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☆ Trump’s allies have long faced legal troubles, but this time is different because he is too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

They were the latest members of the former president’s inner circle to find out that associating with Trump could put them on cracking legal ice. There is increasing speculation over why Meadows was charged in Georgia but not in special counsel Jack Smith’s federal investigation into Trump’s election stealing efforts. Legal experts wonder whether he could be cooperating with that probe in a sign of peril for the former president. Trump’s inner circles have long faced legal problemsTrump’s co-defendants in the Georgia case are not the first to find out that the ex-president’s intolerance for the rules and conventions that normally constrain presidencies can lead them into treacherous waters. Trump once vowed to bring only “the best people” to Washington, but his acolytes often find themselves dragged into his legal storms.

Persons: Donald, –, Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Giuliani –, Trump’s, ”, Giuliani, bruiser, “, “ I’m, “ We’re, Mark Meadows, Meadows, Jack, John Eastman, Mike Pence, Harvey Silverglate, Sidney Powell –, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliveira –, Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Robert Mueller’s, Steve Bannon, Bannon, ” Bannon, Allen Weisselberg, Michael Cohen, Cohen, ” Trump, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Stormy Daniels, extravagantly, Flynn, Manafort, Roger Stone, won’t, ’, District Attorney Fani Willis –, Ty Cobb, CNN’s Erin Burnett, wouldn’t, Willis, ” Cobb Organizations: CNN, Trump, New, New York City, WABC, White House, Caucus, White, Republican, Former Trump, Trump Organization, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump’s, Save, District Attorney Locations: Georgia, Fulton, New York, Ukraine, North Carolina, Washington, Meadows, Fulton County , Georgia, Lago, Trump, Russia, Manhattan, Congress

☆ Judge in Trump New York porn star hush money case refuses to step aside for trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Trump had asked for Merchan to step off the case in Manhattan Supreme Court, where his trial is set to begin in late March, citing three different areas of potential conflicts of interest. The judge wrote that he "finds that recusal would not be in the public interest." Judge Juan Merchan said he had "carefully weighed" the legal standards for recusing himself after Trump cited the judge's purported conflicts of interest. The New York judge set to preside over the porn star hush money trial of Donald Trump refused on Monday to step off the case, saying he is certain he can be "fair and impartial" to the former president . Merchan cited a 1988 New York federal appeals court decision related to judicial recusal.

Persons: Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Merchan, recusal, recusing, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Cohen, Allen Weisselberg, Joe Biden, Re Drexel Burnham Lambert Organizations: New, Republican, Trump, Trump Organization, Democratic, New York, Re, Manhattan, Attorney's Office Locations: Manhattan, New York City, New York

☆ More document trouble looms for Trump, this time over missing evidence in his New York fraud trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This week, New York's attorney general gave notice that she is ready for Trump's October 2 fraud trial. Buried in the notice was a threat: She may seek new penalties against Trump and the Trump Organization for the "spoliation" of evidence. New York Attorney General Letitia James announced her $250 million civil fraud suit against Donald Trump and his company with assistant attorneys general Andrew S. Amer, center, and Kevin C. Wallace, right. Two summers ago, Garten testified in response to an AG subpoena that Trump "regularly generates handwritten documents," James' office said in a 2022 filing. A "bunch of issues"High burden of proof aside, this week's filing shows that James' lawyers are not letting the missing-documents matter go.

Persons: Donald Trump, Letitia James, Trump, Arthur Engoron, Kenneth Foard McCallion, James, McCallion, Engoron, Eric Trump, Allen Weisselberg, Kevin C, Wallace, Andrew S, Amer, Brittainy Newman, Jackson, they're, Alan Garten, Garten, —, Rhona Graff, Graff, president's, Alina Habba, Ivanka Trump, Banks Organizations: New, Trump, Trump Organization, Service, New York, McCallion, Associates, Trump Org, Mr, Washington Locations: Wall, Silicon, New York, manila

☆ The new Trump indictment takes aim at his closest allies. They can save themselves by flipping against him.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The new indictment against Donald Trump refers to six unindicted co-conspirators. The last time a prosecutor tried flipping people close to Trump, it didn't go too well. According to the new federal indictment against him, brought by Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith, Trump had six criminal co-conspirators. Smith is also overseeing a separate prosecution against Trump and two alleged co-conspirators related to the ex-president's hoarding of government documents. The Manhattan district attorney's office charged Weisselberg and the Trump Organization with a litany of white collar crimes in 2021.

