Bad news x2 for the pathetic incoming president!
Sentencing today. Volume 1 of Jack Smith’s report could be released as soon as Sunday.
Let us savor.
That makes Trump the First Felon to be elected president. lowtechcyclist suggested that in last night’s thread. It’s perfect.
FIRST FELON.
Does that make him FFOTUS?
Personally, I am hoping the incoming president FIRST FELON also gets slapped around by some of the countries he is threatening.
No, make that ALL OF THE COUNTRIES he is threatening.
From CNBC:
President-elect Donald Trump was sentenced without any penalties Friday in his New York criminal hush money case, 10 days before his inauguration for a second White House term.
Manhattan Judge Juan Merchan sentenced Trump to “unconditional discharge,” meaning no jail, no probation and no fine.
But the sentence will still formally make Trump the first criminal convict ever to occupy the Oval Office.
“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump, who attended the hearing remotely, said before receiving the sentence.
“This has been a political witch hunt,” he said, claiming the case was brought “to damage my reputation so I would lose the election.”
A jury in May found Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 hush money payment his then-personal lawyer paid porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels was paid for her silence about claims she had sex once with Trump a decade earlier, claims the president-elect has denied.
Merchan said that an unconditional discharge was the only lawful sentence he could deliver without encroaching on the office of the presidency.
The protection of that office “is a factor that overrides all others,” Merchan said.
“Donald Trump, the ordinary citizen, Donald Trump the criminal defendant, would not be entitled to such considerable protections,” he said.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass noted at the start of the hearing that the charges against Trump each carry a sentence of up to four years in state prison.
But “the People recommend a sentence of unconditional release,” said Steinglass.
“We must be respectful of the office of the presidency, and mindful of the fact that this defendant will be inaugurated as president in ten days,” he explained.
But the prosecutor also slammed Trump for his relentless attacks on the justice system throughout the case, saying the president-elect “caused enduring damage to the public perception of the criminal justice system.”
Trump, appearing on a monitor wearing a red striped tie and sitting in front of American flags, frowned and looked bored during Steinglass’ remarks.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche responded that he disagreed with the prosecutor about the validity of the case and about Trump’s conduct.
“It’s a sad day for President Trump and his family and his friends, but it’s also … a sad day for this country,” said Blanche, whom Trump picked to be deputy U.S. attorney general in the next administration.
Despite his complaints in the courtroom, Trump declared victory on social media after the hearing.
“The Radical Democrats have lost another pathetic, unAmerican Witch Hunt,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. His post claimed that the penalty-free sentence proved the case lacked merit, even though Merchan made clear that he gave an unconditional discharge because Trump will soon be president.
Thursday’s hearing came a day after Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, attended the funeral of former President Jimmy Carter in Washington. The Trumps sat with every other living former president.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday night lifted the final legal barrier to Trump’s sentencing, refusing his request to block proceedings in the case.
The decision was narrow — 5-to-4 — with Trump appointee Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining fellow conservative Chief Justice John Roberts and three liberal justices to issue the majority decision.
All respect to Justice Merchan, who held all the ground he believed he legally could.
Old School
Jackie
It makes him the first president ineligible to vote! That makes me happy – although I’m sure Puddin’ Boots will find a way to restore the FCFOTUS’s right to vote – while denying other Floridian felons the same.
Jackie
@Old School: 😂
WaterGirl
@Old School: That’s perfect from DougJ!
Chief Oshkosh
Anyone have an informed opinion on why no penalties at all?
ETA: I know that Merchan argle-bargled about the convicted felon moving on to a new job, but WTF does that have to do with the price of tea in China
ETA: And I know what the prosecutor recommended. But again, the convict shows no remorse and gives every indication of being a repeat offender. Why don’t those concerns AT LEAST mitigate against the get out of jail free bullshit sentencing?
Jeffro
@Old School: oh, OUCH
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
I would have thought a suspended sentence – penalty appropriate to the offense, but in abeyance until Felonious Thunk relinquishes the WH – would have been more suitable.
Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq)
@Old School: SNAP
Jeffro
I suggest that everyone remind their friends, relatives, neighbors, and elected representatives that the Mango Menace is about to become the lamest of lame-duck presidents and no one – not even MAGA politicians – owes him a damn thing.
convicted felon, subject of Jack Smith’s upcoming J6 report, soon to be pardoner of J6 cop-beaters, and obvious dementia patient. nope, we don’t even have to wait for the midterms to point out he’s a LAME DUCK
Scout211
AP Reports that is not correct.
hrprogressive
The real headline is that the United States of America, a country ostensibly founded 250± years ago on the concept of avoiding the lack of accountability the monarchy came with
Has now provided a total lack of accountability to the office of the presidency, up to and including criminal acts.
Welcome to being a Failed State, y’all.
TBone
I want a new postage stamp design honoring Stephanie Clifford. With a lightning bolt on it.
Jackie
@Scout211: Well, BOOOO!
Baud
OT via blue sky
Hilbertsubspace
President of the Independent Order of Odd Felons
TBone
Hookers and blow for everybody!
TBone
@Hilbertsubspace: snort!
Parfigliano
@Chief Oshkosh: Because equal justice under the law is a bullshit myth they preach to children.
KatKapCC
@Chief Oshkosh: To quote Jeff Tiedrich, because Donny is a A Very Special Boy.
WaterGirl
@Chief Oshkosh: I am not a lawyer, but I’m guessing it was a strategic move on Justice Merchan’s part – guessing that if he had imposed a sentence the US Supreme Court would not have upheld the felony conviction.
I do think it’s key that he has is now a convicted FELON.
TBone
Judge Engoron enters the chat…
Not linking to Fux.
Scout211
I think I prefer FFF over FFPOTUS. Fucking First Felon. I may change my mind, these things are fluid, but it eliminates any title with “President” in it. Either Trump or FFF for now. We’ll see what sticks.
Mai Naem mobile ¹
Always looking for a silver lining. Maybe Orange Lump will spend lots of time stewing over this, thus giving him less time to do other damage.
Chief Oshkosh
@WaterGirl: Thanks for the response. The Supreme Shits have already not taken up the case. Would that change based on the sentence? IANAL either. It’s a state case and there are sentencing guidelines. Seems like those could have been followed, but suspended, as SMH at #7 suggests.
But it is what it is. As I’ve written before, this entire Trump decade has taught me a lot about how fucked-in-the-head about half the population is and about how weak our institutions are.
TBone
The Watergate song by Something Fierce
https://somethingfiercemn.bandcamp.com/track/watergate
It is not uplifting, much (any)
Another Scott
@Chief Oshkosh:
EmptyWheel.net – Judge Merchan’s Half Baby:
Click on over for the rest.
Is she right? Dunno. IANAL.
FWIW.
Best wishes,
Scott.
WaterGirl
@Scout211: I’m going with FFOTUS – First Felon of the United States.
WaterGirl
@Chief Oshkosh:
The point I was trying to make in my previous reply is yes, I believe that if he had sentenced Trump SCOTUS might well have not let it stand. I think it’s right there in the parts of Merchan’s statements that I bolded.
brantl
@Smiling Happy Guy (aka boatboy_srq): I don’t understand why they didn’t sentence him to prison, starting on January 23rd, 2029? This would be exactly appropriate, along with fines for his sedition, starting then, and in sufficient amount to bankrupt the orange human hemorrhoid.
brantl
@Jeffro: Lamest (D/F)uck, fixed that for you.
brantl
@Scout211: Since he’s never been released, he shouldn’t get his voting rights back; not that Pudding Boots will see it that way.
Melancholy Jaques
@hrprogressive:
Not really total. It only applies to Republicans.
Kay
@hrprogressive:
I agree. Most people knew we had a two tier justice system before but now it’s official. If you are rich/powerful laws simply don’t apply. Endorsed by the judiciary.
brantl
@Scout211: How about CFFPOTUS: Convicted Fucking Felon President of the United States? It flows off the tongue…..
