Donald Trump, the former president and current Republican nominee, is now a convicted felon. In the aftermath of the verdict, Trump predictably complained that the trial was "rigged." This was not particularly surprising. Trump has also claimed the 2020 election, federal employment statistics, election polls, the January 6 Committee, the media, social media companies, search results, his impeachment hearing, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Emmys were "rigged."
It increasingly bothers me how any court case with Trump that involves sex (misogyny, women, titillating stories) is dismissed as unimportant. And there is pretty much nothing Trump does that doesn't denigrate and deny the importance of women.
Jean E. Carroll's victory was remarkable, with a huge fine that Trump will of course try to worm out of paying. But it was downplayed as a civil case, and journalists even tried to argue the decision stated it wasn't rape, when it was (semantics from NYC law caused that confusion).
Over 25 women (one of them definitely underage and violently raped by her account and a witness) accused Trump of rape and sexual assault through the years and have been dismissed and silenced.
Then when his behavior at last was pegged for what it actually is, raping a woman, it was treated as 'unimportant'. Criminal trials, felony trials, were what counted, the journalists argued. Well, OK, then.
Now that 34 felony counts have landed, I think this trial has been getting the same very curious short shrift. I believe this is largely because it again involves a salacious sexual encounter, in this case with a porn star.
Media refused to call it election interference. It was dubbed the 'hush-money porn-star' case. Why? Because in the end, women's experiences really don't count, and there was a large group in the media that desperately wanted to characterize these events as not very concerning. We all know the routine: boys will be boys, wink, wink, nod, nod. Hey, nothing to be done about that! Move along, people, nothing to see here!!
How about we NOT give the boys the right to skip away from accountability when they treat women with disrespect, we treat it as seriously as we do violent assaults--because that is what rape is, a violent assault--and we properly disdain and scorn men who try to hide their sexual shenanigans from the electorate, shame them endlessly?
How about we expect boys grow up to be men? And we start to take mistreatment of women seriously?
Stormy Daniels is about as disposable as a woman can be, a porn actress past her prime. But for some of us, Stormy is a hero, even if a reluctant one. E. Jean Carroll is a hero, at 80-years-old finally facing her rapist. Crimes against women are crimes against the psyche of the community. We are as sick as our secrets.
Also...Ms. Clifford's account of what happened in that room was NOT an 'affair'. She was assaulted. A rich and powerful man blocked her from the door and there was a bodyguard just outside. She did not consent. Her chosen profession does not mean that her experience can be trivialized. She is a victim of a much worse crime.
— Well, I’ll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I’ll go backstage and everyone’s getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it,” Trump said during the interview. “You know, I’m inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good.”
“And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that,” he added. —
It seems that "hush money" was more sensational? You hit the nail with the "interference" reference. Brings to mind of how every accusation the conservatives seem to make is their confession.
True, part of it is just for clicks, but if they really wanted to make it an even bigger story and stir up outrage, they certainly could. Most women I know are stewing about this. But the real story is media doesn't want to admit this is sick and very, very wrong. We need to bring back shame.
the verdict also shows that his BS cannot stand the scrutiny of a courtroom where facts matter. If Project 2025 gets implemented, then BS will become law as the courts will no longer be "rule of law, but rule by law as they see fit".
Peter Paul, How exactly is the world a better place yet? Only a deserving sentence will make things a little better. That’s because it will give those of us who are sane some hope for justice. But we’re a long road away from getting to a better place.
I don't know, I think we can claim a victory - that is, we the people who still believe in Democracy and the rule of law. I think this verdict moved the needle a little towards justice.
Trump is a career criminal who has never been able to achieve any success without cheating, lying or stealing. From his years screwing subcontractors and tenants in his shitty NYC buildings to Trump U to Trump steaks to The Apprentice (a fraud on an epic scale) to the 2016 election every win had been a lie. And every time he was on the ropes someone stepped in to save him. His Daddy, Roy Cohn, Bill Barr, Loose Cannon, Sam Alito - all there to save this orange pustule from himself. But no longer. Alvin Bragg, Tish James and others in NYC are finally bringing him to account and he can't stand it. And all those who have built their own power around him can't stand it either. And it's all going to come crashing down on them soon. And they are terrified.
Let’s get some of those sub-contractors in campaign ads, wearing their work clothes and telling voters (many just like them) how DJT screwed them over.
