# Manhattan Prosecutors file criminal charges for Trump re Stormy Daniels case - ongoing discussion here (Guilty on all 34 counts, May 30, 2024)
**URL:** 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
**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:** 310
### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 4:54pm 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-30-2024/980953/6181 "2024-08-15T16:54:01Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> But wouldn’t you normally revoke bail if the defendant, whether before or after trial, threatens to flee?
I don’t think it was a serious “threat to flee.” Hate to defend that guy, but I can’t see that as indicating an intent to violate his release conditions.
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### Author:  [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 4:54pm 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-30-2024/980953/6182 "2024-08-15T16:54:02Z")
He is currently free on his own recognizance until his sentencing. That was decided at the end of the trial.
The sentencing itself has now been delayed a couple times, but that seems to be par for the course
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### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 4:56pm 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-30-2024/980953/6183 "2024-08-15T16:56:18Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> The sentencing itself has now been delayed a couple times, but that seems to be par for the course
It is, especially in high profile cases. In this one, I wouldn’t be surprised (or disappointed) if it was delayed again to a date past the election. Safest choice all around.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 4:56pm 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-30-2024/980953/6184 "2024-08-15T16:56:23Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> Is Trump out on bail in this case?
No, he is not. Here is a summary covering the arraignment of Trump.
> **[The Arraignment of Donald J. Trump: A Detailed Summary](https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/arraignment-donald-j-trump-detailed-summary)**
>
> What precisely happened in that New York courtroom on Tuesday?
> He then turns to the question of conditions of Trump’s release. He notes that under New York law these charges are not eligible for bail and that Trump surrendered voluntarily for processing and arraignment.
The “he” in that quote is Christopher Conroy, one of the prosecutors. Bail was not required for the charges Trump faced.
Now, Trump himself claimed he had to post bail, but as usual he was full of crap.
[https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/fact-check-trump-bail-campaign-schedule/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/fact-check-trump-bail-campaign-schedule/index.html)
> Trump said: “New York City is a violent city; it’s become violent with the cashless bail. I’m the only one who has to put up bail.”
>
> **Facts First** : _Trump’s claim is false. Like many other New York defendants whose alleged crimes are non-violent, he didn’t have to put up bail. After his arraignment in 2023, he was released on his own recognizance — in other words, without having to post any cash._
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### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 5:15pm 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-30-2024/980953/6185 "2024-08-15T17:15:31Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> If so, how is it that he publicly threatened to flee the country in his Tuesday night Elon Musk interview and stil is free?
Because everyone knows that this was just bullshit and bluster. It was … a joke! Ya, that’s the ticket!
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### Author:  [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 5:28pm 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-30-2024/980953/6186 "2024-08-15T17:28:00Z")
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> I don’t think it was a serious “threat to flee.”
I appreciate your being fair to an unappealing defendant. But it was really obvious to me that when Trump said Venezuela, he meant El Salvador, and that his fleeing to El Salvador, should he lose the election, is realistic.
The Musk interview came two months after this was in the news:
[Donald Trump Jr. Suggests He May Buy a Home in El Salvador to Have a ‘Place to Run’ to Avoid Prison Time](https://okmagazine.com/p/donald-trump-jr-may-buy-home-el-salvador-run-avoid-prison/)
> [@](#):
>
> Donald Jr. said he had meals in restaurants there that would have been as good as any in Miami or New York.
>
> “It was [sort of shocking](https://okmagazine.com/p/donald-trump-joke-global-warming-falls-flat-beachfront-property/), actually, to me,” he continued. “I may have to buy a place down there, so when they [throw me out](https://okmagazine.com/p/donald-trump-doesnt-want-jail-despite-ok-prison-time/) of America or toward the gulag, we got a place to run.”
Of course, I don’t expect a judge to lock someone up because their son threatens to flee. But do you really say that, oh, yea, the defendant threatened to flee between conviction and sentencing, but we all thought it was a joke? In a normal situation, when the defendant does flee, it is going to make the prosecution look negligent to have ignored this.
I guess the idea of equal justice is pretty much gone here.
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 5:29pm 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-30-2024/980953/6187 "2024-08-15T17:29:52Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> Of course, I don’t expect a judge to lock someone up because their son threatens to flee. But do you really say that, oh, yea, the defendant threatened to flee between conviction and sentencing, but we all thought it was a joke? In a normal situation, when the defendant does flee, it is going to make the prosecution look negligent to have ignored this.
