The Finale

27 thoughts on “The Finale”

1. wiki recalls for us those long-ago hearings when the boys on the bus seriously governed:

   The House Committee on the Judiciary soon began an official investigation of the president’s role in Watergate, and, in May 1974, commenced formal hearings on whether sufficient grounds existed to impeach Nixon of high crimes and misdemeanors under Article II, Section 4, of the United States Constitution. This investigation was undertaken one year after the United States Senate established the Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities to investigate the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex during the 1972 presidential election, and the Republican Nixon administration’s attempted cover-up of its involvement; during those hearings the scope of the scandal became apparent and the existence of the Nixon White House tapes was revealed.

   Following an April 1974 subpoena from the Judiciary Committee, edited transcripts of 42 taped White House conversations relevant to the Watergate cover-up were finally made public by Nixon. However, the committee pressed for the audio tapes themselves, and subsequently issued subpoenas for additional tapes, all of which Nixon had refused. That same month, Nixon also refused to comply with a subpoena from special prosecutor Leon Jaworski for 64 Watergate-related tapes. Ultimately, on July 24, 1974, the United States Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision against Nixon, which ordered him to comply. On May 9, 1974, formal hearings in the impeachment inquiry of Nixon began, culminating on July 27–30, 1974, when members of the Democratic-led Judiciary Committee eventually approved three articles of impeachment.

   and the boys on the bench also acted responsibly:

   In a much-anticipated landmark ruling on July 24, 1974, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered President Nixon to release all White House tapes, not just selected transcripts, pertinent to the Watergate investigation. The unanimous ruling in United States v. Nixon found that the president of the United States does not possess an absolute, unqualified executive privilege to withhold information. Writing for the court, Chief Justice Warren Burger stated:

   We conclude that when the ground for asserting privilege as to subpoenaed materials sought for use in a criminal trial is based only on the generalized interest in confidentiality, it cannot prevail over the fundamental demands of due process of law in the fair administration of criminal justice. The generalized assertion of privilege must yield to the demonstrated, specific need for evidence in a pending criminal trial.

3. I sincerely doubt that there are 2 Warren Burgers in the RW gang on this iteration of SCOTUS, and the RWers have made clear that precedent means nothing to them. 

   Re: the Preakness odds, I’m aware that odds change and the reasons they do, but I haven’t noticed a case of betting manipulation as dramatic as a move from 18-1 to only 9-1 on race day. Odds for Mystic Dan did not change and chasing Freedom odds only moved from 6-1 to 7-2. Not saying it doesn’t happen – obviously it does – but that’s just blatant.

4. kinda looks like the “rats who enable” pic above

   

5. as dramatic as a move from 18-1 to only 9-1 on race day

   pogo, don’t forget that the flavor of the day had been Muth. his scratch changed things bigly.

6. I’m with DEX, have been locked and loaded on this trial. Much of the nitpicking commentary focuses on challenges in DA’s case. But juries do big picture, and prosecutors have shown what they promised in opening statement:

   “Donald Trump is guilty of falsifying business records with the intent to conceal an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of a presidential election.”

   As far as concerns about Trump moles go, I remember one Trump-supporter juror in the unanimous finding of sexual assault against him who said “I left my MAGA hat in the car”.

7. Odd that prosecutors didn’t cover this on direct. “You did steal from the Trump Organization?” asked Blanche. “Yes, sir,” Cohen replied.

8. @KatiePhang
   At some point in time, you’d expect the Prosecution to get up and object to the questions being “asked and answered,” and yet, I’m thinking that the Prosecution is reading the room (more specifically, reading the jury box) and letting Blanche just be all out there boring them.

9. New Randy Rainbow

10. Prosecution on redirect, quickly dealt with infamous phone call, having Cohen say both the pranker and Stormy could have been discussed in the same call.

11. Patd,  Muth scratched on Tuesday or Wednesday – I’m talking about same-day odds. Apparently either the bookies were getting a lot of betting on race day on Gray and wanted to make that long shot less attractive and drive those bets elsewhere or they thought the odds were too long to draw bets.  Since the odds at 10:00 a.m. Saturday on Mogatu and Uncle Heavy were still at 20-1 and Gray had dropped to 12-1 I’m guessing it was the former.
     
    Sounds like a Cohen roller coaster in trial today.  Prosecutor cleaned up the phone call kerfuffle but Cohen admitted he stole from the Trump org when seeking reimbursement for a payment to Red Finch to manipulate a poll to get Dumbass into the top 10 of a CNBC poll of the best businessmen of the past century, which Dumbass never paid but Cohen paid him $20K of a $50K bill.

12. Katie
    Prosecutor, Susan Hoffinger, is giving a masterclass on how to conduct a Re-Direct Examination of a witness. She’s cleaning up Cohen’s answers from cross only in the critically important areas and moving things along at a great pace.

13. Prosecution has a photo that shows on 10/24 Trump WAS INDEED with Schiller just minutes before the call Cohen said he had with both of them! Which Blanche had sought to refute.

14. Among the folks standing behind Dumbass in court today to show their support and fealty was Chuck Zito, who spent years in prison on drug charges and who helped found the New York Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels in the early 1980s.”The Justice Department described the organization as a criminal enterprise and linked the New York chapter to the Gambino crime family. Mr. Zito later left the biker group to try become a movie star in Hollywood.” NYT  He was there in addition to Boris Ephsteyn and Bernie Kerik, both of whom were charged with crimes and in Kerik’s case, served time for tax evasion and was later pardoned by Dumbass.  Some people really should understand that their presence doesn’t help.

