Current Events > Trump Trials General Topic Part 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

KitKats posted...

Kise: "I'd urge the court to take in all information possible... You have on the stand a candidate for president of the United States; the most efficient way to get through this is to listen to what he has to say... about what happened and why there's no intent to mislead anyone. I believe that's highly relevant and highly probative."

I'm not a lawyer, but I've always thought it was a defense attorney's job to ask questions of their client if they felt their client had information the court needed to hear.

On some level, Kise is correct. Let Trump ruin himself.

Wallace asks trump about his involvement in the 2021 statement of financial condition. Trump says his focus at that time was on China and Russia and "keeping our country safe," drawing some laughs from the courtroom. Wallace reminds him he wasn't president in 2021 left office on 1/20/21

Is there any real defense being presented? He is a presidential candidate and he can say what he wants is not a real defense here. The only real one that has been obviously completely destroyed by now is this was inadvertently done and no intent to mislead and that is due to the answers given and the evidence presented. There is a clear pattern of this bullshitting and Trump today just admitted that he didnt really care but always thought he deserved higher evaluations for every property ever which is just stupid. Properties dont only appreciate in value and that doesnt give you an excuse to create fraudulent documents and the like.

Wallace, the state attorney, just handed trump the "deed of development rights" that bound Trump to leave Mar-A-lago as a private club.

Trump said he intended to "forever extinguish" his rights to develop or use the property for anything other than club use, but that doesn't mean he couldn't change his mind.

KitKats posted...

Trump says his focus at that time was on China and Russia and "keeping our country safe," drawing some laughs from the courtroom. Wallace reminds him he wasn't president in 2021 left office on 1/20/21

jfc

What seems to still be elusive is the exact moment or mechanism when that evaluation gets inflated and passed on.

davyheinz posted...

Is there any real defense being presented? He is a presidential candidate and he can say what he wants is not a real defense here. The only real one that has been obviously completely destroyed by now is this was inadvertently done and no intent to mislead and that is due to the answers given and the evidence presented. There is a clear pattern of this bullshitting and Trump today just admitted that he didnt really care but always thought he deserved higher evaluations for every property ever which is just stupid. Properties dont only appreciate in value and that doesnt give you an excuse to create fraudulent documents and the like.

They have already been found liable. Its just a matter of how bad the damages are

AlCalavicci posted...

They have already been found liable. Its just a matter of how bad the damages are

Yeah, thats for the fraud though? I thought there were other aspects that mattered for the testimony at this point and the evidence is needed for that too, like conspiracy/coordination and whatever else there are charges for.

...about the legally binding nature of this document. As Wallace is recounting now, the deed prohibits the construction of new buildings as well as the renovation of the interior of the mansion in a way that would make it inhabitable as a single family home. Trump insists nothing has to be done to convert mar-a-lago to a single family home. He also recalls that the "very large and beautiful" ballroom at mar-a-lago was built by him, notwithstanding the deed. "This property is more valuable with that building on it!" he testifies.

"I personally would never change it," but if his children want to change it, for example, it would be their right, Trump says.

KitKats posted...

Wallace asks trump about his involvement in the 2021 statement of financial condition. Trump says his focus at that time was on China and Russia and "keeping our country safe," drawing some laughs from the courtroom. Wallace reminds him he wasn't president in 2021 left office on 1/20/21

Oh hey look, example number eleventy fucking billion why continuing to support this doddering, traitorous fuckface is such a horrendously bad look.

KitKats posted...

Wallace asks trump about his involvement in the 2021 statement of financial condition. Trump says his focus at that time was on China and Russia and "keeping our country safe," drawing some laughs from the courtroom. Wallace reminds him he wasn't president in 2021 left office on 1/20/21

lmfao

Now he's lashing out at the AG, calling her a hack.

Trump concedes they pay less taxes because of Mar-A-Lago's designation as a private club.

Wallace moves on to Trump properties abroad, specifically the Aberdeen development in Scotland.

dummy420 posted...

I figured he'd just clam up and plead the 5th the whole time. It's good to hear he's still trying to talk his way out of it. Dig that hole!

Must be part Dwarf.
https://youtu.be/ytWz0qVvBZ0?si=BuaeaIAMpHoXJMEW

Have we followed up with a hostile witness request?

Doesn't do much other than allow leading questions, but it's gotten absolutely ridiculous.

If he's like this for the civil trial I cant even fathom how bad the criminal trials will be.

The supporting data spreadsheet presented by the AG's office reflects that the evaluation as of June 30, 2014 had jumped by roughly $250 million over the prior year

As of 2014, Trump affirms he had not yet built a 2nd golf course rather, he testifies, "I am building it now." He declares the Scotland property is "one of the greatest pieces of land I have ever seen."

Wallace states plainly, "I'm focused on how we got a $245 million increase between 2013 and 2014."

Wallace later returns to the statement of financial condition, which refers to 1,486 homes, only 500 of which are described as single-family homes.

There are countless dignified ways that Trump could have handled this trial. He didn't care for any of them.

Shadow_Don posted...

If he's like this for the civil trial I cant even fathom how bad the criminal trials will be.

I think it's pretty clear that this one is pissing him off more than the others. Call him a criminal all you want, but don't you dare come after his business

I expected Trump today to either lie with impunity or stupidly implicate himself in everything he was accused. Im so satisfied that it ended up being the latter.

