Maybe they can share a cell, and Walt can transcribe trump’s rants, Rudolf Hesslike.
Seems conceivable that Trump’s team would agree to a “speedy trial,” and then engage in their normal tactics of delay-through-pretrial motions. If things stay with Judge Cannon, she could do some real damage here making some favorable decisions for Trump that are either difficult to appeal, or that drag the process out because of appeals. Seems very likely to me that this will be ongoing into the heart of the Republican primaries, and even the general election campaign season.
The real nightmare scenarios I’ve heard are that Cannon stays on the case, impanels a jury, and then finds some reason to issue a directed verdict of acquittal, in which case double jeopardy attaches and Trump walks.
Or he asks for a bench trial, and she acquits with no explanation.
Or this drags on too long, he actually manages to get re-elected, and then pardons himself.
I hope the hit Cannon took to her reputation (such as it is) during the Special Master fiasco causes her to settle down a bit and rule more soberly and thoughtfully, but I’m not going to count on that. Right now she’s the thing that worries me the most in this case.
And his supporters who are actually in the military, of course.
Yeah, but Trump’s attorneys have suddenly resigned. Someone had suggested earlier that he would fire them in order to delay the trial, but this is just as effective. Now he can claim that his new team will need months to come up to speed on things.
That doesn’t fly. In most cases the defendant doesn’t even get an attorney until they are indicted. The facts in this case don’t require month “to get up to speed.” They are pretty straight forward (and not --as far as I’ve noticed–contested). Unllike most busy criminal defense attorneys, this team can probably devote full time to the case between now and trial. The could be ready in 30 to 60 days. There’s certainly no valid reason to request more than 6 months.
A bad judge, of course, can do what they want with the trial date, and use any excuse. A court’s own trial calendar is something they have vast discretion over (absent the “requirements” of the speedy trial rules).
Even giving him an Everest- sized benefit of the doubt that he didn’t sell, or plan to sell, information to the highest bidder-- The boxes were stored so haphazardly in a public place KNOWN to have been infiltrated by at least a few foreign spies, likely infiltrated by many unknown actors. Even if trump didn’t actively do anything with the info except fuel his masterbatory fantasies, he made it available to random bad actors who did who knows what. He 100% put the security of the nation at risk by taking the documents.
The boxes photographed spilled all over the floor- because maybe someone was interrupted while going through them and had to skedaddle? Pure speculation, yes, but not outlandish.
I hope that Cannon’s bank accounts are being carefully watched, and private “meetings” between her and Trump intermediaries are being observed. Trump has credibly been accused of witness tampering already, and a little judge tampering would not be beyond him.
They could certainly be more subtle than that, simply endowing a certain Swiss account or a certain bitcoin wallet with money, neither of which have any traceable connection to Cannon or anyone connected to her. Yet.
Being the very trusting sorts that Trump and his inner circle are, they’ll want to pay for their favors strictly C.O.D.
Being Trumpists, subtle is not in their wheelhouse. Probably a public go-fund-me campaign.
Seriously, any bribe attempt (however subtle or Trumpian) has a good chance of backfiring. With her, I think they can rely on her MAGA-politics to do the job for them.
Maybe this has been addressed somewhere in these discussions…
What would be Cannon’s motivation for greasing the wheels for trump? Yeah, he appointed her, but so what? Is she really banking on trump being found not guilty of ALL 37 accusations, and then going on to be re-elected, and THEN putting her on the Supreme Court?? That seems like the wildest of fantasies.
What’s in it for her to put her thumb on the scales of justice (as it were) in his favor? Her whole career is in the balance. Her future depends on how this proceeding plays out. If it were me, I wouldn’t touch it.
Can someone explain to me like I’m 5?
i just did that, but again: she’s a MAGA-nut. Trump can do no wrong, and everything his opponents say is a lie and a hoax and purely politically motivated. He is Jesus Christ Himself, returned to bless this nation and deliver us from the evil liberal fascist communist Democrats.
In terms of her self interest, I tend to agree. Other Republicans are likely to be more important to her future, and they - De Santis, McConnell - are happy to see Trump in prison. And if a Republican candidate wants to get MAGA votes by being the guy who pardons Trump, they obviously need him convicted first.
Is it possible that she’s so dumb that she’s a true believer, that she wants him to be president because that would be a Good Thing?
I think it’s not only possible, I think it’s the answer.
Does trump have the option to elect to be tried by judge alone? If he does he’ll likely walk. (And be considered a martyr)
When I was a classified documents custodian in the Navy (late '80s - mid '90s), the convention was that even an inadvertently left-unlocked drawer or door etc meant that I had to assume that the material had been compromised, and my account was relatively small. It was a four or five drawer filing cabinet, with a locking bar, in a safe, in a secure room with up to NATO Secret documents.
And we all had to get audited and inspected a few times each year by national level inspectors.
What Trump did is beyond appalling and inexcusable and is a huge threat to the US, NATO, and the five eyes community, but I still fear that he will skate merrily out of this somehow.
The US should now be acting on the assumption that extremely sensitive material has been seen.
I get the consternation everybody has about this judge. I really do.
But it’s kind of like saying that Trump has a cop friend who will look the other way if he shoots somebody on 5th Avenue.
Okay, but there are other cops on the beat, too. And don’t you think people are still going to ask about what happened to the dead guy?
Here, we have appellate courts. And trials and court proceedings are public - if this judge dismisses a case for reasons that are inexplicable to those watching it, there are repercussions.
Yes, a judge could stand up, in the middle of trial, and proclaim the defendant innocent and the prosecutor a disgrace to the profession.
But it will be a part of a record subject to review, both within and beyond the justice system.
She already injected herself into a case she had no justification to be involved with and tried to delay it for months for Trump. For her troubles she was rebuked by the appellate court. Whatever her motivation was then, I’m guessing it would be the same now.
Also, her future? She’s a federal judge. That’s a lifetime appointment. Google says the only way to remove a federal judge is for the House to first impeach her, and then the Senate to convict her. Good friggin’ luck. She’s effectively untouchable for life.
Yeah, I get that. But this doesn’t really explain what’s in it for her. The garden-variety MAGAnut is so far removed from trump that they can believe whatever they want. Cannon has put herself on the hotseat.
This I can see. Twisted, but comprehensible.
I just can’t see this. It’s so short-sighted. I want to find a reason that makes more sense than this-- even in her world. Yeah, I know-- I also want to fit into the jeans I wore in college.
Okay, a job for life. But you still have to exist and thrive in that world-- The Lifers’ Club. I think you need to have the respect of your colleagues, Is it really going to help her 15-20 years from now when she bears the indelible stank of trump?
Apologies if this has already been addressed: where can we see the indictment photos in color? As opposed to the pdf black and whites.