WaterGirl
@brantl: Too inside baseball, I think. That’s why I like the simplicity of First Felon.
Lyrebird
@Baud: Thanks Baud. FWIW, that really brightened my day. Go Dr. Ortiz!
brantl
@WaterGirl: Ain’t nobody here but us catchers?
brantl
@WaterGirl: He’ll only be “former” for another 10 days.
karen gail
@Kay: This is just more than “knowing” it is rubbing your face in dirt filled with sh*t.
Most women have had their faces rubbed in dirt when trying to deal with men to some degree or another; the amount of sh*t in the dirt depended largely on how rich or powerful the man is/was.
WaterGirl
@brantl: Yeah, but new people come to Balloon Juice all the time, and they don’t know. Hell, I’m here a lot and people still throw around acronyms that I don’t know.
Full disclosure, acronyms that aren’t well-known make me crazy. Maybe that’s just me.
brantl
@WaterGirl: Whatever happened with the investigation that Balloon Juice was doing with the voter suppression laws that were attempted, a couple of years ago? Where did they advance suppression, and where were they beaten back? I never heard any boiled-down analysis of this?
WaterGirl
@Kay: The $400 haircut, cheating on his sick wife guy was right about one thing. There really are two americas.
karen gail
Most people in US like to pretend that “all men are created equal” actually means something; but have forgotten most of those “founding fathers” were slave owning rich white men. These men were envisioning a country where nobility and birth rank alone made you untouchable; they wanted wealth and power to be the standard by which a land owning man became untouchable.
WaterGirl
@brantl: Yeah, once Marc Elias took that up and focused on voter suppression, we figured he had that handled as well as it could be, so we ended up focusing on other aspects.
HIs record is pretty damn good.
rikyrah
@Old School:
Doug is fabulous 🤩
brantl
@WaterGirl: Yeah, but I still have no idea what the state of this is right now, I don’t know how many places they got away with it. There was a whole potload of stuff that they tried to get passed here in Michigan. They were going to challenge signatures, among other things, and being left handed, and arthritic, I never sign the same way twice.
Chief Oshkosh
@Another Scott:
@WaterGirl:
Thanks to you both.
I’ll go with tactical-but-unsatisfying. Certainly sets another precedent…
WaterGirl
@Chief Oshkosh: Tactical but unsatisfying is an excellent description.
I feel much better about it because of these things from Merchan that are now on the record.
Antonius
“Not even a goddamed fine” is not “holding all the ground he could”. It’s telling America that there is one law for the nobility, and another for the peasants. We fought a war of independence because of shit like this.
Jeffro
@brantl: many thanks!
lame duck lame duck lame fucking duck
LAME DUCK LAME DUCK DEMENTIA DON THE LAME DUCK
I’m gonna pull a reverse Kash Patel and write me a kids’ book about Donnie the Lame Duck
(or set the words to the tune of ‘Baby Shark’)
(or both?)
KatKapCC
@WaterGirl: I hate when people just make up acronyms no one uses. The other day on FB, I saw a comment which said something like “IDL that movie” and they meant “I don’t like that movie”. And I thought, well IDL you being so lazy you have to acronym-ize half of every sentence.
NotoriousJRT
@WaterGirl: the court implied as much in its decision. The immunity case reverberates through every thing Trump (and theoretically any other President) does. It is a shit sandwich that will keep on giving for generations.
WaterGirl
@KatKapCC: I can’t disagree with you on any of that!
Roberto el oso
@TBone: I was really hoping that she would be among the honorees for the recent handing out of the medals.
Roberto el oso
@KatKapCC: right with you on acronyms. Some may actually be more widely used than I’m aware of (being a happy old dinosaur). The most recent one to baffle me was in a text from a friend who was replying to my message that I had arrived at their apt complex. Their message was “OMWBRT” …. which stood for “on my way be right there” …. a thumb’s up emoji and a laughing cat would have done the job just as well.
Kay
@karen gail:
It seems like it’s collapsing really fast to me. I don’t really understand why others don’t see it.
