Thursday, March 23, 2023

Flotsam and Jetsam - Bragg Balks, FBI Infiltrated J6 Defense

Apparently, the testimony of Trump lawyer Robert Costello to the grand jury empanelled specifically to target Donald Trump, and a large piece of written testimony on Michael Cohen's reliability as a witness has thrown the planned indictment for a bit of a loop. Nick Arama at Red State reports Bombshell 2018 Letter Delivers a Gut Punch to Manhattan DA's Case Against Trump 

In a 2018 letter that Michael Cohen’s then-lawyer wrote to the Federal Election Commission, Cohen said that he “used his own personal funds to facilitate a payment of $130,000 to Ms. Stephanie Clifford,” aka Stormy Daniels, in 2016. That also matches what Cohen told Costello.
Mr. Cohen has not been a government employee during any of the relevant time period. The payment in question does not constitute a campaign contribution or expenditure and, therefore, the FEC lacks jurisdiction over this matter. The complainants have not and cannot present any evidence to the contrary. Accordingly, the complaint should be dismissed.’
The letter contradicts what Cohen said later after he flipped on Trump to try to stay out of jail and presumably it also contradicts what he said to the grand jury.

Sundance at CTH, Bombshell 2018 Letter From Cohen Attorney to FEC *SHOULD* Collapse Pretext of Alvin Bragg Nonsense Case Against Donald Trump.  At JTN,Nick Givas and John Solomon Memos from 2018-19 shake up Trump case: Cohen denied having incriminating evidence on hush money, "A lawyer who formerly advised Michael Cohen alleges that in 2018 the ex-Trump adviser claimed to know nothing about the former president committing wrongdoing, including on hush money to women "  and Ben Whedon, Cohen attorney letter to FEC appears to undercut DA Bragg's Trump case, "Former President Donald Trump shared the letter on Truth Social, declaring it to be "totally exculpatory." Matt Margolis at PJM, Soros-Funded DA Alvin Bragg May Have Hidden Exculpatory Evidence in Trump Case. Ace, Alvin Bragg Hid Exculpatory Evidence From Donald Trump; Knew That Michael Cohen Was Directly Contradicting His Previous Claims Made to Prosecutors, But Presented His New, Improved Testimony While Hiding His Orginal (sic) Testimony. "That's why Rudy Giuliani' attorney Robert Costello insisted on testifying -- to tell the grand jury the things that Soros DA Alvin Bragg was hiding from them." And then, from Hat Hair's John Sexton, a Report of 'Major dissension' within Bragg's office as grand jury is told to stay home for the day. Matt Margolis, Trump Grand Jury Session Abruptly Canceled.  From  PM,  Grand jury investigating Trump over 'hush money' called off for Wednesday, delaying possible indictment vote, "It is unlikely the grand jury will meet for the rest of the week, delaying the process into next week." WaEx, Trump indictment: Manhattan grand jury delays decision to charge former president. Sundance, Bragg Hit the Brakes – Manhattan Grand Jury Told to Take Day Off, Delaying Any Indictment of President Trump. Of course, this doesn't mean they won't indict him, just that they will have to overlook a mountain of exculpatory evidence. As Vicky Taft at PJM notes Of Course Donald Trump Could Be Charged at Any Moment by an Unethical, Spiteful Prosecutor. At Althouse, "But for falsifying business records to be a felony, not a misdemeanor, Mr. Bragg’s prosecutors must show that Mr. Trump’s 'intent to defraud' included an intent to commit or conceal a second crime." "From "The Legal Intricacies That Could Make or Break the Case Against Trump/To try to convict the former president of a felony, prosecutors might attempt to connect state election law to a federal election" (NYT)."

Tristan Justice at Da Fed is disgusted by how Politico Jumps To Make A Folk Hero Out Of Left-Wing Prosecutor Targeting Trump. Althouse is amused by Deepfakes. New York Post@nypost "Chilling deepfakes claiming to show Trump’s arrest spread across Twitter https://trib.al/7hp4Xs3" At Mediaite, ‘Killing Me!’ Trump Haters Can’t Contain Themselves Over AI-Generated Photos of Cops Nailing and Jailing Trump. Althouse again, "Trump has caused the New York Times to write a front page article about his purported positivity about performing a perp walk!"

