ROUND 2 for "Individual #1": NY DA presenting evidence in Trump-Stormy Daniels investigation to grand jury-BRAGG SUES JIM JORDAN IN 50 PAGE SUIT
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Fani is gonna kill him.... that's why they gonna try to get rid of her with that new law about prosecutors being "inept"..... Jack Smith still got more work on him
You’d commit suicide if Trump got locked up. You are more obsessed with him than the Coyote was with the RoadrunnerFani is gonna kill him.... that's why they gonna try to get rid of her with that new law about prosecutors being "inept"..... Jack Smith still got more work on him
Yeah... and I guess that you were just a tad bit off with the Ukranian war...... happy "gossip" anniversary + one month... foolYou’d commit suicide if Trump got locked up. You are more obsessed with him than the Coyote was with the Roadrunner
Justice Juan Merchan.....the judge that sentenced Weisselberg .... is ruling in this case
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The latest on former President Trump's indictment
What you need to know
Live updates: Donald Trump indicted by grand jury (cnn.com)
What you need to know
- Former President Donald Trump faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud in a Thursday indictment from a Manhattan grand jury, according to sources.
- It's the first time in US history that a current or former president has been criminally charged. The indictment was filed under seal and charges are not yet public.
- Trump is expected to appear in court Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment, sources tell CNN. Trump's attorney said the former president will "absolutely" voluntarily surrender to New York law enforcement and plans to file "substantial" legal challenges.
- The Manhattan district attorney's office has been investigating the former president in connection with his alleged role in a hush money payment scheme and cover-up involving adult film star Stormy Daniels that dates to the 2016 presidential election.
Live updates: Donald Trump indicted by grand jury (cnn.com)
Ole sassy Blanche Devereaux was in full form last night
Lindsey Graham CRIES on Fox News over Trump indictment
Sen. Lindsey Graham was filled with righteous indignation while coming to the defense of recently indicted Donald Trump.
Lindsey Graham CRIES on Fox News over Trump indictment
Sen. Lindsey Graham was filled with righteous indignation while coming to the defense of recently indicted Donald Trump.
I don't think that the MAGA Queen and her hive of MAGA maggots will be acting up in NYC.... less they find out the difference between them and the capitol police
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I got other troublesome, criminal billionaires that are causing problems, being a pest. I wouldn't mind them being indicted. They are racists and disrupting other people trying to come up with their companies.
People like me are leaving the country, these people have done wrong in the past and they should have been take care of back in the day. Instead they are flourishing as an idiot billionaire bothering other entrepreneurs riding their escalator.
People like me are leaving the country, these people have done wrong in the past and they should have been take care of back in the day. Instead they are flourishing as an idiot billionaire bothering other entrepreneurs riding their escalator.
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I have compiled my list of idiot baby boomer billionaires being disruptive to me. I am looking for DA to indict them. With them smothering other people, nobody can get things done. The recent financial crisis could have gone alot smother and SVB would still be operating. The Federal Reserve wouldn't need to loan billions that will hit the balance sheet of banks costing them a ton of money.
Read the Donald Trump Indictment
The Manhattan district attorney’s office unveiled an indictment Tuesday charging former President Donald J. Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
DOWNLOAD HERE
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The Manhattan district attorney’s office unveiled an indictment Tuesday charging former President Donald J. Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
DOWNLOAD HERE
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If Weisselberg is getting out of Rykers in two weeks..... why does he need a new lawyer?
Bragg Sues Jim Jordan in Move to Block Interference in Trump Case
Mr. Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, had subpoenaed a former prosecutor who worked on the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Bragg’s lawsuit is an escalation in the confrontation between his office and the House Judiciary Committee, which Jim Jordan chairs
The Manhattan district attorney on Tuesday sued Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio in an extraordinary step intended to keep congressional Republicans from interfering in the office’s criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump.
The 50-page suit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, accuses Mr. Jordan of a “brazen and unconstitutional attack” on the prosecution of Mr. Trump and a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. Mr. Bragg last week unveiled 34 felony charges against Mr. Trump that stem from the former president’s attempts to cover up a potential sex scandal during and after the 2016 presidential campaign.
Lawyers for Mr. Bragg are seeking to bar Mr. Jordan and his congressional allies from enforcing a subpoena sent to Mark F. Pomerantz, who was once a leader of the district attorney’s Trump investigation and who later wrote a book about that experience. Mr. Pomerantz resigned early last year after Mr. Bragg, just weeks into his first term in office, decided not to seek an indictment of Trump at that time.
Mr. Bragg’s lawyers, including Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of the law firm Gibson Dunn and Leslie B. Dubeck, the general counsel in the district attorney’s office, also intend to prevent any other such subpoenas, the lawsuit says. Mr. Jordan has left open the possibility of subpoenaing Mr. Bragg.
“Rather than allowing the criminal process to proceed in the ordinary course, Chairman Jordan and the committee are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation and obstruction,” the suit said, adding that the district attorney’s office had received more than 1,000 calls and emails from Mr. Trump’s supporters — many of them “threatening and racially charged” — since the former president predicted his own arrest last month.
Mr. Jordan responded in a statement on Twitter.
“First, they indict a president for no crime,” he wrote. “Then, they sue to block congressional oversight when we ask questions about the federal funds they say they used to do it.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the judge in the case, Mary Kay Vyskocil, declined to issue a temporary restraining order that had been proposed by Mr. Bragg’s lawyers, which would have prohibited any enforcement of the subpoena sent to Mr. Pomerantz. Instead, she ordered that Mr. Jordan’s lawyers respond by April 17 and scheduled a hearing in the case for April 19, the day that Mr. Jordan’s committee had set for Mr. Pomerantz’s deposition.
Last month, Mr. Jordan, in his role as the House Judiciary Committee chairman, sent letters, with two Republican colleagues, that demanded the district attorney’s office provide communications, documents and testimony about Mr. Bragg’s investigation of Mr. Trump. In the letters, the Republican congressmen defended their right to conduct oversight of the case.
And after Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors unveiled the charges against Mr. Trump last week, Mr. Jordan issued the subpoena to Mr. Pomerantz, seeking to compel a closed-door deposition.
In response to the letters’ focus on federal funds, the district attorney’s office said that it had spent about $5,000 worth of federal money on investigations into Mr. Trump and his company between October 2019 and August 2021, most of it on litigation related to a court battle with Mr. Trump over access to his tax returns.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Bragg said that the subpoena to Mr. Pomerantz was “an unconstitutional attempt to undermine an ongoing New York felony criminal prosecution and investigation.” Mr. Boutrous, in his own statement, said that the suit aimed “to protect local law enforcement and state court criminal proceedings in this country against impermissible intrusions from the federal government.”
Mr. Pomerantz is also named as a defendant in the suit, though that appears to be a formality. By naming him, Mr. Bragg’s lawyers are seeking to block Mr. Pomerantz from testifying if he was legally compelled to do so. Mr. Pomerantz has shown no indication that he is willing to testify voluntarily. He declined to comment on Tuesday.
In his book, published earlier this year, Mr. Pomerantz described his view of Mr. Trump’s actions as plainly criminal, as well as his frustrations with Mr. Bragg when he took office in 2022 and did not charge Mr. Trump. That decision led Mr. Pomerantz and another of the investigation’s leaders, Carey Dunne, to resign.
Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne — holdovers from the prior district attorney’s administration — were primarily focused on whether Mr. Trump had fraudulently inflated the value of his assets, but Mr. Bragg was not confident in their case.
After they left, he and his aides returned to the hush-money payment made during the final days of the 2016 campaign to a porn star, Stormy Daniels — conduct that Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne had investigated but decided not to place at the center of a criminal case against the former president.
Mr. Bragg impaneled a grand jury to hear evidence about Mr. Trump’s role in the hush money in January. The jurors voted to indict Mr. Trump late last month.
Last month, Mr. Trump announced on his social media website, Truth Social, that he was going to be arrested three days later. The claim was false — no indictment had been voted on at the time — but it set in motion extensive defenses of Mr. Trump by allies in the Republican-led Congress, who vowed to investigate the district attorney. Along with the letters to Mr. Bragg’s office, Mr. Jordan and two other Republican committee chairmen sent letters to Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne demanding documents and testimony related to the case.
