LIVE THREAD....Day 21: Closing Arguments And Verdict

[mystery-ak]

3 minutes ago
Two court reporters performing readback of David Pecker testimony

Up first is David Pecker's testimony about his phone conversation with Donald Trump in June 2016. It is being performed by two court reporters inside the courtroom.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

So let's talk worse case scenario here: he's found guilty and locked up? That will IMO ignite such a shitstorm and crisis in this country like we haven't seen since the Civil War.

[catfish1957]

So let's talk worse case scenario here: he's found guilty and locked up? That will IMO ignite such a shitstorm and crisis in this country like we haven't seen since the Civil War.

That's crossed my mind too.  That is why though cases are very different in some respect, I cited a Rodney King analogy yesterday.

[mystery-ak]

2 min(s) ago
Turley inside the court: Jury rehears testimony from Pecker about killing negative Trump stories

Jury now hearing Pecker's testimony of when he received a call from Donald Trump. He said that Trump told him that Karen "is a nice girl" and that he heard that there was a group trying to buy McDougal's story and asked what Pecker thought he should do. Pecker recommended buying the story. Pecker said that he believed that the story would be embarrassing "both to himself and to his campaign." That is an interesting passage because it shows a dual interest in avoiding such stories. Pecker also testified that he previously killed stories for Trump (before he ran for office) and did so for a number of other celebrities.

--  Jonathan Turley, constitutional law attorney and Fox News contributor
Posted by Kyle Morris

8 min(s) ago
Judge finishes rereading instructions, moves on to testimony

Judge Merchan finished rereading instructions just before 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, with proceedings now moving to the jurors requests to rehear testimony.

Court reporters then began reading back testimony, starting with David Pecker’s testimony about a call with Trump at an investor’s meeting in New Jersey.
Posted by Michael Lee

[libertybele]

So let's talk worse case scenario here: he's found guilty and locked up? That will IMO ignite such a shitstorm and crisis in this country like we haven't seen since the Civil War.

I disagree.  I don't think Trump supporters will rise up.  Not in the least.  J6 was a warning shot to them all and I suspect that they are already prepared to 'calm' any insurrection very swiftly and by any means possible.  After all the ultimate goal is to lock Trump up.

[mystery-ak]

3 minutes ago
Jurors rehear key testimony that Enquirer's Pecker buried stories about Trump before 2016 election to 'help campaign'
By Ben Kochman

The testimony being read aloud by the two court stenographers gets to one of the prosecution's key claims — that David Pecker agreed before the 2016 election to help bury negative Trump stories to help him win.

Part of the deal the Enquirer struck with Trump and Michael Cohen at an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting to publish positive stories about Trump and negative ones about his opponents was "mutually beneficial" because it also helped boost magazine sales, Pecker testified.

But the part involving buying and burying harmful stories about Trump — what prosecutors labeled "catch and kill" — didn't help the magazine, and was only meant to help the campaign, Pecker told jurors on April 23.

“The purpose of that component was to benefit the campaign, am I understanding you right?" Steinglass asked the tabloid magazine's former publisher.

“That is right,” Pecker replied.

To convict Trump of first-degree falsifying business records, jurors need to unanimously believe that Trump, Pecker and Cohen "conspired to influence the election by unlawful means," according to the judge's instructions.

[Cyber Liberty]

Why don't they give the jurors written instructions?  The instructions are lengthy and that way they'd have instructions to follow in front of them instead of trying to remember all of them. Too much information to digest and try to remember can become confusing and allow too much room for error.

This is my beef with these deliberations.  After this lengthy read back, they still won't get anything written!  Given the complexity of the Instructions, this is totally insane.

[DB]

After this charade is over and the likely conviction overturned by the higher courts due to gross violation of the law the judge will retire very wealthy. He will have served his purpose of getting a political conviction before a presidential election.

Democrats keep bringing corruption of our government to new lows with little consequence to them.

[Bigun]

Why don't they give the jurors written instructions?  The instructions are lengthy and that way they'd have instructions to follow in front of them instead of trying to remember all of them. Too much information to digest and try to remember can become confusing and allow too much room for error.

Because the "judge" doesn't want any of his BS in writing. Next question.

[libertybele]

Because the "judge" doesn't want any of his BS in writing. Next question.

   You're right!

[catfish1957]

Because the "judge" doesn't want any of his BS in writing. Next question.

Good catch, because I am betting good money that crooked Marchan is going to start getting some butt sores from sitting at congressional hearings testifying.

Harder to prove a crime on verbal interaction.

[DB]

Doesn't the court recorder capture all the verbal instructions?

[Bigun]

Good catch, because I am betting good money that crooked Marchan is going to start getting some butt sores from sitting at congressional hearings testifying.

Harder to prove a crime on verbal interaction.

The only record will be what it says in the court reporters transcript.

[mystery-ak]

Trump and Son Don Jr. Troll Leftists from Courthouse

Former President Donald Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., are trolling leftists from the courthouse in New York.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/30/trump-and-son-don-jr-troll-leftists-from-courthouse/

[catfish1957]

Trump and Son Don Jr. Troll Leftists from Courthouse

Former President Donald Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., are trolling leftists from the courthouse in New York.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/05/30/trump-and-son-don-jr-troll-leftists-from-courthouse/

This is a dangerous situtation for DJT, I'd rather him not be poking the bear in NYC.