Can you imagine? Turn all that bullshit they threw at Democrats about defunding the police back in their collective faces by running clips of the MAGAs at all levels screaming that the FBI, the DoJ, the NYAG, the Fulton County DA, the Manhattan DA all needed to be defunded.
I can’t help but regret the failure of former NY prosecutors, specifically Michael Garcia, Preet Bharara, Robert Morgenthau and Cy Vance Jr., for failing to hold Trump to account for the myriad of crimes he and his businesses were likely engaged in, specifically money laundering, during their tenures at the beginning of the century. Had they focused their resources on this individual, they could have spared our country so much death and heartache, so much collective trauma. Whether it was a conscious choice or a regrettable oversight, it is sobering to consider what could have been.
I must point out the the conservatives spend a lot of their time and resources into intimidating white collar crime enforcement. Read Prequel to see how the conservatives spent their resources in preventing being held accountable. Dark Money by Jane Mayer is also a good read that delves into the world of conservatives and their quest to manipulate the law in thier favor.
When the potential punishment is greater for an individual who mistakenly registered and voted than it is for someone who sought to devalue the votes of millions, we have a problem.
Left is B3st, and the fact that he incited an insurrection! He calls the deadly terrorists of J6, victims. He’s a felon, rapist and colluded with Russia. Curious as to what the woman they jailed for voting was found guilty of. It would have to pale in comparison. I’d say trump is responsible for deaths by being misleading about Covid too.
What an old boys club! And you wonder why they did not pursue Donald Trump or Harvey Weinstein for decades? And, btw, you left Rudy Giuliani off that list. Also, Preet got fired by Dump.
Of course, each of the Republicans with their group phone call directing what arguments they were to declare publicly were easily refuted as having no validity. "Kangaroo Court" "Witch Hunt" and all terms Trump and his minions blurted out sound dumb and foolish.
If only there was the possibility of one of the other trials could be scheduled very soon! Is it possible that the SCOTUS will rule that Trump has no "above the law" immunity because he lied his way to and through and since his presidency? We know that Alito and Thomas will vote any absurd reason to not hold Trump accountable, but there are 7 others....
The three appointed by Trump will do his bidding too, I'm sure. We must win the congress and the White House in November so we can stop the fascism from growing.
It will indeed be interesting to see whether SCOTUS will roll out more originalist theorizing to sweep away all future legal threats to 45, or at least the latest one, or will issue a brief on-point statement addressing no basis for presidential immunity. I want to believe a majority will not restrict prosecution.
I suppose this is nitpicking, but search results are clearly rigged to maximize Google's ad revenue. The results are not as useful as they formerly were. Also, Google has rigged the device market by paying billions to Apple and other companies to feature Google search as the default engine. Thankfully, the Biden administration -- and even some Republican AGs -- are suing Google.
Use DuckDuck Go. The results are much more straightforward and they don't track your searches or sell your info so that popup ads for flip-flops appear on every web site you visit for weeks afterward just because you searched for flip-flops once
There is a scene in the movie "Liar, Liar" where Jim Carrey's defense attorney character receives a call from a client who is a career criminal. Rather than continuing to enable this behavior, a now honest Carrey screams into the phone, "STOP BREAKING THE LAW A$$HOLE!!!" and hangs up. The GOP should watch this classic movie en masse.
Thank you for this. I’ve heard people like Ellie Honig making these arguments and it bothered me that maybe they had a point. Good to hear they’re just making waves to be newsworthy.
Robert—agreed, this is good information that needs to be more widely shared. One way I’m using it is to have “the facts” ready to use in conversations with others…and also to promote PI to others.
Thank you for this point by point info. As usual, the MAGA people lied repeatedly and/or did not bother to investigate. It's always about Trump being "persecuted" while anyone else in this country would have been in jail a long time ago.
Important information to know and required for all to hear...it is a shame that Trump's un-financed registered voters/supporters can't understand or aren't interested in knowing the facts. It could be so simple to run a country properly if most were well enough educated to understand the difference between fact and fiction, truth and lies, sharing and greed.
The wealthy have bought the congress and the Supreme Court. They have built a vast propaganda and political action organization that dwarfs all other such efforts. All they care about is their wealth, nothing else. THEY WILL LIE UNTIL THEY DIE. As for the people who get sucked in --- that's a well-known psychology. It matters not that people are stupid, which they are. It matters what buttons get pushed, how hard, and how often.
