Corruption in all things

 The history books - if they're allowed to be written and published - will be huge volumes on the corruption of the Trump 2.0 administration.  You may not be able to read them in English.

Trump trials

In the past few days alone, one of Trump’s top lawyers departed, citing internal friction, the special counsel has intensified his investigation into the former president’s conduct and writer E. Jean Carroll has filed for more damages after Trump mocked her sexual assault allegations at a CNN town hall.

Meanwhile, a New York judge called a hearing Tuesday to reiterate to Trump that rules surrounding his hush money prosecution bar him from using evidence in the case to attack any witnesses.

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Jack Smith, a Justice Department special counsel, is investigating his handling of classified information and his efforts to remain in power after the 2020 election. A Georgia prosecutor is probing attempts to overturn the state’s election results in 2020.

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Smith’s case against Trump, especially on the Mar-a-Lago front, appears to be accelerating.

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In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis signaled in recent days that charges in her investigation could come in early August. That case is focused on a “fake electors” scheme hatched by Trump allies after the 2020 election.

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A Manhattan judge Tuesday tentatively set the trial date for Trump’s hush money case for March 2024, which would be right in the thick of primary voting.

Also in that case, Justice Juan Merchan agreed to a request from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) to schedule a Tuesday hearing reviewing the limitations on how the former president may use the evidence he has access to during the trial.

Merchan has said Trump will remain free to speak about the “vast majority of the evidence” but that he may not directly post evidence to social media nor reveal information about witnesses involved in the case.

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The steady stream of news began in recent days when Timothy Parlatore, one of Trump’s attorneys handling the document case, resigned and went public with some of his concerns about the influence of some in the former president’s inner circle.

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Parlatore told The Hill last week that Smith appeared to be wrapping up his presentation to the grand jury assembled in the case.

“I think that they’re just about done with all the grand jury witnesses at this point. And moving into the report writing phase,” he said.

  The Hill

Well, it seems they've issued at least one more subpoena...

Smith issued a subpoena for records of business deals that former President Trump’s company made with seven countries since he took office in 2017: China, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

UPDATE 05/25/2023:

Hands up.  We've got you surrounded.

Confusing Corcoran decision: testify while appeal is ongoing

It's hard to keep track, but that's the case involving Trump's refusal to return classified documents.

A federal judge ruled Corcoran's claims of attorney-client privilege over certain topics were invalid and compelled the lawyer to answer questions about aspects of his work with Trump and turn over evidence to investigators based on the "crime-fraud exception." On Wednesday, an appeals court rejected the Trump team's request that Corcoran's testimony be put on hold to allow for further litigation. The appeal is still ongoing, however, and a briefing schedule stretches into the spring, but in the meantime, the court ruled Trump's attorney would have to comply with a federal subpoena and sit before the grand jury on Friday.

  CBS

Interesting.

Corcoran's appearance in a Washington, D.C., federal court comes one day after another attorney for the former president, Tim Parlatore, confirmed he testified before a grand jury in December as part of the special counsel's documents probe. He answered questions about the Trump team's search for more government records at Trump properties across the county that yielded a handful of additional documents.

"I voluntarily and happily chose to go into the grand jury so that I could present my client's case to them in the context of our search efforts," Parlatore said in a statement, "During my testimony, it was clear that the government was not acting appropriately and made several improper attempts to pierce privilege and, in my opinion, made several significant misstatements to the jury which I believe constitutes prosecutorial misconduct."

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On Thursday, attorneys for the former president and an attorney for former Vice President Mike Pence tried to convince D.C. District Chief Judge James Boasberg that Pence should not have to comply with a subpoena to testify in Smith's Jan. 6 investigation.

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It is unclear when Boasberg will rule on the Pence matter and the former vice president has said he could take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.

Also happening today...

Former president Donald Trump warned early Friday of “potential death & destruction” if he is charged in Manhattan in a criminal case related to alleged hush-money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels to conceal an affair.

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Trump wrote: “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country?”

  WaPo

What the hell? I thought he wanted to be arrested so he could pose for the cameras.

Trump resumed commentary on the case on Truth Social about eight hours after his overnight post.

“PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!” he wrote in all caps shortly after 9 a.m. Eastern.

Trump will have another opportunity to criticize Bragg and other state and federal prosecutors investigating his conduct on Saturday when he appears at a rally scheduled in Waco, Tex.

I wonder why he chose Waco.

Nearly 30 years ago, a lengthy standoff between a religious cult and federal agents ended on April 19, 1993, when the group’s compound near the city was destroyed in a fire. Nearly 80 people were killed.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.