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☆ Republican House chairman subpoenas former prosecutor Pomerantz in Trump probe
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 6 (Reuters) - Jim Jordan, the Republican chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, on Thursday issued a subpoena to Mark Pomerantz, a former prosecutor who led the Manhattan district attorney's investigation of Donald Trump. Bragg told reporters Tuesday the charges were part of the office's history of "vigorously enforcing white collar crime." Pomerantz, who left the office early last year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He previously led a sprawling probe into Trump's business practices but he resigned shortly after Bragg, a Democrat, took office in 2022 and declined to pursue an indictment of Trump based on that probe. "Pomerantz's public statements about the investigation strongly suggest that Bragg's prosecution of President Trump is politically motivated," Jordan said in a statement on Thursday.

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ The judge in Trump's criminal hush-money case who the ex-president has slammed as 'highly partisan' has been deluged with death threats
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The NY judge handling Donald Trump's criminal case has gotten death threats, a source said. New York Supreme Justice Juan Merchan has received multiple threats over the last week, said the source. Trump targeted Merchan and his family in verbal and online attacks on the day of his Tuesday arraignment. A spokesman for New York's Office of Court Administration told Insider in a statement on Thursday that there continues to be a beefed up security presence "in and around" state courthouses. A spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Thursday.

☆ Donald Trump Rhetoric Poses Challenges for Judge in Hush-Money Prosecution
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The state judge presiding over Donald Trump’s prosecution in New York faces a delicate balancing act in allowing the former president to exercise his right to free speech while trying to discourage him from using threatening rhetoric about the case. Both before and after his indictment on 34 felony charges, Mr. Trump has launched rhetorical attacks against State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, Manhattan prosecutors and others connected to the case, which centers on hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. In social-media posts, Mr. Trump warned there would be violence if he were charged and said the judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg were biased against him. One post showed a picture of Mr. Trump holding a baseball bat, next to a picture of Mr. Bragg’s head.

☆ Trump, newly charged, urges defunding US Justice Department and FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

But Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. "REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. The FBI, part of the Justice Department, is the U.S. domestic intelligence and security agency. Trump backed spending increases for the Justice Department while serving as president from 2017 to 2021. The Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment.

☆ Trump, facing criminal charges, calls for defunding the FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Rami Ayyub | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"REPUBLICANS IN CONGRESS SHOULD DEFUND THE DOJ AND FBI UNTIL THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES," Trump wrote on his social media platform. Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2021, backed spending increases for the Justice Department and FBI while in office. Trump faces two Justice Department criminal investigations led by a special counsel appointed by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Trump himself appointed the current FBI director, Christopher Wray, after firing the agency's previous chief, James Comey, in 2017. Prosecutors said the payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal constituted an attempt to conceal a violation of election law.

PALM BEACH, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - A subdued former President Donald Trump lashed out on Tuesday at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him and declared himself the victim of election interference without offering evidence. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Bragg of being out to get him "before he knew anything about me." "Trump should not be held above the law - if he does something wrong he should be held liable like anybody else. Reporting by Nathan Layne and Rich McKay in Palm Beach; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Ricardo ArduengoPALM BEACH, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - A subdued former President Donald Trump lashed out on Tuesday at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him and declared himself the victim of election interference without offering evidence. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump accused Manhattan District Attorney Bragg of being out to get him "before he knew anything about me." "Trump should not be held above the law - if he does something wrong he should be held liable like anybody else. Reporting by Nathan Layne and Rich McKay in Palm Beach; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ What’s Missing in the Trump Indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The public can now read Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ’s indictment against former President Trump, as well as his more voluble “statement of facts,” but the speculation and leaks of recent weeks were well informed. There are few surprises, except perhaps astonishment that Mr. Bragg’s case looks even weaker than we expected. Mr. Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election,” the DA says. The charges are based on the $130,000 that former Trump fixer Michael Cohen paid to hush up Stormy Daniels about her alleged affair with Mr. Trump. Mr. Cohen was reimbursed via a monthly retainer “disguised as a payment for legal services.”

☆ Case Against Trump Leaves Defense Ample Openings, Say Legal Authorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jacob Gershman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The criminal case against former President Donald Trump unsealed Tuesday could hinge on questions of criminal intent and untested interpretations of election law, according to criminal defense specialists. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleges Mr. Trump repeatedly violated New York’s business-records laws in attempting to cover up a payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels in an attempt to buy her silence in the days before the 2016 presidential election.

