I’m a strong believer in the idea that justice delayed is justice denied. It’s been maddening to watch Donald Trump evade justice in nearly every one of his court cases, aided and abetted by a Supreme Court that dragged out its decision on presidential immunity for months and then rendered a decision that has compelled judges to grapple with the question of whether the alleged criminality constituted “official acts” of a president. Then there’s pro-Trump Judge Aileen Cannon, of course, who was determined from the beginning to end the classified documents case, credible legal reasoning be damned.
The case overseen by Judge Juan Merchan, in which a 12-member jury found Trump guilty of 34 felony charges in May for falsifying business records to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, felt different. He was on track to sentence the convicted felon well before the November election. But yesterday the judge decided to delay his sentencing for a second time, first from July to September 18 after the Supreme Court ruling and now until November 26, three weeks after the election.
In his explanation, Merchan bends over backwards to insist that he wanted to avoid giving the appearance that his decision was a political act. “The imposition of sentence will be adjourned to avoid any appearance—however unwarranted—that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate,” Merchan wrote in his four-page decision. “The Court is a fair, impartial and apolitical institution.”
Merchan also noted that he recognized "the unique time frame this matter currently finds itself in" and sought to ensure that the jury’s verdict is “addressed in a manner that is not diluted by the enormity of the upcoming presidential election.” He also took pains to insist that his decision to delay "should dispel any suggestion" that his sentencing decision could be construed as support for "any political party or any candidate for any office."
Sounds reasonable, except this delay is exactly the outcome Trump and his legal team wanted. In fact, the convicted felon was quick to exploit the sentencing delay to restate his grievances and innocence. "The Manhattan D.A. Witch Hunt has been postponed because everyone realizes that there was NO CASE, I DID NOTHING WRONG!" Trump posted on his Truth Social site. "It is a political attack against me."
On the other hand, without a sentencing decision that could (and should) include prison time, Trump no longer has the same opportunity to insist he is the victim of political persecution. But let’s not doubt that Trump’s personal stake in the upcoming election is now higher—and that he’s even more certain to assert he’s won the election, whatever the actual results, so that he can avoid criminal accountability.
Meanwhile, Judge Tanya Chutkan offers a counterpoint to Merchan’s delay. Chutkan has reiterated her steadfast commitment to proceed now with hearings on whether the four-count indictment involving election subversion is affected by the high court’s immunity ruling. As Chutkan put it at a first hearing on Thursday, “This court is not concerned with the electoral schedule.”
So what do you think? Did Judge Merchan make the right decision by delaying Trump’s sentence? Does his decision successfully avoid appearing partisan? Does it benefit Trump or, in turn, does it take this issue off the table and help Kamala Harris keep the spotlight on her plans for America’s future? Should she bring up Trump’s myriad criminal cases during the debate? And finally, does Judge Chutkan’s decision to proceed undercut Judge Merchan’s reasons for delay?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for this community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your comments. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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Absolutely frustrating, but IMO, the right decision. This way, he can impose the sentence without having an impact on the election. If the sentence was light (e.g., probation) or suspended, it would be a huge bump for TFG. If it was jail time, that could work either way - a bump for both candidates. The people who are the base, for both candidates, aren't going to be swayed either way. For those somehow still undecided, if they were leaning toward these cases being political, this eliminates that argument.
We all want blood for the many crimes that TFG has committed, those already convicted and those obvious ones we're awaiting trial. All three of those are stronger cases than this one. We need to do the work to get Kamala elected and then justice will be served. If TFG wins, none of this - or any of the other cases - means anything.
Wily as ever, even though a moron, Trump and his various and wide-spread teams did not block this case because it is and was the least legally consequential one. Business records. Yes, that's fraud from a lifelong fraudster. But not open and shut like the docs that Cannon ruined her reputation over, not the voter fraud in Georgia while he and his team smeared Fani Willis over what?????, and not the Jan. 6 insurrection and sedition trial. Any one of these would impose a pretty harsh penalty for anyone except Trump but they all have him dead to rights. The documents case oughta put him away for decades should he live so long.
This is the tactic of the very rich, very greedy, very morally corrupt - drag the cases out until you've caused the other side to spend all its money - or in this case sense of justice. On the other hand, all that pressure is driving Trump further into lunacy, so there's that.
Your last sentence is an important one. His mental deterioration, reflected in his increasingly incoherent babble, becomes more evident to more people as time passes. Anything that adds to that stress and increases that deterioration is to be commended. Here's hoping he blows a gasket on live TV on Tuesday.
I'd even settle for 450 hours of Community Service. The sight of Trump in grey coveralls picking up trash along the beltway would at least be somewhat satisfying.
I don’t believe this was the correct decision. If some schmuck like me came before the court, there’s no way that sentencing or trial would be delayed just because I can’t afford to be off of work. Trump running for the presidency is no different and no more important than anyone else who has a job that they need to perform. If sentencing somehow affects the political process, that’s not the fault of the court. That would be the fault of Trump‘s actions. Actions have consequences. So much for equal justice under the law.
You are more optimistic than I. I remember voting for McGovern when I was living in Massachusetts and my State was the only one not to support Nixon. The MAGA's are poised to elect Trump who represents power and rejects law. I'm discouraged.
I wonder if delaying the sentencing is a way to reduce the inclination to vote for Trump. If a sentence comes down before the election, Trump could use that as a way to convince his followers to vote for him claiming by some illogical reasoning that “winning” would prevent the sentence from being carried out.
The delay is a good thing, once Donald loses the election he can bring down the full force of the law on Trump's 34 convictions and that will be just the star.
This "isn't it past your jail time?" shirt will NEVER get old 👇🤣
I don’t know if it is wishful thinking, but I did hear a legal analyst insist this ups the chance of him being incarcerated. That it would be viewed as (my words) martyring him if done at this point in the election cycle. But of course that would not be feasible if he is in the WH. So our job remains the same.
