The Trump Card...

[ATeam]

Let the Flipping Begin!

CNN: “Former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer, who was charged in the Fulton County election subversion indictment and led the state’s delegation of fake electors, said in a court filing that he and the other fake electors ‘acted at the direction of’ former President Donald Trump.”

Republicans flipping on Republicans as the house of cards comes tumbling down.

 

[danthewolf00]

Let the Flipping Begin!

CNN: “Former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer, who was charged in the Fulton County election subversion indictment and led the state’s delegation of fake electors, said in a court filing that he and the other fake electors ‘acted at the direction of’ former President Donald Trump.”

Republicans flipping on Republicans as the house of cards comes tumbling down.

Or hes throwing trump under the bus to stay out of jail......

 

[muttly]

Let the Flipping Begin!

CNN: “Former Georgia GOP chairman David Shafer, who was charged in the Fulton County election subversion indictment and led the state’s delegation of fake electors, said in a court filing that he and the other fake electors ‘acted at the direction of’ former President Donald Trump.”

Republicans flipping on Republicans as the house of cards comes tumbling down.

How is that a flip?

 

[ATeam]

Flipping in Florida Too

"A Trump employee who monitored security cameras at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate abruptly retracted his earlier grand jury testimony and implicated Trump and others in obstruction of justice just after switching from an attorney paid for by a Trump political action committee to a lawyer from the federal defender’s office in Washington, prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday." (Source) (emphasis mine)

 

[ATeam]

How is that a flip?

In Jan, 2023 statement, Shafer said he "... was 'confident that I will be exonerated' of any wrongdoing. He also said that he was 'proud to have served as an elector for Donald Trump' and that he "believed that he won the election.'"

Today, he said in a court filing, " ... that he was acting at Trump's direction when he falsely certified Trump as the winner of the election in Georgia." (Source: Bard)

Denying he did something wrong, and then admitting he did something wrong while implicating someone else ... that's flipping. He was not a witness for the prosecution before. He is now. That's flipping.

Shafer is not the only fake elector to be indicted by Willis. When the local leader of the fake elector plot in GA admits under oath in a court filing that he falsely certified Trump, it kinda takes the wind out of the sails of any other fake electors who intended to defend their acts. Look for them to flip too. Shafer's filing will also be of great interest in Arizona where an investigation of fake electors is underway, and in Michigan where fake electors have been indicted.

 

[ATeam]

Or hes throwing trump under the bus to stay out of jail......

Exactly! Look for more of this. A good number of Trump's 48 co-conspirators will be very busy flippers in the weeks ahead.

 

[Pilgrim]

Flipping in Florida Too

"A Trump employee who monitored security cameras at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate abruptly retracted his earlier grand jury testimony and implicated Trump and others in obstruction of justice just after switching from an attorney paid for by a Trump political action committee to a lawyer from the federal defender’s office in Washington, prosecutors said in a court filing Tuesday." (Source) (emphasis mine)

Here's the important part: "just after switching from an attorney paid for by a Trump political action committee to a lawyer from the federal defender’s office in Washington". It's easy to imagine them telling this low-level Trump employee that he can avoid prison by switching to their govt lawyer and saying what they tell him to say in court. This turn of events shouldn't surprise anyone, and no doubt there will be more to come. Witness tampering at its finest.

 

[RLENT]

Here's the important part: "just after switching from an attorney paid for by a Trump political action committee to a lawyer from the federal defender’s office in Washington". It's easy to imagine them telling this low-level Trump employee that he can avoid prison by switching to their govt lawyer and saying what they tell him to say in court. This turn of events shouldn't surprise anyone, and no doubt there will be more to come. Witness tampering at its finest.

Of course, you can flip that entire scenario 180 degrees ... and say it was Trump - and the lawyer he was paying for - that was doing the witness tampering ... putting Yuscil Taveras up to lying to the Grand Jury initially, thereby committing perjury.

We already have at least one instance where a similar thing has happened:

Remember Cassidy Hutchinson ?

Cassidy Hutchinson transcript reveals new low for Trump World

Her lawyer, Stefan Passantino, was paid by Trump's political action committee (Save America) who was paying his fees and it was her testimony that he attempted to persuade her to (falsely) say that she "couldn't remember" certain things (when, in fact, she could) in her depositions before the January 6th Committee.

