Prosecutors opened Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s bogus hush-money case against President Donald Trump on Monday by outlining their strategy for the courtroom drama. The entire case now hinges on the theory that there was a grand conspiracy by Trump’s team to rig the 2016 election.
Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records, which is typically considered a misdemeanor offense. For the Democrats to raise these to a felony, they must demonstrate that the former president intentionally doctored these documents with a plan to commit another crime.
Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo delivered the opening statement of the prosecution. His remarks attempt to establish how the former president used his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to quash false stories against him in time for the 2016 elections.
“This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a coverup,” Colangelo claims.
“The defendant, Donald Trump, orchestrated a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 election, then he covered up that criminal conspiracy by lying in his New York business records over and over and over again.”
“It was election fraud, pure and simple,” he added.
Prosecutors alleged that Trump had violated the law by logging his reimbursements to Cohen as legal expenses in 2017.
However, despite the prosecution’s claim, there were no federal charges against Trump for election interference in the 2016 general election.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lawyer, pressed that the allegations of the prosecution were not crimes.
“The reality is that there is nothing illegal about what happened,” Mr. Blanche said.
He added that testimony would be about things from 2015 to 2017 and asked the jury to “think about whether it rings true and whether what they’re saying is accurate.”
“The reality is that Mr. Trump is not on the hook and is not criminally responsible for something Mr. Cohen may have done years after the fact.”
Blanche also questioned the credibility of Cohen and Stormy Daniels (real name, Stephanie Clifford), an adult film star who claims that she had an extramarital affair with Trump in 2006, which the former president vehemently denied.
Trump’s lawyer remarked of Cohen, “His entire financial livelihood depends on President Trump’s destruction.”
After the trial concluded, Trump spoke with the media outside the court and explained, “I was paying a lawyer, and we marked it down as a legal expense.
“Some accountant I didn’t know marked it down as a legal expense. That’s exactly what it was, and you get indicted over that?”
Meanwhile, former Attorney General Bill Barr weighed in on the hush money case in an interview on Fox News.
“This is a case clearly going after The Man, not a crime. There is no crime here,” Barr argued.
“There is no crime, hush money, is not a crime. Trying to protect your reputation is not a crime. Entering into a non-disclosure agreement is not a crime, even if you’re running for office.”
“There is no crime here, and they’re trying to manufacture one, and they’re trying to interfere in the election.”
I certainly support him . But who among us can be realistically called innocent. If all his detractors were put under the same scrutiny I guarantee none would come out squeaky clean . Bill & Hilary, JFK , Sleepy Joe , just to mention a few .
What’s occurring with Trump now is just another form of election rigging , with massive collusion between Democrats and the mainstream Media.
No Trump is not perfect by any means , but I’m convinced he wants what is best for all Americans at least.
Unlike his opponents, he is no puppet of the UN /WHO and their unelected fellow travellers who think they should rule the World .
The US needs a President who is not intimidated – or in bed with ,the powerful enemies of all Western democracies.
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Exactly!