Thread: Donald Trump : Former POTUS

Every day, more drama. America will become a laughingstock again, under another trump administration.

i'm afraid biden is even more of a laughing stock than trump. it is sad that america, with its human resources, its people, its opportunities and its optimism cannot find someone better to stand for president than those two divisive characters. one a mumbling bumbling pseudo irish fool, and the other one a egomaniacal gangster. but of the two, it is trump that would do a better job of it, in spite of the woke backlash that would result.

Originally Posted by taxexile

in spite of the woke backlash that would result.

What does "woke" mean in your use of the word?

Everyone, the reason why Tax loathes Biden so much is that his mentor newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, an extreme right wing Jew/ Loony Brexitory shill publication, hates Biden because he told the English Brexit fuckos that a free trade deal was not on the cards as long as the English cvunts threaten to destabilise the Good Friday Agreement in Ireland.
And no matter how much the English get on their knees to suck US cock that position ain’t going to change.
Poor Tax, he simply can’t acknowledge the reality the English are as irrelevant as tits on a bull.
Biden has restored orthodox protocols stabilising governance and re-established a coherent communication network between the White House, Defence and the State Department.
Under the fat, lardy-arsed, orange, rapist fraudster it was a circus of carousels and little else ending in insurrection by the stupid, the deluded and, arguably, the insane.
Anyone actively proposing his return is clearly demented.
Poor, poor Tax, a fat-arsed, ageing Yorkshire tyke running out of time to spend his money that keeps him warm every night.

Originally Posted by Topper

What does "woke" mean in your use of the word?

Essentially anyone with a brain who recognises Tax talks gibberish.

He really does...constantly spouts the drivel he sucks up from Murdoch inc.

Originally Posted by Topper

What does "woke" mean in your use of the word?

those obsessed with an extremely righteous sense of liberalism and who follow, promote and demand an intolerant and moralising ideology.


s.a.

fat-arsed

i'll have you know i am as fit as a fiddle with nary an ounce of fat on me.

i have neither like nor dislike of biden or trump. they, like all of them, have managed one way or another to climb, or be pushed up the greasy pole of politics where they now reside, waiting for the whole house of cards to come crashing down. they are both hucksters, all politicians are, i just happen to think that trump would do more for the usa than biden can.

Originally Posted by taxexile

i just happen to think that trump would do more for the usa

• Here’s where all the cases against Trump stand as he campaigns for a return to the White House

The civil fraud trial that kicked off against Donald Trump this week in a New York courtroom is just one of many legal problems facing the former president as he campaigns for a return to the White House.

The judge overseeing the case, Arthur Engoron, resolved the lawsuit’s top claim before the trial even began, ruling that Trump routinely deceived banks, insurers and others by exaggerating the value of assets on paperwork used in making deals and securing loans. Engoron will decide on six remaining claims in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, including allegations of conspiracy, falsifying business records and insurance fraud.

Trump is also facing 91 felony counts in four criminal cases in Washington, New York, Florida and Georgia and could potentially be looking at years in prison if convicted.

CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS CASE

In all, Trump faces 40 felony charges in the classified documents case. The most serious charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

ELECTION INTERFERENCE

The four-count indictment includes charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States government and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding: the congressional certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

HUSH MONEY SCHEME

Trump became the first former U.S. president in history to face criminal charges when he was indicted in New York in March on state charges stemming from hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Each count is punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s not clear if a judge would impose any prison time if Trump were convicted.

GEORGIA

Trump is charged alongside 18 other people — including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows — with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law by scheming to illegally overturn his 2020 election loss.

Extra:

Judge clarifies: Yes, Trump was found to have raped E. Jean Carroll

Originally Posted by taxexile

biden,...biden

Your problem with Biden…….

• Biden Signs Historic Climate Bill as Scientists Applaud
• One Year In, President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is Driving Historic Climate Action and Investing in America to Create Good Paying Jobs and Reduce Costs

Nonsense Tax, Biden is a decent chap anyone would happily have round for tea, Trump is a turd.

So, you're skeletal Tax. Pity, large buttocks would suit you.

Not much of a choice for the seppos really.