Didn't work out so well for him:

1. The January 6th Committee referred those shenanigans to DOJ to examine whether the facts surrounding the matter warranted prosecution.

‘The Less You Remember, The Better’: Cassidy Hutchinson’s Deposition Transcripts Turn up the Heat on Her Lawyer

Stefan Passantino, Call Your Lawyer!

2. On December 21, 2022, Passantino took a leave of absence from the law firm Michael Best where he was employed. Seven days later the law firm severed ties with him.

2. In March 2023, several dozen prominent legal figures filed a complaint seeking to have Passantino's law license revoked on allegations of subornation of perjury, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and bribery: Group Seeks Disbarment of a Trump-Aligned Lawyer for a Key Jan. 6 Witness

In January 2023 he went back to work for El Donaldo ... presumably due to desperation, had a mortgage to pay ... or just hadn't had his fill of criming quite yet ...



By the way - who is the "them" in your statement (quoted above) that were doing the "telling" ?

 

[ATeam]

Here's the important part: "just after switching from an attorney paid for by a Trump political action committee to a lawyer from the federal defender’s office in Washington". It's easy to imagine them telling this low-level Trump employee that he can avoid prison by switching to their govt lawyer and saying what they tell him to say in court. This turn of events shouldn't surprise anyone, and no doubt there will be more to come. Witness tampering at its finest.

That's why we have juries. The defense will likely make the argument you make here, and it is reasonable to do so. Anytime someone changes their story, people logically ask why. It then falls to the jury to determine which side of the story and which witness is credible.

It is not uncommon for defendants to change their stories. And it is common for juries to successfully determine where the credibility rests.

 

[ATeam]

Your Client is No Different

Trump co-conspirator Mark Meadows requested an extension of his Fulton County surrender date. Fani Willis's reply to his attorney was, "I am not granting any extensions. ... Your client is no different than any other criminal defendant in this jurisdiction. ... At 12:30 pm on Friday I shall file warrants in the system."

That may change if a federal court agrees that an extension should be granted. But if that does not happen, Willis is crystal clear. She will issue an arrest warrant for Meadows if he does not surrender before her deadline.

Previously, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat said that former President Donald Trump would be treated the same as any other defendant when he is booked. "We are going to follow our normal practices," Labat said. "It doesn't matter your status. We will have mug shots ready for you."

That too may change as the terms of Trump's bail and the practical considerations of Secret Service protection come into play. But if the Sheriff is not overruled by higher authorities and practical Secret Service considerations, Trump's booking process will be the same as all others.

Are you noticing the default response of these Fulton County officials? They show no inclination to treat any of the Trump people differently from the defendants they deal with every day in Fulton County. Indeed, they are making every effort to treat Trump and his co-conspirators the same.

At the federal level, the Department of Justice has shown a willingness to make exceptions for Trump. Not so in Fulton County, GA.

 

[ATeam]

Will This Speedy Trial Demand Put Trump on Trial This October?

Kenneth Chesebro, one of Trump's GA RICO case co-defendants, has filed a motion demanding a speedy trial, which is his right to do under GA law. Experts say all 19 co-defendants must be tried together in this RICO case, and this includes Trump. If Trump and/or others want a delayed trial, they'll need to argue against Chesebro. While Fani Willis has requested a March 4, 2024 trial date, she previously said she is ready to go to trial now.

I don't know how this will play out. It would be quite the shock if Willis told the Court she supports Chesebro's demand, and if the judge agreed. If Chesebro and Willis join in asking the judge for a speedy trial, what valid reason could there be for denying the request?

Hint: "I'm a busy candidate for president" is not a valid reason.

Story here

Additional Info Here

 

[ATeam]

From America's Mayor to Mug Shot Man

 

[coalminer]

I cant wait for Trumps mugshot, might replace the lock screen photo on my phone with it......

 

[Ragman]

I cant wait for Trumps mugshot, might replace the lock screen photo on my phone with it......

Here's a better one...

 

[ATeam]

I cant wait for Trumps mugshot, might replace the lock screen photo on my phone with it......

