Samantha Rawling Craig

The Hill

Trump indicted in Stormy Daniels hush-money case

Former President Trump was indicted on criminal charges in New York on Thursday for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an ad

Former President Trump was indicted on criminal charges in New York on Thursday for his role in organizing hush money payments made to an adult film star during his 2016 campaign, according to a source familiar with the proceedings

Vanity Fair

Report: Trump Was Basically One Step Away From Throwing a “No Indictment” Party

The ex-president apparently believed he was in the clear.

One of the funniest subplots in the Donald Trump Indictment Show—which centers on the hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016—involves the multiple reports that, after predicting to his followers that he would be arrested on March 21, the ex-president and his allies came to believe he was in the clear.

Trump, The Washington Post reported late Thursday, “had grown cautiously optimistic” in recent days, after “advisers had counseled him that a possible indictment by a Manhattan grand jury…would not come for some time—if at all.” The former president, the outlet noted, was apparently so unconcerned about the prospect of being charged that he’d “even begun joking about ‘golden handcuffs,’” which is probably not something one does if one thinks there’s a legitimate possibility they might be indicted, convicted, and sentenced to time in prison. “It was a surprise to everybody,” David Urban, a longtime Trump adviser, told the Post, which noted that “some of his lawyers had been preparing to take a few days off.” Following the indictment, The New York Times similarly reported that “Trump and his aides were caught off guard by the timing, believing that any action by the grand jury was still weeks away and might not occur at all.” The paper of record noted that Trump had recently been “telling nearly anyone that he was in a good mood and that he believed the case against him by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, had fallen apart.”

Of course, the biggest indication that Trump indeed believed he’d outrun Bragg? His taking to Truth Social on Wednesday to write: “I HAVE GAINED SUCH RESPECT FOR THIS GRAND JURY, & PERHAPS EVEN THE GRAND JURY SYSTEM AS A WHOLE…. THE GRAND JURY IS SAYING, HOLD ON, WE ARE NOT A RUBBER STAMP, WHICH MOST GRAND JURIES ARE BRANDED AS BEING, WE ARE NOT GOING TO VOTE AGAINST A PREPONDERANCE OF EVIDENCE OR AGAINST LARGE NUMBERS OF LEGAL SCHOLARS ALL SAYING THERE IS NO CASE HERE.” Sure, that could have been an unabashed attempt to sway the jurors through flattery—but, in retrospect, those very much sound like the words of a man who was extremely confident he was not going to be indicted. “Such respect”! “The grand jury system as a whole”! “The grand jury is saying, hold on”! Do you think he still stands by these statements? If there were ever a time for the internet-ism “ROTFLMAO,” it would be now.

In related news, according to the Times, Trump was less focused on “the legal consequences” of the indictment Thursday than “the political implications.” Trump previously said he would not drop out of the 2024 presidential race if charged, boldly claiming that being indicted might actually help his chances of making it back to the White House. One adviser told the Post that the ex-president and current presidential candidate is planning to “milk [the indictment] for all it’s worth politically.” And while Trump has reportedly raised millions since he first claimed he’d be arrested earlier this month, it does not appear that people are reacting exactly as he had hoped.

Per the Post:

"The causeway that leads to Mar-a-Lago has long been a rally spot for Trump supporters, especially during his presidency, when they would regularly gather to cheer on his motorcade. But as the sun set along the causeway Thursday, more people were fishing for sand perch and croaker than had shown up to support the former president. Shortly before 8 p.m., only a half dozen Trump supporters had amassed in their usual spot."

Meanwhile, according to the Times, on Thursday, “a large group of former Trump Organization employees was quietly cheering the latest developments via text messages.”

Trump’s Dominos

According to allegations by the New York State, Attorney General, Trump has been engaged in serial fraud for decades.

But neither the Feds nor any State agency had the beginnings of an understanding of what was criminally amiss.

Until Trump ripped open the curtain for them.

These appear to be the dominoes lead to his catastrophic reversal of fortune.

Domino #1 October 2016. Trump has Michael Cohen set up a corporation with the purposes of paying hush money to cover up his adult ties

Parenthetically in 2016 he could simply have “a gentleman doesn’t comment on such matters”. If he’d not made the Stormy Daniel payment.

Instead Trump himself knocked over the domino.

Domino #2 October 2016.: Cohen makes an apparently aborted offer to pay hush money to Karen McDougal. The story of Trump with McDougal subsequently appears in the Wall Street Journal prior to the election of 2016.

Domino #3 October 2016: Stormy Daniels retains Karen McDougal’s attorney. Michael Cohen does make a hush money payment of $130,000 to Ms. Daniels.