An illiterate, bumbling narcissist who's only in it for the attention and the money

or

A senile, equally bumbling buffoon who doesn't know what fucking day it is half the time.

• How one judge is slowing down one of Trump’s biggest criminal cases

Judge Aileen Cannon seems to be in no hurry.

On paper, she has scheduled a trial to open next May in the case charging Donald Trump with hoarding national security secrets at Mar-a-Lago.

In reality, she has run the pretrial process at a leisurely pace that will make a postponement almost inevitable, according to experts on criminal prosecutions related to classified information.

Delaying Trump’s trial until after the November election would have a momentous implication: It might mean the trial never happens at all. If Trump wins the election and the case is still pending, he’s expected to order the Justice Department to shut it down.

Even a shorter delay would be fraught: Pushing the trial into the summer or fall could run headlong into the Republican National Convention or the heart of the general election campaign.

For now, Cannon, a Trump-appointed federal district judge in Florida, is officially sticking with the May 20 trial date she announced four months ago. She even recently denied Trump’s bid to push it back. But in a series of more technical rulings, Cannon has postponed key pretrial deadlines, and she has added further slack into the schedule simply by taking her time to resolve some fairly straightforward matters.

“It could be seen as a stealth attempt to delay the ultimate trial date without actually announcing that yet,” said Brian Greer, a former Central Intelligence Agency attorney.

“There’s pretty much no chance they could go to trial on May 20 with the current schedule,” he added.

David Aaron, a former DOJ national security prosecutor, agreed, saying a May 20 trial is unlikely “unless a lot of discipline is imposed.”

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

He will be convicted well before the election.

the american legal system is as corrupt as they come, so of course in the present political climate trump will be crucified. the fact that he may have stink fingered some gold digging bimbo and massaged his tax returns is no measure of his capability as a politician. had he raped a nun whilst robbing a bank, then i might have a different opinion.

capitalism is the root of all civilisation, whilst the stifling ideology of socialism is evil but it is much easier to enforce socialism than control capitalism.

• Team Orange freaks out after Smith cites other gag order appeal

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith's team took a little time on Thanksgiving Day to check out Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron's brief to the New York State Appellate division which cited an extremely high volume of violent and antisemitic MAGA terrorist threats to his clerk after the higher court stayed the gag order on disgraced former President Trump in his state civil fraud case there. Figuring that it might help with their own similar situation stay on the gag order that had been imposed by Circuit Judge Tanya Chutkan, they passed it along to the DC Court of Appeals with just a cover letter attached writing that because the appeals panel "inquired at oral argument about evidence of ongoing threats and harassment" they'll submit Engoron's appeal as "supplemental authority." Team Trump promptly freaked the fuck out in a Friday response, writing:

"The prosecution's letter cites a submission, in a completely separate case, to the New York Appellate Division containing 'new' information that dates to October 3, 2023, two weeks before the Gag Order in this case was entered on October 17. The letter is an impermissible attempt to supplement the record on appeal with irrelevant information that could have been, but was not, submitted to the district court below. To date, the prosecution has never submitted any evidence of alleged 'threats' or 'harassment' to any prosecutor, court staffer, or potential witness in this case."

"This falls short of the 'solidity of evidence' required to justify a prior restraint. Moreover, the cited affirmation, albeit irrelevant, concedes that 'Mr Trump did not directly threaten Ms Greenfield,' and instead describes speech by unidentified, independent third parties. This confirms that the prosecution seeks to impose 'a speech burden based on audience reactions,' which 'is simply government hostility and intervention in a different guise.' The prosecution ignores that the New York trial judge and the Principal Law Clerk are judicial officers, and the Principal Law Clerk has violated New York law by engaging in forbidden partisan activity while that case was pending."

"Appellant's 'The operations of the courts and the judicial conduct of judges are matters of utmost public concern.' The Special Counsel has brought an inflammatory, lawless indictment, has made false and misleading statements about President Trump, and has leaked confidential information in order to harm President Trump. Both the indictment and the Gag Order represent an unconstitutional attempt to silence President Trump, they are clearly election interference."