DARTH VADER JOINED THE "GOOD SIDE OF **THE FORCE**"...!!!
DON'T "BURY THE LEDE"...!!!
Cheney's NON TRUMP-LIKE (not reckless) wielding of power resulted in "Two UnNecessary Wars," etc and could have been MUCH WORSE IF HE HAD DECIDED TO DO MORE... Cheney's wielding of power make Trump's MAGA look like "Childs Play"... (Cheney sold the imminent Iraq War until Americans found it to be SEVENTY PERCENT FAVORABLE!!!) maybe we should be THANKFUL that 'Fate'(God? Higher Power? Alien Puppeteers?) delivered us such a BLATANT LESSON BY DISPLAYING OUR HUMAN FLAWS SO **HARMLESSLY** as MAGA... (endless fodder for Late Night political satire, etc)...
LEARN THE F***ING LESSON: WE'RE DEFECTIVE (AND "A POTHOLE MAPPED IS A POTHOLE AVOIDED")
JUSTICE DELAYED?
WHAT ABOUT ROVE? IT'S A TOTAL TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE THAT ROVE WALKS FREE WITHOUT CRIMINAL OR CIVIL PENALTIES!!!
It is criminal (resulting in civil penalties?) to scream "FIRE!!!" in a crowded theater...
It is criminal (resulting in civil penalties?) to scream "IRAQ!!!" in a crowd PANICKED AFTER 9-11-2001 attacks.
❤️Reich❤️:"No goal is more important than making sure Donald Trump never again comes close to the[power that corrupts]"
Me:"No goal is more important than making sure GULLIBILITY never again comes close to the[power that corrupts]"
MAGA and Fascism and Nazism and Racism need to be put in the blender so we can see what they are all made out of: GULLIBILITY. Millions of dollars and decades of placebo science tell us that up to 60% of anxious people (aka America) are cured by placebo, up to 50% of depressed people are cured by placebo. Innocuous placebos can mutate into insidious placebos and vice versa: Moms replace baby's filthy thumb with a pacifier.
❤️😳😱🤕🫣🤯⚖️
Replace GULLIBILITY with (❤️FDR's and ❤️UN.org's)❤️FREEDOM FROM FEAR ❤️("Do one thing every day that scares you"--Eleanor Roosevelt❤️ and the science of anxiety)
❤️First Do No Harm ❤️...Stop the Lying😱🤕🤯⚖️... "Don't Sweat It" is a lie: Exercise and Exposure are mandatory and both cause sweat 😁 The US Senate's Dr Haidt's "The 3 Great Untruths"(google it) that Gen Z believes that are dooming Gen Z and democracy include "Exposure Therapy", demonization* and "State Dependent Learning"(google them).
Yes, I believe the judge made the right decision. If, God forbid, Dump wins, it will be a moot point because he’ll use the presidency to stay out of jail. So no need to rush. If he loses then there’s nothing standing in the way of jail except appeal to the Supremes, and who knows what they’ll do. So I’ll wait patiently hoping that November 26 will bring a jail sentence to former candidate Dump.
I think that when the Biggest Loser in the history of Big Losers loses again the Supremes, and most of the Pubbies, will abandon him to his fate. He will no longer be of any value to them.
"...nothing standing in the way of jail..." We keep referencing normal people/elections. CFDT will be causing so much turmoil, if he loses, it will indeed seem like a political act to lock him up.
That's been his shtick all along - that any attempt to make him accountable is a political act. We have to ignore it, and let the chips fall - if SCOTUS will allow it.
And it's deliberate! I can understand he's running for POTUS to stay out of jail. But this egotistical #*%^€{£ wants to continue the ruination of America the beautiful if he wins. And that is pure evil.
Yes he did..... tfg would have worn that as a victim to encourage his base ... drama queen needs to fill his base with how horrible his life is.. & get more money
I was a prosecutor for thirty years, both state and federal. Although I am anxious to see him sentenced, I do think that the chance of a sentence of incarceration is increased by this delay. I will be very disappointed if he is sentenced to anything less, including house arrest. It’s time for some measure of accountability.
Thank you for your experience and expertise. I am beginning to calm down from my initial outrage at Merchan’s decision. I feared he - like Merrick Garland- was bending so far backwards to avoid any Appearance of impartiality that he fell into cowardice. A sentence now would be muted. But still might incite MAGA violence.
I’m prepared for MAGA violence after Don the Con is defeated in November. I’m prepared for a level of violence that will make Jan 6 look like child’s play. I have to trust that good will prevail and accountability will come. But first we have to vote “like hell or we’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Marilyn, I comfort myself with the idea that it's the conviction that really matters, and the conviction stands (unless SCOTUS gets their greasy little fists on it). Trump is guilty of 34 felonies. He will be sentenced, whether it occurs before or after some date "X".
Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. If the sentence is jail, you can't really impose it in the final months of a campaign, and take him off the circuit. That would really galvanize not only MAGA, but potentially a lot of less committed Republican voters. It would be hard to spin that as anything but political.
Such are the times we live in...Yes, he made the right decision, as maddening as it is. Impartiality is vital to our court system, as compromised as it is, this and Judge Chutkan's work proves we still have good jurists trying their best to administer the law out there. This is a unique case and time; Agnew pleaded out to avoid prison, and we all know what the Comey announcement did in 2016. Taking away the opportunity for the doddering old Felon to try and use this to rile his shrinking base is a good idea. And by November 28, all votes will be counted and a winner declared.
But let's make it really easy to know the winner for sure on November 6 and vote Harris/Walz by blue tsunami.
And if he by chance wins? The constitutional crisis of imprisoning a sitting president and transferring power to Vance would be devastating, neither have the capacity to follow the constitution because they cannot comprehend it . I understand the judges decision ,it's just really unfortunate that we as a country have to deal with this grifter.