And what are those buttons? Fear of immigrants, black people, trans people, women getting ahead, jews, just jews. Keep pushing them and people get so confused. They get that way because when lies are mixed with truth, it leads to confusion. When you are confused you need to find an answer, and the simplest one - witch hunt, rigged election, too old to be president, just get locked in.
True. Nothing affects people like fear. So, if you want to control people so that you can control the government and hoard your wealth you make them afraid of their own shadows. You tell any lie, commit any crime, to get your way. Just look at the so-called 'conservative caucus'. Lying criminals all.
It’s incredulous to me that RW blogs, reporters, media all posted the same lie about Judge Merchan’s instructions. One after another, each took the something that wasn’t said - that had no truth to it - and spread it around like it was gospel.
Thank you Judd. We may not agree all the time though here, you make valuable points that can help dress down those "cranky uncles" during family dinners.
Now if I can only get my 2K memory to store today's commentary. 😀
Once again, Judd continues to expose much of the need for media to "if it bleeds, it leads" mantra, especially in the conservative world. The business of media is destroying the news world as the truth does not generate the clicks they so desperately need to survive.
Would love a compilation of all the legal battles that the trump family has lost. I would include as a loss all those where settlements were paid and NDAs signed. Those are not wins but coverups.
It increasingly bothers me how any court case with Trump that involves sex (misogyny, women, titillating stories) is dismissed as unimportant. And there is pretty much nothing Trump does that doesn't denigrate and deny the importance of women.
Jean E. Carroll's victory was remarkable, with a huge fine that Trump will of course try to worm out of paying. But it was downplayed as a civil case, and journalists even tried to argue the decision stated it wasn't rape, when it was (semantics from NYC law caused that confusion).
Over 25 women (one of them definitely underage and violently raped by her account and a witness) accused Trump of rape and sexual assault through the years and have been dismissed and silenced.
Then when his behavior at last was pegged for what it actually is, raping a woman, it was treated as 'unimportant'. Criminal trials, felony trials, were what counted, the journalists argued. Well, OK, then.
Now that 34 felony counts have landed, I think this trial has been getting the same very curious short shrift. I believe this is largely because it again involves a salacious sexual encounter, in this case with a porn star.
Media refused to call it election interference. It was dubbed the 'hush-money porn-star' case. Why? Because in the end, women's experiences really don't count, and there was a large group in the media that desperately wanted to characterize these events as not very concerning. We all know the routine: boys will be boys, wink, wink, nod, nod. Hey, nothing to be done about that! Move along, people, nothing to see here!!
How about we NOT give the boys the right to skip away from accountability when they treat women with disrespect, we treat it as seriously as we do violent assaults--because that is what rape is, a violent assault--and we properly disdain and scorn men who try to hide their sexual shenanigans from the electorate, shame them endlessly?
How about we expect boys grow up to be men? And we start to take mistreatment of women seriously?
Right on! Shine some light over here.
Stormy Daniels is about as disposable as a woman can be, a porn actress past her prime. But for some of us, Stormy is a hero, even if a reluctant one. E. Jean Carroll is a hero, at 80-years-old finally facing her rapist. Crimes against women are crimes against the psyche of the community. We are as sick as our secrets.
Also...Ms. Clifford's account of what happened in that room was NOT an 'affair'. She was assaulted. A rich and powerful man blocked her from the door and there was a bodyguard just outside. She did not consent. Her chosen profession does not mean that her experience can be trivialized. She is a victim of a much worse crime.
He was recorded saying this to Howard Stern:
— Well, I’ll tell you the funniest is that before a show, I’ll go backstage and everyone’s getting dressed, and everything else, and you know, no men are anywhere, and I’m allowed to go in because I’m the owner of the pageant and therefore I’m inspecting it,” Trump said during the interview. “You know, I’m inspecting because I want to make sure that everything is good.”
“And you see these incredible looking women, and so, I sort of get away with things like that,” he added. —
https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/300551-report-trump-walked-into-teen-beauty-pageant-changing/
It seems that "hush money" was more sensational? You hit the nail with the "interference" reference. Brings to mind of how every accusation the conservatives seem to make is their confession.
True, part of it is just for clicks, but if they really wanted to make it an even bigger story and stir up outrage, they certainly could. Most women I know are stewing about this. But the real story is media doesn't want to admit this is sick and very, very wrong. We need to bring back shame.
