I don’t think so. As they didn’t introduce any evidence to remotely suggest that actually happened. AFAIK they can’t just make shit up during summation, only summarize the evidence that was presented during trial.
The defense will probably point out every single supposed inconsistency and then “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit”.
Yes, I agree. If this was their defense, they should have brought this unnamed “bookkeeper” in to testify. They did not. They can’t just make shit up in the closing.
And who might this mysterious bookkeeper be? And why wasn’t he called to testify? And why does he (we’re guessing it’s a he) have a $750,000.00 payday coming for not testifying?
Truly a mystery for the ages.
You don’t know him. He’s from Canada. He goes to a different school.
Reminds me of the joke where two guys are walking in a sketchy neighborhood when a mugger jumps out with a gun, “Gimme all your money!”
One victim turns to the other, “Say, Hank, here’s that twenty bucks I owe you.”
I’m pretty sure Trump is stuck on the word “legal” and he’s trying to use it to weasel his way out of this. He does not understand (or is being deliberately ignorant) that there are two different contexts for the word “legal”. His argument seems to be that something cannot be legal and illegal at the same time. So if it was a legal expense, he can’t be charged for it because it is legal by definition. But he is substituting one definition for another because he really is that dumb.
Was that document entered as evidence? If so, couldn’t that be brought up in closing? If not, seems like an unforced error on the prosecution.
Bubbles weighs in:
I don’t read this as Trump throwing his bookkeeper under the bus. Rather, he seems to be making an appeal to authority—that is, he’s saying that if a trained, highly knowledgeable bookkeeping professional deems the payment to be a bona fide legal expense, then we (or rather the court and the jury) must accept this expert opinion and acquit him of any wrongdoing.
‘That’s very important,’ the King said, turning to the jury. They were just beginning to write this down on their slates, when the White Rabbit interrupted: `Unimportant, your Majesty means, of course,’ he said in a very respectful tone, but frowning and making faces at him as he spoke.
‘Unimportant, of course, I meant,’ the King hastily said, and went on to himself in an undertone, `important–unimportant-- unimportant–important–’ as if he were trying which word sounded best.
Absolutely this. Remember when he thought the calls for “transparency” on WALL meant that people wanted WALL to be see-through? Or when he thought the F-35 stealth fighter was invisible? Multiple word meanings don’t click in his brain.
Don’t forget
1.5: Cohen made sure that, as part of his favor-currying, he didn’t let Trump know what he’d done, for… reasons.
Really, what’s happening is, Trump is finally dealing with people who don’t just accept his lies at face value, and he’s at a loss as to what to do next.
He’s spent his whole life surrounded by people who just accept everything he says, either because they’re stupid enough to actually believe him, or they’re motivated to pretend to believe him in a quest for money and/or power. Anyone who would have ever pushed back on his lies would have been fired immediately. Now he’s out of that comfort zone, and he’s flailing. “I said it was a legal expense! Why are you still saying it was a crime? Why aren’t you just doing what you’re told!??!?”
All he’s got now is to repeat the lie even louder, and be confused as to why it isn’t working.
It should be clear, gentle reader, that kindly Michael Cohen is a big fan of Miss Manners. He didn’t want his good friend to know that he did him this favor. Otherwise his generous, good friend might feel obligated to not only pay him back, but to gross it up to cover his taxes.
That would be the unnamed invisible expert who did not testify in the trial. Perhaps he had to sit with his sick cat that day.
If half of Trump’s imaginary friends were real, he might not be having the problems he’s having right now.
(Oh who am I kidding, he’d still be a f****** idiot.)
Although Trump’s trial is in recess for the holiday weekend, Judge Merchan has continued to work and process motions made by the defense team.
He denied a motion to sanction prosecutors and dismiss the indictments, based on the late submission of federal documents from the Michael Cohen prosecution. He ruled that the documents were not under the DA’s control, and that the defense was given an additional 3 weeks to process them.
The new episode of prosecuting Donald trump has dropped. It is called “the email speaks for itself”. Prosecuting Donald Trump: The E-mail Speaks for Itself
In it they mention that they believe that the defence will try to sneak in the “reliance on counsel” in closing. They also went through the various jury verdicts. there is a chance that the jury may find trump not guilty on the checks and charges that have his son’s and weisselberg’s signature. That means the first 10ish counts.
Next week will be wild ride.
They were there, just didn’t speak.
Sadly, I remember. And that the wall should be ‘see-through’ so that when drugs are throw over they don’t land on anyone and injure them.
This is what his pea (pee) brain comes up with.