Mr. Jordan’s committee on Monday announced its plans for the “field hearing” in New York City on April 17. It is apparently intended to suggest that Mr. Bragg has focused on the prosecution of Mr. Trump rather than Manhattan’s crime rate.
On Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office characterized the hearing as a “political stunt” and pointed toward Police Department data that shows murders, shootings and burglaries are down in Manhattan this year.
www.nytimes.com
Mr. Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, had subpoenaed a former prosecutor who worked on the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump.
Mr. Bragg’s lawsuit is an escalation in the confrontation between his office and the House Judiciary Committee, which Jim Jordan chairs
The Manhattan district attorney on Tuesday sued Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio in an extraordinary step intended to keep congressional Republicans from interfering in the office’s criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump.
The 50-page suit, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, accuses Mr. Jordan of a “brazen and unconstitutional attack” on the prosecution of Mr. Trump and a “transparent campaign to intimidate and attack” the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg. Mr. Bragg last week unveiled 34 felony charges against Mr. Trump that stem from the former president’s attempts to cover up a potential sex scandal during and after the 2016 presidential campaign.
Lawyers for Mr. Bragg are seeking to bar Mr. Jordan and his congressional allies from enforcing a subpoena sent to Mark F. Pomerantz, who was once a leader of the district attorney’s Trump investigation and who later wrote a book about that experience. Mr. Pomerantz resigned early last year after Mr. Bragg, just weeks into his first term in office, decided not to seek an indictment of Trump at that time.
Mr. Bragg’s lawyers, including Theodore J. Boutrous Jr. of the law firm Gibson Dunn and Leslie B. Dubeck, the general counsel in the district attorney’s office, also intend to prevent any other such subpoenas, the lawsuit says. Mr. Jordan has left open the possibility of subpoenaing Mr. Bragg.
“Rather than allowing the criminal process to proceed in the ordinary course, Chairman Jordan and the committee are participating in a campaign of intimidation, retaliation and obstruction,” the suit said, adding that the district attorney’s office had received more than 1,000 calls and emails from Mr. Trump’s supporters — many of them “threatening and racially charged” — since the former president predicted his own arrest last month.
Mr. Jordan responded in a statement on Twitter.
“First, they indict a president for no crime,” he wrote. “Then, they sue to block congressional oversight when we ask questions about the federal funds they say they used to do it.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the judge in the case, Mary Kay Vyskocil, declined to issue a temporary restraining order that had been proposed by Mr. Bragg’s lawyers, which would have prohibited any enforcement of the subpoena sent to Mr. Pomerantz. Instead, she ordered that Mr. Jordan’s lawyers respond by April 17 and scheduled a hearing in the case for April 19, the day that Mr. Jordan’s committee had set for Mr. Pomerantz’s deposition.
Last month, Mr. Jordan, in his role as the House Judiciary Committee chairman, sent letters, with two Republican colleagues, that demanded the district attorney’s office provide communications, documents and testimony about Mr. Bragg’s investigation of Mr. Trump. In the letters, the Republican congressmen defended their right to conduct oversight of the case.
And after Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors unveiled the charges against Mr. Trump last week, Mr. Jordan issued the subpoena to Mr. Pomerantz, seeking to compel a closed-door deposition.
In response to the letters’ focus on federal funds, the district attorney’s office said that it had spent about $5,000 worth of federal money on investigations into Mr. Trump and his company between October 2019 and August 2021, most of it on litigation related to a court battle with Mr. Trump over access to his tax returns.
In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Bragg said that the subpoena to Mr. Pomerantz was “an unconstitutional attempt to undermine an ongoing New York felony criminal prosecution and investigation.” Mr. Boutrous, in his own statement, said that the suit aimed “to protect local law enforcement and state court criminal proceedings in this country against impermissible intrusions from the federal government.”
Mr. Pomerantz is also named as a defendant in the suit, though that appears to be a formality. By naming him, Mr. Bragg’s lawyers are seeking to block Mr. Pomerantz from testifying if he was legally compelled to do so. Mr. Pomerantz has shown no indication that he is willing to testify voluntarily. He declined to comment on Tuesday.
In his book, published earlier this year, Mr. Pomerantz described his view of Mr. Trump’s actions as plainly criminal, as well as his frustrations with Mr. Bragg when he took office in 2022 and did not charge Mr. Trump. That decision led Mr. Pomerantz and another of the investigation’s leaders, Carey Dunne, to resign.
Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne — holdovers from the prior district attorney’s administration — were primarily focused on whether Mr. Trump had fraudulently inflated the value of his assets, but Mr. Bragg was not confident in their case.
After they left, he and his aides returned to the hush-money payment made during the final days of the 2016 campaign to a porn star, Stormy Daniels — conduct that Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne had investigated but decided not to place at the center of a criminal case against the former president.
Mr. Bragg impaneled a grand jury to hear evidence about Mr. Trump’s role in the hush money in January. The jurors voted to indict Mr. Trump late last month.
Last month, Mr. Trump announced on his social media website, Truth Social, that he was going to be arrested three days later. The claim was false — no indictment had been voted on at the time — but it set in motion extensive defenses of Mr. Trump by allies in the Republican-led Congress, who vowed to investigate the district attorney. Along with the letters to Mr. Bragg’s office, Mr. Jordan and two other Republican committee chairmen sent letters to Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne demanding documents and testimony related to the case.
Mr. Jordan’s committee on Monday announced its plans for the “field hearing” in New York City on April 17. It is apparently intended to suggest that Mr. Bragg has focused on the prosecution of Mr. Trump rather than Manhattan’s crime rate.
On Monday afternoon, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office characterized the hearing as a “political stunt” and pointed toward Police Department data that shows murders, shootings and burglaries are down in Manhattan this year.
Bragg Sues Jim Jordan in Move to Block Interference in Trump Case
Mr. Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, had subpoenaed a former prosecutor who worked on the Manhattan district attorney’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump.
He's supposedly coming to hold a traveling congressional hearing at the Javits Federal Building next week..... wait till he gets a load of New YorkJim Jordan fucked around and found out...Dont fuck with a brotha...
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Trump posts photo holding a baseball bat near Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s head
By Lee Brown
March 24, 2023 | 10:14am
nypost.com
Former President Donald Trump has sparked outrage by sharing images showing him holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s head — and calling him “a degenerate psychopath” who “hates the USA!”
Trump, 76, shared the image — featured in a link to an article — on his Truth Social platform Thursday as he devoted his day to attacking the prosecutor for pursuing a case over the “hush money” payout to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“They are HUMAN SCUM!” he wrote in one post asking why Bragg “refuses to do the right thing and ‘call it a day?'”
He kept on raging until the early hours of Friday with continued incendiary name-calling.
“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” he asked just after 1 a.m.
The former president shared the image, part of a linked article, to his Truth Social on Thursday
“Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!”
He continued posting until 2 a.m. — then started again after 9 a.m., writing: “PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!”
His latest images — especially the baseball bat image — quickly sparked a Bronx cheer online, with few coming out to bat for him.
Former President Donald Trump accused Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg of being a “degenerate psychopath” who “hates the USA” on Truth Social.
Law professor Jennifer Taub shared a screenshot to Twitter, calling it a “threat” that “is obstruction of justice and is a dangerous call to violence.”
CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen also tweeted that “threatening a prosecutor is a crime in NY. In fact MULTIPLE crimes.”
Others called him “a violent, Pathological criminal” who is “dangerous, unhinged, and running free to incite violence in America.”
“Enough really is f–king enough,” one person told their more than 90,000 followers.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olberman tagged the Justice Department as he raged: “ARREST TRUMP NOW.”
He accused Trump of having “issued repeated stochastic terrorist calls for his cult to ‘remove’ the ‘animal’ Alvin Bragg – and use a baseball bat.
“He’s trying to get this man killed. Period. Enough,” he told his 1 million followers, comparing Trump’s bat image to “a movie murder scene” and part of a plot “as disgusting as Charles Manson.”
He called the former president “an active, mortal threat” to those investigating him “and all witnesses involved,” saying he must be immediately busted with “no perp walk, no bail.”
Trump first said last week that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, which came and went without any word of charges. Instead, the grand jury was postponed both Wednesday and Thursday.
Manhattan prosecutors have been presenting evidence to the grand jury since late January in connection with the $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before Trump’s shock victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which Trump has denied.