Bottom line: The rule of law held, DT’s a convicted felon and the world’s a better place. Let us move forward and continue to uphold our democracy.
the verdict also shows that his BS cannot stand the scrutiny of a courtroom where facts matter. If Project 2025 gets implemented, then BS will become law as the courts will no longer be "rule of law, but rule by law as they see fit".
Peter Paul, How exactly is the world a better place yet? Only a deserving sentence will make things a little better. That’s because it will give those of us who are sane some hope for justice. But we’re a long road away from getting to a better place.
I don't know, I think we can claim a victory - that is, we the people who still believe in Democracy and the rule of law. I think this verdict moved the needle a little towards justice.
I'm in a better place.
Agreed
I didn’t say it wasn’t any sort of victory. I asked why he thinks “the world’s a better place” just based on the verdict?
My perspective only.
Trump is a career criminal who has never been able to achieve any success without cheating, lying or stealing. From his years screwing subcontractors and tenants in his shitty NYC buildings to Trump U to Trump steaks to The Apprentice (a fraud on an epic scale) to the 2016 election every win had been a lie. And every time he was on the ropes someone stepped in to save him. His Daddy, Roy Cohn, Bill Barr, Loose Cannon, Sam Alito - all there to save this orange pustule from himself. But no longer. Alvin Bragg, Tish James and others in NYC are finally bringing him to account and he can't stand it. And all those who have built their own power around him can't stand it either. And it's all going to come crashing down on them soon. And they are terrified.
Let’s get some of those sub-contractors in campaign ads, wearing their work clothes and telling voters (many just like them) how DJT screwed them over.
Absolutely, by now most of the NDAs that Trump forced them to sign should have expired.
E.g. A big time Loser in Trump's vernacular.
Trump is the Biggest Loser of all Bigly Losers
yes and he is the perfect example of how conservatives work to defund white collar law enforcement.
Can you imagine? Turn all that bullshit they threw at Democrats about defunding the police back in their collective faces by running clips of the MAGAs at all levels screaming that the FBI, the DoJ, the NYAG, the Fulton County DA, the Manhattan DA all needed to be defunded.
I can’t help but regret the failure of former NY prosecutors, specifically Michael Garcia, Preet Bharara, Robert Morgenthau and Cy Vance Jr., for failing to hold Trump to account for the myriad of crimes he and his businesses were likely engaged in, specifically money laundering, during their tenures at the beginning of the century. Had they focused their resources on this individual, they could have spared our country so much death and heartache, so much collective trauma. Whether it was a conscious choice or a regrettable oversight, it is sobering to consider what could have been.
I must point out the the conservatives spend a lot of their time and resources into intimidating white collar crime enforcement. Read Prequel to see how the conservatives spent their resources in preventing being held accountable. Dark Money by Jane Mayer is also a good read that delves into the world of conservatives and their quest to manipulate the law in thier favor.
When the potential punishment is greater for an individual who mistakenly registered and voted than it is for someone who sought to devalue the votes of millions, we have a problem.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/28/crystal-mason-texas-woman-acquitted?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Left is B3st, and the fact that he incited an insurrection! He calls the deadly terrorists of J6, victims. He’s a felon, rapist and colluded with Russia. Curious as to what the woman they jailed for voting was found guilty of. It would have to pale in comparison. I’d say trump is responsible for deaths by being misleading about Covid too.
absolutely. Kind of like the punishment for a raped women being more severe that the rapist. The conservatives have abandoned any commonsense.
Excellent observation/assertion.
Thank you, Left is B3st
What an old boys club! And you wonder why they did not pursue Donald Trump or Harvey Weinstein for decades? And, btw, you left Rudy Giuliani off that list. Also, Preet got fired by Dump.
I wonder what Preet Bharara would say now to this issue.
I asked him several times when he posted on Twitter and in comments to him on his podcast. He did not respond.
True!
Of course, each of the Republicans with their group phone call directing what arguments they were to declare publicly were easily refuted as having no validity. "Kangaroo Court" "Witch Hunt" and all terms Trump and his minions blurted out sound dumb and foolish.
If only there was the possibility of one of the other trials could be scheduled very soon! Is it possible that the SCOTUS will rule that Trump has no "above the law" immunity because he lied his way to and through and since his presidency? We know that Alito and Thomas will vote any absurd reason to not hold Trump accountable, but there are 7 others....
