Trump Trial Week #1 did not go well

but actually the whole month has sucked for The Donald

Apr 20, 2024

Let’s start with the revelation that Donald Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, pretty much confirmed that Donald Trump could easily be headed to Rikers Island for the night, if there is a finding of contempt against his client.

It’s the main jail for detainees and the criminally accused in New York City. It’s a disgusting violent place.

Yesterday, in court while jury selection was taking place, Donald Trump took his cell phone out to take a phone call.

Todd Blanche told him to put it away. I am guessing it was a terse conversation and one in which Todd Blanche played the role of Hoover in Animal House (1978) and Donald Trump thought he was Otter.

Otter: “Point of parliamentary procedure!”

Hoover: “Don't screw around, they're serious this time!”

Apparantly, The Donald turned off his phone, tucked it back in his pocket, and looked annoyed.1

The story highlights three important things:

One, it’s becoming more and more obvious that the Secret Service has made it clear that they cannot and will not intercede, if Donald Trump gets shipped to Rikers Island for the night.

Two, Trump’s lawyers, Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles, both former NYC prosecutors, know Judge Juan Merchan well enough to know he has no issue with putting Donald Trump overnight in a detention facility. (I actually doubt Rikers would be the destination — my guess would be Elmhurst or maybe Sing Sing.)

Three, Donald Trump is utterly detached from the importance of this case. And that’s not just because, he’s been sleeping2, farting3, and making phone calls. A felony conviction absolutely dooms his plan to avoid criminal liability by remaining esconsed in the White House. It should be his primary concern.

But given the fact that he has resorted to funneling campaign cash into his businessses (Mar-a-Lago and Trump Doral in Miami),4 his appeal bonds in both the E Jean Carroll5 and NY AG civil fraud6 cases are being questioned, and that his Truth Social stock is tanking badly;7 it’s clear Donald Trump is disconnected from anything that has nothing to do with money — more accurately nothing to do with cash flow.

The reason Trump went to bonding companies is that he only cares about cash flow — equity and net worth come in a distant second and third. A good plan if you enjoy paying what is considerable interest every month to the bond holder. The juice in both cases is between $1-2 million a month based on a 10% interest rate. That’s nothing, his legal bills are running more than that a month.

On Monday, there’s hearing on the appeal bond Trump posted in the NY AG’s civil fraud case that likely won’t go well for The Donald; and on Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear his presidential immunity appeal — and that’s likely to be nothing more than a head count of who thinks Joe Biden has absolute presidential immunity.

What the Right seems to forget is that Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court on whether the January 6th case against should be dismissed due to some level of presidential immunity is that President Joe Biden holds that immunity, no matter how it is framed by 6-3 conservative v. liberal Court majority.

And to further hammer Donald Trump this week, the Manhattan DA refused to give Trump’s attorneys a heads up on the witnesses for Monday (a fairly common practice).

Joshua Steinglass, who is leading the Trump prosecution, pointed out Donald Trump’s penchant for threatening witnesses. Todd Blanche told the judge, he promised his client would not do that.

To which Judge Merchan said dryly, “I don’t think you can make that representation”.

And the month isn’t over yet.

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