With GOP nomination looming, Trump is slated to take witness stand in fraud trial

Yahoo ^ | February 23, 2016 | Michael Isikoff

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Here's a part of the political calendar that nobody in the Republican Party seems to have noticed: This spring, just as the GOP nomination battle enters its final phase, frontrunner Donald Trump could be forced to take time out for some unwanted personal business: He's due to take the witness stand in a federal courtroom in San Diego, where he is being accused of running a financial fraud.

In court filings last Friday, lawyers for both sides in a long-running civil lawsuit over the now defunct Trump University named Trump on their witness lists. That makes it all but certain that the reality-show star and international businessman will be forced to be grilled under oath over allegations in the lawsuit that he engaged in deceptive trade practices and scammed thousands of students who enrolled in his "university" courses in response to promises he would make them rich in the real estate market.

Although the case has been winding its way through the courts for the past five years - and Trump has denied all wrongdoing - the final pretrial conference is now slated for May 6, according to the latest pleadings in the case. No trial date has been set, but the judge has indicated his interest in moving the case forward, the pleadings show.

"This is pretty amazing," said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican Party consultant, about Trump's upcoming due date in federal court. "Usually, you clean this stuff up before you run for president."

Trump's new lead lawyer in the case, Daniel Petrocelli, best known for representing one of the slain murder victims in a civil suit against O.J. Simpson, did not respond to emailed questions about Trump's upcoming testimony, including how long he expects his client to be on the witness stand.

As noted by Yahoo News last week, the Trump University case has already intruded on Trump's political schedule. On Dec. 10, 2015, during a day he was making international headlines over his pledge to ban Muslim immigrants from the United States, Trump managed to escape any press attention and give a closed-door pretrial deposition in the case, according to court filings reviewed by Yahoo News. Exactly what he said in the deposition remains under seal, but lawyers for Tarla Makaeff, a California yoga instructor who is the lead plaintiff in the case, cited portions of his testimony (blacked out in her pleadings) to support their contention that Trump has threatened to ruin her financially for bringing the lawsuit and that she needs protection from his "retaliation."

But the upcoming civil trial could be a much bigger burden on Trump's time. If it takes place in May, that would put it in the middle of the final phase of the GOP primary schedule: Nebraska and West Virginia vote on May 10, Oregon on May 17, and Washington state on May 24. Then on June 7, the biggest prize of all: the California primary (with 172 delegates at stake). New Jersey, Montana, New Mexico and South Dakota vote the same day.

While it is unclear how long the trial over Trump University will take, both sides have submitted lengthy witness lists: 72 individuals have been identified as prospective witnesses by the two sides. The case shows little sign of being settled. Trump just last December hired Petrocelli, a master litigator, and he recently identified 965 trial exhibits he expects to use at trial, including PowerPoint presentations, course curriculums, emails, letters, videos and other material. Picking jurors who have neutral views on Trump could present another time-consuming hurdle.

The core case revolves around the operations of a school Trump launched in 2005 with a promotional You Tube video, as well as ads that proclaimed, "I can turn anyone into a successful real estate investor, including you," "Are YOU My Next Apprentice?" and "Learn from my handpicked experts how you can profit from the largest real estate liquidation in history." The plaintiffs, former students at Trump University, allege they were misled into maxing out their credit cards and paying up to $60,000 in fees for seminars in hotel ballrooms and "mentoring" by Trump's "hand-picked" real estate experts. The lawsuit against the school, which is no longer in business, alleges the seminars turned into little more than an "infomercial" and the Trump mentors offered "no practical advice" and "mostly disappeared." New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman filed a separate suit in 2013 alleging fraud on the part of the "university," which was never an accredited institution and awarded no degrees.

[nopardons]

I report.....YOU decide. *snicker*

I guess that you don't believe in STATES' RIGHTS.

[nopardons]

Out of morbid curiosity....how old are you?

[nopardons]

What about the guys who were wearing Cruz buttons and shirts?

You don't a problem with that too?

And yes, there were some!