Ah well. Keep going. No other choice.
hitchhiker
The court said the president is immune from prosecution for almost anything he chooses to do while in office; today’s ruling is what that looks like.
Agree with those who say this is the clearest possible example of our two-tiered justice system, and that it’s certainly not news.
Mr. Bemused Senior
@KatKapCC: PTOAF [Probably Typing On A Phone] note use of F.
karen gail
@Kay: There are none so blind as those who will not see?
Captain C
There’s no way he could have given a long-ass suspended sentence? Or started the prison sentence the moment he leaves office (or on January 21st, 2029)?
Captain C
@Jeffro:
If he tries this, good political ads could be made out of this. Pics of various J6 fuckheads attacking cops (and doing other ugly shit, in some cases literally) followed by large graphics of “PARDONED BY THE FELON-IN-CHIEF!” and the most raggedy-ass pic of TCFG that can be found. Maybe with voiceover pointing out that TCFG had pardoned felons who attacked cops on TCFG’s request, and if the Dems ever get even half as slick as the 2016 Cambridge Analytica shit they can microtarget these ads to independents/undecideds/oblivious types who are known to support the police (and flood them, not just once or twice until the knob-headed consultants hit their fainting couches over how mean they are).
Kosh III
Fuck the Judge for his cowardice. He could have sentenced him to 7 days in jail, starting immediately. That way he’d be free before he takes office.
The judge fucked Lady Justice and proves beyond a shadow of doubt that there are two systems of Justice.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@Hilbertsubspace:
I saw what you did there, brilliant.
jimmiraybob
Article II Section 4 of the United States Constitution: “The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
We will now officially have a lawless unconstitutional president. Yippy Zippy!
The liberal democratic experiment is done. New America starts on the 20th.
jimmiraybob
If only there was currently someone in the White House that has sworn a solemn oath to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
different-church-lady
Well, at least we can lay that whole “country of laws” thing to rest.
TONYG
The more than 77 million people who voted for Trump in November are empirically too stupid to read or to think, so Jack Smith’s report will mean nothing to them. Maybe there will be no more elections. I am so sick of this fucking country.
jimmiraybob
That is certainly a huge component. But don’t leave out those that are just plan malicious and evil ….. and Libertarian in the Ayn Rand mold.
Sister Golden Bear
@Baud: I don’t doubt her experience. About a fifth of LGBTQ people live in rural red areas, and from what I’ve heard they’re often treated OK on an individual basis. Albeit often with an unspoken “people know but don’t ‘know'” social arrangement, where it’s live and let live as long as you’re not (too) openly out and proud and “know your place.”
But… that’s not mutually exclusive with state politicians targeting trans people for legal discrimination and harassment. There’s a reason why TX politicians have been compiling lists of trans people getting trans healthcare, who’ve gotten name changes, etc.
I really hope she doesn’t find out the hard way that while her neighbors may be accepting, they won’t lift a finger to save her from having her healthcare banned and her current legal ID revoked.
Sister Golden Bear
@Chief Oshkosh: @WaterGirl: INAL either, but my understanding from Legal Bluesky is that since there’s no penalties, there’s no legal basis to appeal the “sentence.”* So the case is over, end of story.
*With the obvious caveat that the Calvinball SCOTUS may invent one.
Shakti
@Captain C:
Well, what’s the odds on when this dude puts his J6 pardons into effect?
Unfortunately a plurality of this country (not including those who voted for 3rd party, “Please vote for Trump after I dropped out” RJK) think he committed no crime, and those [ ]committed no crimes.
They perhaps identify with Trump and those [ ] rather than some party that has to follow law that Trump and those [ ] don’t.
I’m not sure how much the record even matters if the facts have no basis in what actually happens and what consequences occur.
Or if people lack long term memory.
Such as elections still exist, we’d be better served by making sure people who would vote against this can actually vote. And running people who will actually do something when in office instead of shrugging and filing a report.
