Trump: Set to declare 2024 presidential bid tonight; will indictments follow soon?

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Charge: Falsification of Business Records (To hide "$ 130,000 hush money' payment, during the 2016 Presidential race, to Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She claims she had an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump, which he vehemently denies.)

Start of Trial: Manhattan Judge Juan Manuel Merchan (24/3/15) - granted a delay [Trial date was March 25, 2024] after prosecutors [Manhattan district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg] signalled they were willing to push back the start of the trial due to very recent disclosure to the defence of numerous documents recently received from the federal government. New date: Mon., Apr. 22, 2024

The New York case is still expected to be the first indictment (of the four criminal indictments against Trump) to go to trial, and before the 2024 Presidential election in Nov. 2024.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Charge: “Criminal Enterprise” to overturn the results of the 2020 election (Interference in Georgia Presidential Election Count)

Issue: Fani Willis, Georgia District Attorney - overseeing case against Trump; hired lead "Prosecutor", Nathan Wade - DA "Official" impropriety alleged by Trump lawyers. Can she continue as DA?

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee - found an appearance of “impropriety,” but wrote that defendants “failed to meet their burden” in proving District Attorney Fani T. Willis’s relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade was enough to merit her removal.
- But he ruled that either the special prosecutor must be terminated, or Ms. Willis must be removed.

https://s2.washingtonpost.com/camp-r...m=2&linktot=53

Update: Nathan Wade Resigns From Trump Case After Judge’s Conflict of Interest Ruling

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2024/03...d396a4debfd6ce

Bob A (Legal Beagle)

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Election Vote-Counting Interference - Georgia

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#in...llSFkWmmTtpMxB

Today (Wednesday, March 13, 2024) - Atlanta, Georgia - Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee

quashed six of the 41 charges against Donald Trump and his allies in the sprawling Georgia election interference case.

The ruling said charges that Donald Trump and his allies solicited public officials to break the law were not specific enough. Included was the charge related to a call that Mr. Trump made to pressure Georgia’s secretary of state in early January 2021. He left intact the rest of the racketeering indictment, which initially included 41 counts.

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Charge - Falsifying corporate documents - 34 counts of falsification of New York business records in an attempt to cover up hush-money payments to Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She claims she had an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump, which he vehemently denies.

Trial: Monday, March 25

New Application by Trump - Manhattan Judge Juan Manuel Marchan - That he adjourn the criminal trial indefinitely - because the Supreme Court of Canada has an appeal on "Presidential Immunity" re the Jan. 6, 2023 Insurrection allegation. He argues the trial has to await the prior decision of the US Supreme Court.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Espionage Act - Illegal handling of Presidential documents (At his Florida Home)

On Thurs., March 14 - Judge Aileen Cannon - President Trump will contention that the Espionage Act under which he is criminally charged is fatally flawed, an argument that, if vindicated, could mean the end of the case against him.

Mr. Trump’s argument, memorialized in a motion to dismiss, makes the case that the Espionage Act is unconstitutional as applied to former presidents.

It could lead to the Supreme Court weighing the law under which whistleblowers Daniel Ellsberg, Chelsea Manning, and Edward Snowden were prosecuted, and a communist couple, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, were put to death.

The 45th president faces in the Mar-a-Lago case 32 charges under the Espionage Act, which was passed in 1917.

https://www.nysun.com/article/trump-...0%202024-03-11

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Electoral Prospects

Republican Party Primaries (Deciding on Presidential Nominee)

"Nikki Haley to exit U.S. Republican presidential race."

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/worl...mhAW4S4QM2hoOG

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Electoral Issues - 2024 Presidential Election

Issue: Can a particular State (Here: Colorado) disqualify someone (Trump) from being on the ballot as a candidate for 'President"?

