Thread: Legal Charges Against Trump

While not Trump ... related

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Steve Bannon: Congress plots criminal charge for former Trump aide



A committee investigating the 6 January Capitol riot has said it will pursue criminal charges against former Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon next week.

Mr Bannon had been summoned to testify before the congressional panel investigating the riot on Thursday.

He did not appear, prompting the head of the committee to schedule a Tuesday vote to hold him in criminal contempt.

If convicted, Mr Bannon faces a fine and up to one year in prison. Democrats say he is trying to delay the probe.


Steve Bannon: Congress plots criminal charge for former Trump aide - BBC News

Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath in a lawsuit Monday, and his attorneys could soon set a date for a deposition in another case, as well.

The lawsuits, involving allegations that his security guards roughed up protesters outside Trump Tower in New York and allegations of defamation by former "Apprentice" contestant Summer Zervos, respectively, are just two cases in the mass of civil litigation Trump faces post-presidency.

At least 10 civil cases are pending against Trump, whose ability to delay them has been curtailed since he left office in January. Trump had argued in some of the cases that as a sitting president he was immune from civil lawsuits. His office didn't respond to a request for comment on the cases.

Here's a rundown of where the major civil suits stand.

Protesters at Trump Tower
Attorneys for protesters who allege that Trump's bodyguards assaulted them during a demonstration in 2015 proceeded to question Trump on Monday morning in a closed, videotaped session at Trump Tower — where the six protesters were demonstrating in September 2015 over Trump' comments about Mexican immigrants when he was running for president.

After the deposition, one of those attorneys, Benjamin Dictor, told reporters outside the building that his team asked the former president about his statements at campaign events and rallies that they allege "encouraged violence at those events or encouraged security guards to engage in violence or the confiscation of property."

“We believe there is ample evidence to demonstrate that before and after the incident at issue the Trump Organization, the Trump campaign and Donald J. Trump himself authorized and condoned violent acts in violation of individual rights, just as those acts that were committed against our clients" outside Trump Tower," Dictor added.

Dictor declined to comment on Trump's answers to their questions, saying only that he intended to present the sworn testimony to a jury "as soon as possible."

Trump said in an affidavit in 2016 that he has no knowledge about the altercation and that he wasn't directly involved in hiring security personnel. His attorneys tried to spare him from testifying for years, including while he was president, but the judge said his testimony was "indispensable."

In a statement Monday, Trump said the case "should have never been brought as the plaintiffs have no one to blame but themselves," and alleged the protesters "intentionally sought to rile up a crowd by blocking the entrance to Trump Tower."

"When security tried to deescalate the situation, they were unfortunately met with taunts and violence from the plaintiffs themselves," he added, calling the plaintiffs' claims of injury "baseless."

"After years of litigation, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to tell my side of this ridiculous story — Just one more example of baseless harassment of your favorite president,” Trump said.

Summer Zervos
Zervos, a contestant on Season 5 of the reality show "The Apprentice," says Trump smeared her by calling her a liar during his 2016 presidential campaign after she accused him of having subjected her to unwanted kissing and groping when she was seeking career advice in 2007, a year after she appeared on the show.

An attorney for Trump declined to comment. Trump's attorneys have said that his statements were true and that they plan to file a countersuit.

At a court conference this month, the judge's law clerk said all depositions must be completed by Dec. 23.

"The defendant is now a private citizen, and he just cannot delay this litigation any longer," Zervos attorney Moira Penza told the clerk, according to The Associated Press.

Trump's attorneys could file court papers Monday to set a date for his deposition.

E. Jean Carroll
Like Zervos, E. Jean Carroll is suing Trump for defamation, contending that he slandered her by accusing her of making up allegations of sexual assault. Carroll alleges that Trump raped her during a chance encounter in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s.

Trump countered that "she's not my type" and that the incident "never happened," and he accused her of concocting the story to sell her 2019 memoir, in which she recounted the allegation of assault. Carroll says she still has the dress from the encounter, and her attorney has asked for a DNA sample from Trump to help prove her claim.

The state case was transferred to federal court last year after the Justice Department sought to intervene, arguing that Trump was immune because the statements were part of his official responsibilities. The judge disagreed, a ruling that Trump and the Justice Department have appealed.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in December, and deposition dates could be set soon after the court rules.

Business investors
Trump, his children Eric, Don Jr. and Ivanka, and his company are also being sued in the same courthouse by a group of people who claim that the family conned them into making bad investments in businesses the Trumps were promoting. The suit, which seeks class-action status for thousands of people, alleges that Trump hid that he was being paid millions to endorse the companies.

"From 2005 to at least 2015, defendants received millions of dollars in secret payments to promote and endorse ACN," the suit alleges, referring to a multilevel marketing company that was among the businesses the Trumps were endorsing. "In return, Donald J. Trump told prospective investors that '[y]ou have a great opportunity before you at ACN without any of the risks most entrepreneurs have to take,' and that ACN's flagship videophone was doing 'half-a-billion dollars' worth of sales a year.' Trump also told investors that he had 'experienced the opportunity' and 'done a lot of research,' and that his endorsement was 'not for any money.' Not a word of this was true."

