Previous discussion threads for this trial can be found at the following links for

Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8,Day 9, Day 10

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https://old.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/1cjazcl/discussion_thread_new_york_criminal_fraud_trial/

42 comments

  2. May your day be as peaceful as Trumps beautiful court naps.

  5. “Defense attorney Todd Blanche objected to a Truth Social post where Donald Trump wrote, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you.”

    Prosecutors want to get the post into evidence to show Trump’s “pressure campaign” against witnesses set to testify.

    Judge Juan Merchan said he is letting the social media post into evidence, saying he’s satisfied that the prosecutors have laid proper foundation.”

  7. We should start a pool placing bets when Baron Von ShitzInPantz starts his nap. I’m laying my money on the 10:30-10:45 range.

  8. “As predicted, the defense agrees to let a particularly damning piece of evidence — a Washington Post article publicizing the “Access Hollywood” tape — in without a witness being questioned about it. The agreement, called a stipulation, was just read aloud to the jury and the judge had reason to explain the concept to the jury for the first time.”

    might as well play the tape now

  9. Trump is claiming he really wants to testify but the gag order won’t allow it. The judge was sure to correct him that he can testify if he wants and that’s not what a gag order means.

    I’m guessing he testifies right after his tax audit is finished in 2 weeks.

    Edit: **Hope Hicks**, once considered one of Donald Trump’s closest confidantes, has **been called to the stand** as the prosecution’s next witness.

    I really hope this pushes him to want to testify and ‘defend’ himself.

  10. Anyone else just waiting for the “Day 69 Megathread” just so we can all type “Nice” over and over again?

  11. >Trump lawyer Todd Blanche argued Trump’s posts to his social media site, Truth Social, can’t be admitted into evidence because the witness set to testify today does not have enough knowledge of the posts to prove they are Trump’s.
    Blanche added that there is content in these posts that are pure hearsay and without a proper foundation.

    Trump’s lawyer is arguing that Trump’s Truth Social account is a sock puppet?

  12. Reported as court began, May 3.

    > [Haberman, NY Times] Justice Merchan is now addressing something that Trump said outside court yesterday, when he claimed that he could not testify because of the gag order.

    —

    > [Haberman, NY Times] The comment left many people confused, and it wasn’t clear if Trump was simply making an excuse for not testifying, or if he misspoke. But Justice Merchan is informing him that the statement was incorrect. The gag order “does not prohibit you from taking the stand” or limit what he can say, the judge says.

  13. Reported May 3,

    > [McKinley, NY Times] Trump’s eyes seem to be shut, as they sometimes have been during testimony. He addressed this on Thursday afternoon in a post to his Truth Social account, denying that he has been sleeping, and saying: “I simply close my beautiful blue eyes, sometimes, listen intensely, and take it ALL in!!!”

  15. Pretty funny typo on CNNs feed: “Attorney Todd Blanche says assuming the judge rejects his heresy objection…”

  16. Maybe Hope Hicks testimony today. Will be interesting to see if more details emerge that haven’t already come out in the previous hearings.

  18. >The prosecution has called Hope Hicks to the witness stand.

  20. He hasn’t talked to Hope since 2022? I thought she still worked for him?

  21. “I Hope Hicks vote for me again, or I’m fucked.”

  22. Poll: Is he asleep or farting?

    1: Asleep

    2: ~~Farting~~ Sharting

    3: Both

  24. Aaaaand defense immediately objects to Hope Hicks being called

  25. From AP:

    >Prosecutors say the abrupt ending of the recording was the result of Cohen receiving another call. Under questioning from Bove, Daus said there was no record of an incoming call in the phone’s metadata — but said it would be difficult to say for sure without looking at call log data from Cohen’s phone carrier.

    >“In many ways, we’re just going to have to take Michael Cohen’s word for it, aren’t we?” Bove said.

    >“Yes,” Daus replied.

    I’m hoping Prosecution is prepared with the phone logs. That would be a major screw up if doubt is brought into those recordings.

    >Merchan has previously ruled the 2005 tape cannot be played in court for jurors, but said prosecutors can still question witnesses about the recording.

    So they can talk about the content of the tape yet no one on the jury can hear it? How does that make sense?

  26. >Donald Trump hit Bove’s arm and gestured for him to get back up there, but Bove shook his head no.

    This trial is turning out to be a real life version of the On Cinema spinoff “The Trial of Tim Heidecker”

  30. TRUMP has not smiled once since Hicks took the stand, even when she said in complimentary terms that he was a hard worker and doing lots of things at once. Trump is looking directly at Hicks as she testifies

    [https://x.com/hugolowell/status/1786419737401962856](https://x.com/hugolowell/status/1786419737401962856)

  31. He paid his fine with 2 separate checks. What the fuck is that about?

  32. Hope Hicks is still on team Trump. She is kissing his ass and telling everyone how smart and what a great business man and multi tasker he is. She is not going to drop any bombs.

  33. Hicks never struck me as a MAGA dead ender. She came from a wealthy family of Republicans and probably loves the money she made as a member of his inner circle (I think she was making $600k/year at Fox after leaving his admin), but she’s also an opportunist and realizes there’s nothing to gain by going down with the ship.

  34. “It was just me and Mr. Trump who is better than anybody at communications and branding,”

    Branding so good he failed to sell steaks, gambling and football to Americans…

  36. Hope Hicks:

    > “It was just me and Mr Trump who is better than anybody about communications and branding.”

    🤮

  37. Hicks is being super deferential and glowing towards Trump so far in her answers.

    Makes me a little nervous that she’ll be a stubborn witness (maybe not hostile but I don’t think she is going to easily provide answers that may damage Trump).

  38. I wonder how many times Don Snoreleone will fall asleep in court today!

  39. Hope Hicks:

    >”One of [the Trump-Pecker calls] was shortly after the National Enquirer published a piece about Ben Carson.”

    >Pecker was on speaker phone and Trump “congratulated” him about “the great reporting” — that Trump called “Pulitzer worthy.”

    Gosh, was it “*Bungling Surgeon Ben Carson Left Sponge in Patient’s Brain*”, or “*Brain Butcherer Ben Carson in Cancer Cure Storm*”, or “*Enquirer Hailed for ‘Ben the Butcherer’ Scoops*”? There are only so many Pulitzers to go around!

  40. “Hope Hicks has just been shown the email that the reporter David Fahrenthold sent her on Oct. 7, 2016, seeking comment about the “Access Hollywood” tape. The email contained a transcript of what was said on it. “I was concerned. Very concerned. Yeah,” Hicks says. “I was concerned about the contents of the email, I was concerned about the lack of time to respond, I was concerned that we had a transcript but not a tape. There was a lot at play.” She’s then shown a copy of her email forwarding the message to her colleagues. In it, she says: “Need to hear the tape to be sure,” and “Deny, deny, deny.” She describes it to Matthew Colangelo, the prosecutor, as a “reflex.””

    While I will never be able to celebrate my birthday again in peace considering what happened last year (what a good problem to have), I’m glad at least something good happened on this date with the truth about this guy coming to light

  41. Trump said, “that didn’t sound like something he would say.”

    referring to the access Hollywood tape… lol

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