Domino #4 January 2018: The Stormy Daniels story breaks in the Wall Street Journal.

Domino #5 April 2018: Paying hush money payment is apparently a violation of federal election laws regarding interference. Accordingly, the FBI executed a search warrant for Michael Collins records.

Domino #6 March 2019: Michael Cohen trial opens for charges of tax fraud for unreported income from the Trump organization, as well as election interference.

Domino #7 March 2019: federal prosecutors serve a subpoena on Trump CFO Alan Weisselberg who testifies under a grant of partial immunity from federal prosecution.

Domino #8 August 2019: Michael Cohen pleads guilty to tax fraud and election interference. CONVICTION #1 (Criminal Tax fraud resulting from payments by Trump Organization.

Domino #9 2019: based on testimony by Weisselberg, the state of New York, seeks the Trump organization financial records

Domino #10 July 2020: the Supreme Court ruled the trump organization tax records to be handed over to the Manhattan district attorney.

Domino #11 2020. NY State District of Manhattan opens criminal investigation into the Trump organization. Subpoenas bank records.

Domino #12 mid-2021: NY State Attorney General opens civil executive law case for fraudulent activities.

Domino # 13 August 2022: Alan Weisselberg pleads guilty to 15 counts of criminal tax fraud. As part of his plea agreement agree to testify against the trump organization. CONVICTION #2 (Criminal Tax Fraud)

Domino #14 December, 2022: Two Trump companies convicted of criminal fraud. CONVICTION #3 (Criminal Tax Fraud).

Domino #15 January 2023: Further criminal proceedings set in Manhattan District.

Domino #16. September 2023: Judge rules for the State in a Motion for Summary Judgment for the seizure and disgorgement of Trump business assets due to systemic fraud FOUND LIABLE #1. (Fraud).

SCORECARD:

Trump Losses:

Involvement by the Trump Organization in the three criminal fraud convictions noted above.

Being found Liable for Fraud in the civil Executive Law case.

PLUS the dissolution of the Trump Charity and the 19 Admissions of Wrongdoing as part of that resolution.

Innumerable appeals rebuffed I ncluding to the US Supreme Court.

Trump Wins: ZERO

FAGGOT BITCH CRIMINAL TECHNOLOGIES MAKING DECISIONS BASED UPON SENSORY INPUT INFORMATION RELATED TO INDIVIDUALS THAT WIDELY VARIES FROM THE FACTS OF PHYSICAL REALITY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD AND VIRTUALLY CONTINUOUS SENSORY REPLACEMENT. YOU DON'T CHECK FOR SENSORY REPLACEMENT BEING A FACTOR, EVERY SINGLE TIME IN RELATIONSHIP TO EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU DON'T USE SENSORY REPLACEMENT IN YOUR OPERATIONS AND DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND IT DOESN'T EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE AND IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CAUSE OR ACHIEVE ANYHOW ANYTIME ANY WAY.

Washington Press

THREATENED: Key witness in Trump NY charges spills on threats since indictment

Since the indictment of Donald Trump, at least one key witness in the case has seen a noticeable rise in the number and vehemence of threats

Stormy Daniels is well aware that her career path is commonly co-opted as a tool to discredit and smear her, but this time, she says, things are different. Since the news broke that a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Donald Trump on charges that are still sealed but likely rest at least partially on her testimony, she’s not just being attacked with the usual slurs (“whore,” “slut,” etc), but with direct threats.

“This time it’s ‘I’m gonna murder you’. They’re way more violent and graphic,” she says.

Recommend attaching additional identifying information to personnel files to supplement identification numbers and avoid confusion associated with data substitution attacks

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Lower level members of the organization getting disguised as the bosses by enemies who want to manipulate the whole group

FAGGOT BITCH CRIMINAL TECHNOLOGIES MAKING DECISIONS BASED UPON SENSORY INPUT INFORMATION RELATED TO INDIVIDUALS THAT WIDELY VARIES FROM THE FACTS OF PHYSICAL REALITY BECAUSE OF WIDESPREAD AND VIRTUALLY CONTINUOUS SENSORY REPLACEMENT. YOU DON'T CHECK FOR SENSORY REPLACEMENT BEING A FACTOR, EVERY SINGLE TIME IN RELATIONSHIP TO EVERYTHING BECAUSE YOU DON'T USE SENSORY REPLACEMENT IN YOUR OPERATIONS AND DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT AND IT DOESN'T EXIST IN THE FIRST PLACE AND IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CAUSE OR ACHIEVE ANYHOW ANYTIME ANY WAY.