Former Trump lawyer and ex-con Michael Cohen alleges he made the payment at Trump’s direction. Bragg reportedly plans to charge the ex-president with falsifying business records for allegedly writing off the payment as “legal fees.”
The alleged offense would be a misdemeanor under state law, but Bragg wants to elevate it to a felony through an untested legal theory that would tie it to a violation of federal campaign finance rules, according to the Times.
Click Above Link To View Social Media
Stormy Daniels
By Lee Brown
March 24, 2023 | 10:14am
Trump posts disturbing baseball bat photo with Alvin Bragg, threatens ‘death and destruction’
Trump suggested “only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!” would consider charging him.
nypost.com
Former President Donald Trump has sparked outrage by sharing images showing him holding a baseball bat next to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s head — and calling him “a degenerate psychopath” who “hates the USA!”
Trump, 76, shared the image — featured in a link to an article — on his Truth Social platform Thursday as he devoted his day to attacking the prosecutor for pursuing a case over the “hush money” payout to porn star Stormy Daniels.
“They are HUMAN SCUM!” he wrote in one post asking why Bragg “refuses to do the right thing and ‘call it a day?'”
He kept on raging until the early hours of Friday with continued incendiary name-calling.
“What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?” he asked just after 1 a.m.
The former president shared the image, part of a linked article, to his Truth Social on Thursday
“Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truely [sic] hates the USA!”
He continued posting until 2 a.m. — then started again after 9 a.m., writing: “PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!”
His latest images — especially the baseball bat image — quickly sparked a Bronx cheer online, with few coming out to bat for him.
Former President Donald Trump accused Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg of being a “degenerate psychopath” who “hates the USA” on Truth Social.
Law professor Jennifer Taub shared a screenshot to Twitter, calling it a “threat” that “is obstruction of justice and is a dangerous call to violence.”
CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen also tweeted that “threatening a prosecutor is a crime in NY. In fact MULTIPLE crimes.”
Others called him “a violent, Pathological criminal” who is “dangerous, unhinged, and running free to incite violence in America.”
“Enough really is f–king enough,” one person told their more than 90,000 followers.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olberman tagged the Justice Department as he raged: “ARREST TRUMP NOW.”
He accused Trump of having “issued repeated stochastic terrorist calls for his cult to ‘remove’ the ‘animal’ Alvin Bragg – and use a baseball bat.
“He’s trying to get this man killed. Period. Enough,” he told his 1 million followers, comparing Trump’s bat image to “a movie murder scene” and part of a plot “as disgusting as Charles Manson.”
He called the former president “an active, mortal threat” to those investigating him “and all witnesses involved,” saying he must be immediately busted with “no perp walk, no bail.”
Trump first said last week that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday, which came and went without any word of charges. Instead, the grand jury was postponed both Wednesday and Thursday.
Manhattan prosecutors have been presenting evidence to the grand jury since late January in connection with the $130,000 hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before Trump’s shock victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, alleges she had an affair with Trump in 2006, which Trump has denied.
Former Trump lawyer and ex-con Michael Cohen alleges he made the payment at Trump’s direction. Bragg reportedly plans to charge the ex-president with falsifying business records for allegedly writing off the payment as “legal fees.”
The alleged offense would be a misdemeanor under state law, but Bragg wants to elevate it to a felony through an untested legal theory that would tie it to a violation of federal campaign finance rules, according to the Times.
Click Above Link To View Social Media
Stormy Daniels
Bragg, DA probing Trump, received death threat letter with white powder
The substance, which investigators later determined was non-hazardous, was found in a letter addressed to DA Alvin Bragg.
By Jonathan Dienst, Dareh Gregorian and Laura Jarrett
March 24, 2023, 3:31 PM EDT / Updated March 24, 2023, 5:31 PM EDT
www.nbcnews.com
The FBI and NYPD are investigating a letter containing a death threat and white powder that was mailed to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is investigating former President Donald Trump, law-enforcement sources told NBC News.
The letter was addressed to Bragg and said, "ALVIN: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!” the sources said. It contained a small amount of white powder.
There were no evacuations or injuries, officials said.
It was the latest in what a senior law enforcement source described as "several hundred threats" aimed at Bragg and his office in recent weeks. A couple dozen of the messages were considered to be directly threatening serious harm to Bragg, the source said.
Bragg sent an email to his office acknowledging the difficult week.
“I know it hasn’t been easy,” he wrote in the email, with all of the “press attention and security around our office,” and thanked everyone for their “strength and professionalism during this time.”
“We will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly,” he wrote.
In a statement, the DA's office said the letter “was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance.”
Markings on the envelope indicate it was mailed from Orlando, Florida earlier this week, the sources said. It was postmarked on Tuesday, the sources said.
The letter comes in the wake of Trump announcing — falsely — that he would be arrested in the probe this past Tuesday and that people should "protest." His rhetoric has become more heated in the days since, including warning on his social media website early Friday of "potential death and destruction" if the DA indicts him.
An indictment in the case could come down as soon as next week, as there are indications the investigation is in its final stages. NBC News reported last week that law enforcement officials had already begun preparing security precautions in the event of a possible indictment in discussions that include the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the DA's office.
The substance, which investigators later determined was non-hazardous, was found in a letter addressed to DA Alvin Bragg.
By Jonathan Dienst, Dareh Gregorian and Laura Jarrett
March 24, 2023, 3:31 PM EDT / Updated March 24, 2023, 5:31 PM EDT
Manhattan DA probing Trump received death threat letter with white powder
The substance, which investigators later determined was non-hazardous, was found in a letter addressed to DA Alvin Bragg.
The FBI and NYPD are investigating a letter containing a death threat and white powder that was mailed to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office is investigating former President Donald Trump, law-enforcement sources told NBC News.
The letter was addressed to Bragg and said, "ALVIN: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!” the sources said. It contained a small amount of white powder.
There were no evacuations or injuries, officials said.
It was the latest in what a senior law enforcement source described as "several hundred threats" aimed at Bragg and his office in recent weeks. A couple dozen of the messages were considered to be directly threatening serious harm to Bragg, the source said.
Bragg sent an email to his office acknowledging the difficult week.
“I know it hasn’t been easy,” he wrote in the email, with all of the “press attention and security around our office,” and thanked everyone for their “strength and professionalism during this time.”
“We will continue to apply the law evenly and fairly,” he wrote.
In a statement, the DA's office said the letter “was immediately contained and that the NYPD Emergency Service Unit and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection determined there was no dangerous substance.”
Markings on the envelope indicate it was mailed from Orlando, Florida earlier this week, the sources said. It was postmarked on Tuesday, the sources said.
The letter comes in the wake of Trump announcing — falsely — that he would be arrested in the probe this past Tuesday and that people should "protest." His rhetoric has become more heated in the days since, including warning on his social media website early Friday of "potential death and destruction" if the DA indicts him.
An indictment in the case could come down as soon as next week, as there are indications the investigation is in its final stages. NBC News reported last week that law enforcement officials had already begun preparing security precautions in the event of a possible indictment in discussions that include the NYPD, New York State Court Officers, the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the DA's office.
Report: Melania Trump Is Still Pissed About Stormy Daniels, Has No Sympathy About Trump Facing Prison Time
Ivanka and Jared apparently won’t be “defending him” either.
BESS LEVIN
MARCH 27, 2023 3:16
One of the most obvious takeaways from Donald Trump’s time in the White House—in addition to the determination that (1) people working for him should have received hazard pay and (2) he should never be allowed within 10,000 feet of the place again, not even as a chaperone for a school trip—was that the then first lady, Melania Trump, absolutely despised him. And it appears those feelings have not changed in the two-plus years since the duo left Washington!
According to a new report, Melania remains “angry” at her husband over the alleged affair he had with porn star Stormy Daniels, which could result in his being indicted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office at some point in the near future, thanks to the hush money he paid to keep Daniels quiet in 2016. (Though the ex-president has denied sleeping with the adult-film star, he has admitted to the $130,000 deal brokered by his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen on the eve of the 2020 election, which Trump subsequently reimbursed Cohen for during his first year in office.) And while it doesn’t seem unreasonable for Melania to still be upset about her husband allegedly cheating on her—just months after she gave birth, according to Daniels—her negative feelings for him apparently run so deep that she doesn’t seem to give a f--k if he is criminally charged. The former first lady, a source familiar with the matter told People, “wants to ignore” the whole thing and “hopes it will pass,” but “doesn’t sympathize with Donald’s plight.”
