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Trump has already complained that he was DENIED a jury trial, perhaps without realizing that his lawyers opted out and chose to go with a bench trial. Trump was NOT denied a jury trial. Trump was OFFERED a jury trial and lawyers declined to choose a jury trial.
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Of course, if the judge had ruled against the NY AG and in favor of Trump's request for summary judgement to dismiss the case, Trump would have claimed something like, 'I couldn't get a fair jury in New York so we went with the judge, who is smarter than the jurors, and the great judge did the right thing and saved my ass.'
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Just a reminder to the pro-Trumpers: Trump was given numerous opportunities to provide evidence in defense of the charges but he chose not to do so. During a deposition, Trump chose to Plead the Fifth, something that the Mob does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvsdABjCedA
Trump telling a crowd in 2016, “If you’re innocent, then why are you taking the 5th amendment?”
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Trump declined to answer or deny simple questions over 440 times:
Did you claim on these forms that your Trump Tower apartment was 33,000 square feet?
"Fifth."
Is your TT apartment 10,000 sf?
"Fifth."
Did you claim on this loan application that this Wall Street property was worth $571M?
"Fifth."
Did you claim on the tax filing that the same Wall Street property was worth $16M?
"Fifth."
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All of Trump's defense claims were made in public statements and not under oath in court.
Also that they lied and inflated the value of their assets, among other things. The trial will still go forward but only to determine the amount of damages the Trumps will have to pay.
So trump supporters will ultimately donate to his campaign which he'll then funnel it back to his pocket which will off set any fines, sound right??
And Mar-a-Lago is worth 1.8B because that's the value trump thought it was worth, when it was actually appraised at 18M.
Trump and his sons might be forbidden to do business in New York.
in New York to be cancelled. That includes his sons and CFO Allen Weasel-berg too.
The judge ordered the parties to agree on the names of three people and the judge will pick one to be the receiver who will DISSOLVE Trump's NY assets. DA Letitia James also wants the Trumps to be banned for life from being officers of any NY businesses and a five year ban on engaging in any business transactions in NY. That's in addition to the requested $250 million fine.
The judge's decision was on a motion for summary judgment. That means DA Letitia James argued that it was an "open and shut case" and there were no matters of fact for the jury to decide. Judges are loath to take cases away from juries so they rarely grant motions for summary judgment. However, the judge found the Trumps "to be liable as a matter of law for persistent violations of New York state law. He found the financial statements the Trumps provided to lenders and insurers for about a decade to be false and said they repeatedly engaged in fraud."
http://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/politics/trump-organization-business-fraud/index.html
Naturally, Trump will appeal his ass off but it looks like he's really fucked this time.
I mean trying to put a billionaire into the poor house looks a little more obvious, and it might be the first time ever that this modern corrupt Democrat party has ever done anything to go after anyone who had over a billion dollars in the bank. Talk about election interference. Well, it's going to be bad news for the Dems when they establish the precedent that Republicans can use against them. Can't beat someone on election day? Just use the courts to take away all their money. Imagine how Nancy Pelosi would look panhandling on the streets of San Francisco.
Let me explain what “use the courts” really means to anyone who’s not an imbecile.
The judge who ruled on the summary judgment was ELECTED. That means the PEOPLE chose him, not some pols in a smoky back room.
The juries who will decide Trump’s fate will also be comprised of ordinary PEOPLE. In the end it will be Joe Sixpacks who will determine Trump’s future.
Now why don’t you pull something out of your ass and explain what “use the courts” means to you?
Oh, you Dems are going to make this a hoot. Imagine what it’ll be like when every DA in every red state just pulls a prosecution out of their ass just to prevent a Democrat running for office. Who cares about the evidence. Just bog down Dem candidate with one frivolous prosecution after another. Some DA in Texas could prosecute Biden for having unnatural relations with a goat. In Arizona they could do sheep. Oklahoma can do donkeys. Before you know it you’ll have campaign ads saying Biden is guilty of fucking the entire farm.