The three appointed by Trump will do his bidding too, I'm sure. We must win the congress and the White House in November so we can stop the fascism from growing.
It will indeed be interesting to see whether SCOTUS will roll out more originalist theorizing to sweep away all future legal threats to 45, or at least the latest one, or will issue a brief on-point statement addressing no basis for presidential immunity. I want to believe a majority will not restrict prosecution.
We could start a betting pool and my money is on DJT getting immunity from this group of loyalists aka SCOTUS.
I don’t think so. Then they would also be giving Immunity to Biden for the remainder of his term and his next!
I suppose this is nitpicking, but search results are clearly rigged to maximize Google's ad revenue. The results are not as useful as they formerly were. Also, Google has rigged the device market by paying billions to Apple and other companies to feature Google search as the default engine. Thankfully, the Biden administration -- and even some Republican AGs -- are suing Google.
Use DuckDuck Go. The results are much more straightforward and they don't track your searches or sell your info so that popup ads for flip-flops appear on every web site you visit for weeks afterward just because you searched for flip-flops once
There is a scene in the movie "Liar, Liar" where Jim Carrey's defense attorney character receives a call from a client who is a career criminal. Rather than continuing to enable this behavior, a now honest Carrey screams into the phone, "STOP BREAKING THE LAW A$$HOLE!!!" and hangs up. The GOP should watch this classic movie en masse.
Thank you for this. I’ve heard people like Ellie Honig making these arguments and it bothered me that maybe they had a point. Good to hear they’re just making waves to be newsworthy.
I read that drivel yesterday and proclaimed it as such. As you say they are merely making waves. They seek relevance.
By the way Elie Honig is a man. I like how Judd adds, "As Honig acknowledges, at the most basic level, this is not true."
Whoops! Thank you for the correction. I read the name as Ellie and I oughta know better.
Thanks for helping us cut through the BS, Judd.
Thank you for the great commentary. I wish we could get information like this out to the broader community.
Robert—agreed, this is good information that needs to be more widely shared. One way I’m using it is to have “the facts” ready to use in conversations with others…and also to promote PI to others.
Thank you for this point by point info. As usual, the MAGA people lied repeatedly and/or did not bother to investigate. It's always about Trump being "persecuted" while anyone else in this country would have been in jail a long time ago.
Important information to know and required for all to hear...it is a shame that Trump's un-financed registered voters/supporters can't understand or aren't interested in knowing the facts. It could be so simple to run a country properly if most were well enough educated to understand the difference between fact and fiction, truth and lies, sharing and greed.
I've said this before: by keeping folks uneducated, Republicans can win. Ignorance is strength.
The wealthy have bought the congress and the Supreme Court. They have built a vast propaganda and political action organization that dwarfs all other such efforts. All they care about is their wealth, nothing else. THEY WILL LIE UNTIL THEY DIE. As for the people who get sucked in --- that's a well-known psychology. It matters not that people are stupid, which they are. It matters what buttons get pushed, how hard, and how often.
And what are those buttons? Fear of immigrants, black people, trans people, women getting ahead, jews, just jews. Keep pushing them and people get so confused. They get that way because when lies are mixed with truth, it leads to confusion. When you are confused you need to find an answer, and the simplest one - witch hunt, rigged election, too old to be president, just get locked in.
True. Nothing affects people like fear. So, if you want to control people so that you can control the government and hoard your wealth you make them afraid of their own shadows. You tell any lie, commit any crime, to get your way. Just look at the so-called 'conservative caucus'. Lying criminals all.
It’s incredulous to me that RW blogs, reporters, media all posted the same lie about Judge Merchan’s instructions. One after another, each took the something that wasn’t said - that had no truth to it - and spread it around like it was gospel.
It’s called propaganda. Worked for Goebbels.
Thank you Judd. We may not agree all the time though here, you make valuable points that can help dress down those "cranky uncles" during family dinners.
Now if I can only get my 2K memory to store today's commentary. 😀
Well written and explained which should be read by all rightwing liars.
Once again, Judd continues to expose much of the need for media to "if it bleeds, it leads" mantra, especially in the conservative world. The business of media is destroying the news world as the truth does not generate the clicks they so desperately need to survive.
Would love a compilation of all the legal battles that the trump family has lost. I would include as a loss all those where settlements were paid and NDAs signed. Those are not wins but coverups.