Still on break, but…

#Breaking #News in #Trump #criminal #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #FalsifiedBusinessRecords #HushMoney conviction:

Trump hush-money judge delays ruling on whether to throw out conviction

Postponement follows numerous successful attempts to delay case in which he was convicted on 34 #felony counts

#law #TrumpTrial #MobTactics #GagOrder #StochasticTerrorism #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #NodFarter

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/12/trump-hush-money-conviction-presidential-immunity

The #verdict must be unanimous on the primary crime falsification of business records.

Once #jurors inform the court they have reached a verdict, Justice Juan #Merchan will summon the parties to the courtroom to hear it read by the foreperson.

Merchan must still affirm the verdict & enter a final judgment.

#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #GagOrder #StochasticTerrorism #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #NodFarter

There’s a #verdict

They request 30 minutes to fill out the forms.

Trump, who had been smiling a minute ago, is suddenly serious after the judge’s alert that there’s a verdict.

His arms are now crossed across his chest as he whispers with his lawyers.

#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #GagOrder #StochasticTerrorism #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #NodFarter

#Jurors hear #Pecker recall that after he said he wasn’t going to go thru w/the agreement w/ #MichaelCohen, who was to pay him for the rights to #KarenMcDougal’s story using an LLC, Cohen told him: “The boss is going to be very angry at you.”
Court reporters read the 3rd portion of Pecker’s testimony. This part pertains to the Aug 2015 #TrumpTowerMeeting in which Pecker, Michael Cohen & #Trump entered a #conspiracy to suppress negative news about Trump during the #2016election.

#law #TrumpTrial

Next the court reporters read the second part of David #Pecker’s #testimony that the #jurors asked to hear, where he explains that he decided he did not want to be repaid for #KarenMcDougal’s story after purchasing it. The implication was that he was concerned about the #legal consequences of accepting a reimbursement - he testified that the concern was regarding FEC violations.

#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference

#Pecker testified that he recommended that #Trump buy #KarenMcDougal’s story. The portion of #testimony ends before the #jury hears what comes next. Pecker testified that #MichaelCohen called him back & told him to buy McDougal’s story on Trump's behalf.

Jurors heard the portion of Pecker's testimony when he said he believed the story of Trump having had an affair w/McDougal was true, & would be embarrassing to Trump.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference

This #testimony is good for the prosecution.

David #Pecker testified that #Trump acknowledged speaking to #MichaelCohen about the issue & acknowledged knowing #KarenMcDougal, one of the women who was eventually paid to keep quiet during the 2016 campaign about her story of having had an affair w/ Trump.

“Karen is a nice girl,” Trump said on this call, according to Pecker’s testimony.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

Yes, this just happened, court is still very much in session. Only the jury was dismissed.

There’s agreement on the jurors’ 1st, 2nd & 4th requests.
1st was #Pecker’s testimony about a call he had w/ #Trump in June 2016.
2nd was Pecker’s testimony on financial arrangements for #KarenMcDougal’s #HushMoney.
4th was #MichaelCohen’s testimony on the Aug 2015 #TrumpTowerMeeting w/ Pecker & Trump.

The only portion that is disputed involves Pecker's testimony about the same meeting.

#TrumpTrial #law

The phone call #jurors asked for from David Pecker’s testimony was call he testified he had w/ #Trump during an investor meeting, in June 2016, during which Trump acknowledged that he knew #KarenMcDougal.

Jurors may also be looking at the part of the #TrumpTowerMeeting when #Pecker testified that he decided to not collect reimbursement from Trump for his #HushMoney deal w/ McDougal. The wording from the jurors is slightly unclear.

#deliberations #criminal #law #TrumpTrial

The #jury’s specific requests:

1. David Pecker's testimony regarding the phone conversation w/ #Trump while #Pecker was in the investor meeting

2. Pecker's testimony regarding life rights for #KarenMcDougal

3. Pecker's testimony regarding the Trump Tower meeting

4. #MichaelCohen's testimony regarding the #TrumpTowerMeeting

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #CathAndKill #conspiracy

#Steinglass, who had stuck to a chronological timeline, goes back to 2016 to connect #Trump to each element that prosecutors say is a #crime. He argues that David #Pecker corroborated the idea that #MichaelCohen had kept Trump up to date on the #HushMoney payments at every step. Cohen, Steinglass says, “is not some rogue actor here.”