Trump's attorneys contended that the investors didn't have a case because none of them paid the Trumps directly, and they argued that the family isn't responsible for any of their losses. They also argued that Trump's statements were opinion and that they included "puffery" that no "reasonable investor" would have relied upon.

Depositions are supposed to be concluded by April 29, and the case is expected to go to trial in 2023.

Trump faces a pile of civil lawsuits as depositions begin

If only this whole circus would start . . .

Bannon has been held in contempt.

Not just by most reasonable people as you would expect.

US: January 6 panel votes to hold Steve Bannon in contempt - The Week

It's still got to go to the AG i think, or the DOJ for a criminal referral. This is just the first step.

Originally Posted by Cujo

It's still got to go to the AG i think, or the DOJ for a criminal referral.

The AG runs the DOJ. No telling if it will be him personally who decides to press charges. Most likely not, as it will be delegated to DOJ prosecutors who will decide.

Another to add to the long and growing list

Trump’s Pile of Legal Fights Grows Bigger With New Golf Course Probe, Says Report

The legal pressure on Donald Trump keeps ratcheting up. His family business was already under indictment in Manhattan, he faces at least 10 civil cases against him, and now, according to a new report, his New York golf resort is facing a fresh criminal inquiry.

The New York Times reports that the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has subpoenaed financial records from Trump National Golf Club Westchester. According to the Times, local District Attorney Mimi E. Rocah is looking into whether the Trump Organization misled local officials about the golf resort’s value in order to ease its property tax burden. However, Rocah, who is a Democrat, is yet to accuse any Trump Org officials of wrongdoing and the Times states that it’s unclear if Trump’s personal conduct is under question. Neither the Trump Org nor Rocah commented on the Times report.: https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps...be-says-report

This is a good a place as any ...

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Lev Parnas found guilty on campaign finance charges

New York (CNN) Rudy Giuliani's former associate Lev Parnas was convicted on six counts related to "influence buying" campaign finance schemes.

A jury of eight men and four women found Parnas guilty of scheming with co-conspirators to use a Russian backer's money to fund political contributions they hoped to trade for political favor for their budding joint cannabis venture.

The Ukrainian businessman was also convicted for using money from Igor Fruman - who previously pleaded guilty -- and a fake company to funnel hundreds of thousands in political contributions to GOP and pro-Donald Trump committees and then lying about it to the Federal Election Commission.

A $325,000 donation to the America First Action Super PAC at issue in the case was first flagged in a 2018 FEC complaint

Lev Parnas found guilty on campaign finance charges - CNNPolitics

Has he got room to snitch for a reduced sentence?

Pa. voting official sues Trump, Giuliani, others over 2020 allegations

The supervisor of a voting machine warehouse in the Philadelphia suburbs is suing Donald Trump and top political advisers in a Philadelphia-based county court, saying the former president slandered him during a months-long effort to overturn the 2020 election results.

In a 60-page lawsuit, James Savage, the voting machine warehouse custodian in Delaware County, says that in the aftermath of Trump’s effort, he suffered two heart attacks and has regularly received threats. In addition to Trump, he’s suing some of Trump’s key advisers, including his former campaign attorneys Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, who has largely escaped investigators’ scrutiny so far.

“Simply put, Mr. Savage’s physical safety, and his reputation, were acceptable collateral damage for the wicked intentions of the Defendants herein,” says Savage’s attorney J. Conor Corcoran, “executed during their lubricious attempt to question the legitimacy of President Joseph Biden’s win in Pennsylvania.”

Savage is seeking monetary damages and a jury trial on charges of defamation and civil conspiracy. The suit against Trump, Giuliani, Ellis, local GOP officials and others was first reported by Law360. The defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The lawsuit is the latest in a series by targets of Trump’s false voter fraud claims seeking compensation for the wreckage they say Trump left as he and his allies pushed claims about malfeasance by state and local election officials.

Trump or his campaign, and many of his allies, have faced suits from employees of Dominion Voting Systems, Capitol Police officers who responded to the violent Jan. 6 attack and members of Congress who fled the pro-Trump mob seeking to halt certification of the election.

Savage’s attorneys conceded that Trump and the other defendants typically didn’t name Savage in public statements linking him to misconduct, but the new lawsuit says that doesn’t matter.

“Although the Defendants mostly referred to Mr. Savage by his job title, the Voting Machine Warehouse Supervisor, anyone who heard or saw these defamatory statements or insinuations would have known that they were referring to Mr. Savage, because he was the only Chief Custodian/Voting Machine Warehouse Supervisor position in Delaware County,” the suit says.

”It was obvious there was only one person who was being accused of election fraud by all of the Defendants herein,” the complaint adds.