It is a state case leaving less to appeal on to get to SCOTUS. But I’m sure re: the election win or not, he will appeal. SCOTUS could just sit on it and let him wreak havoc.
We need to do our job so he & JD never get near the WH.
It should not matter. If the orange one wins, he is gonna wipe his ass with the constitution and then burn it. Just remember the world history the founders were aware of. Monarchies, the church, authoritarians aka dictators who fucked up peoples lives. They did not want the past to repeat itself in the United States. Same is true for the writers of the 14th amendment who recognized that insurrectionists should not be allowed to run for elected office: "The second, third, and fourth sections of the amendment are seldom litigated. However, the second section's reference to "rebellion, or other crime" has been invoked as a constitutional ground for felony disenfranchisement." from wikipedia.
I appreciate the link to Donald’s Malignant Narcissistic Tendencies. Sounds like his detrimental behavior is progressive and very dangerous. Vote Blue to prevent his and Vance’s agenda.
As a former psychologist, I appreciate the references AND I can’t really go down that interesting psychological rabbit hole right now if I have any hope of retaining my sanity. The Harris-Walz ticket has provided a reprieve from the horror show. So, for me, I watch videos of their various campaign stops and read on Substack about their plans for the future.
gotcha, grace. i used to watch trump rallies to gauge his latest state of insanity and fox news clips of them lying, bitching and moaning and now imploding. that lost it's entertainment value, so now I write on Substack.
It feels good, finally, to have some joy and new faces. i hope the millenials and genz are all in and recognize they, hopefully, have decades more. it is their time to get involved in politics.
as a baby boomer, i have fewer decades but am still involved.
THank you for the link to Greenwood's easy-to-understand but nonetheless horrifying explanation of Donald Trump as a psychopath. I knew he was a sociopath, but not that he was actually a psychopath. This excellent article says only 1% of us are psychopaths. It includes a 20-factor checklist with a perfect score of 40. Most of us score a 4, according to this article. The average score of prisoners in maximum-security prisons is 22. Trump scores a 33.
I think he wants to give Trump jail time, significant jail time, and he knows that it will cause Trump to scream bloody murder and call the MAGA horde into the streets. But if it comes after the election it will just be one other reason to remand him directly to prison.
Notice that the MAGA people are not responding very well. They didn't show up at the trial. They are leaving the so-called rallies early as Trump spews gibberish for two hours. They may not be callable. (Some additional discouragement from the Jan 6 rioters pretty much having all gotten long prison sentences?)
No and Yes. No not right for Justice. Everyone else would be in prison. Yes for the hope of saving Democracy. Just imagine had Merrick Garland done his job, USA would not be on the precipice of Democracy & Dictator.
In my finite mind, I think Judge Merchant made the right decision. As much as I want to see Trump in jail, if he had been sentenced, he would have played the martyr (once again) and boo hooed to his base that the legal system is corrupt and that they needed to send more money. I’m sure it was a difficult decision to make and has consequences regardless of the decision. I don’t want Trump to gain any momentum and I think an incarceration decision right now would have given him a boost.
I’m just waiting until after the election so all these judges can throw the book at him.
I feel that by delaying sentencing Judge Merchan has put Trump above the law. Absolutely nobody else would get such deference to their other activities. The schedule situation (indeed the entire trial) is not we the people's doing, nor the court's doing - it is Trump's doing.
I do take some heart from the fact that this sorta kinda indicates that Merchan intends a prison sentence, and expects Trump to lose.
Note, I am not a lawyer and may find an analysis that changes my opinion, which at this point includes a large measure of frustration and disappointment.
I’m glad the sentencing is delayed. It would have given his supporters more reason and fire to get off the couch on November 4th. I also hope he’s not found guilty in Judge Chutkan’s court before 11/4 either. I am keeping the faith that Kamala has a real shot at winning and that Donald’s chickens will finally come home to roost.
If the rule of law reigns supreme, then Chutkan's electoral-politics-be-damned approach stays true to a system of justice in which all men are treated equally. Merchan made the wrong decision. I don't care how problematic tRump is as a defendant. He's been treated differently and this should not be.
We are the intimidation nation. A monster threatens, and we recoil, bowing to his whims. Will he engulf us all, or will righteousness and joy be able to conquer his evil intentions? It’s a classic battle of good vs evil. We must defeat the monster, but will we?
While I am disappointed with the delay, it does not make the convictions go away, as Trump seems to think. My hope is that this change will allow Merchan to sentence trump to prison time, Secret Service issues or not!!
My plan for Trump's incarceration: New York designates Trump Tower a prison and we incarcerate Donald there for at least four years with ankle bracelets and security systems. There'll be room for as many secret service agents and security guards as necessary. Maybe just confine it to the penthouse.
Judge Merchan has been a straight shooter so far; I firmly support his decision now. Trump can no longer appeal to SCOTUS on the basis of election interference, he loses a major talking point, and he won’t be seen as a martyr in order to increase support of his base. I smell prison time!
By bending over backward so as to not to appear to violate Trump’s constitutional rights the justice dept. has created a two-tiered judicial system that gave him the means to delay accountability.
Over the course of the past year, we have witnessed Trumps legal Rope-A-Dope in action. His strategy of delay, delay, delay has worked beautifully. Of course, he had lots of help from Judge Canon in Florida and none other than the Supreme Court with its lightning-fast Section 3 of the 14th amendment disqualification decision and its ponderously slow immunity decision.
It’s been a travesty.
Now with the Mar A Lago & Georgia trials plus Judge Merchan’s sentencing frozen in time Trump is unburdened and free to continue campaigning as if he had no legal issues at all. Without the specter of legal consequences or accountability he now appears “not guilty” to many voters. Image is everything.