That’s just what I came up with off the top of my head. Imagine what paid GOP political strategists could come up with over a couple weeks of planning. Dems love creating precedents that they could never imagine being used against them. Then they’re always shocked when it does. Dumb fucks.
Is Willy still pretending to "work" from home at his government job and taking his salary (which we pay taxes for) under false pretenses?
If so, Willy is a thief and should be hauled into court. Willy isn't fucking a goat. He's fucking all of us.
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Trump has already complained that he was DENIED a jury trial, perhaps without realizing that his lawyers opted out and chose to go with a bench trial. Trump was NOT denied a jury trial. Trump was OFFERED a jury trial and lawyers declined to choose a jury trial.
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Of course, if the judge had ruled against the NY AG and in favor of Trump's request for summary judgement to dismiss the case, Trump would have claimed something like, 'I couldn't get a fair jury in New York so we went with the judge, who is smarter than the jurors, and the great judge did the right thing and saved my ass.'
.
Just a reminder to the pro-Trumpers: Trump was given numerous opportunities to provide evidence in defense of the charges but he chose not to do so. During a deposition, Trump chose to Plead the Fifth, something that the Mob does:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvsdABjCedA
Trump telling a crowd in 2016, “If you’re innocent, then why are you taking the 5th amendment?”
.
Trump declined to answer or deny simple questions over 440 times:
Did you claim on these forms that your Trump Tower apartment was 33,000 square feet?
"Fifth."
Is your TT apartment 10,000 sf?
"Fifth."
Did you claim on this loan application that this Wall Street property was worth $571M?
"Fifth."
Did you claim on the tax filing that the same Wall Street property was worth $16M?
"Fifth."
.
All of Trump's defense claims were made in public statements and not under oath in court.
Trump slams NY judge’s fraud ruling, says appeals court ‘must reverse un-American decision’.
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"... Trump’s attempts to get the court to dismiss James’ fraud and other claims was also denied by Engoron. The former president claimed that Engogron refused to let the case move to the state courts’ “commercial division” where he said it belonged. ..." Actually, Engoron did not get the case or rule on the case to move the trial to the commercial division. Trump's motion was heard BY the commercial division and REJECTED by the commercial division. BUT! his misleading tweet was not a sworn statement made under oath in court so that makes it OK ...?
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"... He also complained that the decision was made without a trial by jury. ..." Which is exactly what his lawyers had opted for. Trump's complaint is that HE LOST, regardless of HOW or WHY. He lost because of the documented fraudulent practices.
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"... Trump and his family members appeared to be particularly upset with the judge’s valuation of Mar-A-Lago, his sprawling Florida estate, which was estimated to be worth $18 million. He said the property could be worth “almost 100 times that amount.” [That is, $1.8 B.] Eric Trump, the ex-president’s son, said that Mar-A-Lago may be “the most valuable residential property in the country. In an attempt to destroy my father and kick him out of New York, a Judge just ruled that Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach Florida, is only worth approximate “$18 Million dollars”…” he tweeted. “Mar-a-Lago is speculated to be worth we’ll [sic] over a billion dollars making it arguably the most valuable residential property in the country. It is all so corrupt and coordinated.”
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"“If Mar-a-Lago is worth $18 million… I’ll take 10 please!!!” Eric’s brother Donald Trump Jr. tweeted. “The real estate circles in Florida are laughing at this foolishness,” Eric Trump responded. He also shared several listing for nearby properties going for significantly more than $18 million.
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" ************ “If my father tried claiming the property was worth $18 million, he would probably then get charged with trying to underpay his real estate taxes!” ************ Donald Trump Jr. wrote in another tweet. “They’ve set the game up so it’s always lose/lose in these blue states. If you don’t abide by their narrative they will target you.”
