What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Admiral Yi]

I'm a little curious about that case.  I get the logic of not pursuing criminal charges against a sitting president, but Bubba had a civil case brought against him in office and the infamous DOJ memo specifies criminal charges if I'm not mistaken.

So why was this case delayed? 

[Gups]

From what I can gather the defamation part has been tied up in appeals and the assault case could only be brought after a change in law re limitation

[The Minsky Moment]

The case is based on defamation.  The defamatory statement was made in June 2019 and the case wasn't filed until Nov 2019,  There was a 2 year delay because the Justice Dept (i.e. Barr) argued that Trump's statement was an official government statement and the United States should be substituted as defendant. 

3.5 yrs from filing to trial actually isn't so unusually long in a civil case.

[Admiral Yi]

The case is based on defamation.  The defamatory statement was made in June 2019 and the case wasn't filed until Nov 2019,  There was a 2 year delay because the Justice Dept (i.e. Barr) argued that Trump's statement was an official government statement and the United States should be substituted as defendant. 

3.5 yrs from filing to trial actually isn't so unusually long in a civil case.

Interesting.

As a quibble, wasn't The Redneck AG at that time?

[viper37]

Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation.

[The Minsky Moment]

Generally speaking, presenting no defense case is not a winning strategy in a civil trial.

[grumbler]

Excerpt from Trump's deposition, asked about the "Access Hollywood" tape ('grab'em by the pussy'):

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1654569066852491265

"Well, historically, that's true with stars. If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true. Unfortunately. Or fortunately."

He's right.  Two million years ago, TV stars wouldn't have let him get away with that kind of shit.

[Admiral Yi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULM-_ebN1_A

Donald's deposition in the rape case.

[Savonarola]

From the BEEB

Durham report finds FBI probe into Trump-Russia ties was flawed

In a 300-page report, special counsel John Durham said the FBI's probe lacked "analytical rigor".

Mr Trump had vowed that Mr Durham's report would uncover the "crime of the century".

The FBI said it has addressed the issues highlighted in the report.

In the report, Mr Durham - who was appointed by then-Attorney General William Barr in 2019 - accused the FBI of acting on "raw, unanalysed and uncorroborated intelligence" when it launched the probe.

Among the various investigative mistakes it made were repeated instances of "confirmation bias" that ignored information that undercut the initial premise of the investigation, which was known by the codename "Crossfire Hurricane".

In a statement, the FBI said it had "already implemented dozens of corrective actions".

"Had those reforms been in place in 2016, the missteps identified in the report could have been prevented," the statement added.

The investigation into alleged ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, which was carried out by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, led to dozens of criminal charges against former Trump campaign staff, and concluded that Russia had attempted to interfere in the 2016 election.

It did not, however, find that the Trump campaign and Russia conspired together to influence the election.

On his Truth Social social media platform on Monday, Mr Trump said the report shows that the "American public was scammed".

Mr Durham's four-year investigation has resulted in three prosecutions, including an FBI attorney who pleaded guilty to altering evidence while applying for permission to eavesdrop on a former Trump campaign official.

Two other people were acquitted on charges of lying to the FBI.

I see from CNN that Durham actually didn't recommend any changes at the FBI, that he thought the policies were already in place, but not followed.  This is something that Trump's faithful have seized upon as incontestable proof that the deep state was out to get him.

[mongers]

The Rudy Giuliani sexual harassment  of an ex-employee allegations are a humdinger, if true it's something Trump would be proud of.

[Barrister]

Wow - the Trump thread fell quite a ways down the forum.

Lets change that:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katherinehamilton/2023/05/25/trumps-truth-social-faces-more-trouble-sec-calls-spacs-financial-statements-unreliable-as-stock-faces-delisting/?sh=259f16261cdd

Trump's Truth Social Faces More Trouble As SPAC Partner Admits Financial Statements Are Unreliable
Katherine Hamilton
Forbes Staff
I cover breaking news.
Follow
May 25, 2023,09:37am EDT
Updated May 25, 2023, 11:49am EDT
TOPLINE Digital World Acquisition Corp., which plans to merge with the parent company of Donald Trump's Truth Social platform, reported it made accounting errors in its last financial report, adding to financial reporting issues that have threatened to delist the company from Nasdaq, on top of two investigations that have delayed the deal with Trump.

KEY FACTS
In a May 18 filing, Digital World Acquisition, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) that signed a deal in 2021 to merge with Trump's media company to take Truth Social public, reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission it had made accounting errors in its annual financial report for 2022.

The year-end report can "no longer be relied upon," Digital World told regulators, and the company is now developing a remediation plan to address the "material weakness" in its "internal control over financial reporting," per the filing.

Digital World Acquisition also has not filed an earnings report for the first quarter of 2023, which is required for all companies listed on Nasdaq.

The company has until July 24 to submit a plan or be delisted from the stock exchange—the SEC can then accept or deny the company's plan, and if it rejects it, Digital World can appeal.

In a public statement on Thursday addressing the SEC's filing, Digital World said the delisting warning was "expected" and it was working "diligently" to file its earnings before July 24.

KEY BACKGROUND
Trump Media & Technology Group, which founded Truth Social last year and is majority owned by former president Donald Trump, announced a deal to merge with Digital World Acquisition in October 2021, roughly eight months after TMTG was founded. The merger has faced major delays because of federal investigations into whether the deal violated federal securities laws, and whether a group of early investors in Digital World engaged in improper trading. The investigations stem from a New York Times report following the merger announcement, which found that Digital World's former CEO Patrick Orlando was discussing the deal with Trump at least two months before the SPAC went public. That prompted the investigations because SPACs are not allowed to have a target company to acquire in mind before going public. CEO Orlando was fired in late March and replaced with an interim CEO.


BIG NUMBER
$300 million. That's how much Digital World will have to return to investors if the merger is not completed by November, according to the Times. It raised roughly that much from investors in 2021 through an initial public offering, but it risks missing its merger deadline because of the ongoing SEC investigations, which may not be wrapped up in time to complete the deal.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
If the merger with Digital World doesn't go through, Trump will likely need to find a new source of income to fund his Twitter competitor, Truth Social. While Trump Media & Technology Group is estimated to be worth between $5 and $25 million, the former president made less than $200 in income from the firm, Trump reported to the Federal Election Committee in April.

[Jacob]

Stewart Rhodes - founder of the Oath Keeper - got 18 years for his role in the attack on Congress on January 6th.

I wonder what the odds of getting a pardon are.

[Razgovory]

Pretty high if Trump is elected.  Pretty low if Biden is relected.

[crazy canuck]

Pretty high if Trump is elected.  Pretty low if Biden is relected.

I have a vague recollection of reading in the Times that his lawyers suggested Trump, and not their client, was responsible for what occurred.  So maybe not such a great shot if the unthinkable happens.  Let's just hope we never find out.

[Barrister]

Reports that Mark Meadows has agreed to testify in exchange for a plea deal, Trump to be indicted.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-indictment-espionage-prosecution-charges-b2353397.html