A lot of people are looking forward to Trump having his mug shot taken. It seems they see this as an embarrassing or humiliating thing for Trump. There is a loss of perspective here. The embarrassing or humiliating thing is 91 criminal felony counts in four indictments. Whether or not a mug shot is taken is inconsequential. This isn't about making Trump feel bad. This is about upholding the Constitution by bringing Trump to justice.

 

[ATeam]

Judge: Meadows and Clark Cannot Avoid Arrest

CNN: A federal judge on Wednesday rejected efforts by former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark to avoid arrest if they fail to turn themselves in by Friday’s deadline in the Georgia election subversion case."

These two still have a motion pending in federal court to move their GA RICO cases to federal court. The ruling today says only that their requests to move the trial to federal court do not excuse them from being arrested with the 17 other co-conspirators named in the indictment.

This Atlanta-based federal judge (Jones) is continuing the theme I identified above. In this Georgia case, no one is treated different. The law is the law and it is being equally applied to all 19 defendants.

 

[ATeam]

Georgia Arraignments to be Televised

Judge Mcafee ruled yesterday that TV cameras will be allowed in the courtroom when Trump and his 18 co-defendants are arraigned. While the decision to televise the trial itself has not been made, yesterday's action suggests the judge will allow it. While prohibited in federal courts, TV cameras are common in the GA courts.

I think Trump will be OK with this. I have read reports in the past that he wants his federal trials to be televised too. In my weekly tally of court rulings, I'm not going to score this as a win or loss for Trump. Neither he nor Willis have voiced an objection to having the proceedings televised. TV stations made this request of the judge. They are the ones who received the favorable ruling.

 

[ATeam]

Per the Constitution, Trump is Disqualified From the Presidency

This is not a live question now, but it certainly will be when Trump becomes the Republican nominee and later applies for ballot access in 50 states and all U.S. territories.

Georgia indictment and post-Civil War history make it clear: Trump's actions have already disqualified him from the presidency

US law actually bars former President Donald Trump from holding office ever again. The recent Georgia indictment of Trump helps make the case.

news.yahoo.com

Counterpoint: No, the 14th Amendment Does Not Disqualify Trump from the Presidency.

Here is a rational counter-argument to the 14th Amendment disqualification theory.

I see little point arguing one side or the other here on EO. The real argument will be made by qualified litigators when the issue is heard in court.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/08/20/14th-amendment-doesn-t-bar-trump-from-presidency-alas/b36a93e8-3f54-11ee-9677-53cc50eb3f77_story.html

 

[ATeam]

Trump Changes Lawyers Again

News broke today that Trump changed one of his GA attorneys for another. That move makes sense. The former attorney filed numerous motions intended to quash the GA investigators and grand juries. All failed, and Trump will be arrested today.

While Trump changes attorneys lot, it does him little good. Trump's court-decision win rate since the 2020 election is just 3%. (It's actually worse as the next weekly update will show). Trump loses in court 97% of the time because he brings garbage arguments to court and/or the evidence against him is very strong.

Trump's new lawyer (Steve Sadow), hired on the day of Trump's arrest, is highly regarded in GA. He's said to be highly skilled in RICO cases. In a previous RICO case, Sadow got his client to plead out and receive a sentence of one year. He was released for time served. In the highest-profile RICO case Sadow worked, his client plead out and agreed to a large fine and prison time. I guess that's pretty good. His client faced decades of prison time and he only had to serve 3-5 years.

That must be very encouraging for Trump ... one RICO client was sentenced to 1 year and given credit for time served. The other received just 3-5 years in a Georgia prison, instead of much longer time. Sadow is highly regarded. He also has a track record of having his clients plead out, not to avoid prison, but to receive less time there.

 

[Pilgrim]

Here's a little more about Steven Sadow from a different perspective, for those who might already be presuming Trump to be guilty and under the illusion that he might be willing to strike a plea deal. Judging by his statement it doesn't appear that Sadow specializes in plea deals.

"I have been retained to represent President Trump in the Fulton County, Georgia case. The president should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him," Sadow said in a statement. "We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open-minded jury finding the president not guilty."

Trump Replaces Lead Attorney Before Georgia Surrender | Newsmax

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/trump-legal-team-sadow/2023/08/24/id/1131900/?utm_source=nmapp&utm_medium=topnews