Terrible News For Trump As Closing Arguments Delayed In Criminal Trial

[Tom of Temecula]

Judge Merchan brought the parties into court early on Monday, and said that due to issues that have come up over the weekend closing arguments at the Trump criminal trial won’t happen until after Memorial Day. Anna Bower of Lawfare posted from inside the courtroom:

First, Justice Merchan thanks the parties for coming in early. There were issues that came up over the weekend, he says. As a result of some of those issues, it’s become apparent that we WON’T be able to move to summations tomorrow. We will finish up evidence, the pre-charge conference, and so on this week, Justice Merchan continues. And then we’ll move to closing arguments next week, after the long weekend. Now we’re moving on to issues regarding objections to evidence that might be introduced during the continued cross examination of Michael Cohen. The prosecution objects to the introduction of an email sent to Michael Cohen by Robert Costello’s law partner back in 2018.

The new schedule means that the jury might not get the case until sometime in June, and that is without any further issues or delays. June is important because Trump has a debate date with President Biden on June 27. If Trump is convicted, which seems more likely than not, he is not going to have as much time to let the possible guilty verdict blow over and work its way through the news cycle.

The longer this case, the bigger the risk becomes for Trump that he will go straight from the courtroom to the debate stage. It is possible that Trump could have sentencing hearing than have to debate President Biden, or Trump could go from the debate to his sentencing hearing. The longer this trial goes, the higher the probability that it will impact pushed up timeline of the presidential campaign.

https://www.politicususa.com/2024/05/20/terrible-news-for-trump-as-closing-arguments-delayed-in-criminal-trial.html

[jimfields33]

1. Perhaps the defense should call Costello instead of playing games. Afraid of being on the stand?

The prosecution objects to the introduction of an email sent to Michael Cohen by Robert Costello’s law partner back in 2018.

[rurallib]

41. could you please expand on that? I don't have tie to follow every detail

and this sounds very important.

Thanks in advance.

[niyad]

2. It is not that great for the jury, or for us, either.

[getagrip_already]

3. Any idea what the issues are?

They seem to be interfering with the court schedule.

[mucifer]

4. I think they don't want all hell breaking loose at the time of the holiday weekend.

[Hugin]

7. I'm hoping more contempt charges...

Stemming from Blowbert, MAGAhick Johnson, and other “surrogates” blathering about the same old chestnuts at Trump’s behest. It was so widely spread after Thursday’s cult convention in the gallery, it will take some time to gather it all up.

[sop]

16. Trump is looking a bit haggard, if the trial continues he can get a little more beauty sleep.

Blowbert: “I think he is praying. But if he is sleeping… [he] certainly looks pretty while he sleeps. Maybe it’s an endearing moment of prayer though.”

[lastlib]

17. What in the world does that numbskull smoke??

Must be powerful stuff to give her such delusions!

[Hugin]

19. When you have so few brain cells to work with...

Any drug is powerful mojo. It could just be a Jolly Rancher.

[vanlassie]

20. !!!

[yagotme]

31. Yup!!

[Mopar151]

38. She's on the Dumbass!

Effects similar to an admixture of Natty Daddy, Cisco Red, and NyQuil.Any cannibas extracts she's hittin are used to counteract nausea and vertigo.

[Hugin]

18. I noticed that Christian Ziegler seems to be trying the same...

Sleeping while praying schtick down in FL during the hearings that he and his Moms for Homeporning co-founder wife have dragged the local constabulary into to demand that their texts and other materials from his rape case don’t get entered into the public records, because reasons… Mainly, because they’re special, you see.

The difference here being, it’s their hearing and it’s stupid to sleep fart through them. But, they don’t seem to get a minor nuance like that.

[EndlessWire]

39. "to sleep fart"

I like that verb...can't decide whether it should be "sleepfart" or sleep-fart used in front of something else descriptive. Should be in the dictionary, though, cross indexed with other things related to Trump.

[Hugin]

43. For now, I believe a hyphen is appropriate.

“sleep-fart”.

As the Trumpanzees continue to make the practice of “sleep-fart” a center of their ritual behaviors and cultural identity, it will eventually evolve into a combined word similar to “spacetime”.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

33. Him, he praying???!!!

Yeah, sure...

[Princess Turandot]

9. According to Katie Phang, it has to do in part with the judge's trial preferences (so to speak)...

He wants the closing arguments to take place immediately before the case goes to the jury, without a weekend break, especially since next weekend is Memorial Day weekend. I think the estimate of what's left to do before summations has expanded, pushing them back, so he decided to move the closing to next Tuesday altogether.

[PatSeg]

15. Okay, that makes sense

[yodermon]

5. Does the same jury do the sentencing? n/t

[getagrip_already]

12. The judge imposes the sentance...

There will be a separate hearing in a few weekd to months if he is found guilty. He will likely be free on bail until then.

He will of course appeal. He may or may not be allowed to remain free pending appeal, but if this were any other person, not.