☆ Donald Trump Has Pleaded Not Guilty. What Happens Now?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Former President Donald Trump arriving at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on Tuesday. Donald Trump on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges related to his alleged role in paying hush money to a porn star on the eve of the 2016 election. The charges represent the first criminal counts ever lodged against a former U.S. president. Mr. Trump has denied wrongdoing and has said the probe by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg , a Democrat, is politically motivated.

☆ Trump faces more legal threats beyond a hush money case. Here's the status of those probes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Cohen has since become a vocal critic of his former boss and testified before the grand jury hearing evidence in Bragg's probe. The grand jury was impaneled in January 2022 to hear evidence in Fulton County DA Willis' probe. Portions of that final report, which were released in February, show the grand jury determined that at least one witness may have lied under oath. New York civil caseTrump is also embroiled in a state-level civil fraud case filed by James, the New York attorney general. (L-R) Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump attend the ground breaking of the Trump International Hotel at the Old Post Office Building in Washington July 23, 2014.

NEW YORK, April 4 (Reuters) - The Manhattan District Attorney's office on Tuesday unveiled charges against Donald Trump over hush money payments to suppress accounts of his alleged extramarital affairs, becoming the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges. Below is an explanation of the charges he faces and his possible defenses:WHAT IS TRUMP ACCUSED OF DOING? During the campaign, Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to for her silence on an affair she says she had with Trump. Trump denies the allegations and the affairs but has admitted to reimbursing Cohen for his payment to Daniels. Joseph Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, has argued in television interviews that Trump was a victim of extortion by Daniels.

REUTERS/Ricardo ArduengoPALM BEACH, Florida, April 4 (Reuters) - Former President Donald Trump said on Tuesday night, hours after being charged in court, that he was the victim of election interference and he lashed out at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg for bringing criminal charges against him. "I never thought anything like this could happen in America," Trump told supporters gathered at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Palm Beach, Florida. In a subdued tone, Trump reviewed all the various legal cases against him, from the handling of classified documents that were taken to Mar-a-Lago when Trump moved out of the White House in early 2021, and the election interference case he is facing in Georgia from the 2020 election. "Now, there's massive election interference at a scale never seen," he said. Reporting by Nathan Layne and Rich McKay in Palm Beach; Writing by Steve Holland; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Booking Trump: No cuffs, no mugshot, no DNA swab, and perhaps the shortest perp walk in history
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura Italiano | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trump's arrest and perp walk on Tuesday was not the spectacle of victimization he reportedly wanted. Trump's perp walk was the shortest and quickest that veteran New York lawyers have ever heard of. It was the shortest "perp walk" that New York City lawyers can remember. Richman also said that in her more than 30 years of experience, she's never seen a perp walk where the defendant was uncuffed. But another seasoned defense attorney, Arthur Aidala, thinks that Trump's speedy bare-bones booking, and his minimalist perp walk, just made good sense.

☆ After Trump lashes out, WH condemns 'attacks' on judicial system
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Reuters Editorial | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

PoliticsAfter Trump lashes out, WH condemns 'attacks' on judicial systemPostedAfter former President Donald Trump lashed out at New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg and Juan Merchan, the judge in the case involving the falsification of business records, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said "we condemn any type of attacks on any judge, or our judicial system that we have seen over the last two years, in particular as the President has been in office."

☆ Prosecutors allege that Trump met with Michael Cohen in the Oval Office to discuss Cohen's repayment following Stormy Daniels payout
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Manhattan DA alleged that Donald Trump and Michael Cohen met in the White House to discuss his repayments. The pair allegedly met to confirm a repayment agreement that would reimburse Cohen for his $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels. Trump and Cohen then met in the Oval Office at some point in February 2017 to confirm this payment arrangement, the DA said in the documents. "At no point did Lawyer A have a retainer agreement with the Defendant or the Trump Organization." The $420,000 amount would cover the $130,000 payment to Daniels and another reimbursement fee of $50,000, according to the DA.

