Apr.03

electoral-vote.com

Dem 51

   

GOP 49

Trump Legal News: Crazy Train

There were numerous developments related to Donald Trump's various legal entanglements. They have little to do with each other, however, so we're going to run down them list-style:

• Eastman Goes South: Last week, State Bar Court Judge Yvette D. Roland decreed that Trump lawyer John Eastman should be disbarred, and yesterday she made it official and stripped him of his license. He still has a couple of potential appeals, with a final decision to be made by the California Supreme Court, but according to experts, his odds are not good.
  
  In her 128-page decision, Roland was unsparing in her criticism of Eastman, writing (among other things): "Eastman conspired with President Trump to obstruct a lawful function of the government of the United States; specifically, by conspiring to disrupt the electoral count on January 6, 2021, in violation of [the federal conspiracy statute]..." This is not good news for Trump, because his "advice-of-counsel" defense is not applicable if that advice was for Trump to do something illegal. And Trump can't argue "I didn't know it was illegal" because there are numerous White House lawyers (like Pat Cipollone and Patrick Philbin) that have already testified, and will testify again, that they warned Trump that what Eastman was advocating was illegal.
  
  
• Donald's Hope: Hope Hicks, who was once as close to Trump as anyone not named "Trump," has been added to the prosecution's witness list for his upcoming hush money trial. While Hicks is not eager to throw her former boss under the bus, the way former fixer Michael Cohen is, she also won't perjure herself, and she's much more credible than Cohen. So, the general assumption from experienced prosecutors is that she will be called to corroborate Cohen's testimony that Trump conspired to break the law. If so, that would be two witnesses attesting to the scheme; one who carried it out but is sleazy, and one who was privy to the whole thing and is not sleazy.
  
  
• Donald's a Dope: Just hours after he was gagged from attacking Judge Juan Merchan's family (including Merchan's daughter), Trump got on his boutique social media site and posted a clip of a bunch of Fox talking heads attacking Merchan's daughter.
  
  Why does Trump do this? Does he think it makes him look strong? Is he trying to show everyone he's a trickster who knows exactly what he can get away with? Is he just unable to control himself, and he has to find some way to lash out? All of the above? In any event, he makes a mockery of the legal system; nobody else would be allowed to get away with these shenanigans. Frankly, Merchan should jail Trump on contempt charges; even if Trump got himself released on appeal, he'd still spend a couple of days behind bars.
  
  
• Why Does Anyone Go into Business with This Guy, Again?: Trump's efforts to cash out his stock in his scammy social media shell company are complicated by several ongoing lawsuits. One of those is from Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, who helped Trump create this new company, and who own 8.6% of the stock in it. Yesterday, he countersued and said he wants all their shares to be awarded to him, since they don't deserve them. Litinsky and Moss really should have learned from Trump business partners who profited handsomely from their association and who were treated well by The Donald, like... um... er... Well, as they say, it is the nature of a snake to bite.

And that is the latest 24 hours' worth of Trump legal news. Who knows what the next 24 hours will bring. (Z)