Persons: Donald Trump, Jack Smith's, Donald Trump didn't, Jack Smith, Trump, Joe Biden's, isn't, fervid Trump, Smith, Sarah Krissoff, It's, Cozen O'Connor, Rudy Giuliani, baselessly, Sidney Powell, Giuliani, Jeffrey Clark, John Eastman, Kenneth Chesebro, Ted Goodman, Trump —, — Mayor Giuliani would've, Trump's, Goodman, Andrew Kelly Giuliani, He's, he's, Powell, Clark, Bill Barr didn't, Eastman, Chesebro, wasn't, Krissoff, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Stormy Daniels, Bragg, Daniels, Cyrus Vance Jr, Prosecutors, Allen Weisselberg, Michael M, I've, Weisselberg, Michael Cohen, Mary Altaffer, they'd Organizations: Service, Justice, Trump, West, Trial, Justice Department, CNN, — Mayor, Former New York City, REUTERS, Twitter, Prosecutors, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump Organization's, Former Trump Organization, Fox News, Trump Organization, New York Attorney, AP, Department, Republican, FBI, DOJ Locations: Trump, Wall, Silicon, Washington, DC, Manhattan

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowJune 20 (Reuters) - Donald Trump's bid to oust the judge overseeing the criminal case against him over a hush-money payment to a porn star should be rejected, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said in a filing on Tuesday. Trump has a "history of baselessly accusing state and federal judges around the country of bias," prosecutors wrote in opposing Trump's motion for New York state Justice Juan Merchan to remove himself from the case. Prosecutors said the payment was meant to buy her silence about a sexual encounter she claims she had with Trump. They also said "at no point" did Merchan "induce" Weisselberg to cooperate against Trump. Finally, prosecutors said, Trump's history of attacking courts and judges, "makes clear that this motion is based on tactics, not ethics."

Persons: Donald Trump's, Trump, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Allen Weisselberg, Stormy Daniels, Prosecutors, Merchan's recusal, Joe Biden, Karen Freifeld, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Companies Trump Organization, Manhattan District, Republican, Trump Organization, Trump, Democrats, Thomson Locations: New York

☆ Exclusive: Westchester DA shuts down criminal investigation of Trump Organization without any charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Westchester's district attorney shut down its criminal investigation into the Trump Organization this month. The district attorney's office in Westchester — a county north of New York City — opened the investigation two years ago. In April, the district attorney brought another set of charges against Trump himself, alleging he broke the law by disguising hush-money payments to Stormy Daniels. Alan Futerfas, an attorney representing the Trump Organization, declined to comment on the closure of the Westchester County investigation. The lawsuit also claims the Trump Organization misrepresented the property value of its 212-acre Seven Springs estate, also in Westchester County.

Persons: Donald Trump, —, Mimi Rocah, Elliott Jacobson, Rocah, New York City —, Donald Trump's, Allen Weisselberg, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Alan Futerfas, Letitia James, Mike Segar, Jack Smith, Fani Willis, who's, Smith, Joe Biden's, Donald J Organizations: Trump Organization, Manhattan DA, NY, Service, Trump National Golf Club Westchester, New York Times, The, New, New York, Trump, REUTERS, Mar, Park Locations: Westchester's, Westchester County, Westchester —, New York City, Ossining, The Manhattan, Manhattan, Westchester, New York, Springs, Miami, Fulton County, Georgia

The motion also noted that the judge encouraged a former Trump Organization executive to cooperate during a prior case, calling that a preconceived bias against Trump. It is proceeding in state court ahead of a decision. The Trump Organization was not successful in getting him to step aside in the tax-fraud case. Trump's lawyers say the judge pushed former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to cooperate during plea negotiations in last year's tax fraud case against him and the company. The Trump Organization was found guilty of tax fraud and fined $1.6 million.

Persons: Donald Trump, Justice Juan Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Read, Trump's, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Trump, Robert Tembeckjian, Daniels, Stephanie Clifford, Lucian Chalfen, Loren, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, Karen Freifeld, Luc Cohen, Andy Sullivan, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Justice, New, Trump Organization, Trump, Democratic, Biden, Judicial, Manhattan District Attorney, Authentic, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York, Merchan

☆ Former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg Released From Jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Corinne Ramey | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Allen Weisselberg, a longtime confidant of former President Donald Trump, leaving a New York courtroom last year. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty ImagesFormer Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg was released Wednesday from the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, but he could face additional legal scrutiny in the coming months as Manhattan prosecutors continue to investigate his work at Donald Trump’s family business. Mr. Weisselberg, 75 years old, went to Rikers on Jan. 10, immediately after a Manhattan judge sentenced him to five months in jail for his role in an off-the-books compensation scheme at the Trump Organization. As part of a plea deal, Mr. Weisselberg pleaded guilty and testified at the trial of the Trump Organization, which a jury convicted of tax fraud and other offenses. That deal, however, didn’t require Mr. Weisselberg to cooperate more broadly in other investigations of Mr. Trump and his company.