DocumentCloud

Originally Posted by S Landreth

• Team Orange freaks out after Smith cites other gag order appeal

Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith's team took a little time on Thanksgiving Day to check out Manhattan Judge Arthur Engoron's brief to the New York State Appellate division which cited an extremely high volume of violent and antisemitic MAGA terrorist threats to his clerk after the higher court stayed the gag order on disgraced former President Trump in his state civil fraud case there. Figuring that it might help with their own similar situation stay on the gag order that had been imposed by Circuit Judge Tanya Chutkan, they passed it along to the DC Court of Appeals with just a cover letter attached writing that because the appeals panel "inquired at oral argument about evidence of ongoing threats and harassment" they'll submit Engoron's appeal as "supplemental authority." Team Trump promptly freaked the fuck out in a Friday response, writing:

"The prosecution's letter cites a submission, in a completely separate case, to the New York Appellate Division containing 'new' information that dates to October 3, 2023, two weeks before the Gag Order in this case was entered on October 17. The letter is an impermissible attempt to supplement the record on appeal with irrelevant information that could have been, but was not, submitted to the district court below. To date, the prosecution has never submitted any evidence of alleged 'threats' or 'harassment' to any prosecutor, court staffer, or potential witness in this case."

"This falls short of the 'solidity of evidence' required to justify a prior restraint. Moreover, the cited affirmation, albeit irrelevant, concedes that 'Mr Trump did not directly threaten Ms Greenfield,' and instead describes speech by unidentified, independent third parties. This confirms that the prosecution seeks to impose 'a speech burden based on audience reactions,' which 'is simply government hostility and intervention in a different guise.' The prosecution ignores that the New York trial judge and the Principal Law Clerk are judicial officers, and the Principal Law Clerk has violated New York law by engaging in forbidden partisan activity while that case was pending."

"Appellant's 'The operations of the courts and the judicial conduct of judges are matters of utmost public concern.' The Special Counsel has brought an inflammatory, lawless indictment, has made false and misleading statements about President Trump, and has leaked confidential information in order to harm President Trump. Both the indictment and the Gag Order represent an unconstitutional attempt to silence President Trump, they are clearly election interference."

DocumentCloud

I tune out when landreth appears

I tuned in because you had the last post.

I see that you just quoted ..him

Fools Pussy !

My apologies I think slandreth doth protest to much.

Yes

Too bad; could be a good thread for an argument or two

Is slandereth the new speakers corner foghorn? A sort of a male misskit ? ⁹

Originally Posted by helge

Yes

Too bad; could be a good thread for an argument or two

No argument from me mate
I will.never get the.last word with you.

Originally Posted by BLD

I will.never get the.last word with you.

Try me

Crack on..but I'm inebriated and going to bed
And couldn't give a rats ass. Does this mean I've got the last word,? Good night

---- -----

• Trump spymaster may have spilled 'crucial' secrets to special counsel Jack Smith

A former Trump administration spymaster may have given “crucial” evidence to special counsel Jack Smith that former President Donald Trump is itching to get his hands on, a new political analysis contends.

Former director of national intelligence John Ratcliffe is the subject of a recent discovery request filed by Trump's team that New York Sun editor A.R. Hoffman calls suggestive, especially considering he reportedly warned against challenging the 2020 election.

“[It] suggests a particular interest in what the spymaster has to say,” Hoffman writes of Trump’s request.

“Mr. Ratcliffe’s words of warning to Mr. Trump could be pertinent — even crucial — to Mr. Smith’s case at trial.”

As proof, Hoffman points to Trump’s specific request for “all documents” pertaining to Ratcliffe’s grand jury testimony, which stands out among the “voluminous” requests for documents in the federal election interference case.

While it remains unclear what Ratcliffe told Smith’s grand jury, there are hints on the public record as to what Smith likely wanted to know, Hoffman contends.

One such hint comes courtesy of former White House staffer Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified at the Jan. 6 congressional hearings that Ratcliffe opposed Trump’s campaign to claim victory in 2020.

“Ms. Hutchinson’s account of a White House in chaos and a president intent on staying in power was a dramatic highlight of the Democrat-dominated committee’s televised hearings,” writes Hoffman.

“She reported that [Ratcliffe] warned of ‘dangerous repercussions in terms of precedents set for elections, for our democracy.’”