And who else would benefit from or even approach this kind of consideration? If it were you or me, we'd be wearing an orange jumpsuit already. Just ask Trump Inc Allen Weisselberg. If it were a less powerful and/or influential politician I doubt any delay of this magnitude would be in play.
He successfully abused the legal system with ample assistance from the inside.
The justice system failed We the People and established a double standard in the process.
There is only one last hurdle for Trump: To win by hook or crook this election Nov. 5th.
I agree with your assessment here. The delay tactic worked and Trump was able to continue his criminal activity unimpeded. Any other person would have been arrested and jailed for what he did. I’m disgusted and disappointed with the justice system and the attorney general’s inaction
I don't agree that Trump is unburdened by legal issues because of Merchan's temporary sentencing decision. Trump has been and still is convicted of 34 felony counts, sexual assault and other crimes. That is a factor in many reasonable Republicans' decisions not to vote for him, whether by staying home or voting for Harris. I for one respect that. Trump will be sentenced. Yes, the delay is unfair. But it probably works to cancel a Trump surge for the election plus make it more likely he'll get prison time. These are not normal times and this is not an everyday decision.
“Re Judge Merchan: people need to realize that by putting the sentencing off (for now) Merchan has kept the S CT’s hands off the verdict pre election.” (Andrew Weissman Twitter)
—
It is very disturbing to me that Trump continues to escape true accountability for his many many crimes and unethical dangerous hateful cruel behavior!
—-
We all know if Trump fairly wins the election all of his Federal cases and maybe others, will end. It’s a frightening nightmare what else he will do.
—-
It was incredulous to me that he and the accomplices in Congress weren’t rounded up within 30 days of Jan 6 and held without Bail for trying to in effect overthrow our Government!
—-We watched live coverage for several hours as the Capitol Police were brutally attacked and the Capitol was desecrated
—-Forty were injured! Five died!
I wanted him held accountable for any and all of his attacks on our Laws and Democracy long before this!
That one judge tabled the case, and the other stood steadfast, adds to confusion and attacks from MAGA.
Think about the insurrection in Brazil several months ago. The leaders were promptly arrested and put in jail. They can never run for office again when they get out of prison. Brazil is considered a developing country and an aspiring democracy and they were able to do what the United States have not. Garland delayed any action and caused today’s problems. The world looked on after January 6th and was incredulous when nothing happened to most of the perpetrators.
Agreed! The fact that the US couldn’t or wouldn’t do what Brazil did right away is galling. Garland has been a disaster as AG and I sincerely hope that President Harris replaces him immediately.
IMO, the sentencing shouldn't have been delayed the first time, the SCOTUS precedent at the time of this NY election interference trial and jury verdict unanimous convictions in 34 felony counts was 19-635, which stated that the public was entitled to "every man's evidence". SCOTUS could have handed down their new contradictory BS decision any time prior to the trial concluding but they chose not to. Since when did Courts review past cases for applicability of new decisions? My guess is never. Vote 💙 for Democracy and Justice to prevail... & career conman, rape adjudicated insurrectionist goes to jail.
Al Gore should have been President, let's not give SCOTUS another opportunity to get it wrong, Vote 💙, pay attention to signature match when signing ballot, where applicable mail early and track your ballot so that if it gets flagged for something you have time to fix to be counted.
Because the multi Election Interfering POS filed an appeal stating that SCOTUS said he had Immunity, even though the crimes he was convicted of were initiated prior to him taking office.
No. Big mistake, insanity. He is fucking guilty as sin and should not be given the benefit of the doubt. If I had to go to court, would my sentencing be delayed if I was running for a local office married? Given his track record of fraud, rape, stealing documents and leading an insurrection, he should be sentenced and have to deal with the consequences of his actions.
This is all about choices and opportunities. The orange chose to break the law and running for president is an opportunity. Would other convicted felons, like the punks who murder people with AR15s, be allowed to delay their sentencing, if they were getting running for local office? No.
Other felons have to be jailed before sentencing. The orange one should be no different.
Who gives a shit about his base? The J6ers are in prison. Let the base break the law and arrest them also. then they could all get together, sing and equate themselves with Mormon Tabernacle Choir..
Ask yourself, would I be given the same opportunities as Trump?
None of us would be treated with such respect. Trump put his fixer Cohen in jail for what he ordered him to do on his behalf and Bill Barr covered up “The Person of Interest #1” while he was in office.
ps i am a recovering alcoholic and It is only beer means the jack daniels is not far away... alcohol is alcohol. end result is the same... not anymore! thx myra. have a good weekend.
yes. that is a good one also. Its Only Beer Brett. Being a recovering alcoholic, it’s only beer means where is the jack daniel’s? it was fun watching Only Beer tremble in his shoes. i hope kamala does the same with orange one on tuesday!
By claiming justice isn't politically influenced, Judge Merchan contradicted that premise by trying to avoid the appearance of being political! He should have proceeded with sentencing on September 18. Judge Chutkan denied Trump's request to postpone proceedings in her court because of claims that these are "sensitive" times. She did not cave, and is treating this defendant as an individual like the rest of us, not a candidate.
It’s frustrating to see Trump get away with so much. But I believe Merchan did the prudent thing. His case, unlike Chutkan’s has already been tried, the verdict is in. Chutkan recognizes her long road ahead, the case going back to the SC.
Chaos would have ensued if Trump was sentenced to jail. Probation would have aroused anger. Home confinement, while campaigning?
DA Bragg could have insisted the date this month be kept for sentencing. He placed the burden solely on Merchan’s shoulders. Why?
It’s up to all of us to vote Harris. Then a diminished, increasingly unstable, deranged man will face his sentence with no excuse that the legal system was interfering in the election. Justice is coming.
Although my immediate, knee-jerk reaction was that Trump had managed to game the system yet again, I join the chorus in affirming that Judge Merchan made exactly the right decision.
