@GottaLaff “A big strong handsome judge came up to me with tears in his eyes and said "
‘Sir, I wish I could be as impartial as you, unlike that totally unfair and completely corrupt judge Joe Biden is persecuting you with.’ (His name is Juan, did you know that? Many people don’t know his name is Juan)”
Judge Merchan: Defendant also filed a motion about schedule. There will be no proceedings on Monday, April 29. And nothing on Wednesdays. If the trial runs longer, the court may convene the trial on some Wednesdays. Regarding Passover, we will not conflict with it
Judge Merchan: Regarding May 17, the request to allow Defendant Trump to attend a graduation, I cannot rule at this time. It depends if we are running on schedule... On April 12 Mr. Blanche filed a motion for hybrid jury selection. Is their a response?
Prosecutor: The Court is under no obligation to assist the defense in this way - the court could inquire into pre-paid travel, child care and the like. As long as this does not require individual questioning of the jurors.
Prosecution seems okay with a pre-voir dire screening process in 2 stages: 1st ask jurors whether they're unable to serve due to travel, family, job, religious observance, then ask if remaining jurors can be fair and impartial.
Prosecution says that questionnaire is fair, Trump will suffer no prejudice, and calls this delay motion an "11th hour request." Blanche to reply now.
Blanche defends his hybrid approach—he's speaking softly, deliberately, with deference toward Justice Merchan.
Both sides are in agreement for the hybrid approach. Merchan says he must have misunderstood it when it was first proposed. Now he seems to be fine with it, doesn't think it will unnecessarily delay jury selection process.
Prosecutor: Q 29A is fine: did they work for the Trump campaign. The defendant's request should be denied.
Blanche: We object to a question about if you have done to a event in favor of Pres Trump. & it is unclear what "anti-Trump" means
Merchan: The questionnaire is fine. We are trying to ascertain if a prospective juror is pro Trump or anti Trump. We ask.
Prosecutor: Court has authorized testimony about agreement in Trump Tower in 2015. The People intend to offer the following:
Prosecutor: Here is a list of National Enquirer headlines, timed perfectly to assist candidate Trump. They attacked Ben Carson. There will be evidence that the defendant said he was particularly pleased with this article
ADA Joshua Steinglass is reviewing evidence the prosecution wants to present about Trump's arrangement with David Pecker in which Pecker agreed to publish flattering stories about Trump and negative stories about his political opponents in order to influence the 2016 election.
Steinglass says the stories Pecker published to this end are "concrete manifestation of the deal" between Trump and AMI "to put their thumbs on the scale."
Prosecution: Any prejudice can be limited by a limiting instruction.
Trump's lawyer Blanche: This evidence would confuse the jury about the actual crime charged. That a candidate meets with a publisher, there's nothing illegal, it happens all the time
The judge ALLOWS prosecutors to show jurors evidence about Trump's arrangement with AMI's David Pecker that he would publish flattering stories about Trump and negative stories about his opponents before the 2016 election.
Steinglass is seeking to establish that McDougal is a former Playboy model that claimed to have a yearlong romantic and sexual relationship while Trump's wife is pregnant.
Steinglass is now discussing the parameters of testimony from Karen McDougal, says there is "salacious details we have no intent on soliciting unless the door is opened."
Prosecutor: Your Honor has already ruled that Karen McDougal is relevant.
Judge Merchan: My rulings stand, with one exception - I think it is prejudicial to say these acts [with McDougal] happened while his wife was pregnant, and after. For now, no
McBrien:
Steinglass is also a bit more forceful now, as he objects with his hands on his hips.
Merchan is unmoved—his ruling on the motions in limine stand.
When ADA Joshua Steinglass just described the Access Hollywood tape where Trump gloated about grabbing women "by the pussy," the former president starts shaking his head.
He's bothered this is coming up, not claiming it's not true.
So far this morning, we’ve not yet seen any prospective jurors. But Judge Merchan has already denied Trump’s second recusal motion & ruled that evidence of the National Inquirer’s stories to accentuate Trump’s virtues and to damage his opponents can be admitted.
He’s also ruled that some aspects of the Inquirer’s arrangements with Dino Sajuddin, a doorman at a Trump building, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal are fair game with one exception: that Melania Trump was pregnant and/or had a newborn during the alleged McDougal affair.
The DA also has won the right to use a transcript of the Access Hollywood tape, even while the tape itself remains off limits, as well as an email chain showing how WaPo’s questions about the tape reverberated across the campaign—and to Michael Cohen.
But Merchan also rules that a snippet of Trump’s deposition by Robbie Kaplan in the E. Jean Carroll case — in which he says historically, stars have indeed been able to grab women by their genitals and yes, he’s a star — would add nothing and keeps it out.
@GottaLaff ...I so appreciate you doing this, Laffy...I also so hate that it is the biggest waste of time caused by the most useless soul to ever walk the earth....the proverbial slow mo train wreck one can't stop watching. So much wasted time, money, energy on this clown.....
@GottaLaff Creepy eyes on that guy. Back during Watergate my grandmother (RIP) who was born in 1893, said Nixon had the meanest eyes of anyone she had ever seen. I wonder what her take on Trump would be?
The trump pic looks like he’s trying to recreate the glowering hostility & disdain seen in his Georgia booking photo.
But he’s not quite pulling it off — I’m seeing alot more fear in today’s version — with good reason!
@GottaLaff
Is it just me, or is his face getting progressively more brown?
I saw a person on here the other day, I forget who, describe Trump as looking like an "unwiped a*se"