Not only that, but, according to the same source, the former FLOTUS really wouldn’t be put out in the slightest if her spouse did time behind bars. “Melania loves the beautiful weather and resort town atmosphere of Palm Beach,” this person told reporter Linda Marx. “She is happy when she is in Palm Beach. She has her son and other close family members. They are tribe-like and usually stick together. Despite what happens to Donald, she will be fine. She is well taken care of.”
In related news, it appears that at least two other family members won’t be holding any press conferences to decry the potential charges or claim Trump is the victim of witch hunt. According to the New York Post, former senior presidential advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner “want nothing to do with this. They are staying away and don’t want to be hounded by reporters. I don’t think you will see them defending him—it will be no comment.” (In November, despite his reported begging, Ivanka declined to show up when her father announced his third bid for office, later saying in an official statement that she would not participate in his campaign.)
Obviously, this all stands in contrast to the online ravings of Donald Trump Jr., who seems prepared to chain himself to the door of the Manhattan DA’s office until prosecutors agree to leave his dad alone.
No word from Eric Trump, though his stance is presumably somewhat more in line with Don Jr.’s Don’t worry, Dad, I’m going to sneak you out through the prison tunnel system! vibe than his stepmother’s POV.
Click Above Link To View Social Media
Ivanka and Jared apparently won’t be “defending him” either.
BESS LEVIN
MARCH 27, 2023 3:16
One of the most obvious takeaways from Donald Trump’s time in the White House—in addition to the determination that (1) people working for him should have received hazard pay and (2) he should never be allowed within 10,000 feet of the place again, not even as a chaperone for a school trip—was that the then first lady, Melania Trump, absolutely despised him. And it appears those feelings have not changed in the two-plus years since the duo left Washington!
According to a new report, Melania remains “angry” at her husband over the alleged affair he had with porn star Stormy Daniels, which could result in his being indicted by the Manhattan district attorney’s office at some point in the near future, thanks to the hush money he paid to keep Daniels quiet in 2016. (Though the ex-president has denied sleeping with the adult-film star, he has admitted to the $130,000 deal brokered by his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen on the eve of the 2020 election, which Trump subsequently reimbursed Cohen for during his first year in office.) And while it doesn’t seem unreasonable for Melania to still be upset about her husband allegedly cheating on her—just months after she gave birth, according to Daniels—her negative feelings for him apparently run so deep that she doesn’t seem to give a f--k if he is criminally charged. The former first lady, a source familiar with the matter told People, “wants to ignore” the whole thing and “hopes it will pass,” but “doesn’t sympathize with Donald’s plight.”
Not only that, but, according to the same source, the former FLOTUS really wouldn’t be put out in the slightest if her spouse did time behind bars. “Melania loves the beautiful weather and resort town atmosphere of Palm Beach,” this person told reporter Linda Marx. “She is happy when she is in Palm Beach. She has her son and other close family members. They are tribe-like and usually stick together. Despite what happens to Donald, she will be fine. She is well taken care of.”
In related news, it appears that at least two other family members won’t be holding any press conferences to decry the potential charges or claim Trump is the victim of witch hunt. According to the New York Post, former senior presidential advisers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner “want nothing to do with this. They are staying away and don’t want to be hounded by reporters. I don’t think you will see them defending him—it will be no comment.” (In November, despite his reported begging, Ivanka declined to show up when her father announced his third bid for office, later saying in an official statement that she would not participate in his campaign.)
Obviously, this all stands in contrast to the online ravings of Donald Trump Jr., who seems prepared to chain himself to the door of the Manhattan DA’s office until prosecutors agree to leave his dad alone.
No word from Eric Trump, though his stance is presumably somewhat more in line with Don Jr.’s Don’t worry, Dad, I’m going to sneak you out through the prison tunnel system! vibe than his stepmother’s POV.
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Report: Ivanka Trump “Loves Her Dad” but Is Keeping “Her Distance” Because Hush Money Is Bad for Her Brand
The former first daughter “wants a new life to compensate for what she lost” by working for her father.
BESS LEVIN
MARCH 30, 2023
Earlier this month, we learned that Melania Trump, reportedly still angry about the alleged affair Donald Trump had with Stormy Daniels, believes that when it comes to a possible indictment and potential prison time, her husband made his bed and now must lie in it. The former first lady, a source familiar with the matter told People, “doesn’t sympathize with Donald’s plight”—and rather than let the situation drag her down, she’s surrounding herself with “people who love her and who never talk about reality,” and living “separately” from the ex-president. Which is apparently not dissimilar to the approach being taken by his eldest daughter and favorite child, Ivanka Trump.
According to a new report, the former first daughter is “continuing to keep her distance from her father,” having come to the conclusion that (1) when it comes to his legal problems, he “does what he wants, and she can’t help him”; and (2) associating with him now can only further cement her (well-earned!) status as a pariah in polite society. “Even though Ivanka loves her dad, she knows how impossible he can be,” a person with knowledge of the situation told People. “She basically wants a new life to compensate for what she lost when she spent four years in her father’s Washington,” another source told the outlet. “She misses her active social life and group of friends.” (Ivanka, of course, doesn’t really have anyone but herself to blame for her social life being affected by her work for her dad, as she and Jared Kushner reportedly made the decision to join the administration in the hilarious hope that it might lead to her one day becoming the first female president. And let us not forget the fact that she refused to speak out against her father no matter how bad things got—even on January 6, when she addressed the Capitol insurrectionists as “American patriots” before realizing how bad that sounded.)
The new reporting re: Ivanka’s stance toward her dad tracks with a similar account from the New York Post, in which a source said last week that Ivanka and Jared “want nothing to do with [the Stormy Daniels situation]. They are staying away and don’t want to be hounded by reporters. I don’t think you will see them defending him—it will be no comment.” (Last year, despite her father’s apparent plea during Tiffany Trump’s wedding, Ivanka refused to appear beside Trump while he announced that he would seek office for a third time; “I do not plan to be involved in politics,” she later said in an official statement.) Last month the former first daughter and son-in-law were subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating Trump’s attempt to overturn the election and his involvement in the violent riot that followed.
As for the investigation into the hush money paid to Daniels in 2016 to keep her quiet about the alleged affair—which the ex-president denies—Trump has yet to to be indicted, despite claiming earlier this month that he would be arrested on March 21. (New reports suggest that should he actually be charged, it may not happen for at least several weeks.) On Wednesday, in what appeared to be an attempt to influence its decision, Trump claimed he had gained “such respect” for the grand jury considering his fate, which means there’s a 50/50 chance he takes to Truth Social in the near future to tell the jurors that they’re either “very smart,” “very sexy,” or “a perfect jury, 10 out of 10.”
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The former first daughter “wants a new life to compensate for what she lost” by working for her father.
BESS LEVIN
MARCH 30, 2023
Earlier this month, we learned that Melania Trump, reportedly still angry about the alleged affair Donald Trump had with Stormy Daniels, believes that when it comes to a possible indictment and potential prison time, her husband made his bed and now must lie in it. The former first lady, a source familiar with the matter told People, “doesn’t sympathize with Donald’s plight”—and rather than let the situation drag her down, she’s surrounding herself with “people who love her and who never talk about reality,” and living “separately” from the ex-president. Which is apparently not dissimilar to the approach being taken by his eldest daughter and favorite child, Ivanka Trump.
According to a new report, the former first daughter is “continuing to keep her distance from her father,” having come to the conclusion that (1) when it comes to his legal problems, he “does what he wants, and she can’t help him”; and (2) associating with him now can only further cement her (well-earned!) status as a pariah in polite society. “Even though Ivanka loves her dad, she knows how impossible he can be,” a person with knowledge of the situation told People. “She basically wants a new life to compensate for what she lost when she spent four years in her father’s Washington,” another source told the outlet. “She misses her active social life and group of friends.” (Ivanka, of course, doesn’t really have anyone but herself to blame for her social life being affected by her work for her dad, as she and Jared Kushner reportedly made the decision to join the administration in the hilarious hope that it might lead to her one day becoming the first female president. And let us not forget the fact that she refused to speak out against her father no matter how bad things got—even on January 6, when she addressed the Capitol insurrectionists as “American patriots” before realizing how bad that sounded.)