Supreme Court of USA Decision (Today, 24/3/4):

- unanimously sided with Donald Trump, allowing the former president to remain on the election ballot and reversing a Colorado ruling that disqualified him from returning to office because of his conduct around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The justices said the Constitution does not permit a single state to disqualify a presidential candidate from national office, declaring that such responsibility “rests with Congress and not the states.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...54ce3cbd2ff26b

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Charge: Insurrection and attempt to overturn the 2020 official election result

Defence: as to illegal actions that are "official acts" while President, a President has "immunity" from being charged "in perpetuity".

Trial - Judge Cannon - Trump has no "immunity".

Appeal in the Supreme Court of USA - it will hear Trump's Appeal from the lower court decision that Trump has no "immunity". If upheld, then the criminal trial of Trump will continue.

Scheduled arguments: the week of April 22 Proceedings in the trial court would remain frozen while they considered the appeal).

Bob A

[Neil Frarey]

Such a sad sad tragedy. I understand that her murderer, illegal migrant, had been arrested before too. He was known to law enforcement.

This shameful tragic murder should never have happened.

[Vlad Drkulec]

I guess Bragg needs new headlines to distract from his role in the murder of that young woman in Georgia murdered by an illegal migrant who he released on child endangerment charges. Good job Democrats. They didn't learn their lesson in 2016.

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal Court

Current trial - Prosecutor - Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

Allegation: 34 counts of falsification of New York business records in an attempt to cover up hush-money payments to Stephanie A. Gregory Clifford, known professionally as Stormy Daniels, an American pornographic film actress, director and former stripper. She claims she had an extramarital affair with Mr. Trump, which he vehemently denies.

Mr. Bragg further accuses Mr. Trump of trying to hide “damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”

Mr. Bragg seeks a "felony" conviction for what would normally be a "misdemeanor". He argues that the intent to commit or conceal another crime (By making the illegal hush money payment), including breaking “state and federal election laws,” raises the charge to a felony, punishable by up to four years in prison, under New York law.

Today Mr. Bragg brought a motion before the judge handling the trial to impose a limited gag order on Mr. Trump.

In a court filing, Mr. Bragg wrote that “the need for such protection is compelling.” He also said: " [Trump's past] remarks [about court proceedings], as well as the inevitable reactions they incite from defendant’s followers and allies, pose a significant and imminent threat to the orderly administration of this criminal proceeding and a substantial likelihood of causing material prejudice.”

https://www.nysun.com/article/alvin-...0%202024-02-26

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Civil Court

Defamation Judgment for $ 83.3 million in favour of writer E. Jean Carroll

New York Federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan - denied Trump's motion to immediately suspend the verdict and to delay payment.

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Republican Primary - Insurmountable Electoral Lead

[Today],Trump Defeats Haley in South Carolina, Her Home State [She is a former governor].

The GOP race is becoming a less-contested one. Yet Republican leaders see enthusiasm for the former president. Others worry whether he can win in November.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/tru...ntent=breaking

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Legal Problems - Criminal

Wrongful Taking of Official Documents from the White House

President Trump could soon discover whether his criminal trial for hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago will fade into the mists of indefinite delay or instead keep him pinned to a South Florida courtroom just as the general election campaign gains steam.

The New York Sun (24/2/24)

Bob A

[Bob Armstrong]

Republican Primary - Insurmountable Electoral Lead

"“I’ve been the underdog in every race I’ve ever run. I’ve always been David taking on Goliath,” Ms. [ Nikki] Haley said. “And like David, I’m not just fighting someone bigger than me. I’m fighting for something bigger than myself.”

While Ms. Haley is vowing to stay in the race through the bitter end, the states coming up immediately after the South Carolina primary don’t look much more favorable to her than her home state [Trump - 63%; Haley - 35%; she is a former governor!).

Just less than two weeks after South Carolina’s primary there will be 15 states and one territory voting on Super Tuesday, on March 5. A quick survey of polling in these states finds that Ms. Haley is unlikely to win any of them."

https://www.nysun.com/article/haley-...0%202024-02-24

Bob A