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That is what much of this case is about!! Making false valuations: HIGH, for loans and insurance benefits, LOW, for tax purposes! And here's the kicker: Mar-a-Lago is currently valued at $27 M for tax purposes, and Trump appealed to LOWER that! $27Million is NOT $1.8 Billion, Junior!!
http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/story/news/2020/11/13/palm-beach-county-bills-trump-1-48-million-property-taxes/6276817002/
Property-tax bill down slightly for Mar-a-Lago; Trump’s Palm Beach County taxes hold steady at $1.48M, analysis shows. "Mar-a-Lago’s property-tax bill is slightly lower than last year at $511,673, while Trump’s total bills in Palm Beach County scrape $1.5 million."
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"... Appeals filed: The initial notice mailed in August was part of the annual countywide effort to let owners know the official values assigned to their properties, which are used to figure tax bills. Owners or their representatives then have 25 days to appeal those values if they disagree with them.
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"Tax representatives at Marvin F. Poer & Co., acting on behalf of Trump’s property ownership entities, filed petitions this year to the state-authorized Value Adjustment Board challenging the valuations assigned to Mar-a-Lago and the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, according to a spokeswoman for the county appraiser’s office.
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"The petition for the Jupiter property was subsequently withdrawn, said agency spokeswoman Becky Robinson. A virtual hearing has been scheduled Dec. 3 to consider Mar-a-Lago’s valuation, which at $26.6 million is unchanged from last year. Under state law, values are assigned as of Jan. 1 each year. ..."
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Waaaaaahhh! Waaaahhhh! $26.6 M is too high for taxes!! Mar-a-Lago is falling down shit hole! It's worth less than $26 M, maybe only $10 M or $5 M! Waaaahhhhh! Waaahhhh! ....................... Hello, Deutsche Bank? Put down Mar-a-Lago as being worth $1.8 B, please. Maybe more.
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Would someone please shove the Palm Beach tax assessment in Don “If my father tried claiming the property was worth $18 million, he would probably then get charged with trying to underpay his real estate taxes!” Jr.'s face?
The NY AG is seeking $250 M OR MORE in disgorgement from Trump businesses. And Trump is screaming like a big baby. Some speculate that the final amount fixed by the court could be much more: $500 M or even $1 B. And Trump is screaming like a big baby. I think he's making a mountain out of a molehill. Or he SHOULD be.
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$1 B is only 2% of Trump's wealth ($50 B). Or maybe it's only 1% (of $100 B). Or maybe it's only 0.5% (of $200 B). Trump has testified that he is able to determine his net worth just by thinking about it or using his "common sense." Why doesn't he just shut up, pay the $500 M or $1 B, increase his net worth by the same amount or more -- that is, make a mountain out of a molehill -- and get on with his life?
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So Trump will lose his NYS business licenses but he's already moving his businesses to states that haven't charged him with business crimes yet. Just take some of that $99 B of remaining wealth and build another Trump Tower in Florida or Delaware.
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Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.
He is screaming because the judge ordered the dissolution of the LLCs
and the appointment of a receiver[s] to manage or sell the properties. Trump now faces personal liability for the tort and contract obligations of the LLCs. LLC stands for limited liability company –once dissolved, Trump’s personal liability is no longer limited. Even worse, I assume that the $100 million mortgage on Trump Tower has a “material adverse change” clause that empowers the lender to accelerate the balance when that happens – and losing your ability to do business in NY is about as material and adverse as it gets. He is probably calling Axos Bank tonight. Finally, the Trump “brand” –which at one time was worth millions and plays a huge role on his ability to rent out Trump Tower the proceeds of which secure that mortgage - is now reduced to zero in New York at least.
So he damn well should be screaming. Fortunately for Trump, the judge made some obvious errors –in particular, he did not view Trump’s sworn testimony in the light most favorable to Trump and made credibility determinations. This is not allowed at the summary judgment stage, even when dealing with a pathological liar, so Trump has a non-frivolous appeal. If Trump had just inflated a little bit, this would be an easy appeal. But the real question on appeal is whether you still credit Trump’s valuation testimony to create a question of fact when the valuation is so ridiculous the judge quotes the Marx Brothers.