# Manhattan Prosecutors file criminal charges for Trump re Stormy Daniels case - ongoing discussion here (Guilty on all 34 counts, May 30, 2024) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [March 9, 2023, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953 "2023-03-09T22:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 107
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2121 "2024-04-22T21:41:12Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > And that they have the receipts that this was specifically Trump’s motive (e.g., trying to stall the payment until after the election; they’d stiff her and it wouldn’t matter anymore). And also that notoriously-cheap Trump only got to the point of considering paying off Stormy, if they couldn’t delay that past the election, because of the uproar caused by the release of the Access Hollywood tape. I suspect there will be a lot of evidence presented of how strongly that tape affected the campaign personnel (including Trump). Hope Hicks, for one, will probably be asked about this. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2122 "2024-04-22T21:41:59Z")
In any event, it looks like Trump did a _masterful_ job of keeping his affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen MacDougal on the down low! > **[Quick Share](https://quickshare.samsungcloud.com/uTciANadH66v)** > > 1 file (43.2 KB) ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2123 "2024-04-22T22:28:27Z")
I don’t have a cite handy, but I’m quite sure I’ve heard several legal talking heads mention that – _after_ the 2016 election – Trump asked if they “still had to pay” Stormy Daniels. If they have somebody who can testify to having heard that, that seems damned compelling as to his _true_ motive for the payment. It doesn’t connect every dot, but it seems important … for an important dot. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2124 "2024-04-22T22:55:40Z")
> [@CoolHandCox](#): > > I think Trumps defense can be: I wanted to hush Stormy up and helped make that happen. I deal with tons of documents and sign lots of checks, and I have no idea how the nerds and lawyers recorded the “hush up” on the books Trouble for Trump is, this sort of defense would require the defendant to testify, wouldn’t it? Which then opens him up to all sorts of fun on cross-examination. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2125 "2024-04-22T23:03:46Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > The Wednesday’s-off thing is just a peculiarity of this particular court or judge, I take it? No value judgment … just noting that it seems unusual. The judges in the court down the street each take a weekday off from whatever trials are in progress. They coordinate which day it will be with the other judges, so they’re not all off at the same time. Juries are told which day it will be when the trial begins. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2126 "2024-04-22T23:38:50Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > I predict that at the end of the trial, the jury is going to deliberate for about five minutes, take a long lunch and then come back and ask if there is a degree of guilt guiltier than guilty. I wish I could be this optimistic. I worry that one or more of these… people… will hang the jury for very bad reasons. Its really pretty depressing, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2127 "2024-04-22T23:51:07Z")
A MAGAt smart enough to get on that jury is pretty rare, though. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2128 "2024-04-22T23:57:53Z")
What a surprise - Loser Donald thinks the courtroom sketch artist is out to get him. > **[Trump hates his courtroom sketches — and thinks the artist is 'out to get...](https://www.rawstory.com/trump-courtroom-sketch-2667838316/)** > > Former President Donald Trump is enraged about how he looks in the courtroom sketches at his Manhattan trial — and thinks that the sketch artist is trying to make him look bad on purpose.According to Rolling Stone's Ryan Bort, Asawin Suebsaeng, and... ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2129 "2024-04-23T00:00:24Z")
I would expect a greater likelihood of this happening in GA or FL but in Manhattan, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2130 "2024-04-23T00:05:05Z")
If he ever does go on trial in Fla. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the courtroom sketches resemble those insane Trump and Jesus pieces by that nutball. You know the ones. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2131 "2024-04-23T00:06:02Z")
If he keeps pooping his pants in court the artist can add the cartoon smell waves. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2132 "2024-04-23T00:18:37Z")
Rachel Maddow alluded to the odor in an oblique way in her show this evening, saying \< Cassidy Hutchison voice \> something to the effect that while it may have seemed like an advantage to be inside the courtroom rather than in the overflow room, there were advantages and disadvantages, and a lot of them have to do with the 5 senses. Gad zooks. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2133 "2024-04-23T00:30:14Z")