Phil Holloway at Front Page, The Legally and Morally Flawed Case Against Trump. "A twisted perversion of the justice process." At Da Caller, Indicting Trump Has Nothing To Do With The Law. Here’s Why. Rabbi Fischer at Am Spec, Why a Trump Arrest Imperils the American Idea. "It always has been part of the American Oral Law that we do not take into custody or arraign our presidents or former presidents." Margot Cleveland at Da Fed claims Indicting Trump Will Usher In America’s Banana-Republic Stage, or at least make it clear. Matt Margolis at PJM hears Tucker Carlson Makes a Chilling Prediction About Possible Trump Indictment

"If the Democratic Party is allowed to do this, allowed to crush the presidential front-runner, the main threat to their power, with a bogus criminal case, where does that leave us? We’re done because that precedent will live forever and voters will never again determine the outcome of a presidential election. It’s remarkable when you think about it,” Carlson said. “What happens if they get away with this? No one seems to be thinking this through. Everyone’s all spun up, but what happens if they get away with this? "

Sundance, Intentional Provocations – Tucker Carlson Outlines the Latest Expectations on the Trump Arrest and 1,000+ Pending Indictments Against J6 Protesters


Also, Mexican President AMLO Hits Biden Over Likely Arrest of Trump, While Pushing Back Against Dangerous Cartel Narrative. From the Daily Fetched, Mexican President: Democrats Want to Use Trump Indictment to Stop Him Running in 2024. From Breitbart, Rand Paul Says DA Should Be Jailed: A Trump Indictment a ‘Disgusting Abuse of Power’ and Exclusive — House Administration Chair Bryan Steil: Alvin Bragg Has ‘Until Thursday to Come Forward’ to Congress. Atop Da Hill, Trump lawyer: If he’s indicted ‘this is an all-out war.’ Insty, has A FRIEND ON FACEBOOK: “Social conservatives I know are always really pessimistic about the direction of things but remember Democrats have gone from saying ‘it’s just sex!’ about Bill Clinton to demanding a former president be arrested for having a mistress.”

Andrea Widburg at Am Think thinks Fulton County, Georgia, is also contemplating lawfare to derail Trump’s presidential run. Ben Whedon at JTN,  Appeals court rejects Trump effort to withhold docs from special counsel. "Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Smith to oversee the DOJ's Trump investigations following the former president's announcement that he would seek the presidency in 2024." At the Babylon Bee, Democrats Vow To Arrest As Many Political Opponents As It Takes To Defeat Fascism

At Da Caller, FBI Informant Was Embedded In Jan. 6 Defense Team, Lawyers Allege. The redoubtable  Julie Kelly@julie_kelly2 "BREAKING NEWS: Just when you think DOJ can't get any dirtier-- New motion just filed by defense in Proud Boys trial accusing DOJ of using an FBI informant to spy on and infiltrate the defense team" If history is any guide, the Proud Boys had more undercover agents than actual members, but to let them stay and spy on the defense is unconscionable. Capt. Ed at Hat Hair House has a report: DoJ whistleblowers show Garland, Biden admin improperly cast protesting parents as domestic-terror threats. Natalia Mittelstadt at JTN, John Solomon sues DOJ, National Archives over access to declassified Trump-Russia probe memos, "The suit, brought with help of America First Legal, alleges DOJ is violating the Presidential Records Act by keeping the declassified records from the Archives." "alleging they have wrongly kept from public inspection hundreds of pages of documents chronicling the FBI's bungled Russia collusion probe that were declassified by former President Donald Trump." Dan Chaitin at Da Wire reports Matt Gaetz Announces Resolution Dedicated To Stopping FBI HQ Funds. Build them a new one in Fargo ND, then burn the old one and salt the ground.

Ace, Surprise! Another Democrat City Is Paying Off BLM For Injuries They Claim They Suffered When They Rioted and Forced Police to Use Tear Gas to Disperse the Mob. "The right gets sent to prison, solitary confinement in fact, without trial, and the Democrats' Street Militia gets paid with taxpayer funds. The corrupt Democrat pit of Philadelphia just agreed to pay rioters $9.25 million, for services rendered to the Democrat-Marxist cause."

Politico forced to admit that the Air Force IDs 2 new GOP candidates whose military records were improperly released "The military branch notified House Republicans that a total of seven congressional candidates in 2022, all in their party, had personnel material released without authorization."

At PJM J C Adams claims Biden Executive Order on Equity Rhymes With Jim Crow  “Further Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.” Make no mistake: this executive order has the effect of pushing us backward toward a racially divided nation, just like the good old days. Dave Strom at Hat Hair hears Biden say Republicans want to make the border insecure. 'Bonchie' at Red State watches Biden Try to Recite Poem Multiple Times, Fail Miserably in Embarrassing Spectacle. Which may explain why, from the Free Bacon, Hidin' Biden: See How Few Interviews Biden Has Given Compared With Past Presidents. Fox, Progressives trash ‘status quo’ Biden running in 2024: He ‘must’ step down. "Former U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich claimed Biden's age was 'deeply worrying'"  Julio Rosas at Town Hall is amused when Another Biden Judicial Nominee Gets Embarrassed by Sen. Kennedy With One Question  
"Tell me how you analyze a Brady motion," Kennedy told Crews. The Brady motion is a request by a defendant to compel prosecutors in a criminal case to turn over potentially favorable evidence. It is named after the Supreme Court case that affirmed it, Brady v. Maryland. "How I analyze a Brady motion...Senator, in my four and a half years on the bench, I don't believe I've had the occasion to address a Brady motion in my career," Crews replied. "Do you know what a Brady motion is?" Kennedy asked.

Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, tries to explain Why the White House isn't telling Congress about spy balloons "We could read any number of ulterior motives into this story, but the bottom line seems to be that they still really don’t have a handle on the situation." At WaEx, Nevada governor slams Biden for locking up mineral-rich land in new monuments. That's OK, we can always get them from China, right? But at LI, Mary Chastain has good news for Biden, a Report that Kamala Harris Will Campaign in Urban Centers, Target Black Voters for Biden’s 2024 Campaign, “But I don’t know that the people who have to make that happen feel that way right now. I don’t know that she has what it takes to get over the hump in our present environment.”

At the Free Bacon, Think Tank Executive Provided ‘Explosive’ Info to FBI About Hunter Biden’s Chinese Deals, Lawyer Claims. "An Israeli think tank executive claims he told the FBI in 2019 that members of the Biden family warned a Chinese energy executive about a coming federal investigation, allowing him to flee the country before being placed under arrest." Uh oh. From Breitbart, White House Withholds Requested Info About Biden’s Classified Doc Scandal Cover-Up. At the PI, Hunter Biden Scandal Plagues President

Da Caller claims Trump Unveils Plan To ‘Dismantle The Deep State’ I'm rooting for it, but the Deep State is tougher than Kudzu. Althouse, "Ever since Trump perfected the template (grandiose, manipulative, easily wounded, unable to tolerate even minor scenarios in which he isn’t deemed central or special)...". Rick Moran at PJM, Trump Continues to Increase His Primary Lead Over DeSantis After Indictment Threat. At the FreeP, Amid Arrest Claim, Trump’s Popularity Surges Relative To Florida Gov. DeSantis Robin M. Itzler at Am Think thinks There Are Compelling Pragmatic Considerations Behind Supporting Trump Or DeSantis "It’s still very early in the cycle, but my guess is that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will not run for president." I disagree. At NYPo, Trump’s ‘DeSanctimonious’ nickname is ‘fine,’ Ron DeSantis says. At Twitchy, Maybe when Ron DeSantis has a few extra minutes, he can explain to Maggie Haberman how jokes work. Why waste the time? No DeSantis fan, sundance, Returning to Neocon Roots – DeSantis Backtracks on His Tucker Carlson Ukraine Position as Territorial Dispute, Now Says “I think it’s been mischaracterized,” and “Putin is a war criminal” At the Conservative Brief, Geraldo Rivera Roasted After Giving His Pick For Republican Presidential Nominee, and rightly; Chris Christie? 

Rick Moran wonders Is Iowa Becoming the 'Florida of the North'? Tom Finnerty at The Pipeline thinks he detects Chinese Interference in Canadian Elections? Looks That Way

Even though it was quite clear that Fed rate hikes had precipitated the current banking crisis the Fed is going to raise the rate again. Rock, hard place. From the Peacock, Fed hikes rates by a quarter percentage point, indicates increases are near an end. The Center Square, Treasury Secretary Yellen warns more bank bailouts could be coming, “Our intervention was necessary to protect the broader U.S. banking system,” she said. Steve Dewey at Am Spec, Back-to-Back Bank Closures: The Fallout From the Failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. "The failure of two large regional banks had an array of causes, but the remedial actions of federal regulators are of even greater concern." Joe Popularis at Da Fed says The Silicon Valley Bank Bailout Sends Exactly The Wrong Message And Endangers The Economy. Leslie Eastman at LI, Monday’s Stock Market Roller Coaster Session Shows Banks’ Sales May Ease Current Crisis. "However, there are signs new problems could be on the horizon as midsize banks are now asking FDIC to protect all deposits."1945 explains Why The U.S. Economy Could Crash This Summer

Hat Hair's Beege Wellborn, sees the CBO considering "means testing" for VA disability payments among other nasty ways to cut spending. Athena Thorne at PJM thinks the U.S. Takes a Step Closer to National Divorce as Anti-ESG States Coalition Announced.

At Althouse, "Stanford Law School is requiring all students to attend educational programming on free speech after protesters interrupted a speech..." ""... by a conservative federal judge earlier this month. The law school will hold 'a mandatory half-day session in spring quarter for all students on the topic of freedom of speech and the norms of the legal profession,' Stanford Law School Dean Jenny Martinez said in a public letter to students Wednesday. Associate Dean Tirien Steinbach, who spoke at the March 9 event with US Judge Kyle Duncan, 'is currently on leave,' Martinez said." John Sexton, Stanford Law announces DEI dean is on leave, students will get mandatory free speech training. From the New Criterion, Juiced at Stanford "On the free-speech double standard at Stanford Law School." David Berentstein at the Volokh Report congratulates Stanford Law Dean Jennifer Martinez's Excellent Defense of Free Speech and Civility. Insty at his substack, It Should Be Safe to be Unpopular.

To be continued . . .

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