15. When you get down to todays Courtroom Toady Brigade you’re really scraping around under that slimy stuff at the bottom of the barrel.

16. Poobah, what’re the odds that photo would be taken when it was?  Blanche’s argument that it shouldn’t be shown to the jury because the phone call was already proved to be a lie through other evidence won’t likely fly because it could be evidence that support’s Cohen’s testimony. Blanche should know that a huge part of a criminal trial boils down to the jury trusting the attorneys. Based on what I can tell he doesn’t seem to be putting himself in position to be trusted by the jury.  Jonah Bromwich, NYT, reports:

    “I think it’s relevant,” Justice Merchan says, but he does not decide whether he will allow the evidence in. He says he wants to research another legal issue the defense raised, a hearsay issue, during the lunch break. Hearsay is secondhand information — but the prosecution has argued that the evidence is not hearsay because an earlier expert witness laid the foundation for this evidence to be shown to jurors. We’ll see what the judge concludes after lunch.

    Also said Blanche ‘s voice was raised an additional register while making the argument to exclude it.  Not a good sign for the defense.

17. I’m wondering about the tradeoff for Trump side in showing Cohen skimmed money for polls Trump rigged — that also shows Trump is a cheater who deceived the public to win an election — WHICH IS WHAT HE’S CHARGED WITH IN THIS CASE!

18. 

    today’s meme…
     
     

19. Good point Poobah.  The cost/benefit on that decision had to be very close.  They already had “liar” proof on Cohen, but I guess they wanted to add “thief” to the mix.  Had to be approved by Dumbass to do that.  I’d have a very hard time deciding to put that evidence on, particularly since it was a stupid poll for a vanity project that didn’t mean shit, unlike concealing an affair with a porn star during the immediate run up to the election.
     
    Sounds like Merchan is going with his gut and letting prosecutors get the CSPAN witness, I’m assuming to authenticate the Schiller/Trump photo from Indiana to testify. (NYT)

    We are back and the prosecutors confirm that they were able to reach C-SPAN, which is booking travel right now for the witness — Robert Browning, who is executive director of archives at the network — to be present at 9:30 tomorrow morning.

    Blanche ain’t happy. This is one of those “looks like this may bite us in the ass” moments. Unless they let Dumbass testify, Cohens’ testimony about the call is the only evidence before the jury about it.

20. Mere hours after my post, Merchan extended summation and final cross until after the holiday.  I see his point, but I was ready for sooner deliberation  to begin.  I had no idea Cohen stole cash from the campaign.

21. While watching Meidas Touch Network videos of the current trial involving sfb something seemed odd, at least to me.  Not really thinking about it until one of the talking attorneys was facing the camera.  What was tapping me with the hammer of “wake up it is staring you in the face”? Then I realized what it is. He is grey haired, with grey short beard, wearing a black hoodie sweatshirt.
     
    Then I saw it. Right in front of my face, actually right on his face.  Green thick frame glasses.  Duh. Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z wear color frame glasses.  I have seen red, yellow green, blue and more colors.  Thick frames which we Boomers tried to never wear in public.
    What that little revelation did was bring another layer of “our kids are no longer children” to my psychie.  My children are middle age now.  They are grey, or would be if they were not bald like their paternal great-great-uncles. Billiard ball bald.  But, it means Gen X and Millennials are in the driver seat of whatever is going on. 
    Yup.  I am happy I turned the reins of my generation over to the kids. I can sit back and enjoy them dealing with the mess. But, looking good doing it.

22. So Robert Costello got an ass chewing from Justice Merchan over his demeanor in the courtroom.  Couldn’t happen to a lovelier fellow.

23. Could these red-tie guys be Neo-Yippies?

24. But to be clear, having the word “fuck” on a sign in your front yard ain’t nothing to brag about either.  Chump or no Chump. Too Republican.

    But….sounds like the hood got all down and dirty. Do the alitos even have kids ?
    It seems to be a little neighborhood war. But all the neighbors are saying all was copacetic in the da Alito zone.

    Something hinky bout dat whole scene.

    Book of the Day:
    NEIGHBORS,
    By Thomas Berger. .

25. https://www.yahoo.com/news/trumps-social-media-account-shares-010440754.html
     
    Trump’s social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a ‘unified Reich’

    What in the uber alles?

    “The headline appears among messages flashing across the screen such as “Trump wins!!” and “Economy booms!” Other headlines appear to be references to World War I.”

    “It was posted and shared on the former president’s Truth Social account while he was on a lunch break from his Manhattan hush money trial.”

    “This was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word, while the President was in court,” Karoline Leavitt, the campaign press secretary, said in a statement.

    “At least one of the headlines flashing in the video appears to be text that is copied verbatim from a Wikipedia entry on World War I: “German industrial strength and production had significantly increased after 1871, driven by the creation of a unified Reich.”

    “In one image, the headlines “Border Is Closed” and “15 Million Illegal Aliens Deported” appear above smaller text with the start and end dates of World War I.”

    *****

    “Donald Trump wants everyone to know that he did not, in fact, freeze for more than 30 seconds during his speech at the National Rifle Association convention in Dallas on Saturday.”

    “Unfortunately for Trump, the alleged freezing was caught on video, and the former president appears to awkwardly stop, and then resume while the music is still playing.”

    I saw a clip of him awkwardly drinking from a water bottle, too. He’s definitely glitching.

26. I bet he has no will.  He just can’t make up his mind.

    It will be a case of him screaming from the top of a flaming tower:
    ”Top of the world, Ma! Top of the world!”

27. NEW THREAD

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