☆ Ex-Trump Organization CFO Weisselberg released from jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was released from jail on Wednesday, according to New York City Department of Correction records. Weisselberg was sent to New York's Rikers Island jail on Jan. 10 for helping engineer a wide-ranging 15-year tax fraud scheme at former President Donald Trump's family business. Weisselberg, 75, pleaded guilty last year in connection with the long-running scheme. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to all 15 charges he faced, including grand larceny and falsifying business records, and paid some $2 million in taxes, penalties and interest. As a co-trustee of Trump's trust that owns Trump's businesses, Weisselberg co-signed a check to Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer.

A 30-year veteran of the DA's office told Insider that Bragg will lay the specifics out in a so-called "bill of particulars" down the road. "When you have an indictment, anything you put in the indictment, you must prove it," Florence, who ran against Bragg for DA in 2021, told Insider in an interview. Bragg laid out 4 alleged underlying crimes in post-arraignment presserThough Bragg didn't include the specifics of Trump's alleged underlying crimes in the charging documents, he laid them out in his post-arraignment news conference. Bragg elaborated on that alleged underlying falsehood in a statement of facts included as an addendum to the indictment. "The prosecution is boxed in at this stage of the game," Ty Cobb, who served as White House special counsel during the Trump administration, told Insider.

☆ 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.

☆ Factbox: Details from New York prosecutor's Trump hush-money indictment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Daniels said she and Trump had a sexual encounter in 2006, the year after he married Melania Knauss, his third wife. Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal campaign-finance charges related to the payments and said he acted at Trump's direction. Pecker made the payment after discussing it with Cohen and Trump, according to the charges, with the understanding that Trump would pay him back. Trump and Cohen discussed repayment in a conversation captured in an audio recording in September 2016 and made plans to do so. Around that time, Pecker connected Cohen with a lawyer for Daniels, who said she had an affair with Trump as well.

A New York grand jury charged Trump with 34 felony counts. The indictment, which was voted on by a Manhattan grand jury last week, follows a years-long investigation by the Manhattan district attorney's office. The Manhattan district attorney's office spent years investigating Trump's finances and previously brought a criminal case against the Trump Organization and Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg pleaded guilty to the charges against him and a jury convicted Trump's company late last year. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer, maintains he funneled $130,000 to Daniels at Trump's direction in a plot to keep her quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

☆ Factbox: From Bragg to Tacopina: Who's who in Trump hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg leaves after former U.S. President Donald Trump's indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, U.S., March 30, 2023. At issue is a $130,000 hush payment to an adult film star made in the waning days of the 2016 election campaign. Allegedly the payment was hush money paid to benefit Trump's presidential campaign, to cover up a 2006 sexual encounter. ALVIN BRAGGTrump's indictment has thrust New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg into the spotlight. He has represented rapper Meek Mill, former Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez and Donald Trump Jr.'s fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle.

☆ Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina says his client has a 'right to have an issue with everything' after Trump goes after Manhattan judge
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Katie Balevic | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tacopina said Trump has a "right to have an issue with everything" since he's being "politically persecuted." Tacopina, however, said he has no reason to believe the Manhattan judge will be biased against the former president. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan, who Trump claims "HATES" him, has beefed up security at the courthouse. When Bash repeated her question about Trump's claims that Merchan is biased against him, Tacopina said: "I have no reason to believe this judge is biased. Security at the Manhattan Criminal Court has been tight since the Trump indictment on Thursday.

On Friday, Trump, who was not charged in his company's case, lashed out at Merchan on his Truth Social platform. "The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME," wrote Trump, who has launched a campaign to regain the presidency in 2024. Merchan has been a Manhattan criminal court judge since 2009 after prior stints on the state's Court of Claims, which hears cases against the state and its agencies, and family court in the Bronx. Merchan presided over the 2012 case of the so-called "Soccer Mom Madam" Anna Gristina, which garnered lurid headlines in the New York media. Gristina sued Merchan in 2021 to unseal records in her case as part of an effort to vacate her record.

☆ Trump charges follow criticism of Manhattan prosecutor for not acting sooner
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Luc Cohen | Thomson Reuters | Reports On The New York Federal Courts. Previously Worked As A Correspondent In Venezuela | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen has said he made the payment to silence Daniels about an affair she says she had with Trump in 2006. Bragg's charges come at a critical time, as Trump is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. A prosecutor leading that probe, Mark Pomerantz, resigned in February 2022 after Bragg declined to charge Trump himself with financial crimes. Pomerantz has publicly criticized Bragg's decision not to bring charges and published a book about the investigation. In the biggest trial victory so far in his tenure, his office last December won the conviction of the Trump Organization on tax fraud charges.