The new reporting re: Ivanka’s stance toward her dad tracks with a similar account from the New York Post, in which a source said last week that Ivanka and Jared “want nothing to do with [the Stormy Daniels situation]. They are staying away and don’t want to be hounded by reporters. I don’t think you will see them defending him—it will be no comment.” (Last year, despite her father’s apparent plea during Tiffany Trump’s wedding, Ivanka refused to appear beside Trump while he announced that he would seek office for a third time; “I do not plan to be involved in politics,” she later said in an official statement.) Last month the former first daughter and son-in-law were subpoenaed by the special counsel investigating Trump’s attempt to overturn the election and his involvement in the violent riot that followed.
As for the investigation into the hush money paid to Daniels in 2016 to keep her quiet about the alleged affair—which the ex-president denies—Trump has yet to to be indicted, despite claiming earlier this month that he would be arrested on March 21. (New reports suggest that should he actually be charged, it may not happen for at least several weeks.) On Wednesday, in what appeared to be an attempt to influence its decision, Trump claimed he had gained “such respect” for the grand jury considering his fate, which means there’s a 50/50 chance he takes to Truth Social in the near future to tell the jurors that they’re either “very smart,” “very sexy,” or “a perfect jury, 10 out of 10.”
Click Above Link To View Social Media
Trump targets NY judge’s wife and daughter, hours after warning not to threaten safety
By Geoff Herbert
Updated: Apr. 05, 2023, 8:21 a.m.
Published: Apr. 05, 2023, 8:11 a.m.
www.syracuse.com
Former President Donald Trump targeted the family of a New York judge overseeing his indictment, hours after that same judge warned him not to threaten anyone’s safety.
“This is where we are right now. I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign,” Trump said Tuesday night in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump was referring to Judge Juan Merchan, six hours after Merchan reportedly told the ex-president in a Manhattan courtroom not to make any comments that could “jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals.” Merchan did not issue a gag order, but advised against statements “likely to incite violence or civil unrest.”
Trump criticized Merchan as “highly partisan” and called his family “well known Trump haters” on his social media platform Truth Social earlier Tuesday. Trump also complained about how Merchan presided over the criminal trial of the Trump Organization where the Trump company’s former CFO Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to financial crimes.
“HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN’T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL. HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR ‘KAMALA’ & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN. KANGAROO COURT!!!” Trump wrote.
Insider reports Trump did not provide evidence for his claims made about Merchan and his family, but Newsweek noted that the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., posted right-wing articles on social media identifying the judge’s daughter as Loren Merchan, president and partner of Authentic Campaigns. The company’s website says it runs digital campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris campaign.
Trump’s family also posted photos of Loren and suggested it’s evidence that Judge Merchan is biased against the former president.
“This corruption is on a different level,” Eric Trump tweeted.
Former President Donald Trump is well known for attacking his critics, political opponents and others, often including family members. Trump called Manhattan District Attorney Bragg’s spouse a “Trump hating wife” and previously mocked Elaine Chao, the wife of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Heidi Cruz, the wife of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump was arraigned Tuesday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, largely related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts
By Geoff Herbert
Updated: Apr. 05, 2023, 8:21 a.m.
Published: Apr. 05, 2023, 8:11 a.m.
Trump targets NY judge’s wife and daughter, hours after warning not to threaten safety
The judge warned Trump about comments that could "jeopardize the safety or well-being" of others.
Former President Donald Trump targeted the family of a New York judge overseeing his indictment, hours after that same judge warned him not to threaten anyone’s safety.
“This is where we are right now. I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign,” Trump said Tuesday night in a speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Trump was referring to Judge Juan Merchan, six hours after Merchan reportedly told the ex-president in a Manhattan courtroom not to make any comments that could “jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals.” Merchan did not issue a gag order, but advised against statements “likely to incite violence or civil unrest.”
Trump criticized Merchan as “highly partisan” and called his family “well known Trump haters” on his social media platform Truth Social earlier Tuesday. Trump also complained about how Merchan presided over the criminal trial of the Trump Organization where the Trump company’s former CFO Allen Weisselberg pleaded guilty to financial crimes.
“HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN’T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL. HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR ‘KAMALA’ & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN. KANGAROO COURT!!!” Trump wrote.
Insider reports Trump did not provide evidence for his claims made about Merchan and his family, but Newsweek noted that the former president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., posted right-wing articles on social media identifying the judge’s daughter as Loren Merchan, president and partner of Authentic Campaigns. The company’s website says it runs digital campaigns for Democratic candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden-Harris campaign.
Trump’s family also posted photos of Loren and suggested it’s evidence that Judge Merchan is biased against the former president.
“This corruption is on a different level,” Eric Trump tweeted.
Former President Donald Trump is well known for attacking his critics, political opponents and others, often including family members. Trump called Manhattan District Attorney Bragg’s spouse a “Trump hating wife” and previously mocked Elaine Chao, the wife of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Heidi Cruz, the wife of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump was arraigned Tuesday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, largely related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign. The first former president to be charged with crimes pleaded not guilty on all counts
Sen. Lindsey Graham Begs Fox Viewers To Donate To Trump
This fool trying to get these ignorant MAGA Maggots to give money to a supposedly Billionaire that flys around in his own jet.
You can’t make this shit up if you tried.
HaHa!!!
This fool trying to get these ignorant MAGA Maggots to give money to a supposedly Billionaire that flys around in his own jet.
You can’t make this shit up if you tried.
HaHa!!!
Judge orders Stormy Daniels to pay Donald Trump another $120,000 in legal fees
By Emily Olson
April 5, 20231:57 PM ET
As Donald Trump was in New York for a date with legal jeopardy, a judge in Los Angeles quietly granted him a substantial legal victory.
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the former president on Tuesday, ordering adult film star Stormy Daniels to pay $121,972 in legal fees for a failed defamation suit.
The ruling is not legally connected with the Manhattan district attorney's investigation that led Trump to be charged with 34 felony counts on Tuesday. But it does stem from the same event: Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, then was paid by Trump's legal team to avoid going public with the story ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump denies the affair but has since admitted he reimbursed his then-attorney Michael Cohen for the hush money payments.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Cliffords, tried to sue Trump for defamation in 2018, specifically taking aim at a tweet attacking her account of being threatened by a stranger in 2011 to stay quiet on her Trump story. Trump attacked the account as a "con job, playing the Fake News Media."
Federal Judge S. James Otero dismissed the lawsuit, saying Trump's tweet constitutes " 'rhetorical hyperbole' normally associated with politics and public discourse" and is protected by the First Amendment.
Daniels tried to appeal the decision in 2022, saying her then-attorney Michael Avenatti filed the defamation suit "without my permission and against my wishes." But a judge ruled against her, leaving her on the hook for nearly $300,000 in Trump's legal fees.
Daniels subsequently filed a motion to knock down the fee payment. On Tuesday, the court dismissed in part her latest request, which only increased the bill she has to pay.
Daniels argued that the fee request was "unreasonable and excessive," saying the law group had overstaffed the appeal and performed duplicative tasks, and asked for fees to be reduced, court documents show.
She specifically asked the judge to cap the law firm's rates at $500/hourly for partners and $350/hourly for associates — a request the appeals commissioner denied on account of "inflation and increase in the attorneys' experience."
The court denied a secondary request for Daniels to reimburse Trump $5,150 for time responding to the most recent appeal, saying the request lacked itemized detail about the law firm's billing.
"Collectively, our firm obtained over $600,000 in attorney fee awards in his favor in the meritless litigation initiated by Stormy Daniels," said Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillion in a tweet celebrating the legal victory.
After the appeals court ruled against her last year, Daniels tweeted: "I will go to jail before I pay a penny."
By Emily Olson
April 5, 20231:57 PM ET
As Donald Trump was in New York for a date with legal jeopardy, a judge in Los Angeles quietly granted him a substantial legal victory.
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the former president on Tuesday, ordering adult film star Stormy Daniels to pay $121,972 in legal fees for a failed defamation suit.