☆ Even left-leaning publications are saying the Manhattan DA's criminal case against Donald Trump is anything but a slam dunk
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Many legal experts have said the indictment against Donald Trump is far from a slam dunk. Trump was charged by a Manhattan grand jury with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. In a Vox article, senior correspondent Ian Millhiser pointed out that there is "something painfully anticlimactic" about the indictment against Trump. The Nation's justice correspondent Elie Mystal said in his article that falsifying business records "is what prosecutors get you for when they don't have anything else." "We Finally Know the Case Against Trump, and It Is Strong," read its headline.

☆ Stormy Daniels mocks Trump, saying she'd rather be under her 'sexy man' than 'under arrest'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Stormy Daniels celebrated former President Donald Trump's arrest on Tuesday. "It's definitely more fun being under my sexy man instead of under arrest," she wrote in her tweet. Daniels says she had an affair with Trump in 2006, a year after he married Melania Trump. Donald Trump has denied the affair. Representatives for Trump and Daniels did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Read about the moment a judge warned Trump not to 'incite violence,' 'create civil unrest,' 'or jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Prosecutors brought up Trump's social media posts, saying he "threatening" statements in them. Judge Juan Merchan said he would not issue a gag order but expected compliance from Trump. During his arraignment in Manhattan on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan warned Trump not to "incite violence or civil unrest," per a copy of the court hearing transcript obtained by Insider. "Please refrain from making comments or engaging in conduct that has the potential to incite violence, create civil unrest, or jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals," Merchan said. Merchan's comments came after prosecutor Chris Conroy mentioned Trump's social media posts in court after outlining the 34 felony charges against Trump.

Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in 2018 over the payment to Daniels, though Trump was not charged with a crime then. It is unclear what additional evidence, if any, Bragg may have presented to the grand jury in support of the indictment. Bragg told reporters on Tuesday that the law does not require his office to specify the underlying crimes in the indictment. That could help Bragg's office demonstrate to a jury Trump intended to commit a crime, other legal experts said. The indictment also left some lingering doubts as to how prosecutors would prove Trump intended to commit a crime.

☆ Donald Trump's arraignment: key takeaways include 2 warnings from the judge that he behave himself
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Takeaways from Tuesday's arraignment include two separate times the judge warned Trump to behave. The judge also nixed Trump's hope of just staying home on his next court date, December 4. Prosecutors had just handed the judge a thick packet of examples of what Assistant District Attorney Christopher Conroy called Trump's "threatening rhetoric." "May we ask that President Trump, his presence be waived just for that date?" The defense and prosecution are hoping to reach an agreement on the protective order, Trump attorney Susan Necheles said.

☆ 'Trump enjoys being the victim.' Alvin Bragg's 34-count indictment could help him argue he's been unfairly targeted, ex-prosecutors say.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Warren Rojas | Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Former prosecutors told Insider the indictment against Donald Trump was underwhelming. They said the case could give Trump and his team fodder to argue it was politically motivated. Rep. Nancy Mace, a Trump critic, said DA Alvin Bragg's indictment made Trump a "martyr." They also said the 34 counts could be viewed as excessive — and even give Trump and his team fuel to argue he was being unfairly targeted. "Trump enjoys being the victim in all this, and that's what he's going to lean into," Joshua Ritter, a former Los Angeles County prosecutor and partner with El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, told Insider.

☆ Trump wanted to avoid Stormy Daniels hush money payment by delaying it past election, DA alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But Trump directed Cohen to delay making that payment to Daniels "as long as possible," according to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Bragg's allegation that Trump tried to delay the payment to Daniels also challenges an argument made last month by Trump's current attorney Joe Tacopina. He said the hush money payment to Daniels was "not directly related to the campaign." In a single report from USA Today in 2016, hundreds of people accused Trump of withholding payment for services they provided. Bragg on Tuesday also detailed Trump's alleged involvement in efforts to suppress ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal's claim that she had an affair with Trump years ago.

☆ A judge warned Trump about comments that could 'jeopardize the safety or well-being' of others. 6 hours later, he attacked the judge, the judge's wife, and the judge's daughter.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Donald Trump started attacking the family of the judge presiding over his indictment in New York. Trump called Judge Juan Merchan and his family "Trump-hating" on Tuesday evening. Hours before, the judge warned him not to make remarks that could jeopardize the safety of others. Trump's comments blasting Merchan came six hours after Merchan warned the former president not to make comments likely to "jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals." That didn't stop Trump from slamming Merchan and his family hours later.

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