Steinglass talks about the infamous tape of Trump & Micahel Cohen discussing the payment to #KarenMcDougal.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial

#Steinglass now goes into 4 Nov 2016, four days before the election, the day that The WSJ broke a story about The #NationalEnquirer’s deal w/ #KarenMcDougal on #Trump’s behalf.

Steinglass reminds jurors that #HopeHicks sent over a statement for the story on behalf of Trump, & that Trump lied in the statement, saying he didn’t know anything about the Karen McDougal deal. Steinglass says Trump did know about it because he was on tape 2 months earlier talking about it.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial

#Steinglass plays the recording of the conversation between #MichaelCohen & #Trump discussing the #KarenMcDougal deal in Sept 2016.

Steinglass argues that the conversation shows Trump’s “cavalier willingness” to hide this payoff & “unequivocally shows a presidential candidate actively engaging in a scheme to influence the election.”

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics

#Steinglass tells the jury that #Pecker was willing to sacrifice his bottom line in service of #Trump’s campaign, & adds that this deal was “the very antithesis of a normal legitimate press function.”

Steinglass shows through call records the degree to which Trump would have had knowledge of the discussions around acquiring #KarenMcDougal’s life rights. Cutting against Blanche’s portrayal of Trump as a dupe who people took advantage of.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #ElectionInterference

#Steinglass notes that after closing the #HushMoney deal w/ #KarenMcDougal, the editor of The #NationalEnquirer did not immediately call his boss. Instead he placed a call to #Trump atty #MichaelCohen, underscoring, again, that The Enquirer was working on Trump's behalf.

We’re over hour 2, & Steinglass has a way to go, this won’t be done today.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics

#Steinglass now talks# about the 2nd of 3 hush-money deals, which involved #KarenMcDougal & was arranged by The #NationalEnquirer. He says that #Pecker & #DylanHoward of The Enquirer & #KeithDavidson, McDougal's lawyer, spoke in code. But you don’t have to be a codebreaker, he says, to understand what they were talking about

Steinglass also notes that the trio was communicating w/ #MichaelCohen, who testified that he had been charged w/keeping #Trump apprised of their progress

#law #TrumpTrial

#Blanche is skipping around in his summation, which is making it a little hard to follow.

He now turns back to the recording that #MichaelCohen secretly made of a conversation he had w/ #Trump about the #KarenMcDougal payment.

Blanche suggests there is some kind of dispute over the authenticity of this recording. There isn’t. The recording sounds exactly the same as the one CNN played in 2018.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference

#Blanche addresses the 3 specific #CatchAndKill deals prosecutors allege #Pecker was involved in, all of which they say were designed to protect #Trump. Defense argues all 3 stories are false.

He characterizes the 1st, involving a doorman at a #TrumpOrganization bldg, as “literally a made up story designed to harm President Trump.”

Blanche talks about Playboy model #KarenMcDougal who sold the rights to her story of an affair w/Trump to The #NationalEnquirer's parent co, #AMI.

#law #TrumpTrial

Heading into what may be the final week of the #TrumpTrial, here are links to my threads for each day of coverage starting w/opening statements & then testimony (excludes jury selection)

#criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney #MobTactics #GagOrder #StochasticTerrorism #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #NodFarter

Justice #Merchan tells the attys he will get them a final version of the #JuryInstructions by end of the day Thurs.

Court is adjourned.

Testimony in the #TrumpTrial is over.

The jury will be back in a week for closing arguments.

Thanks for reading 🥰

#criminal #law #Trump #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #MobTactics #GagOrder #StochasticTerrorism #StormyDaniels #KarenMcDougal #NodFarter