The ruling is not legally connected with the Manhattan district attorney's investigation that led Trump to be charged with 34 felony counts on Tuesday. But it does stem from the same event: Daniels claims she had an affair with Trump in 2006, then was paid by Trump's legal team to avoid going public with the story ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump denies the affair but has since admitted he reimbursed his then-attorney Michael Cohen for the hush money payments.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Cliffords, tried to sue Trump for defamation in 2018, specifically taking aim at a tweet attacking her account of being threatened by a stranger in 2011 to stay quiet on her Trump story. Trump attacked the account as a "con job, playing the Fake News Media."
Federal Judge S. James Otero dismissed the lawsuit, saying Trump's tweet constitutes " 'rhetorical hyperbole' normally associated with politics and public discourse" and is protected by the First Amendment.
Daniels tried to appeal the decision in 2022, saying her then-attorney Michael Avenatti filed the defamation suit "without my permission and against my wishes." But a judge ruled against her, leaving her on the hook for nearly $300,000 in Trump's legal fees.
Daniels subsequently filed a motion to knock down the fee payment. On Tuesday, the court dismissed in part her latest request, which only increased the bill she has to pay.
Daniels argued that the fee request was "unreasonable and excessive," saying the law group had overstaffed the appeal and performed duplicative tasks, and asked for fees to be reduced, court documents show.
She specifically asked the judge to cap the law firm's rates at $500/hourly for partners and $350/hourly for associates — a request the appeals commissioner denied on account of "inflation and increase in the attorneys' experience."
The court denied a secondary request for Daniels to reimburse Trump $5,150 for time responding to the most recent appeal, saying the request lacked itemized detail about the law firm's billing.
"Collectively, our firm obtained over $600,000 in attorney fee awards in his favor in the meritless litigation initiated by Stormy Daniels," said Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillion in a tweet celebrating the legal victory.
After the appeals court ruled against her last year, Daniels tweeted: "I will go to jail before I pay a penny."
Judge in Trump's New York case appears to have donated $15 to Biden for President in 2020
Federal campaign contribution data also shows two small-dollar donations to progressive groups the same year.
By Ben Kamisar and Adam Reiss
April 6, 2023, 2:56 PM EDT
www.nbcnews.com
Judge Juan Merchan, the New York state judge who presided over former President Donald Trump’s arraignment Tuesday and the recent criminal tax fraud trial involving the Trump Organization, appears to have donated $15 to President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, federal campaign contribution data shows.
Federal Election Commission reports show a Juan Merchan, who lists his occupation as a judge with the New York State Office of Court Administration, donated $15 earmarked for Biden for President, Biden’s campaign committee, on July 26, 2020. No other judge listed in the state judicial directory shares Merchan’s name. It’s against federal law to donate in someone else’s name.
Neither a spokesperson for the state court system nor the judge’s personal chambers responded to requests for comment when asked whether he made the donations.
Records also list two other small donations from the same Juan Merchan to progressive groups a day after the Biden donation — $10 donations on July 27, 2020, to the groups Stop Republicans and Progressive Turnout Project — which are affiliated with each other, meaning it’s possible that a donation of $20 was split evenly across the two groups. All three donations, including the one to Biden, were made through ActBlue, the popular online donation-processing firm used by virtually every major Democratic campaign and allied group.
The third donation, $15 to Biden one day earlier, is the only other federal political donation attributed to a Juan Merchan of New York in the FEC’s database, which spans multiple decades.
It’s not uncommon for judges to donate to political candidates — a search of federal campaign donations in 2021 and 2022 turns up more than 30,000 donations from people listing “judge” as their occupation, donations from single-digit sums to more than $10,000.
Those donations span a variety of groups of both parties, including groups affiliated with Trump. And other judges donated to Biden’s 2020 campaign in the same report where the Merchan donation appears.
But it would mean Merchan has donated to the onetime — and potential future — political opponent of a defendant now facing a trial in his courtroom.
The donations are likely to continue to fuel Trump’s criticism of the judge and his family, whom he has accused of being biased against him (Trump and his family have also criticized Merchan’s daughter for her work for then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential bid and subsequently for the Biden-Harris presidential ticket).
“The donations were unwise as a matter of appearance,” said Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News legal analyst and a former federal prosecutor. “But appearances matter.”
Trump’s presidential campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the apparent donations.
Judge Juan Merchan at his New York office in October.
Federal campaign contribution data also shows two small-dollar donations to progressive groups the same year.
By Ben Kamisar and Adam Reiss
April 6, 2023, 2:56 PM EDT
Judge in Trump's New York case appears to have donated $15 to Biden for President in 2020
Federal campaign contribution data also shows two small-dollar donations to progressive groups the same year.
Judge Juan Merchan, the New York state judge who presided over former President Donald Trump’s arraignment Tuesday and the recent criminal tax fraud trial involving the Trump Organization, appears to have donated $15 to President Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign, federal campaign contribution data shows.
Federal Election Commission reports show a Juan Merchan, who lists his occupation as a judge with the New York State Office of Court Administration, donated $15 earmarked for Biden for President, Biden’s campaign committee, on July 26, 2020. No other judge listed in the state judicial directory shares Merchan’s name. It’s against federal law to donate in someone else’s name.
Neither a spokesperson for the state court system nor the judge’s personal chambers responded to requests for comment when asked whether he made the donations.
Records also list two other small donations from the same Juan Merchan to progressive groups a day after the Biden donation — $10 donations on July 27, 2020, to the groups Stop Republicans and Progressive Turnout Project — which are affiliated with each other, meaning it’s possible that a donation of $20 was split evenly across the two groups. All three donations, including the one to Biden, were made through ActBlue, the popular online donation-processing firm used by virtually every major Democratic campaign and allied group.
The third donation, $15 to Biden one day earlier, is the only other federal political donation attributed to a Juan Merchan of New York in the FEC’s database, which spans multiple decades.
It’s not uncommon for judges to donate to political candidates — a search of federal campaign donations in 2021 and 2022 turns up more than 30,000 donations from people listing “judge” as their occupation, donations from single-digit sums to more than $10,000.
Those donations span a variety of groups of both parties, including groups affiliated with Trump. And other judges donated to Biden’s 2020 campaign in the same report where the Merchan donation appears.
But it would mean Merchan has donated to the onetime — and potential future — political opponent of a defendant now facing a trial in his courtroom.
The donations are likely to continue to fuel Trump’s criticism of the judge and his family, whom he has accused of being biased against him (Trump and his family have also criticized Merchan’s daughter for her work for then-Sen. Kamala Harris’ presidential bid and subsequently for the Biden-Harris presidential ticket).
“The donations were unwise as a matter of appearance,” said Chuck Rosenberg, an NBC News legal analyst and a former federal prosecutor. “But appearances matter.”
Trump’s presidential campaign did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the apparent donations.
Judge Juan Merchan at his New York office in October.
House Republicans, Manhattan DA end fight over Trump inquiry
AP NEWS
April 21, 2023
apnews.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday to let Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee question an ex-prosecutor about the criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Under the agreement, committee members will be able to question Mark Pomerantz under oath next month in Washington. The deal resolves a lawsuit in which Bragg had sought to block Pomerantz from testifying, ending a legal dispute that escalated to a federal appeals court just weeks after Trump’s historic indictment.
Pomerantz will be accompanied by a lawyer from Bragg’s office, an accommodation the committee said it would have allowed even without Friday’s agreement.
Bragg’s office and the Judiciary Committee reached the agreement after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Thursday that temporarily halted enforcement of a House subpoena which had called for Pomerantz to testify.
Click Above Link For Full Story
AP NEWS
April 21, 2023
House Republicans, Manhattan DA end fight over Trump inquiry
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has agreed to let Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee question an ex-prosecutor about the criminal case against former President Donald Trump. Under the agreement, committee members will be able to question Mark Pomerantz under oath next month in...
apnews.com
NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg agreed Friday to let Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee question an ex-prosecutor about the criminal case against former President Donald Trump.
Under the agreement, committee members will be able to question Mark Pomerantz under oath next month in Washington. The deal resolves a lawsuit in which Bragg had sought to block Pomerantz from testifying, ending a legal dispute that escalated to a federal appeals court just weeks after Trump’s historic indictment.
Pomerantz will be accompanied by a lawyer from Bragg’s office, an accommodation the committee said it would have allowed even without Friday’s agreement.
Bragg’s office and the Judiciary Committee reached the agreement after the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay Thursday that temporarily halted enforcement of a House subpoena which had called for Pomerantz to testify.
