A Hung Jury
A Playboy centerfold had an affair with Trump; porn star Stormy Daniels had a one-night fling with Trump at a Lake Tahoe resort. Ten years later Trump ran against Hillary – the centerfold tried to sell her story to a tabloid. Trump told David Pecker, the tabloid owner, Buy it, kill it. I’ll repay you. Pecker paid the centerfold $150,000. The story disappeared. Then the Access Hollywood tape hit.
Already trailing Hillary, Trump plummeted in polls – the porn star pounced. Trump didn’t want another sex scandal days before the election, told his lawyer-fixer Michael Cohen to pay Daniels. Trump didn’t want his fingerprints on a hush money payment either so Cohen paid Daniels, himself, killed her story. Trump repaid Cohen after the election.
Cohen landed in court two years later for a litany of crimes, admitted paying Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket was an illegal campaign contribution to Trump. Trump told reporters he hadn’t known Cohen had paid Daniels – a month later, about-facing, admitted he had known. But, unlike Cohen, Trump didn’t land in court – the Department of Justice doesn’t indict sitting presidents.
Five years later a state district attorney in Manhattan did indict Trump. Trump tweeted the D.A. – Alvin Bragg – was on a witch hunt.
To convict Trump, Bragg’s got to prove Trump paid Stormy Daniels for one reason: To avoid a sex scandal before the election. But Trump claims he didn’t pay Daniels because of the election, he paid her to protect his wife and family from the embarrassment of a scandal and that wasn’t a crime.
Rebutting Trump, Bragg pointed out that Trump told Cohen if he ‘could delay paying Daniels until after the election, they could avoid paying her altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public.’ That proved – to Bragg – Trump didn’t care whether Melania read about his affair as long as she read about it after the election – so he wasn’t protecting Melania.
Cohen did try to put off paying Daniels but that didn’t work out so he paid her before the election then he and Trump hid it.
But Alvin Bragg’s hands aren’t clean either: Trump paying Stormy Daniels hush money to win an election violated federal elections law – but a state D.A. can’t indict Trump for a federal crime. So, threading needles, Bragg indicted Trump for hiding the payment to Daniels which, Bragg says, violates a New York state law.
Brigades of lawyers, Cohen, Daniels, Pecker testifying in front of a grand jury, accusations, ambiguities – people stared at a confusing case, a brawl broke out. Politicians howled, pundits blustered, tweets shot across the internet, a lawyer from Manhattan flew to Raleigh, we had dinner. I asked:
‘Will Bragg nail Trump?’
He folded his hands on the table in front of him.
‘The case smells bad looks bad for Trump, but he hasn’t had his say in court. Some jurors will wait to hear what he says to make up their minds. But others won’t. Turning on Fox News a Trumpster hears a Democrat indicted Trump, a nerve twitches, he hears one word – Democrat – and that’s all he needs to know: Bragg’s the villain. Trump’s the victim. Turning on MSNBC a Trump-hater hears Trump landed in court, the same nerve twitches: Trump’s guilty. These days that one nerve’s more powerful than the law – that’s bad news. It also spells a hung jury.’
A Hung Jury
A Playboy centerfold had an affair with Trump; porn star Stormy Daniels had a one-night fling with Trump at a Lake Tahoe resort. Ten years later Trump ran against Hillary – the centerfold tried to sell her story to a tabloid. Trump told David Pecker, the tabloid owner, Buy it, kill it. I’ll repay you. Pecker paid the centerfold $150,000. The story disappeared. Then the Access Hollywood tape hit.
Already trailing Hillary, Trump plummeted in polls – the porn star pounced. Trump didn’t want another sex scandal days before the election, told his lawyer-fixer Michael Cohen to pay Daniels. Trump didn’t want his fingerprints on a hush money payment either so Cohen paid Daniels, himself, killed her story. Trump repaid Cohen after the election.
Cohen landed in court two years later for a litany of crimes, admitted paying Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket was an illegal campaign contribution to Trump. Trump told reporters he hadn’t known Cohen had paid Daniels – a month later, about-facing, admitted he had known. But, unlike Cohen, Trump didn’t land in court – the Department of Justice doesn’t indict sitting presidents.
Five years later a state district attorney in Manhattan did indict Trump. Trump tweeted the D.A. – Alvin Bragg – was on a witch hunt.
To convict Trump, Bragg’s got to prove Trump paid Stormy Daniels for one reason: To avoid a sex scandal before the election. But Trump claims he didn’t pay Daniels because of the election, he paid her to protect his wife and family from the embarrassment of a scandal and that wasn’t a crime.
Rebutting Trump, Bragg pointed out that Trump told Cohen if he ‘could delay paying Daniels until after the election, they could avoid paying her altogether, because at that point it would not matter if the story became public.’ That proved – to Bragg – Trump didn’t care whether Melania read about his affair as long as she read about it after the election – so he wasn’t protecting Melania.
Cohen did try to put off paying Daniels but that didn’t work out so he paid her before the election then he and Trump hid it.
But Alvin Bragg’s hands aren’t clean either: Trump paying Stormy Daniels hush money to win an election violated federal elections law – but a state D.A. can’t indict Trump for a federal crime. So, threading needles, Bragg indicted Trump for hiding the payment to Daniels which, Bragg says, violates a New York state law.
Brigades of lawyers, Cohen, Daniels, Pecker testifying in front of a grand jury, accusations, ambiguities – people stared at a confusing case, a brawl broke out. Politicians howled, pundits blustered, tweets shot across the internet, a lawyer from Manhattan flew to Raleigh, we had dinner. I asked:
‘Will Bragg nail Trump?’
He folded his hands on the table in front of him.
‘The case smells bad looks bad for Trump, but he hasn’t had his say in court. Some jurors will wait to hear what he says to make up their minds. But others won’t. Turning on Fox News a Trumpster hears a Democrat indicted Trump, a nerve twitches, he hears one word – Democrat – and that’s all he needs to know: Bragg’s the villain. Trump’s the victim. Turning on MSNBC a Trump-hater hears Trump landed in court, the same nerve twitches: Trump’s guilty. These days that one nerve’s more powerful than the law – that’s bad news. It also spells a hung jury.’