Here's the thing: the judge will be sentencing Trump and not, as in Judge Chutkan's case, holding a hearing. She is, of course, also doing exactly the right thing by allowing Jack Smith to present his evidence in court so that the public will be apprised of the extent of Trump's crimes before voting.
What the delay in sentencing also tells me, however, is that Judge Merchan will be sentencing Trump to prison, and deservedly so. If he were only to be sentenced to, say, some sort of probation, the sentence might well have been delivered this month. But by delaying the sentencing, Judge Merchan has taken a potentially incendiary issue of out Trump's hands.
He could have sentenced Trump then delayed having it carried out until after Nov. 5th
I am so sick of RICH WHITE MEN who get judges like Merchan & all others from #CorruptCannon to #CorruptSCOTUS & give them break after break after break while Trump has evaded justice for 40 yrs
Judges must realize:
that every time the cut him another break?
They're denying justice for the rest of US!
In America today it's only justice for #ConvictedFelonTrump &
I believe that the Court made the correct decision. Trump remains a convicted felon. The delay removed a potential distraction which would have been appealed in most any event.
I really see no downside to the delay. Trump would have continued to whine about his crap regardless ( or as we say in South Jersey, irregardless) of his sentence.
I wish one of these judges would remind Trump and his lawyers that he HAS to participate in his defense. Running for president was a CHOICE. If the cases get in the way, well, I guess it wasn’t a very smart point. Stop bending reality around this petty, bitchy little man.
Based on the number of comments going both ways, I’ll only say that I think Judge Merchan made the wrong decision. It is not fatal if Trump looses the election, but it is if he wins. I think it is wrong because it gives undue weight to the politics of the situation. Whether the bias created by the decision favors the man or the electoral processes, it does, in fact, give him preferential treatment. By attempting to avoid the appearance of bias, the judge creates the very thing he is trying to avoid. By pretending to remove lady justice’s blindfold, he topples her scales.
His decision to delay is a decision influenced by the election. Delaying it is proof of it. I believe he should not have caved in to this and it only hurts justice. I felt Trump would be (and should be) running his campaign from prison. That is the only way his guilty sentence would be a reality for Republicans. He does not qualify as a candidate and should not even be on the ballot. This disgraceful reality needs to be acknowledged as such. No more breaks!!!! No more pussyfooting around the truth!!!!
Of course the judge's decision is justice delayed. Trump has been remarkably successful in delaying all his court cases. However, both the defense AND the prosecution agreed to the delay until after the election. One can speculate that both the prosecution and the judge are assured that if Harris wins the election, the judge can impose an appropriate sentence that may indeed call for incarceration -- a sentence that would be virtually impossible to impose before the election. Bit of course the downside is that if Trump somehow wins the election, all his federal cases will disappear and he will never face the consequences of his heinous behavior.
Judge Marchand did the right thing. Judge Chutkan did the right thing. Somewhere in this balancing act, justice may prevail. I've got to believe that Trump's extraordinary luck with his lifetime of cheating, scamming, and flaunting the law, will finally meet its rightful end: Jail.
I think Merchant plans to send Mr. Trump to jail. By delaying the sentencing Trump cannot claim he lost the election because he was sentenced before the election.
I truly believe , however this ends, Judge Merchant had had enough of his family and himself
being terrorized by agents of the criminal Trump.
Trump as we all know is the most aggrieved criminal of this century .
His flying , shrieking , monkeys have made it difficult for good people to act with their consciences as opposed to their hearts and emotional well being .
Understandably , the justice system is being affected by his attempts to manipulate the people who he believes would send him to jail. He , ( Trump) is the one responsible for that possibility.
Oh and the media severely under reacting to Trumps verbal atrocities, no matter how heinous.
And now we have on the record an endorsement of this criminal ex president , DJT .
By none other than the Fraternal Order of the Police .
Seems right , same idea, they work to excuse all the unreasonable and unnecessary deaths of minorities at the hands of their officers , who are always “ afraid for their lives” even if the victim is running away from them . Hmmm?
Donald Trump has caused more destruction to our Democracy . He allowed infestation of our country by rot , allowing his owner/ handler, Vladimir Putin to spew his hate and terror . His Russian actors are creating chaos and theft and corruption to add to Thug Trumps coalition.
Why has this convicted criminal been given a pass on any accountability at all? The media , the Heritage Foundation , the Supreme Court Six
All have made decisions to be mules for this broken wannabe Mob Boss Trump. This twisted tribe needs to be stopped for good in November 2024 , thereby stopping the implementation of the Dictators installment of the 2025 plan .
Why is our legal system treating Trump like he is special and exceptional? Not fair and does not make sense. He is an unbehaved punk and out of control bum! He is someone who takes advantage of people and situations. Then gets away with it! Trump is more important than the plaintiffs! The man has broken the law and lied so many uncountable times.
The American voters needed to receive the conclusion of this case. The judge punted and the court failed to carry thru! Shame.
He's already guilty. He just hasn't been sentenced. My guess - he's going to jail. That's why the delay. Making him wait means he gets to ruminate in his mind - it's driving him crazy. And he doesn't have far to go.
The right decision. His likely sentence would have involved confinement, either jail or home confinement. And that would have been a James Comey effect. I’m sure he’s screaming on the inside, but he has always risen above the awful circumstances of this awful defendant.
I think that this is a good and fair judge and so I have to believe that he made the best decision but it's sickens me nonetheless that once again Trump wins... or at least delays his losing. When Dr Martin Luther King Jr said "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice" I had no idea it would take this long.
I appreciate that he wanted the hard work of the jurors to be recognized and appreciated. I think we will know if this date change was a good idea only in retrospect.
In reading some of the comments, people seem to feel Merchan made the right decision. I can not agree with the sentiment. While the circumstances may be unique, it creates the impression that there is a two tier system of justice. I believe he has been overly cautious and concerned about being overturned on appeal.