Click Above Link For Full Story
Trump barred from making evidence public in Stormy Daniels hush money case
Judge Juan Merchan also barred Trump from viewing evidence in the case other than in the presence of his lawyers, and he is not allowed to copy the material.
Dan Mangan
PUBLISHED MON, MAY 8 2023 6:18 PM EDT
UPDATED MON, MAY 8 2023 6:56 PM EDT
www.cnbc.com
A judge Monday barred former President Donald Trump from making public evidence and other material related to a pending criminal case against him in New York, where he is charged with falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Judge Juan Merchan also barred Trump from viewing evidence in the case other than in the presence of his lawyers. The ex-president is not allowed to copy the material.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office sought the protective order due to concerns Trump would "inappropriately" use the material or post the information on social media or elsewhere.
A prosecutor at a hearing last week in Manhattan Supreme Court called that risk "substantial."
Trump's lawyers opposed that request, which relates to so-called discovery material, the documents, correspondence and other items exchanged between opposing parties in a legal case before trial.
Trump, who is the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was arraigned in court last month in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.
His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, shortly before the 2016 presidential election paid Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump years earlier.
Trump denies having sex with Daniels, but reimbursed Cohen for the payoff, which was claimed to be for legal expenses in business records.
In the prosecution's motion for a protective order, assistant DA Catherine McCaw wrote, "Donald J. Trump has a longstanding and perhaps singular history of attacking witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, trial jurors, grand jurors, judges, and others involved in legal proceedings against him, putting those individuals and their families at considerable safety risk."
Merchan, in his order Monday, wrote all material provided by the DA's office to Trump's lawyers "shall be used solely for the purposes of preparing a defense in this matter."
"Any person who receives the Covered Materials shall not copy, disseminate, or disclose the Covered Materials, in any form or by any means, to any third party," which includes posting the material on social media sites, Merchan wrote.
The judge also said the names and identifying information of DA employees in the case, other than sworn members of law enforcement, assistant DAs and expert witnesses, would be delayed until the start of jury selection.
Judge Juan Merchan also barred Trump from viewing evidence in the case other than in the presence of his lawyers, and he is not allowed to copy the material.
Dan Mangan
PUBLISHED MON, MAY 8 2023 6:18 PM EDT
UPDATED MON, MAY 8 2023 6:56 PM EDT
Trump barred from making evidence public in Stormy Daniels hush money case
Donald Trump is charged with falsifying business records related to a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
A judge Monday barred former President Donald Trump from making public evidence and other material related to a pending criminal case against him in New York, where he is charged with falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Judge Juan Merchan also barred Trump from viewing evidence in the case other than in the presence of his lawyers. The ex-president is not allowed to copy the material.
The Manhattan District Attorney's Office sought the protective order due to concerns Trump would "inappropriately" use the material or post the information on social media or elsewhere.
A prosecutor at a hearing last week in Manhattan Supreme Court called that risk "substantial."
Trump's lawyers opposed that request, which relates to so-called discovery material, the documents, correspondence and other items exchanged between opposing parties in a legal case before trial.
Trump, who is the leading contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, was arraigned in court last month in the case. He has pleaded not guilty.
His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, shortly before the 2016 presidential election paid Daniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, $130,000 to keep her quiet about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump years earlier.
Trump denies having sex with Daniels, but reimbursed Cohen for the payoff, which was claimed to be for legal expenses in business records.
In the prosecution's motion for a protective order, assistant DA Catherine McCaw wrote, "Donald J. Trump has a longstanding and perhaps singular history of attacking witnesses, investigators, prosecutors, trial jurors, grand jurors, judges, and others involved in legal proceedings against him, putting those individuals and their families at considerable safety risk."
Merchan, in his order Monday, wrote all material provided by the DA's office to Trump's lawyers "shall be used solely for the purposes of preparing a defense in this matter."
"Any person who receives the Covered Materials shall not copy, disseminate, or disclose the Covered Materials, in any form or by any means, to any third party," which includes posting the material on social media sites, Merchan wrote.
The judge also said the names and identifying information of DA employees in the case, other than sworn members of law enforcement, assistant DAs and expert witnesses, would be delayed until the start of jury selection.
Donald Trump criminal trial is set for March 2024; judge informs Trump what he can’t say about hush money case
By Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Updated 3:16 PM EDT, Tue May 23, 2023
amp.cnn.com
A New York judge has set a trial date of March 25, 2024, for the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, potentially setting up a media spectacle in the middle of the Republican presidential primary season.
The trial date was set during a brief hearing Tuesday in which Judge Juan Merchan read Trump an order on what he can and cannot say publicly about the case and evidence his legal team will get from prosecutors to prepare for trial.
Trump appeared remotely via video feed so the judge could communicate with him in open court.
Trump pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal illegal conduct connected to his 2016 presidential campaign. The criminal charges stem from District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush money payments, made during the 2016 campaign, to adult film star Stormy Daniels who alleged an affair with Trump, which he denies.
During the hearing, Trump could be seen speaking and gesturing to his attorney Todd Blanche seated next to him on the screen but his audio was not audible. At times he sat back with his arms crossed. The former president only spoke to confirm he had a copy of the protective order for the case. “Yes, I do,” he said.
Trump’s attorney said that the former president remains concerned that the order infringes on his First Amendment rights.
“He understands that he has to comply with the order, and if he doesn’t do so, he’s violating your order,” Blanche said during the hearing.
Merchan reiterated that there is not a gag order in place and Trump can publicly defend himself against the allegations related to this case.
“It is certainly not my intention in any way to impede Mr. Trump’s ability to campaign for president of the United States,” the judge said.
“He is free to defend himself against these charges. He is free to campaign,” Merchan added. “He is free to do just about anything that does not violate the specific terms of the protective order.”
The judge cautioned the attorneys that Trump’s violation of the order could result in sanctions.
“Violation of a court order or court mandate could result in sanctions which include a finding of contempt which is punishable,” Merchan said.
Trial and briefing schedule set
Earlier this month, Merchan signed off on a protective order, which in part said that the case evidence prosecutors give Trump’s defense team may not be shared or posted to “any news or social media platforms, including, but not limited, to Truth Social, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube, without prior approval from the Court.”
Trump can only view some evidence designated by prosecutors as “limited dissemination materials” in the presence of his attorneys and cannot “copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess” that evidence, per the order.
Prosecutors turned over discovery material to Trump’s lawyers in court during the hearing Tuesday. Scheduling deadlines in the case have been pushed back to give the defense more time to review the materials.
Prosecutors declined to produce material to the defense before the hearing Tuesday – requesting that the former president be instructed by the judge about the protective order that governs his conduct surrounding case evidence.
Defense motions are now due by August 29 and prosecutors must respond by October 10.
The next hearing is now scheduled for January 4, 2024.
The former president has repeatedly made negative public comments and social media posts about the district attorney, potential trial witnesses and the judge in this case. Prosecutors cited some of Trump’s Truth Social posts in their request for a protective order.
Trump and his legal team can still talk about the case publicly because there is no gag order in effect. The protective order as it stands specifically restricts their public discussion and dissemination of case material given to the defense during the discovery process.
Motion to move to federal court
Trump’s lawyers have filed a motion to move the criminal case to federal court in Manhattan, arguing the crimes Trump is accused of committing are tied to his duties as president.
The defense request to move the case to federal court does not pause the state court’s ongoing schedule. A hearing in federal court on that motion is scheduled for next month.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
By Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell and Jeremy Herb, CNN
Updated 3:16 PM EDT, Tue May 23, 2023
Donald Trump criminal trial is set for March 2024; judge informs Trump what he can't say about hush money case | CNN Politics
A New York judge has set a trial date of March 25, 2024, for the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, potentially setting up a media spectacle in the middle of the Republican presidential primary season.
A New York judge has set a trial date of March 25, 2024, for the criminal case against former President Donald Trump, potentially setting up a media spectacle in the middle of the Republican presidential primary season.
The trial date was set during a brief hearing Tuesday in which Judge Juan Merchan read Trump an order on what he can and cannot say publicly about the case and evidence his legal team will get from prosecutors to prepare for trial.
Trump appeared remotely via video feed so the judge could communicate with him in open court.
Trump pleaded not guilty last month to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal illegal conduct connected to his 2016 presidential campaign. The criminal charges stem from District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into hush money payments, made during the 2016 campaign, to adult film star Stormy Daniels who alleged an affair with Trump, which he denies.