The recording that Cohen made when talking to donald about paying off McDougal has been released. I can’t find a clean link, but it’s embedded in this cite below. > **[Michael Cohen Secretly Taped Trump Discussing Payment to Playboy Model...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/20/us/politics/michael-cohen-trump-tape.html)** > > The F.B.I. seized the recording in a raid. Its existence recording highlights the potential legal and political danger that Mr. Cohen represents to the president. It’s not a long recording, and the important part is only the last handful of seconds. Cohen mentions that he’s going to have to create a company to handle the “transfer of information” regarding “our friend David”. That’s David Pecker, and a discussion of the payment. It sounds like donald asks if they should pay cash, and Cohen is adamant that they use a check (my best guess as to why is because an unexplained _cash_ transfer of $130,000 would attract bank attention, whereas a check would be presumed to be part of a business transaction). I wonder if there are other recordings. … Meanwhile, I feel like the defense previewed their argument in the opening when emphasizing that donald was (paraphrasing) “a man, just like you or me”. I think they are going to try to present the payments as motivated by concern for his family. It’s complete and utter bullshit, and I expect it to fail, but I think that’s the plan. The other part of the defense, I think, is that donald didn’t concern himself with his business while he was president, so he didn’t pay attention to what checks were for. But how does the defense make this argument? Are Eric or Don Jr expected to testify as the people running his business? ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2134 "2024-04-23T00:32:06Z")
I wish the judge could have gag-ordered the witnesses as they did Trump. Cohen: [“Hey Von ShitzInPantz … your attacks of me stink of desperation. We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defense.](https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-22-24/index.html) I hope the jurors are all following the judge’s instructions on not reading about the case. But re posters worried about a single possible secret MAGA juror, [there apparently was one in the E. Jean Carroll jury](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/e-jean-carroll-trump-trial-lawyers-tried-dismiss-juror-far-right-podcast-tim-pool-court-documents/), and Trump still lost. It’s hard to maintain your initial inclination when everyone around you is arguing otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2135 "2024-04-23T00:33:19Z")
Any word on how the recording was made? Was Cohen wearing a wire? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2136 "2024-04-23T00:39:06Z")
‘Von ShitzinPantz’! I love it! > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > It’s hard to maintain your initial inclination when everyone around you is arguing otherwise. By definition, MAGA cultists are easily manipulated. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2137 "2024-04-23T00:39:37Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Was Cohen wearing a wire? I’m pretty sure it’s as simple as walking in with papers in your hand, along with your phone, which is recording audio. I believe that Omarosa did the same thing. > **[Omarosa Reportedly Secretly Recorded Donald Trump on Her Cell Phone](https://www.vogue.com/article/omarosa-secretly-recorded-donald-trump-report)** > > The Omarosa tapes might be dropping in her new book. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2138 "2024-04-23T01:54:13Z")
A few days ago there was a post or two about Trump holding papers outside the court while he gave an interview. I googled and can’t find anything about it. What was the issue? ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2139 "2024-04-23T02:00:29Z")
Probably just that he’s a tool who was waving papers about as though they meant something. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953/2140 "2024-04-23T02:11:31Z")
I watched that event live on CNN. It was his bloviating to the media after leaving court that day. Basically, the papers were printouts from media outlets that are favourable to Trump, and/or right-wing media. I hesitate to call them “news items,” as they seemed to be mostly opinion pieces. He went through them, stating where some of them were from (one was the Wall Street Journal), but he mentioned that a lot were from “legal scholars” who said “there’s no case” here. Nothing from NYT or Washington Post or CNN or anything else. He (or a staffer) likely cherry-picked whatever said there was no case from all media. But that was all they were: printouts of opinions favourable to Trump in this matter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953.md?page=106) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/manhattan-prosecutors-file-criminal-charges-for-trump-re-stormy-daniels-case-ongoing-discussion-here-guilty-on-all-34-counts-may-30-2024/980953.md?page=108)