Posted on 12/06/2023 9:22:15 AM PST by John Semmens
This week, New York Attorney General Letitia James' case against Donald Trump for bank fraud was seriously undermined by testimony from Deutsche Bank managing director Dave Williams. Asked whether his bank had ever considered the loans to be in default, Williams replied "no. Though there was a gap between the Trump organization's estimated $5 billion net worth and our $2.6 billion estimate, these kinds of differences are not unusual. Our lower estimate still showed that the firm's net worth was well in excess of our minimum requirements."
Williams' answers prompted Trump's attorney Christopher Kise to request that Judge Arthur Engoron "issue a verdict of not guilty. The bank based its decision to lend the money on its own assessment of the Trump organization's ability to repay the loan. The loans were repaid on time. The bank profited from the transaction. No one was defrauded by these transactions."
Engoron characterized Williams' testimony as "irrelevant. My decision that Trump is guilty was rendered before this trial began. The only matter to be resolved is the magnitude of the punishment. Attorney General James wants to impose a $250 million fine and cancel of all of the firm's licenses to conduct business in the State of New York. I haven't heard any testimony proving these proposed penalties should be decreased."
James argued that "the issue is whether the will of the people shall rule. I ran on an explicit campaign promise to get Trump. This means I have a mandate to harm him in any way I can. A verdict that would absolve Trump from suffering any punishment would disenfranchise the voters of New York and be attack on our democracy. The question is whether the will of the people or the most evil person to have ever been president shall prevail. None of what Williams said in court refutes my duty to fulfill my promise to the voters."
In related news, a four-judge panel with New York's Appellate Division, First Department reinstated the gag order on Trump that Appellate Judge David Friedman had lifted on freedom-of-speech grounds. Engoron vowed to "rigorously and vigorously enforce the order now that it has been reinstated" and hit Trump with a $15,000 fine. "It could get much worse," he warned. "A little more than 100 years ago presidential candidate Eugene Debs was sent to jail for violating the government's gag order on his criticism of its decision to enter the First World War. So, there is a precedent for cracking down on unwarranted dissent against the government by opposing political candidates."
If you missed any of the other Semi-News/Semi-Satire posts you can find them at...
https://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,518667.0.html
Consider your verdict,” the king said to the jury.
“Not yet, not yet!” the rabbit hastily interrupted. “There’s a great deal to come before that!”
“Call the first witness,” said the king, and the white rabbit blew three blasts on the trumpet and called out, “First witness!”
The first witness was the hatter. He came in with a teacup in one hand and a piece of bread and butter in the other. “I beg pardon, Your Majesty,” he began, “for bringing these in, but I hadn’t quite finished my tea when I was sent for.”
“You ought to have finished,” said the king. “When did you begin?”
The hatter looked at the March hare, who had followed him into the court, arm in arm with the dormouse. “Fourteenth of March, I think it was,” he said.
“Fifteenth,” said the March hare"
Soothsayer to Ceasar; "Beware the Ides of March!
No law is sufficiently convenient to all. —Roman proverb,
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