As the warehouse supervisor, Savage “managed the storage, security, programming, testing, and delivery of all voting equipment in Delaware County.”

“As is well known by poll watchers and election officials, this position did not vest the Plaintiff with any ability to conduct vote tabulation whatsoever,” his attorney noted.

But two GOP poll watchers also named in the lawsuit — Greg Stenstrom and Leah Hoopes — accused him of tampering with machines by illegally uploading votes. Those claims became part of a patchwork of easily debunked allegations that Trump and his allies relied on to sow doubts about the integrity of the vote.

Hoopes and Stenstrom both spoke at a public hearing called in late November by Pennsylvania Republicans, attended by Giuliani and Ellis, and lodged their claims against Savage, claiming they witnessed him uploading USB cards to the voting machines in his custody, which altered the tabulation by 50,000 votes.

“I personally witnessed ... that happen 24 times, over 24 times,” Stenstrom said at the hearing. “We have multiple other witnesses who saw it, including Democrat poll watchers.”

Trump, who called into the Pennsylvania hearing, referenced the 50,000 vote figure in his remarks but didn’t identify Savage specifically.

Stenstrom repeated those claims at a subsequent press conference, in an interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity and in an affidavit filed in multiple lawsuits supporting Trump’s effort to overturn Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania.

“All Defendants herein knew that such fraud was impossible,” Savage’s attorney argues.

I wish him well . . . and that he wins big to live the rest of his life in luxury

Trump cannot shield White House records from Jan. 6 committee, judge rules

A federal judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s effort to block Jan. 6 investigators from accessing White House records related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election, determining that he has no authority to overrule President Joe Biden’s decision to waive executive privilege and release the materials to Congress.

“Presidents are not kings, and Plaintiff is not President,” Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in her ruling Tuesday.

Trump immediately appealed the decision. The National Archives, which houses the White House records, has indicated it plans to hand over the sensitive documents by Friday afternoon unless a court intervenes.

The decision is a crucial victory for the Jan. 6 committee, albeit one that may ring hollow if an appeals court — or, potentially, the Supreme Court — steps in to slow the process down.

In August, the Jan. 6 committee issued a massive records request to the National Archives, seeking documents from the Trump White House between April 2020 and Jan. 2021 that might shed light on Trump’s effort to spread false claims of voter fraud and overturn his defeat. Investigators say the records are essential to understanding how Trump weaponized his administration to try to cling to power even after he lost the election.

As the Archives began identifying records, Biden backed the committee’s requests, waiving executive privilege and urging officials to give the panel access to his predecessor’s documents. Last month, Trump sued the Jan. 6 committee and the National Archives, saying the records should be withheld because of “executive privilege” confidentiality, and asked a judge to prevent the records from being released.

Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the House committee, saluted the ruling.

“We can only present the facts,” he said. “Look, I'm happy we got a good decision from the judge. It says we're on sound footing by getting this information. And if somebody is hollering this hard and this loud, I am to assume that undoubtedly, you have something to hide. If we have access to the records, they'll speak for themselves. So we look forward, as a committee, to getting it. And we'll let the evidence based on what we look at determine guilt or innocence.“

https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000...f-bfffcf270000

^ I loved this quote ...

"[Mr Trump's] position that he may override the express will of the executive branch appears to be premised on the notion that his executive power exists in perpetuity,'" she said.

"But presidents are not kings, and plaintiff is not president."

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Trump immediately appealed the decision

Of course he did cuz this is the one that will not only put him out of biz but could land him in jail.

Originally Posted by David48atTD

^ I loved this quote ."But presidents are not kings, and plaintiff is not president..

You know that’s just the thing that gets under his thin, orange skin.

Trump is certainly Engaging Cry-Baby Mode at this point. He even started talking about Georgia again, and his behavior this week should be interesting.

Originally Posted by Norton

Of course he did cuz this is the one that will not only put him out of biz but could land him in jail.

You are dreaming

I won't happen

Wish it would though

But would set an awful precedent for your presidents

Originally Posted by helge

But would set an awful precedent for your presidents

Yeah imagine that, presidents actually being held to account for their crimes.

How awful.

Friday the 12^th of November - 8:00 pm EST

Originally Posted by Norton

Of course he did cuz this is the one that will not only put him out of biz but could land him in jail.

I doubt the stupid orange c u n t even knows what's going on. He's spent his life relying on smarter *** people to do his work for him.



*** It doesn't take much to be smarter than him.

Originally Posted by helge

You are dreaming

I won't happen

Wish it would though

But would set an awful precedent for your presidents

Maybe not but unlike Tricky Dicky he won't get pardoned by the President. No matter Trump is done as a politician. Plus when the IRS and the states sueing are done with him his self proclaimed fortune will be non existent. Som nam na motherfucker.

Isn't odd that the forum trumpanzees are not in here foaming at the mouth defending their orange god?

Originally Posted by Norton

Maybe not but unlike Tricky Dicky he won't get pardoned by the President.

I wouldn't bet on that.