[goldstategop]

94% in.... lead still stable at 45.9%.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

97.3% reporting

Last updated: 1:51 AM

http://graphics.latimes.com/election-2016-nevada-results/

[catfish1957]

You are right. But, I also understand you are okay with tRump supporters wearing Klan outfits too huh?

[RginTN]

Trump earned every bit of skepticism I have for him given his long record of liberalism.

[goldstategop]

95% in... still 45.9%.

[nathanbedford]

He blunders into a trade war which devastates our economy.

He blunders into a war (period) which devastates the country

He so appalls Americans in two years that he turns the House over to Democrats and the Senate two years later

Fancying himself an economic genius, he engages in crony capitalism this time from the other side of the equation and backs losers which not only sets back the economy but legitimates crony capitalism leading to American economic eclipse.

Utterly ignorant of the Constitution and having no regard for it in any event, he tramples on the Bill of Rights.

He conducts foreign policy with ostentatious arrogance which drives away our European allies and breaks up NATO when Germany affiliates itself closely with Russia and China. Our economy and our national security are driven to extreme jeopardy.

Too cowardly to tackle the real cause of the American deficits and debts, entitlements, as evidenced by his support of Social Security while relying on GNP growth which does not occur, he so increases the national debt with schemes like universal healthcare that we finally go over the fiscal cliff.

His boorishness so demoralizes our culture that our societal fabric shreds, our confidence in democracy is displaced by authoritarianism, separation of powers is replaced by the man on horseback.

These are possibilities off the top of my head but the probabilities are certainly greater with any Democrat.

[goldstategop]

96% in... still 45.9% Trump.

[Gaffer]

Your litany sounds very much like Barack Hussein Obama. The difference being one has ALREADY done it, the other is yet to be shown so.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

http://graphics.latimes.com/election-2016-nevada-results/

With 98.9% of the vote in [Clark County - Las Vegas - still being totaled]

Ted Cruz - by county:

Washoe [Reno] - 3rd

Humboldt - 2nd

Eklo - 1st

Pershing - 2nd

Lander - 2nd

Eureka - 2nd

White Pine - 2nd

Churchill - 3rd by 30

Story - 2nd

Lyon - 2nd

Douglas - 3rd

Mineral - 3rd by 1

Nye - 2nd

Esmeralda - 2nd

Lincoln - 1st

Clark [Las Vegas] 3rd

[nopardons]

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

[Gaffer]

Clark - the graphic shows almost 75% of the states residents live there.

[Buck-I-Guy]

Hillary is a lock now. There is no one left that can stop her. Thank you Donald.

[goldstategop]

Now 100% in - CNN is lagging in posting the final vote apparently because of a delay in reporting late results from Clark County.

Trump has 46% of the vote, a good result for him, considering the last polls showed him at 45%.

Cruz and Cabana Boy were a distant third and second respectively.

As for the all-important delegate math - the only one that really matters, after last night, Trump now has 80 delegates, Cruz has 16 and Cabana Boy has 14.

Trump is well ahead with a big delegate lead heading into ST next week.

[knarf]

DO THESE PANTS MAKE MY ASS LOOK BIG ?

[exDemMom]

"This is pretty amazing," said Scott Reed, a veteran Republican Party consultant, about Trump's upcoming due date in federal court. "Usually, you clean this stuff up before you run for president."

It would seem that Trump himself is not convinced that he is guilty of anything. Rich people are always targets of gold-diggers--I guess, according to this consultant, rich people are not qualified to run for any office, since they are likely to be frequent targets of litigation?

I love the fact that (future) President Trump will not be beholden to ANY donors. How many attempts at campaign finance reform have there been? Isn't buying candidates supposed to be bad? No one is buying Trump. That is awesome!

[exDemMom]

After posting this, I saw an article about Hilary’s on-going problems with the e-mail server fallout. If Trump (according to his haters) should step out of the race because gold-diggers are trying to profit from him, then what about Hilary, who has apparently committed actual crimes? Shouldn’t she step out, too?

No, I am not suggesting that Trump step down. It merely looks to me like Scott Reed is advocating a double standard here.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bill Clinton's Campaign Advice to Trump About His Run for the Republican Nomination Pays Off