ThePieReborn posted...

Have we followed up with a hostile witness request?

Doesn't do much other than allow leading questions, but it's gotten absolutely ridiculous.

You can only do that to your own witness. Witnesses for opposing counsel are already presumed hostile by definition, since a hostile witness is one whose testimony is prejudicial to your position.

The state attorney asks trump to confirm that the number in the "backup data does not match the number of homes in the statement of financial condition."

Trump suggests it's like a painting; the land is there, but "you can do what you want to do."

GranAures posted...

Must be part Dwarf.
https://youtu.be/ytWz0qVvBZ0?si=BuaeaIAMpHoXJMEW

Haha. First time I've seen that.

KitKats posted...

The state attorney asks trump to confirm that the number in the "backup data does not match the number of homes in the statement of financial condition."

Trump suggests it's like a painting; the land is there, but "you can do what you want to do."

Don't stop digging.

KitKats posted...

The state attorney asks trump to confirm that the number in the "backup data does not match the number of homes in the statement of financial condition."

Trump suggests it's like a painting; the land is there, but "you can do what you want to do."

Fucking what?

KitKats posted...

The state attorney asks trump to confirm that the number in the "backup data does not match the number of homes in the statement of financial condition."

Trump suggests it's like a painting; the land is there, but "you can do what you want to do."

I wonder if Trump can even volunteer a single person who does exactly what he's been doing. I'm sure it happens in real estate but no one has done it on the order of magnitude as he has.

"CFO Allen Wesselberg told Scottish regulators that they did not intend to develop the property further."

When asked as of today whether he has yet to build homes at Aberdeen, Trump doesn't say "yes," instead, he says "there's nothing wrong" with holding on to that piece of property.

Trump's consistent attitude is that he's above scrutiny of any kind.

Starks posted...

Trump's consistent attitude is that he's above scrutiny of any kind.

His attitude is that he's done fraud for so long, that fraud is just how he does business.

Wallace asks trump if he stands by the valuations of all other assets in the 2014 statement of financial condition (aside from the trump tower triplex apartment.)

Trump maintains, before also acknowledging he hasn't looked. Trump returns to his pet issue: the "worthless statement" clause that disclaims responsibility and insists that anyone receiving it must do their own due diligence and analysis. "If there was a mistake, it was non-material; but even if it was material, we have a disclaimer clause," trump argues.

KitKats posted...

Trump maintains, before also acknowledging he hasn't looked. Trump returns to his pet issue: the "worthless statement" clause that disclaims responsibility

This would be like claiming a contract is void because you crossed your fingers.

This is about one of the only things that gets me to stop playing baldurs gate 3. Good lord this is amazing.

trump: "I never got too involved with these statements because that clause is on page 1, as you well know; that's why we shouldn't be having a case here..." "That's a clause every court in this country holds up except this particular judge." Wallace then asks whether it is his position that the statements were in fact "worthless," which trump also resists.

"People like you try to demean me and hurt me," he hurls at Wallace, and then he attacks AG James, too.

So.... "I will deceive you. See the fine print."

dummy420 posted...

Haha. First time I've seen that.

Windrose, a metal band, has done a cover of it too.

Trump is basically arguing that his whole business needed to be rubber stamped in order to function.

trump yells moments later that Engoron "ruled against me before he knew anything about me. He called me a fraud, and he didn't know anything about me ... the fraud is on the court; not on me."

trump is equally furious about Wallace's questions, which are exploring why Mar-a-lago is assessed differently for tax purposes than it is valued in trump's statements of financial condition.

Please keep attacking the judge. Let the appellate court see for themselves the bullshit that's been put up with.

ThePieReborn posted...

Please keep attacking the judge. Let the appellate court see for themselves the bullshit that's been put up with.

It'll turn out as well for Trump as it did for Darrell Brooks.

Its insane how Trump has been doing shady shit and getting away with it for so long that he literally thinks he has a right to do shady shit legally

Trump: "Everybody" within Trump Organization is responsible for identifying internal fraud
From CNN's Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell and Jeremy Herb in New York
Donald Trump testified that ultimately everybody within the Trump Organization is responsible for identifying internal fraud, following questions from New Yorks assistant attorney general.
"I would say everybody," Trump responded to questioning.
In the years before he became president of the United States, employees would bring issues to him or other management executives to be resolved.
He recalled instances where building managers may have been illegally renting apartments to pocket the money themselves.
When it came to the financial statements, he said he figured Mazars USA, the accounting firm that Trump and his businesses used, would flag any issues. "I would assume Mazars would come and recommend something and we'd amend that procedure," Trump said.

Trump is blaming the accountants, when the accountants refused to sign off on the valuations because it lacked GAAP.

KitKats posted...

Trump maintains, before also acknowledging he hasn't looked. Trump returns to his pet issue: the "worthless statement" clause that disclaims responsibility and insists that anyone receiving it must do their own due diligence and analysis. "If there was a mistake, it was non-material; but even if it was material, we have a disclaimer clause," trump argues.

Repeating a flagrant lie so often his followers eventually by into it may work in politics, but this is going to get him nowhere with the court (and hopefully juries).

This is crazy as hell. Just from what I've heard from people who work in finance at the companies I've worked for... There are audits they voluntarily go through to make sure they're in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.

Court will reconvene at 2:15 p.m.