Why is he on trial for $130K paid to Stormy?

[struggle4progress]

Lauren Aratani in New York
Sat 13 Apr 2024 06.00 EDT

... The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts last April. The charges carry a maximum of four years in prison.

“This charge, it can be said, is the bread and butter of our white-collar work,” Alvin Bragg said in April 2023 after he announced the charges. The district attorney said that his office has charged hundreds of people who have violated federal bank-secrecy, sex-crime and tax-evasion laws by charging them with falsifying business records.

Trump’s case “is one with allegations like so many of our white-collar cases, allegations that someone lied again and again to protect their interests and evade the laws to which we are all held accountable,” Bragg said ...

In the court filings, prosecutors also point to ... other alleged ... hush-money payments ... The first ... a former Trump Tower doorman ... trying to sell a story that Trump had had a child out of wedlock ... The second ... a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who said she started an affair with Trump in 2006 ...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/13/donald-trump-hush-money-stormy-daniels

[Maeve]

1. As so often, it's the cover-up that blows it up!

[WarGamer]

2. exactly... hush money isn't illegal.

If Trump paid with $100 bills from his pillowcase... this isn't a case.

(although I guess he'd have to either pay a gift tax or just 1099 her)

[InstantGratification]

9. "hush money isn't illegal" EXACTLY!!

As I've commented on social media many times:

It isn't illegal for him to have an affair.

It isn't illegal for him to have his lawyer pay her money to keep quiet.

It isn't illegal for him to pay his lawyer back.

If he had paid the lawyer back out of his own pocket, he would be in the clear.

If he had paid the lawyer back out of company funds and properly accounted for it in the books, he would be in the clear.

BUT.... the greedy bastard paid the lawyer back with company funds and put it in the books as legal fees. Oopsie Donald, THAT is illegal and why you are charged with crimes. More than that, much of the evidence against you Donald, is some of the same evidence that sent Cohen to prison. Double oopsie Donald, you Fucked Around, now you're about to Find Out. (literally)

[oldsoftie]

12. And as cheap & arrogant as trump is, he'd deduct it as "charity"

[peppertree]

3. I understand it's because it was both a campaign finance and business records law violation

And WHAT a campaign finance violation!

The payoff indisputably saved him from having his fat, orange ass handed to him by Hillary.

Yet it was (of course) not reported, as the law requires.

[OMGWTF]

4. I believe it's a maximum of four years in prison for EACH of the 34 charges

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Wonder Why]

10. You're assuming he gets consecutive sentences but that's rarely the case

The usual would be to consider previous convictions as well as the number of present convictions and other factors. If this was someone else, they would probably get a couple of years based on no priors, age, health and assuming he is convicted of most of the charges.

[InstantGratification]

11. technically correct

But this is a white collar crime, they rarely (if ever) run the sentences consecutively. They run them concurrently, so for all practical purposes, 34 four year sentences still plays out as 4 years in prison. Plus he has no prior felonies on his record, so the sentencing guidelines will be for much less. He could get a year or even less out of this. His biggest consequence out of this trial could be the impact it has on the other trials. With this felony conviction, he would no longer be a first time offender, that pushes the sentencing guidelines much higher for later convictions.

[oldsoftie]

13. Even if he's convicted of EVRY charge he'll never do a day in prison. Just not gonna happen.

I just dont see how, logistically, you could jail a president. He gets SS protection for life. SS agents are NOT going to be put in a prison & he wont be jailed without them. Even in a "Club Fed" type prison.
Best we can hope for would be confinement somewhere with no internet access or unregulated visitors. And I think even THAT is a stretch.

And with everything ELSE he's been getting away with just add this to the list.
Prove me wrong, prosecutors. PLEASE.

[DownriverDem]

15. Sadly I agree

I don't see him ever going to prison. House arrest with no internet and approved visitors only sounds about right.

[oldsoftie]

17. No internet might actually drive him insane.

Considering there have been days he posts over 100 times a DAY, he may lose it not being able to do ANY

[Mr.Bill]

5. He is no more on trial for paying Stormy hush money

than Bill Clinton was charged with getting a blow job, which is still a popular myth with the uninformed.

[Ping Tung]

6. Like Watergate it's more about the coverup than the crime.

I imagine the lawyers he's using to continue the coverup charge more that Stormy got.

[Ray Bruns]

7. I wish someone would explain this to the MAGA crowd. I have been arguing for two days with one on Yahoo,

they seeem incapable of understanding why THEIR god an savior is being prosecuted.

[Mr.Bill]

16. It's because he is telling them

he is on trial for something that is not even a crime.

He keeps saying "There is no case."

Seems to be a pattern with him. It's because he's got nothing else.

[Hekate]

8. Repeat after me: It was election interference, because talk would have hurt his election chances...

…and he knew that. If he had not been running for POTUS it’s doubtful he would have cared much.

[multigraincracker]

14. Al Capone was a wise guy too.

Tax man got him sent away.