Trump will appeal any sentence. It will be stayed during the appeal, which most likely end up in the Supreme Court. We can only imagine how they will rule.
Polling during the primaries showed that a conviction would change people’s minds about him being president. People have the right to know what type of person they are voting for. Convicted but pending sentencing leaves us hanging, again.
"Merchan bends over backwards to insist that he wanted to avoid giving the appearance that his decision was a political act." By which he made it a political act. No one, NO ONE, else would be given this exceptional treatment.
I wrote the same thing. Announce Trump’s sentence and then defer it until after the election. There must be a reason for not doing this. Makes sense to me At least the people would know Trump is not above the law.
I disagree with Judge Merchan's decision. I appreciate that most judges are concerned about precedent but what kind of message does it send to the rank-and-file Americans who would have been incarcerated for those offenses in a more timely manner? Are we all Leona Helmsley's "little people" who must pay taxes or go to jail if we are found to be tax cheats who defraud the government? Obviously, we are. Donald Trump has skated through life with nary a scratch. Worth a million dollars at the age of three, a draft dodger, a goniff his entire life, and only made to pay for two of his crimes--his phony university and his attempt to profit from his self-fashioned "non-profit." The only American judge who has made a decent decision in dealing with the nefarious and amoral Mr. Trump is Judge Chutkan.
I don’t completely understand it. The judge did not get a position from the prosecution because they said they saw reasonable points made by DJT’s team. Part of what the judge wrote scolded them in legalese. So there is something missing. (I’ve heard analysts say IF Donnie loses the election the odds just went up that he will be incarcerated for some period of time when sentenced.)
Although the whole thing would go to SCOTUS no matter what the judge did, I have to say Donnie will view this as how our legal system has worked for him all his adult life. It does rob him of the big ‘victim’ card in the run up to Election Day. Chances are he had a big fundraising push ready.
Otherwise, life goes on as usual in our “new normal.”
Marquita, he's probably going to be president again, and when he is, he will be completely above the law. We've spent 8 years watching him evolve into the god-king of the US. He'll do whatever the hell he wants, and nobody and nothing shall ever hold him to account, or even slow him down.
The Democratic party took a position of monumental strength in 2021, and turned it into a position of absolute helplessness and absolute weakness. They're not competent. They're not capable. They're not even principled. They're just naive. Your champions aren't able to champion anything, and as a result, you, and all you value, have been left out to dry.
Absolutely frustrating, but IMO, the right decision. This way, he can impose the sentence without having an impact on the election. If the sentence was light (e.g., probation) or suspended, it would be a huge bump for TFG. If it was jail time, that could work either way - a bump for both candidates. The people who are the base, for both candidates, aren't going to be swayed either way. For those somehow still undecided, if they were leaning toward these cases being political, this eliminates that argument.
We all want blood for the many crimes that TFG has committed, those already convicted and those obvious ones we're awaiting trial. All three of those are stronger cases than this one. We need to do the work to get Kamala elected and then justice will be served. If TFG wins, none of this - or any of the other cases - means anything.
Wily as ever, even though a moron, Trump and his various and wide-spread teams did not block this case because it is and was the least legally consequential one. Business records. Yes, that's fraud from a lifelong fraudster. But not open and shut like the docs that Cannon ruined her reputation over, not the voter fraud in Georgia while he and his team smeared Fani Willis over what?????, and not the Jan. 6 insurrection and sedition trial. Any one of these would impose a pretty harsh penalty for anyone except Trump but they all have him dead to rights. The documents case oughta put him away for decades should he live so long.
This is the tactic of the very rich, very greedy, very morally corrupt - drag the cases out until you've caused the other side to spend all its money - or in this case sense of justice. On the other hand, all that pressure is driving Trump further into lunacy, so there's that.
Your last sentence is an important one. His mental deterioration, reflected in his increasingly incoherent babble, becomes more evident to more people as time passes. Anything that adds to that stress and increases that deterioration is to be commended. Here's hoping he blows a gasket on live TV on Tuesday.
https://drvincentgreenwood-89455.medium.com/the-science-behind-donald-trumps-dangerous-personality-disorder-49b3f8e416de
Thank you for this reference. Reading it now.
here are a couple more u might like:https://drvincentgreenwood-89455.medium.com/the-science-behind-donald-trumps-dangerous-personality-disorder-49b3f8e416de
https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/powellmemo/
please share all of these. thx, carol.
u r welcome, carol.
I'd even settle for 450 hours of Community Service. The sight of Trump in grey coveralls picking up trash along the beltway would at least be somewhat satisfying.
Not me. I want him tried, convicted on every case and sent to some secure locked facility with no TV, no radio, no Internet, no ketchup.
or in an anklet picking up trump $2 bills thrown out the windows on Wall Street.
I don’t believe this was the correct decision. If some schmuck like me came before the court, there’s no way that sentencing or trial would be delayed just because I can’t afford to be off of work. Trump running for the presidency is no different and no more important than anyone else who has a job that they need to perform. If sentencing somehow affects the political process, that’s not the fault of the court. That would be the fault of Trump‘s actions. Actions have consequences. So much for equal justice under the law.
You are more optimistic than I. I remember voting for McGovern when I was living in Massachusetts and my State was the only one not to support Nixon. The MAGA's are poised to elect Trump who represents power and rejects law. I'm discouraged.
There are more of us than them……hard not to despair BUT action is the antidote.
I firmly believe Judge Merchan made the right decision in this particular case, at this particular time. I really admire his judgement.
I wonder if delaying the sentencing is a way to reduce the inclination to vote for Trump. If a sentence comes down before the election, Trump could use that as a way to convince his followers to vote for him claiming by some illogical reasoning that “winning” would prevent the sentence from being carried out.
