How to understand next week's Trump criminal felony trial

[soldierant]

(or "Don't call it the hush money case." )
by Robert Reich

Although this case is commonly called the “hush money” case and referred to as Trump’s “coverup of a sex scandal,” this way of describing it minimizes its importance.

This case is really an election interference case — just as are the criminal cases charging him with seeking to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Together, they establish an ongoing pattern: Trump will do anything to gain and keep power, even if his actions violate the nation’s laws.

This case alleges that in 2016 Trump arranged to pay off an adult entertainer in order to hide his affair with her from the public. The important thing to keep in mind is that the money was given to protect Trump’s campaign for the presidency — not to protect his marriage or protect him from personal embarrassment.

The entire purpose of the payoff was to help Trump become president.

snip

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/dont-call-it-the-hush-money-case

[EndlessWire]

1. We all know this!

We know how this case works. We know how it got elevated from a misdemeanor to a Class E felony. We know that it's not about mushroom junk or cheating on his wife.

But, we all can appreciate the embarrassment he has caused his wife and youngest son, and the fact that an honest to gawd sex worker is going to show up in court and squeal on him to the entire world. It is called the Hush Money Case to keep it distinguished from the myriad other criminal cases he has going.

"Election interference" is a term that Trump uses to artificially gin up support for his notion that we can't touch him in court. He has other "election interference" cases in the courts, and so this nomenclature keeps this case distinguished. I sure hope Bragg has it airtight.

I need a score card to remember which judge is hearing which case, and which prosecutors are running which case.

Get him, Alvin!

[Chainfire]

2. How many appeals to delay between tonight and Monday morning? Any bets?

I heard that Trump's lawyers were going to file an appeal based on Trump having caught his tit in a wringer. Six weeks, easy.