A second clue can be found in a report from the National Intelligence Council, which Ratcliffe oversaw, that was presented to Trump on Jan. 7, 2021 and found no evidence of voter fraud, according to the analysis.

If Ratcliffe told the grand jury had disclosed to the former president the report's conclusions before the Jan. 6 riot, Trump’s case, that he genuinely believed voter fraud had occurred, becomes harder to make, Hoffman contends.

_________

• ‘Fake elector’ probes in 2020 swing states could spell more trouble for Trump

Former President Trump’s four criminal cases have dominated headlines since April, when he became the first president — current or former — to be indicted. But behind the scenes, a handful of state attorneys general are still investigating whether additional charges over efforts to keep him in power after losing the 2020 election could be brought.

At least four 2020 swing states’ prosecutorial arms are still probing the slates of so-called “fake electors” who attempted to falsely certify that Trump had won the presidential election that year.

The swing states’ investigations could prove consequential to Trump and his allies, spelling even more legal trouble for the former president, especially as his federal and Georgia cases over his efforts to subvert the 2020 election results progress.

The alternate electors scheme, spearheaded by Trump lawyer John Eastman and bolstered by other lawyers, relied on former Vice President Mike Pence to certify slates of Trump-supporting “fake” electors in battleground states instead of the true electoral votes cast for Biden.

On Jan. 6, 2021 — the day of the election certification — Pence declined to go along with the plan, writing in a letter that his “oath to support and defend the Constitution constrains me from claiming unilateral authority to determine which electoral votes should be counted and which should not.” A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol later that day in protest of the election results and Pence’s refusal to overturn them.

Fake electors allegedly convened in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada and Wisconsin, claiming without basis that they were “duly elected” electors from their states.

In Georgia, three of the state’s 16 fake electors were charged alongside Trump and his allies in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ (D) sweeping racketeering case. Several other alternate electors are known to have accepted immunity deals.

The walls are closing in...

• Judge in Trump fraud case has received 'hundreds' of threats, court officials say

Officials revealed in a court filing that Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the $250 million fraud case in New York against former President Donald Trump, has received "hundreds" of threats.

Charles Hollon, court officer-captain in the Department of Public Safety for the Judicial Threats Assessment Unit, detailed the threats the judge and other court officials have received in a filing arguing against the gag order imposed against Trump being removed.

"On a daily basis, the judge and his staff are being inundated with hundreds of harassing and threatening phone calls, voicemail messages, and emails, that has resulted in the Judicial Threats Assessment Unit having to constantly reassess and evaluate what security protections to put in place to ensure the safety of the judge and those around him," the filing said.

The filing also said that the threats against the judge and his staff are "considered to be serious and credible and not hypothetical or speculative" while also providing several examples from Engoron's chamber voicemail.

The gag order imposed on Trump in the fraud case was temporarily frozen earlier this month after Trump's lawyers had filed an emergency lawsuit against it.

Since the gag order was stayed, Trump has gone after Engoron and principal clerk Allison Greenfield various times. On Thursday, Trump called Engoron a "psycho" and Greenfield "politically biased and corrupt."

Engoron has already found Trump liable for the fraud claims, but now the nonjury trial will proceed to examine six claims brought by James. Trump is seeking a mistrial in the case over allegations that his trial has not been conducted with impartiality.

__________

last Tuesday

Trump fraud trial live updates: Trump's lawyers disavow threats against judge, clerk

• Appraisals didn't necessary equate to value, controller says

Longtime Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney, in response to the New York attorney general's allegations that the Trump Organization ignored multiple appraisals that would have significantly decreased the value of their assets, testified that some appraisals had specific purposes outside of valuing properties.

"They are done for a specific purpose," McConney said, acknowledging that some appraisals valued overall properties while others were specifically ordered for limited tax purposes.

"Just because an appraisal was done, does not mean it reflects the value of that property," McConney said, explaining that appraisals related to conservation easements were "not done to value the property."

McConney appeared to acknowledge that the Trump Organization choose to ignore a 2015 appraisal that valued its 40 Wall Street property at $540 million, while Trump valued the property in his financial statement at $735 million.

"We didn't think this valuation property reflected what the building was worth," McConney said.

