that the paperwork detailing Trump’s reimbursement of former fixer Michael Cohen amounted to an effort to cover up an illegal campaign contribution. Trump’s advisers hope that by casting the payments as marriage-related, they could remove any basis for the felony charge Bragg reportedly has in mind. 

Donald told Melania he never had an affair with Daniels, and if it’s proven he did, it could not only end the marriage but void whatever prenuptial agreement he had her sign before they married.

But the argument would leave Trump facing some tough questions. Because if the payments to Daniels had nothing to do with the election, then Trump would have to explain why he was willing to spend six figures to prevent his wife from hearing about an alleged sexual encounter with a porn star — a tryst that he for years has claimed never happened.

Trump knows that he’s facing having to shell out a cool fortune it it’s proven that he cheated on his wife, according to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, who made the hush money payment to Daniels and reports that his former boss once said the $130,00 he paid to keep Daniels quiet was “a lot less than I would have to pay Melania.”

So which will Donald choose? Either way, he appears to be screwed.

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Crime Donald Trump The Trump Organization

New York Tax Fraud Lawsuit Likely To Cost Trump $700 Million: Report

The civil fraud lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James against disgraced former president Donald Trump and the Trump Organization is likely to cost the ex-president $700 million in fines, according to an attorney who used to work for Trump.

Michael Cohen was a guest on CNN, and he told host Don Lemon:

“I do believe that he will see repercussions for the first time in almost his entire life. We’ve seen quite a few cases now, whether it’s [Trump Organization CFO Allen] Weisselberg’s incarceration, whether it’s the 17 counts against the Trump Organization, and now with the attorney general’s case, I think we’re going to see a lot of repercussion to Donald Trump.”

Lemon asked Cohen to elaborate on what he believes will be the final result of the New York fraud suit. He replied:

“I think it will be more in the neighborhood of $700 million (in fines), based upon at least the information that I know.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAiBAHGzT-4

On Tuesday, video of a deposition Trump gave in the New York tax fraud lawsuit was released. In it, the failed, one-term, twice-impeached former president asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 400 times, angrily denouncing the fraud investigation:

“This whole thing is very unfair.

“Anyone in my position not taking the Fifth Amendment would be a fool, an absolute fool. I respectfully decline to answer the questions under the rights and privileges afforded to every citizen under the United States Constitution.

“This will be my answer to any further questions.”

Attorney General James is also seeking to impose the corporate death penalty on the Trump Organization and ban the company from ever doing business in the state in the future. Such a move would likely result in the complete dissolution of the company, which is jointly run by the former president and his three eldest children, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.

 

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

Here Are The 6 Crimes Trump Could Be Indicted For In The ‘Imminent’ Georgia Election Fraud Case: Report

There’s a very real chance that we will know as soon as this week exactly who Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis plans to charge with crimes connected to efforts meant to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the Peach State.

Among those facing charges: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) along with his one-time BFF, disgraced former president Donald Trump.

But if Trump is indeed indicted and put on trial, what crimes might he be accused of having committed?

Aaron Blake of the Washington Post has looked carefully at the case and some of the hints that have begun to leak out from Georgia and suggests that Trump is facing six charges.

Solicitation to commit election fraud

This involves inducing someone else to commit a crime involving an election. There are felony and misdemeanor versions.

Georgia law makes it a crime “when, with intent that another person engage in conduct constituting a [felony/misdemeanor] under this article, he or she solicits, requests, commands, importunes, or otherwise attempts to cause the other person to engage in such conduct.”

Conspiracy to commit election fraud

This is similar to solicitation, but it involves working with others to commit the fraud. That would include Graham, Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and former chief of staff Mark Meadows.

Intentional interference with performance of election duties

This charge involves, according to Georgia law interfering, hindering, or delaying the results of an election.

Interference with primaries and elections/filing false documents

This would include the “fake electors” list floated by Trump and others connected to him.

(Some legal experts have suggested that the certificate the fake electors submitted to Congress wasitself illegal, because on it, they falsely claimed to be “duly elected.”)

False statements

In other words, lying, as the law states “a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation … in any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of state government.”

Racketeering

This is the most serious of the potential charges and carries enhanced penalties.

Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (or RICO) Act is broader than its federal counterpart. It requires proving two predicate crimes and establishing a pattern of racketeering activity, but it doesn’t require those crimes to be indicted separately. And while such laws are most commonly linked to organized crime, it has been used against public officials.

All of the charges are serious, but the racketeering one is the most treacherous for Trump because it would allow the presentation of evidence that might not otherwise be included in the more narrowly-drawn charges.

 

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Crime Donald Trump The Trump Organization

Trump’s Attorneys Claim The Trump Organization Can’t Be Sued Because It Doesn’t Actually Exist

In a desperate, last-ditch effort to try and get around a $250 million fraud lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James, attorneys for failed former president Donald Trump asserted in a Thursday evening filing that the Trump Organization cannot be sued because it actually isn’t a legal entity.

Business Insider reports that the filing reads like a “nose-thumbing response” to the lawsuit from James.

“To the extent a response is required, Defendant specifically denies the definitions of “Trump Organization” and “Defendants,” reads Donald Trump’s response to the lawsuit, one of 16 answers filed late Thursday night.

“While the shorthand “Trump Organization” is utilized by Defendants for branding and business purposes, no entity as such exists for legal purposes,” Donald Trump’s response continues, using language that is repeated throughout his 300-page filing and throughout the similarly-lengthy 15 filings of his fellow defendants.

While the strategy is creative, it’s not likely to work because the lawsuit doesn’t seek to charge the Trump Organization.

New York’s lawsuit does not specifically sue anything called ‘Trump Organization.’ New York’s lawsuit names Donald Trump, Donald Trump, Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, former company CFO Allen Weisselberg and its former payroll executive Jeffrey McConney. It also names 10 entities under the Trump Organization umbrella — including ‘The Trump Organization, Inc.,’ a registered corporation in New York since 1981.

The filing also contains repeated denials that the Trump Organization has done anything illegal, despite overwhelming evidence already provided by James that suggests otherwise and has already led to a judgement against the company.

Thursday night’s batch of responses briefly address these claims, repeating such blanket denials as “Defendant has not engaged in repeated fraudulent or illegal acts or otherwise demonstrated persistent fraud or illegality in the carrying on, conducting or transacting of business.”

James’ lawsuit would permanently ban the disgraced ex-president, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump from ever doing business in New York, which is where the company is headquartered and a majority of Trump properties are located.

A trial in the matter is set for October in Manhattan.

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Crime Donald Trump Elections

Tuesday Decision By Georgia DA Should Terrify Trump And His Attorneys

A decision announced in court Tuesday by Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is certain to alarm disgraced former president Donald Trump and his attorneys.

According to CNN, Willis said that a special grand jury impaneled to investigate Trump and some of his allies in their attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the Peach State has recommended indictments for “multiple” defendants and the release those names and the charges against them is “imminent.”

“Decisions are imminent,” Willis told Judge Robert McBurney. We want to make sure that everyone is treated fairly, and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly it’s not appropriate at this time to have this report released.”

Donald Wakeford, Fulton County’s chief senior assistant district attorney, echoed Willis’ remarks:

“We think immediately releasing before the district attorney has even had an opportunity to address publicly whether there will be charges or not – because there has not been a meaningful enough amount of time to assess it – is dangerous. It’s dangerous to the people who may or may not be named in the report for various reasons. It’s also a disservice to the witnesses who came to the grand jury and spoke the truth to the grand jury.”

The judge agreed, promising there would be “no rash decisions.”

“No one’s going to wake up with the court having disclosed the report on the front page of a newspaper.”

Why is this such bad news for Trump and others, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who also allegedly tried to get Georgia election officials to “find” additional votes for the failed ex-president? Simple: If no criminal charges were planned, the report could be made public without any delay.

What happens next? Willis will have to decide if she wants to pursue charges against those identified by the grand jury. And that’s where things could get dicey for Trump, CNN notes.

Willis has previously said she could pursue Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) charges in this case, which would allow prosecutors to bring charges against multiple defendants and make the case that Trump and his allies were part of a criminal enterprise.

Racketeering charges also carry enhanced penalties that could send those charged — if convicted — to decades in a Georgia prison.

Things are about to get very interesting who played a part in trying to overturn the will of the voters, and every eye is now on the state of Georgia.