As I cited, it is standard practice to not require bail when someone is charged with non-violent crimes in New York. I don’t expect them to demand he be put into custody based on some comments he made, especially when he says a lot of things he doesn’t follow through on.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 6:02pm 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-30-2024/980953/6188 "2024-08-15T18:02:39Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> The sentencing itself has now been delayed a couple times, but that seems to be par for the course
It is an unusual situation, when the Supreme Court gives a ruling that may create constitutional limitations on the power to prosecute the accused. I don’t blame Judge Merchan for taking his time to be fully briefed on this new constitutional principle and determine how it affects the case before him.
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### Author:  [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 8:48pm 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-30-2024/980953/6189 "2024-08-15T20:48:26Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> If so, how is it that he publicly threatened to flee the country in his Tuesday night Elon Musk interview and stil is free?
Here is the key: as a former president, Individual-ONE has a Secret Service security detail. They are tasked with protecting him. However, they are also government employees, working with _the Secret Service_, which means they are not Individual-ONE’s drone bodyguards: they do not take orders from him, and they can, at least in theory, prevent him from engaging in illegal acts, such as fleeing the country. At least in theory. He is not-in-custody/in-custody.
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### Author:  [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:29pm 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-30-2024/980953/6190 "2024-08-15T22:29:35Z")
Maybe the headline has it wrong, but it really does read like Trump is saying he’ll stop complaining if the judge pushes back the trial date.
> **[Trump tells hush-money judge he can 'mitigate' complaints about daughter with...](https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/no-basis-to-rush-trump-tells-judge-he-can-mitigate-complaints-about-daughters-work-for-democrats-if-he-moves-hush-money-sentencing-past-2024-election-of-paramount-importance/)**
>
> Trump lawyers now argue that pushing hush-money sentencing past the 2024 election would serve to "prospectively mitigate the asserted conflicts."
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### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:31pm 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-30-2024/980953/6191 "2024-08-15T22:31:02Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#):
>
> Maybe the headline has it wrong, but it really does read like Trump is saying he’ll stop complaining if the judge pushes back the trial date.
He’s had the trial. It’s the sentencing date that he’s trying to blackmail Merchan into pushing back.
But we knew what you meant. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:31pm 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-30-2024/980953/6192 "2024-08-15T22:31:21Z")
Trying to bargain with a judge, who has already rejected a particular argument three times, never works out well.
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### Author:  [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:34pm 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-30-2024/980953/6193 "2024-08-15T22:34:21Z")
Hey judge! I’ll stop shit posting about your daughter if you give me a break. Have we got a deal here or what?
“Bold move, Cotton, let’s see if it pays off.”
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### Author:  [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:37pm 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-30-2024/980953/6194 "2024-08-15T22:37:14Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#):
>
> But we knew what you meant
What am I, some kind of law…talking …person?
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### Author:  [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:38pm 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-30-2024/980953/6195 "2024-08-15T22:38:30Z")
Legal people are annoyingly precise. 😉
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 10:49pm 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-30-2024/980953/6196 "2024-08-15T22:49:05Z")
I once witnessed a Crown prosecutor, arguing before the Court of Appeal, have a Simpsons moment. Pressed on an argument, he said: “You guys know the law.”
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### Author:  [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)
#### Post date: [August 15, 2024, 11:25pm 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-30-2024/980953/6197 "2024-08-15T23:25:03Z")
In theory, there could eventually come a time when the Mafia sues Donald Trump for copyright infringement.
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### Author:  [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2024, 12:03am 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-30-2024/980953/6198 "2024-08-16T00:03:07Z")
Heh. Given the quality if his attorneys lately, the Mafia might win the case.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2024, 2:53am 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-30-2024/980953/6199 "2024-08-16T02:53:16Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#):
>
> Is Trump out on bail in this case?
>
> If so, how is it that he publicly threatened to flee the country in his Tuesday night Elon Musk interview and stil is free?
Yep. Does anything think trump is telling the truth- anytime, anywhere?
> [@Great\_Antibob](#):
>
> He is currently free on his own recognizance until his sentencing.
I am pretty sure he is still on bail.
He is on the Georgia case, anyway-
[https://www.law.virginia.edu/node/2171231](https://www.law.virginia.edu/node/2171231)
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [August 16, 2024, 3:05am 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-30-2024/980953/6200 "2024-08-16T03:05:08Z")
released on his own recognizance; these offences don’t require bail under NY law; see post by @Atamasama earlier today:
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> > [@PhillyGuy](#):
> >
> > Is Trump out on bail in this case?
>
> No, he is not. Here is a summary covering the arraignment of Trump.
[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=309)
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