Asked if the Trump Organization provided the appraisal to their outside accountant Donald Bender of Mazars USA, McConney responded, "If he wanted them, he could have had them."

• Ex-controller, frustrated with probes, breaks down on stand

Former Trump Organization comptroller Jeff McConney broke down on the witness stand during his testimony for the defense, saying that it's "just really frustrating" to have his decades of accounting work called into question by investigators.

McConney said he felt proud of his years at the Trump Organization and testified that he "felt comfortable" with his contributions to Trump's statements of financial condition that are at the center of the case.

"I feel proud of what I did. Numbers don't represent fully what these assets are worth," McConney said.

He threw up his hands and choked up after defense attorney Jesus Suarez asked him why he no longer worked at the Trump Organization. McConney ticked off the list of subpoenas, depositions and investigations he has been part of, and said "I just couldn't do it anymore."

McConney described working at the Trump Organization as being like working with family, and said he "got to do a lot of things that a normal accountant wouldn't be able to do," like takes trips to Atlantic City, attend coworkers' weddings and work on "The Apprentice."

"I just wanted to relax and stop being accused of misrepresenting assets of the company I've been working for," McConney said. "To be hit with a negative comment every time is just really frustrating."

McConney briefly held his head down, wiped his eyes and quietly sobbed. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Mr. McConney, you OK or you need a couple of minutes?" Judge Arthur Engoron asked.

McConney declined to take a break.

• 'I don't remember,' McConney says about Mar-a-Lago valuation

Earlier in his testimony, before breaking down on the witness stand, longtime Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney drew a blank when asked why Trump's Mar-a-Lago property was valued in Trump's statements of financial condition as a private residence rather than a social club -- a central allegation levied by the New York attorney general.

The property was valued in excess of $500 million on the basis that it could be sold as a private residence -- despite Trump signing a deed in 2002 with the National Trust for Historic Preservation that exclusively limited the property to being used as a club. The Palm Beach County Assessor subsequently appraised the market value of the club at less than $28 million, significantly lowering Trump's tax burden.

"I don't remember off the top of my head," how the property ended up being valued on Trump's financial statements as a residence, McConney said, confirming that was the case.

He testified that he could not remember having a specific conversation with outside accounting firm Mazars USA about the approach to valuing Mar-a-Lago.

While McConney could not recall why the decision to value the property as a private residence was made, he said that he used a reasonable approach to determining a price-per-acre based on nearby property sales. He said that their comparable property approach resulted in a $50 million decrease in value between 2014 and 2015.

"Our intention was always to reflect as best we could the value of these properties," McConney said.

• McConney says overvaluation of Trump’s penthouse was incorrect

Former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney, testifying for the defense, said that he overvalued Donald Trump's penthouse apartment by over $100 million because he relied on an incorrect email.

Judge Arthur Engoron determined in his partial summary judgment that the penthouse was overvalued by as much as $200 million because it was falsely listed as being three times larger than its actual size.

To get to that value, McConney said relied on a Trump Organization broker who falsely represented the apartment was 30,000 square feet.

"I would rely on him. I figured he knew the property a lot better than I did," said McConney, who added that he never spent considerable time in the apartment.

The Trump Organization lowered the value of the penthouse by more than $200 million in 2017 after a Forbes magazine article exposed the error.

• McConney suggested that Eric Trump review 2021 statement

Former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney, on cross-examination, testified that he thought Eric Trump should review his father's statement of financial condition in 2021.

"You thought Eric Trump should review the statement of financial condition?" state attorney Andrew Amer asked after showing McConney his notes indicating "Eric should review SOFC."

"That was my thought," McConney said.

When Eric Trump testified, he described the statements as the responsibility of the Trump Organization's accountants.

"I never had anything to do with the statement of financial condition," Eric Trump testified, before partially walking back his statement to say, regarding notes that McConney requested from him, "I don't think that it ever registered it was for a personal statement of financial condition."

• Court adjourns for extended Thanksgiving break

After two days of testimony for the defense, former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney stepped off the witness stand.

Judge Arthur Engoron then adjourned court until Monday.

When court resumes after the Thanksgiving break, the defense plans to call two Trump Organization executives, followed by several Deutsche Bank employees.