☆ Meet Juan Merchan, the Manhattan judge scheduled to oversee Donald Trump's criminal case
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal case is Juan Merchan. "The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME," Trump said. Trump is scheduled to appear before Merchan in Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon. In 2009, he was appointed as a trial judge in Manhattan, where he's been since. The top court in the state — the equivalent of the US Supreme Court — is known as the New York Court of Appeals.

☆ Is Trump going to jail? Ex-president's odds of lockup for New York indictment are slim to none, legal experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

"I do not see a scenario where Donald Trump spends one minute in jail," one defense attorney told Insider. It's more possible Trump could face a fine, community service, or probation, experts said. "I can't say for absolute 100% certainty there can't be jail because on the books, he can go to jail," said high-profile defense attorney and former Brooklyn prosecutor Arthur Aidala. Any kind of community service would likely be "private" so Trump couldn't be "out there cleaning a park or picking up garbage," Aidala said. Also, in 2018, former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Manhattan federal court in connection to the the hush-money payments.

Judge Juan Merchan is being protected with increased security in the wake of Trump's NY indictment. In a Truth Social post Friday morning, Trump took a swipe at Merchan by name. Court officers at 100 Centre Street closed the 15th floor of the courthouse — where Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has his courtroom — to members of the press and public Friday. "The Judge "assigned" to my Witch Hunt Case, a "Case" that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME," Trump wrote. Throughout the day on Friday, members of the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies moved in and around the courthouse.

☆ Manhattan DA lawyers feared Stormy Daniels case against Trump was too weak to bring without other criminal charges, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Manhattan DA lawyers worried about indicting Trump over "hush money" payments to Stormy Daniels. In order to convict Trump on felony charges, prosecutors would need to prove Trump intended to commit or wanted to conceal a separate crime through the payments. But a judge might believe the Manhattan district attorney's office is overreaching by enforcing federal law. If the case gets to a jury, jurors may wonder why federal prosecutors didn't bring charges against Trump, or they might not believe Cohen's testimony. A representative for the Manhattan district attorney's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former prosecutors previously told Insider that the district attorney does have the power to slow-walk the indictment and that the grand jury may have already voted. The grand jury investigation has already taken longer than expected. After Cohen's testimony, Bragg's office extended an offer for Trump to testify, indicating it was nearly finished presenting evidence to the grand jury. Trump's attorneys sent Robert Costello, an attorney who told grand jurors on March 20 that Cohen was a liar and couldn't be trusted. Since then, the grand jury has moved in fits and starts.

☆ Who is Alvin Bragg? What to know about the Manhattan district attorney investigating Trump.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-23 | by ( Michelle Mark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg is leading the Trump investigation into Stormy Daniels' hush money payoff. He led the New York attorney general's successful 2018 lawsuit against the Donald J. Trump Foundation, which paid $2 million in court-ordered damages for illegally misusing charitable funds. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after the sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization at the New York Supreme Court in New York City. Bragg is highly controversial for his approach to crimeBeyond the ongoing Trump investigation, Bragg has been harshly criticized for being too lenient while the city struggles with rising crime. Bragg's stance provoked instant blowback in New York City and in conservative media.

Companies Trump Organization Inc FollowNEW YORK, March 21 (Reuters) - A New York judge on Tuesday rejected former U.S. President Donald Trump's bid to delay the scheduled Oct. 2 trial in state Attorney General Letitia James' civil fraud lawsuit, calling the date "written in stone." Among the other defendants are Trump's adult children Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and the jailed former Trump Organization chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg. Christopher Kise, a lawyer for Trump, said the defendants' confidence is growing as they learn more about James' case. "Once everybody knows exactly what happened, then they're going to see that President Trump has done absolutely nothing wrong," he said. Asked later by a Reuters reporter about the trial date being set in stone, Kise said: "For now, it is."

☆ Trump loses bid to delay October 2 fraud trial where New York attorney general will try to run him out of state
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-21 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A judge denied Trump's request for a six-month delay for his October 2 fraud trial in New York. State Attorney General Letitia James sued Trump, his family, and his business in September. The judge declined to move the trial date even though lawyers for Trump said Tuesday that even just a three-week delay would be useful. But the attorney general alleges a decade-long pattern of fraudulent valuations that go beyond the subjective, one of James' lawyers said. "Our complaint shows that there were objective facts that are false," assistant attorney general Kevin Wallace told the judge.

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