The delay is a good thing, once Donald loses the election he can bring down the full force of the law on Trump's 34 convictions and that will be just the star.
This "isn't it past your jail time?" shirt will NEVER get old 👇🤣
https://libtees-2.creator-spring.com/listing/jailtm
I don’t know if it is wishful thinking, but I did hear a legal analyst insist this ups the chance of him being incarcerated. That it would be viewed as (my words) martyring him if done at this point in the election cycle. But of course that would not be feasible if he is in the WH. So our job remains the same.
I heard that as well - I think it was Glenn Kirschner that was analyzing the new order.
Yes! Thanks.
Weissman has also said it has “downsides” for trump, but I don’t think he was as emphatic.
https://www.newsweek.com/judge-merchan-donald-trump-sentencing-hush-money-1950250
DARTH VADER JOINED THE "GOOD SIDE OF **THE FORCE**"...!!!
DON'T "BURY THE LEDE"...!!!
Cheney's NON TRUMP-LIKE (not reckless) wielding of power resulted in "Two UnNecessary Wars," etc and could have been MUCH WORSE IF HE HAD DECIDED TO DO MORE... Cheney's wielding of power make Trump's MAGA look like "Childs Play"... (Cheney sold the imminent Iraq War until Americans found it to be SEVENTY PERCENT FAVORABLE!!!) maybe we should be THANKFUL that 'Fate'(God? Higher Power? Alien Puppeteers?) delivered us such a BLATANT LESSON BY DISPLAYING OUR HUMAN FLAWS SO **HARMLESSLY** as MAGA... (endless fodder for Late Night political satire, etc)...
LEARN THE F***ING LESSON: WE'RE DEFECTIVE (AND "A POTHOLE MAPPED IS A POTHOLE AVOIDED")
JUSTICE DELAYED?
WHAT ABOUT ROVE? IT'S A TOTAL TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE THAT ROVE WALKS FREE WITHOUT CRIMINAL OR CIVIL PENALTIES!!!
It is criminal (resulting in civil penalties?) to scream "FIRE!!!" in a crowded theater...
It is criminal (resulting in civil penalties?) to scream "IRAQ!!!" in a crowd PANICKED AFTER 9-11-2001 attacks.
https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/dick-cheney-embraces-the-darth-vader-meme-msna609146
Because typing IN ALL UPPER-CASE! WITH LOTS OF EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!! is the perfect way to keep us from assuming that you are some kind of crackpot.
And BTW? It's "lede", not "lead".
sorry, agree about the caps, but, it actually is "lede" (pressroom term). It upsets me too -;)
❤️😳😱🤕🫣🤯⚖️. "Don't Sweat It" is a lie:
❤️Reich❤️:"No goal is more important than making sure Donald Trump never again comes close to the[power that corrupts]"
Me:"No goal is more important than making sure GULLIBILITY never again comes close to the[power that corrupts]"
MAGA and Fascism and Nazism and Racism need to be put in the blender so we can see what they are all made out of: GULLIBILITY. Millions of dollars and decades of placebo science tell us that up to 60% of anxious people (aka America) are cured by placebo, up to 50% of depressed people are cured by placebo. Innocuous placebos can mutate into insidious placebos and vice versa: Moms replace baby's filthy thumb with a pacifier.
❤️😳😱🤕🫣🤯⚖️
Replace GULLIBILITY with (❤️FDR's and ❤️UN.org's)❤️FREEDOM FROM FEAR ❤️("Do one thing every day that scares you"--Eleanor Roosevelt❤️ and the science of anxiety)
❤️First Do No Harm ❤️...Stop the Lying😱🤕🤯⚖️... "Don't Sweat It" is a lie: Exercise and Exposure are mandatory and both cause sweat 😁 The US Senate's Dr Haidt's "The 3 Great Untruths"(google it) that Gen Z believes that are dooming Gen Z and democracy include "Exposure Therapy", demonization* and "State Dependent Learning"(google them).
*google.com/search?q=cbt+"mind+reading"
Let's collaborate?😁
It's criminal to yell, "fire" FALSELY in a crowded theater.
Thanks for the link! Just ordered a bunch of mugs and a t-shirt.
You’re welcome! 😉
Yes, I believe the judge made the right decision. If, God forbid, Dump wins, it will be a moot point because he’ll use the presidency to stay out of jail. So no need to rush. If he loses then there’s nothing standing in the way of jail except appeal to the Supremes, and who knows what they’ll do. So I’ll wait patiently hoping that November 26 will bring a jail sentence to former candidate Dump.
I think that when the Biggest Loser in the history of Big Losers loses again the Supremes, and most of the Pubbies, will abandon him to his fate. He will no longer be of any value to them.
Because it is a state court decision, his options at SCOTUS should be limited if we do our job and keep him out of the WH. SHOULD being the key word.
"...nothing standing in the way of jail..." We keep referencing normal people/elections. CFDT will be causing so much turmoil, if he loses, it will indeed seem like a political act to lock him up.
That's been his shtick all along - that any attempt to make him accountable is a political act. We have to ignore it, and let the chips fall - if SCOTUS will allow it.
Totally disgusting how one sicko can run this whole country into hell,
He’s had a TON of help too
Never ever forget that - damn near the whole Republican party was propping Trump up, and making his dreams come true.
And it's deliberate! I can understand he's running for POTUS to stay out of jail. But this egotistical #*%^€{£ wants to continue the ruination of America the beautiful if he wins. And that is pure evil.
Said lots of Germans, too.
Yes he did..... tfg would have worn that as a victim to encourage his base ... drama queen needs to fill his base with how horrible his life is.. & get more money
I was a prosecutor for thirty years, both state and federal. Although I am anxious to see him sentenced, I do think that the chance of a sentence of incarceration is increased by this delay. I will be very disappointed if he is sentenced to anything less, including house arrest. It’s time for some measure of accountability.