[mystery-ak]

‘I’ve Seen It Done’: Alan Dershowitz Speculates Merchan Is Prepared To Swap ‘One Juror’ Who ‘Won’t Give In’


Harold Hutchison
Reporter
May 29, 2024 7:22 PM ET


Noted attorney Alan Dershowitz said on Wednesday that it is possible New York Judge Juan Merchan is not dismissing alternate jurors in order to deal with a holdout that will not convict former President Donald Trump.

Merchan issued instructions to the jury of seven men and five women Wednesday, pointing them to some of the key evidence in the case prior to the panel beginning its deliberations. Dershowitz admitted he was speculating during Wednesday’s episode of “The Dershow” about Merchan’s reason for keeping the alternates available, but said he had seen a judge in an unrelated case make a similar move.

“I admit this is highly, highly speculative, but there… I know a case on this, so that I’m not making it up: The judge said he’s not going to dismiss the alternate jurors until there’s an absolute verdict,” Dershowitz said. “One possible reason for that, again, I want to emphasize that I’m speculating, one possible reason for this might be following, it is quite cynical: Let’s assume that the jurors come back and say, ‘Sorry we’re, uh, we’re deadlocked. We have one juror who just won’t give in. Well, there are eleven of us who think he’s guilty.’ By the way, the jurors don’t say what they think, they just say there’s a deadlock, but if they come back that way, the inference will be that the jury is, that is, is locked eleven to one in favor of conviction.’”

more
https://dailycaller.com/2024/05/29/ive-seen-it-done-alan-dershowitz-speculates-merchan-is-prepared-to-swap-one-juror-who-wont-give-in/

[mystery-ak]

Trump team could move to file emergency filing with Supreme Court: Shannon Bream

Former President Donald Trump's legal team may have grounds to file some type of emergency filing with the Supreme Court, according to Fox News Channel's Shannon Bream.

The Supreme Court rarely gets involved with state cases, but the options jurors have to pick from in deciding the case of NY v. Trump "provides a POSSIBLE path for some type of emergency filing with the Supreme Court," Bream said Thursday.

Fox News legal editor Kerri Kupec Urbahn pointed out that "It is remarkable a tax crime could be one of the options the jury has to pick from given we sat here for weeks and heard almost nothing about it."

"I don’t see how that’s not a due process violation on its face," Urbahn noted. The "smorgasbord approach" offered to the jury for finding that Trump committed an underlying crime, plus the "vague NY election law at play in this case (similar to vague law at play in the Trump civil fraud trial), really makes you question what kind of chance you have in the NY legal system if the DA’s office is out to get you," Urbahn said.

"If the Trump team can articulate some federal/constitutional claims arising out of what’s happened here, it’s likely worth a shot for the Trump team to try. If not, they really haven’t lost much," added Bream, the anchor of "Fox News Sunday."

The jury began its second day of deliberation just before 11:30 A.M., with the jury spending the bulk of the morning rehearing both judge instructions and specific testimony jurors had requested.
Posted by Kyle Morris

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

This is a dangerous situtation for DJT, I'd rather him not be poking the bear in NYC.

Yep, but he cannot help himself. Even though the trial is a sham, inflaming the situation only makes things worse.

[mystery-ak]

1 hour(s) ago
Trump gets TV sent to holding room

Former President Donald Trump was able to get a TV sent to his courthouse waiting room, a campaign source told Fox News Digital.

Trump is passing the time watching TV as the jury continues deliberating for the second day, something he wasn't able to do on the first day of deliberation.

The jury began its second day of deliberation just before 11:30 A.M., with the jury spending the bulk of the morning rehearing both judge instructions and specific testimony jurors had requested.
Posted by Michael Lee

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I wonder if they know what's coming?

[mystery-ak]

Yep, but he cannot help himself. Even though the trial is a sham, inflaming the situation only makes things worse.

Especially since this is the Judge who will pass sentence..

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

I disagree.  I don't think Trump supporters will rise up.  Not in the least.  J6 was a warning shot to them all and I suspect that they are already prepared to 'calm' any insurrection very swiftly and by any means possible.  After all the ultimate goal is to lock Trump up.

You think the 70- 80 million trump voters are going to be ok with a presidential candidate locked up in jail? That IMO is a bridge too far for most people.

Chaos is coming IMO.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I disagree.  I don't think Trump supporters will rise up.  Not in the least.

Why wouldn't you rise up @libertybele ?

[DCPatriot]

Hypothetical here...

Say the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision as the law requires.

Say the 'honorable' judge decides to replace "Juror #8"...'Henry Fonda' with another juror to avoid a mistrail.

Say the subsequent "GUILTY" verdict is reached.

Say the Jury Foreman stands up when requested to announce the verdict.

Say another juror suddenly rises and shouts that he/she has decided to change their decision to "NOT GUILTY" and expresses same in a public display.

What then?

....are we having fun yet???

[andy58-in-nh]

Hypothetical here...

Say the jury cannot reach a unanimous decision as the law requires.

Say the 'honorable' judge decides to replace "Juror #8"...'Henry Fonda' with another juror to avoid a mistrail.

Say the subsequent "GUILTY" verdict is reached.

Say the Jury Foreman stands up when requested to announce the verdict.

Say another juror suddenly rises and shouts that he/she has decided to change their decision to "NOT GUILTY" and expresses same in a public display.

What then?

....are we having fun yet???

The judge cannot do that. Mistrial and worse, for the judge.