[riversedge]

6. This has to be rough on the jury -and their families also.

Link to tweet

[orangecrush]

8. OK, I'm lost

What will happen this week?

[getagrip_already]

13. Lots o stuff...

Defense finishes with Cohen, prosecution gets to redirect Cohen to clean up any testimony.

Then the defense puts on their case. Maybe one witness. Maybe tsf.

Then charging instructions get hammered out.

[orangecrush]

14. Thank you. n/t

[jaxexpat]

10. I'm still in the "any and all delay helps Trump" camp.

[EmmaLee E]

42. So am I. Delay helps Trump and

I sadly feel that he will not be convicted,

The jurors will be branded for life and few will want to bear that burden.
it only takes one "less-than-hero" to throw a spanner into the works and stop the whole thing.

I expect lots of talk about "reasonable doubt."

[jaxexpat]

44. Thwarting justice and the will of the people is, apparently, child's play.

Fools pull it off daily.

Remember back in the day when common wisdom was that the government knew everything and POTUS was the top of the pyramid? That's, apparently and obviously, no longer a tenable theory.

[UTUSN]

11. Oh, crap, this is worse than the reality show finale today I'm waiting for.

[edhopper]

21. So the defense will call no witnesses?

[dchill]

24. Who they gonna call? Ghostbusters?

[edhopper]

25. The defendent

could defend himself.

[dchill]

26. They DON'T want to do that!

I wish they would, but they won't.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

34. 🤣

Good one!

[4lbs]

45. Dumpy the Clown didn't take the stand in a previous case.

I think he's too chickenshit to do it in this one, after a Stormy description of wee willy was ummm.. microscope spot-on..

He'd rather scream from the cheap seats, get admonished for doing so, and then complain about them "violating his first amendment rights."

He wants any previous POTUS be "special" and not have to play by the rules.

Ok then. Let's have Obama and Bush Jr. guffaw at him then. Because, by that logic, they can say sh*t about him all day every day, because you know, previous Presidents are "special".

[soldierant]

47. chickenshit is actually the best thing he can be for himself.

He can't open his mouth without confessing to something.

[Owens]

22. This is all moot

Trump is NOT going to debate Biden. We all know this.

[birdographer]

28. Totally agree

But hopefully the thought of it, and how to get out of it, are increasing his stress. The more cornered he feels, the better.

[iluvtennis]

23. This none legal eagle thinks this was a good call by the judge. The way court was scheduled before this change, the

jury could have received the case on late Tuesday.

As court is dark on both Wednesday (Judge Merchan has family court on Weds) and Friday (for Memorial Day weekend), that would mean that there would be 6 days after closing arguments & jury instructions where jury couldn't deliberate.

The judge's decision on this was practical.

My opinion only.

[LonePirate]

27. Sure seems to be a lot of confidence that he will be found guilty. I think we're headed for a hung jury.

Seems like people are setting expectations that are far from being a guarantee, at least in my eyes.

[Demsrule86]

29. I have no crystal ball but I think we get a conviction.

[Dark n Stormy Knight]

35. I feel the same. Seems the defense has introduced

what at least one juror will consider "reasonable" doubt. To me, everything we know makes it clear Dolt 45 is guilty as hell of countless crimes & behaves like a mob boss. But that "beyond a reasonable doubt" business is a a high bar (as it should be) & is open to very subjective evaluation.

Plus, if there's just one secret Trumper on the jury, justice is thwarted.

But then, I'm a staunch pessimist!

[Arne]

30. At some point I feel like trump will be in handcuffs.

How will it happen?
Do the Secret Service stand down as bailiffs approach ?
Could it come down to drawn guns?
Does trump have a heart attack?
Does Frank marry Kate at the country club?

[ZonkerHarris]

32. I would like to see the jury come back with a conviction after about 3 hours of deliberation.

[duckworth969]

36. That's actually not so good

Jury will get further fatigue and the loss of the “big mo” is unhelpful.

Better to charge on forward, but there might be some issues with juror’s personal schedules over the holiday weekend. 🤷?♂️

[Torchlight]

40. It does not follow.

Further annoyance with defense is as probable as fatigue. Additional insights into defendants' character flaws is as probable as fatigue. Any practical alternative listed is as probable as fatigue.

[duckworth969]

37. That's actually not so good

Jury will get further fatigue and the loss of the “big mo” is unhelpful.

Better to charge on forward, but there might be some issues with juror’s personal schedules over the holiday weekend.

[Joinfortmill]

46. Maybe Trump could go from sentencing to prison

[live love laugh]

48. Delays boomerang 🪃 apparently... or maybe excessive delays have karma attached

* Fingers crossed 🤞🏾 *

[oldsoftie]

49. This case has been a shitshow from day one.

The ONE case most people couldn't give two shits about and THIS is the one that gets the go ahead.
The damn documents case is the winner. And he shouldve been charged a year earlier in that one. NONE of these cases are going to do a thing to this dickwad before the election