The only reason I could think for this absurd sentence is it gives Trump 1) no basis to complains about stupid witch hunts as hail marys to stop him from being inaugurated and 2) no basis to hold onto power after his term ends for fear of penalties, jail time, financial consequences.
As if he would need an actual basis and couldn’t just make one up out of aggrievedness.
And to think the entire prosecution and case for these crimes arose because he couldn’t or wouldn’t hold up his end of an NDA,.
An NDA he put into effect to preserve a reputation of a married man he didn’t have for a wife who doesn’t care and probably has an ironclad prenup and for a base for whom it isn’t a deal breaker. I’d really hate to be Michael Cohen now, to have done all that for nothing on top of nothing on top of nothing.
I don’t know that people will internalize that they are disposable henchmen, and disposable henchmen get punished when the people directing it won’t. Or they can be made to understand that. Or that Trump doesn’t think of them as supporters but as suckers and tools who will fall for it every time.
TONYG
@jimmiraybob: Yeah — libertarians. (Although, in my opinion, any libertarian who is not already wealthy is by definition stupid.)
Shakti
@Captain C:
He may try this.
But on the other hand the j6 [ ] served their purpose to Trump and Trump is not the kind of person who believes loyalty goes both ways. Are they more useful to him in jail or pardoned so they can go on a loud injustice tour?
I mean, plausible* deniability right?
*not really
I’m not sure how much people understand this immunity to extend to them or that they are really just disposable henchmen and suckers who’ll fall for it every time. Or if they do understand it would they change their behavior/attitudes towards Trump?
TONYG
@Sister Golden Bear: I confess that I have never heard of a convicted felon getting NO PENALTY AT ALL. That’s a scenario that they never showed on “Law and Order”.
Roberto el oso
@Shakti: Michael Cohen has, to all appearances, at least gotten his soul back. The same cannot be said for most who’ve served Trump (including those who, while not being true believers, were opportunists, such as John Bolton and John Kelly).
WaterGirl
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Can you spell it out for me?
Geminid
@Captain C: Also, you can count on plenty of the pardoned J6 criminals to commit more crimes. Domestic abuse will likely be the most common but there will be others as well.
Matt McIrvin
@TONYG: Poor libertarians are the ultimate in “temporarily embarrassed billionaires”–they seem to believe that if the government weren’t keeping them down they’d be kings.
Old School
@WaterGirl:
It was a play on Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
brantl
@Antonius: He won the presidency, Merchon was screwed.
...now I try to be amused
@Shakti:
You beat me to it. No reason for Trump to make like Julius Caesar and cross the Rubicon.
...now I try to be amused
@TBone:
And a mushroom!
WaterGirl
@Old School: Thank you!
Boris Rasputin (The Evil Twin)
@TBone: As it happens, her birthday is March 17th. How about a parade in her honor?
Gvg
@Antonius: a lot of us needed it to be spelled out like that. Rub our noses in it.
We also need to start stating plainly that this stems from problems with the corrupt Supreme Court. They have been making rulings that are plainly unfair nonsense that favor the rich and expect us to believe them and accept it? And it’s specific judges doing it, some of whom have been proven to have accepted money and gifts from the rich. They are corrupt. We need to say that over and over. Then it will become something politicians can campaign on and win.
we also need to be specific about corrupt politicians, naming name and party. When it’s a democrat, we say, “and we got rid of him instead of covering it up, and that matters”
But I think the corruption of the Supreme Court is going to be more upsetting to people. Corporations are not people, and that ruling was clearly setting up allowing bribes. Saying we didn’t need racial voting protections anymore and look what has happened in the few year since, which any intelligent person knew, Roberts was lying IMO. Multiple rulings disregarding women as people that eventually led to overturning Roe. Overturning deference to experts is just stupid. In fact overturning all the precedents they have is terrible for good business practices.
Saying any person in America is above the law is just too unbelievable to accept. It’s BS. Silly. To be honest I thought the Nixon era idea that you couldn’t prosecute a sitting President was bull all along, and they managed to go after Clinton, but that was Congress not Justice. It’s fundamental. No one is above the law.