During the hearing, Trump could be seen speaking and gesturing to his attorney Todd Blanche seated next to him on the screen but his audio was not audible. At times he sat back with his arms crossed. The former president only spoke to confirm he had a copy of the protective order for the case. “Yes, I do,” he said.
Trump’s attorney said that the former president remains concerned that the order infringes on his First Amendment rights.
“He understands that he has to comply with the order, and if he doesn’t do so, he’s violating your order,” Blanche said during the hearing.
Merchan reiterated that there is not a gag order in place and Trump can publicly defend himself against the allegations related to this case.
“It is certainly not my intention in any way to impede Mr. Trump’s ability to campaign for president of the United States,” the judge said.
“He is free to defend himself against these charges. He is free to campaign,” Merchan added. “He is free to do just about anything that does not violate the specific terms of the protective order.”
The judge cautioned the attorneys that Trump’s violation of the order could result in sanctions.
“Violation of a court order or court mandate could result in sanctions which include a finding of contempt which is punishable,” Merchan said.
Trial and briefing schedule set
Earlier this month, Merchan signed off on a protective order, which in part said that the case evidence prosecutors give Trump’s defense team may not be shared or posted to “any news or social media platforms, including, but not limited, to Truth Social, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube, without prior approval from the Court.”
Trump can only view some evidence designated by prosecutors as “limited dissemination materials” in the presence of his attorneys and cannot “copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess” that evidence, per the order.
Prosecutors turned over discovery material to Trump’s lawyers in court during the hearing Tuesday. Scheduling deadlines in the case have been pushed back to give the defense more time to review the materials.
Prosecutors declined to produce material to the defense before the hearing Tuesday – requesting that the former president be instructed by the judge about the protective order that governs his conduct surrounding case evidence.
Defense motions are now due by August 29 and prosecutors must respond by October 10.
The next hearing is now scheduled for January 4, 2024.
The former president has repeatedly made negative public comments and social media posts about the district attorney, potential trial witnesses and the judge in this case. Prosecutors cited some of Trump’s Truth Social posts in their request for a protective order.
Trump and his legal team can still talk about the case publicly because there is no gag order in effect. The protective order as it stands specifically restricts their public discussion and dissemination of case material given to the defense during the discovery process.
Motion to move to federal court
Trump’s lawyers have filed a motion to move the criminal case to federal court in Manhattan, arguing the crimes Trump is accused of committing are tied to his duties as president.
The defense request to move the case to federal court does not pause the state court’s ongoing schedule. A hearing in federal court on that motion is scheduled for next month.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
Prosecutors in Trump's criminal case say they have recording of Trump and a witness
BY GRAHAM KATES
MAY 26, 2023 / 5:15 PM
www.cbsnews.com
Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case have released to his attorneys a recording of Trump and a witness, whose identity was not disclosed, according to a document the office made public Friday.
The document, called an automatic discovery form, describes the nature of the charges against a defendant and a broad overview of the evidence that prosecutors will present at Trump's preliminary hearing or at trial. Trump's attorneys and media organizations, including CBS News, had repeatedly requested that such a form be made public in the weeks since Trump's arrest on April 4.
Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges. He has entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records for alleged payments made as part of a "hush money" scheme.
Click Above Link For Full Story
BY GRAHAM KATES
MAY 26, 2023 / 5:15 PM
Prosecutors in Trump's criminal case say they have recording of Trump and a witness
A document filed in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case indicates prosecutors have released to his attorneys a recording of Trump and an undisclosed witness.
www.cbsnews.com
Prosecutors in former President Donald Trump's Manhattan criminal case have released to his attorneys a recording of Trump and a witness, whose identity was not disclosed, according to a document the office made public Friday.
The document, called an automatic discovery form, describes the nature of the charges against a defendant and a broad overview of the evidence that prosecutors will present at Trump's preliminary hearing or at trial. Trump's attorneys and media organizations, including CBS News, had repeatedly requested that such a form be made public in the weeks since Trump's arrest on April 4.
Trump is the first former president in American history to face criminal charges. He has entered a not guilty plea to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records for alleged payments made as part of a "hush money" scheme.
Click Above Link For Full Story
Judge in Trump's hush money case refuses to recuse himself
The decision comes more than two months after Trump's lawyers filed a motion seeking to remove Judge Juan Merchan from the upcoming trial, set to begin in March.
By Adam Reiss, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst and Summer Concepcion
Aug. 14, 2023, 11:06 AM PDT / Updated Aug. 14, 2023
www.nbcnews.com
Judge Juan Merchan at his office in New York County Criminal Court in 2022.
The decision comes more than two months after Trump's lawyers filed a motion seeking to remove Judge Juan Merchan from the upcoming trial, set to begin in March.
By Adam Reiss, Tom Winter, Jonathan Dienst and Summer Concepcion
Aug. 14, 2023, 11:06 AM PDT / Updated Aug. 14, 2023
Judge in Trump's hush money case refuses to recuse himself
Trump's lawyers filed a motion more than two months ago to remove New York state Judge Juan Merchan from the trial, set to begin in March.
www.nbcnews.com
Judge Juan Merchan at his office in New York County Criminal Court in 2022.
Trump seeks dismissal of hush money case, saying it’s hurting his campaign
His lawyers also pointed the finger at Hillary Clinton in a new motion seeking to have the New York criminal charges thrown out.
By ERICA ORDEN
10/05/2023
www.politico.com
Donald Trump’s lawyers denounced the five years it took for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to bring the case against the former president, calling it a “delayed prosecution.”
His lawyers also pointed the finger at Hillary Clinton in a new motion seeking to have the New York criminal charges thrown out.
By ERICA ORDEN
10/05/2023
Trump seeks dismissal of hush money case, saying it’s hurting his campaign
His lawyers also pointed the finger at Hillary Clinton in a new motion seeking to have the New York criminal charges thrown out.
www.politico.com
Donald Trump’s lawyers denounced the five years it took for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to bring the case against the former president, calling it a “delayed prosecution.”
Trump is trying to use campaign to dodge criminal consequences, Manhattan DA says
Prosecutors in Trump’s hush money case shot back against Trump’s bid to get the charges dismissed.
By ERICA ORDEN
11/16/2023
www.politico.com
Prosecutors in Trump’s hush money case shot back against Trump’s bid to get the charges dismissed.
By ERICA ORDEN
11/16/2023
Trump is trying to use campaign to dodge criminal consequences, Manhattan DA says
Prosecutors in Trump's hush money case shot back against Trump's bid to get the charges dismissed.
www.politico.com
Key Trump Lawyer Withdraws as Manhattan Criminal Trial Nears
Joseph Tacopina brought extensive experience with high-profile cases to former president Donald J. Trump’s legal team.
By Maggie Haberman
Jan. 15, 2024
www.nytimes.com
Joseph Tacopina, center, represented Donald J. Trump in criminal and civil cases in New York
Joseph Tacopina brought extensive experience with high-profile cases to former president Donald J. Trump’s legal team.
By Maggie Haberman
Jan. 15, 2024
Key Trump Lawyer Withdraws as Manhattan Criminal Trial Nears
Joseph Tacopina brought extensive experience with high-profile cases to former president Donald J. Trump’s legal team.
Joseph Tacopina, center, represented Donald J. Trump in criminal and civil cases in New York
Manhattan’s District Attorney Is Quietly Preparing for a Trump Trial
As prosecutors navigate calendars and appeals, Alvin L. Bragg may take the former president’s first criminal case to trial. He has said that covering up a hush-money payment was a fraud on voters.
By Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum
Jan. 25, 2024
www.nytimes.com
Alvin L. Bragg has said that the tawdry events at the heart of the case were meant to sway a presidential election.
As prosecutors navigate calendars and appeals, Alvin L. Bragg may take the former president’s first criminal case to trial. He has said that covering up a hush-money payment was a fraud on voters.
By Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich and William K. Rashbaum
Jan. 25, 2024
Manhattan’s District Attorney Is Quietly Preparing for a Trump Trial
As prosecutors navigate calendars and appeals, Alvin L. Bragg may take the former president’s first criminal case to trial. He has said that covering up a hush-money payment was a fraud on voters.
Alvin L. Bragg has said that the tawdry events at the heart of the case were meant to sway a presidential election.