Donald Trump indicted

[Rewind]

In October 2016, just a few days before the Presidential election, Donald Trump's attorney Michael Cohen made a hush-money payment of $130,000 to Stormy Daniels to prevent her from telling The National Enquirer about having sex with Trump in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in 2006. Trump knew if the affair was publicized, it would hurt his election chances. (In 2006, she was 27, Trump was 60 and Trump's wife Melania had given birth to a son.) Cohen was reimbursed by The Trump Organization.

In April 2018, Trump claimed to know nothing about the hush-money payment. He was lying. In May 2018, Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani confirmed that Trump reimbursed Cohen and knew about the "general arrangement." The person who calls himself a "shrewd businessman" used some of his money to influence the outcome of an election. That is a federal crime.

Donald Trump indicted; first ex-President charged with crime
The Associated Press, Mar 30 2023 3:38 PM

A Manhattan grand jury voted today to indict Donald Trump on charges involving payments made during the 2016 Presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. This is the first criminal case against a former U.S. President and a jolt to Trump’s bid to retake the White House.

Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly attacked the investigation, called the indictment "political persecution" and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. His lawyers, Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina, said, "He did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court."

The district attorney's investigation centered on money paid to porn actor Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, whom Trump feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital sexual encounters with him. Trump is expected to surrender to authorities next week.

https://www.aol.com/news/lawyer-trum...214459160.html

[Listener]

Trump never admits to doing anything wrong. Like how he made phone calls trying to overturn the election in Georgia and he keeps saying his calls were perfect. He might be indicted for that too.

[Rewind]

Maggie Haberman, who covers Donald Trump for the New York Times, says he was "caught very much by surprise" by today’s criminal indictment. Gee, that's funny – considering he told his blindly loyal supporters on March 18 that he would be arrested on March 21! His blindly loyal supporters responded by donating money to him. Yes, they gave more than $1,500,000 to a billionaire!

How a Trump arrest would play out: Yes, he'll be fingerprinted. No, he probably won't be handcuffed.

https://www.businessinsider.com/trum...-expect-2023-3

[Rewind]

Trump ran for President in 2016 and lost the popular vote. Trump ran for President in 2020 and lost the popular vote. Today a grand jury in Manhattan voted to indict him. The Daily Show sent out this tweet:

"Congrats to Donald Trump on finally winning a majority of votes!"

As for the orange-skinned parrot, he continues to squawk that the investigation into his illegal hush-money payment is a "witch hunt."

[Rewind]

Sources told CNN there will be 34 criminal charges against Trump, the majority relating to business fraud and the falsification of business records.

'It’s finally happening': Kathy Griffin leads celebrity reactions to Donald Trump’s indictment

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/polit...nt/ar-AA19i11E

[Rewind]

The Congressional Retrumplicans who have sold their souls to Donald Trump and protect him and defend him at all costs are, very predictably, denouncing his indictment. They believe Trump can do no wrong. Ever. As we learned from their votes in Trump's two impeachment trials, they do everything they can to ensure he remains above the law.

Jim Jordan: "Outrageous."
Tim Scott: "A travesty."
Elise Stefanik: "A political witch hunt. A dark day for America."
Mike Pence: "An outrage. Nothing more than a political prosecution."
Steve Scalise: "Extremist Democrats weaponizing government to attack their political opponents.”
Lauren Boebert: "Another political witch hunt targeting the people's President."
Thom Tillis: "A politicized prosecution of a former President.”
Donald Trump: "Political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history."

[Listener]

Republicans voted for acquittal in Trump's impeachments just like Democrats voted for acquittal when Clinton was impeached on four charges. Politics is almost always one side against the other.

[Rewind]

Just as Richard Nixon's biggest crime was his attempt to cover up the Watergate Office Complex break-in, Donald Trump's biggest crime is not the affair with Stormy Daniels or the hush-money payment – it is his attempt to cover it up.

Trump to face same judge who oversaw Trump Organization case
CBS News, Mar 31 2023 3:37 PM

When former President Donald Trump arrives for his first appearance in Manhattan Criminal Court next week, he will look up at a judge who has played a key role in several investigations involving those in Trump's orbit. Judge Juan Merchan presided over the convictions and guilty plea last year of two Trump Organization companies and their former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg, one of Trump's most trusted advisers. Merchan is also overseeing the ongoing criminal proceedings involving Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist and senior counselor in the White House who has pleaded not guilty to state fraud and money laundering charges.

A grand jury has indicted Trump in connection with a possible falsification of business records case tied to a 2016 "hush money" payment. Merchan was assigned from a "wheel" of judges to supervise the grand jury and oversee any indictments arising from its investigation, a court spokesman said today.

Trump went after Merchan in a post on his social media site TruthSocial this morning. "The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME. His name is Juan Manuel Marchan," Trump wrote, misspelling the judge's last name.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-j...ttan-new-york/

[Listener]

Republicans say they are outraged by the indictment. But why are they not outraged by Trump's lies, bigotry, racism, abuse of women, tax evasion, inciting a riot, and trying to overturn an election?

[Rewind]

That is a good question – and the answer is simple. They know if they dare to criticize Trump, he will do everything he can to keep them from winning when they run for re-election. He will launch smear campaigns against them and he will back their opponents. He still has an iron grip on the Retrumplican party.

I have found only one Retrumplican who hasn't condemned the indictment. Nebraska Representative Don Bacon told Axios, "I trust our legal system. There are checks and balances with a jury, judges and appeals. President Trump will be able to make his defense and we’ll all see if this is a partisan prosecution or not."

But somebody needs to tell Bacon that Trump is no longer President.