Thank you for your experience and expertise. I am beginning to calm down from my initial outrage at Merchan’s decision. I feared he - like Merrick Garland- was bending so far backwards to avoid any Appearance of impartiality that he fell into cowardice. A sentence now would be muted. But still might incite MAGA violence.
I’m prepared for MAGA violence after Don the Con is defeated in November. I’m prepared for a level of violence that will make Jan 6 look like child’s play. I have to trust that good will prevail and accountability will come. But first we have to vote “like hell or we’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Marilyn, I comfort myself with the idea that it's the conviction that really matters, and the conviction stands (unless SCOTUS gets their greasy little fists on it). Trump is guilty of 34 felonies. He will be sentenced, whether it occurs before or after some date "X".
Yes, I was thinking along the same lines. If the sentence is jail, you can't really impose it in the final months of a campaign, and take him off the circuit. That would really galvanize not only MAGA, but potentially a lot of less committed Republican voters. It would be hard to spin that as anything but political.
Such are the times we live in...Yes, he made the right decision, as maddening as it is. Impartiality is vital to our court system, as compromised as it is, this and Judge Chutkan's work proves we still have good jurists trying their best to administer the law out there. This is a unique case and time; Agnew pleaded out to avoid prison, and we all know what the Comey announcement did in 2016. Taking away the opportunity for the doddering old Felon to try and use this to rile his shrinking base is a good idea. And by November 28, all votes will be counted and a winner declared.
But let's make it really easy to know the winner for sure on November 6 and vote Harris/Walz by blue tsunami.
And if he by chance wins? The constitutional crisis of imprisoning a sitting president and transferring power to Vance would be devastating, neither have the capacity to follow the constitution because they cannot comprehend it . I understand the judges decision ,it's just really unfortunate that we as a country have to deal with this grifter.
It is a state case leaving less to appeal on to get to SCOTUS. But I’m sure re: the election win or not, he will appeal. SCOTUS could just sit on it and let him wreak havoc.
We need to do our job so he & JD never get near the WH.
It should not matter. If the orange one wins, he is gonna wipe his ass with the constitution and then burn it. Just remember the world history the founders were aware of. Monarchies, the church, authoritarians aka dictators who fucked up peoples lives. They did not want the past to repeat itself in the United States. Same is true for the writers of the 14th amendment who recognized that insurrectionists should not be allowed to run for elected office: "The second, third, and fourth sections of the amendment are seldom litigated. However, the second section's reference to "rebellion, or other crime" has been invoked as a constitutional ground for felony disenfranchisement." from wikipedia.
Unfortunately, the supreme court has been bought by harlan crow and other american oligarchs. For a sense of history as to how we got to this point, Trump's mentor was Roy Cohn, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Cohn, read the Powell memo: https://scholarlycommons.law.wlu.edu/powellmemo/ and for insight into the orange ones brain: https://drvincentgreenwood-89455.medium.com/the-science-behind-donald-trumps-dangerous-personality-disorder-49b3f8e416de
I appreciate the link to Donald’s Malignant Narcissistic Tendencies. Sounds like his detrimental behavior is progressive and very dangerous. Vote Blue to prevent his and Vance’s agenda.
thx, nightmaher
As a former psychologist, I appreciate the references AND I can’t really go down that interesting psychological rabbit hole right now if I have any hope of retaining my sanity. The Harris-Walz ticket has provided a reprieve from the horror show. So, for me, I watch videos of their various campaign stops and read on Substack about their plans for the future.
gotcha, grace. i used to watch trump rallies to gauge his latest state of insanity and fox news clips of them lying, bitching and moaning and now imploding. that lost it's entertainment value, so now I write on Substack.
It feels good, finally, to have some joy and new faces. i hope the millenials and genz are all in and recognize they, hopefully, have decades more. it is their time to get involved in politics.
as a baby boomer, i have fewer decades but am still involved.
Thanks! Thats a good list of articles. Reading all.
u r welcome. here is another one: https://icjs.org/charismatic-revival-fury/
An Audio-Documentary Series on the Christian Leaders and Ideas that Fueled the Capitol Riot
Happy weekend from north of San Francisco. Foggy and 50 degrees. Have a good one!
Nice photo btw. La tortuga!
THank you for the link to Greenwood's easy-to-understand but nonetheless horrifying explanation of Donald Trump as a psychopath. I knew he was a sociopath, but not that he was actually a psychopath. This excellent article says only 1% of us are psychopaths. It includes a 20-factor checklist with a perfect score of 40. Most of us score a 4, according to this article. The average score of prisoners in maximum-security prisons is 22. Trump scores a 33.
I think he wants to give Trump jail time, significant jail time, and he knows that it will cause Trump to scream bloody murder and call the MAGA horde into the streets. But if it comes after the election it will just be one other reason to remand him directly to prison.
From your mouth to God(dess’)’s ear. I love this perspective.
Notice that the MAGA people are not responding very well. They didn't show up at the trial. They are leaving the so-called rallies early as Trump spews gibberish for two hours. They may not be callable. (Some additional discouragement from the Jan 6 rioters pretty much having all gotten long prison sentences?)
No and Yes. No not right for Justice. Everyone else would be in prison. Yes for the hope of saving Democracy. Just imagine had Merrick Garland done his job, USA would not be on the precipice of Democracy & Dictator.
In my opinion, Merrick Garland is an honorary MAGA Republican.
It's true. We tend to forget the many delays. This is just the most "dramatic."
In my finite mind, I think Judge Merchant made the right decision. As much as I want to see Trump in jail, if he had been sentenced, he would have played the martyr (once again) and boo hooed to his base that the legal system is corrupt and that they needed to send more money. I’m sure it was a difficult decision to make and has consequences regardless of the decision. I don’t want Trump to gain any momentum and I think an incarceration decision right now would have given him a boost.
I’m just waiting until after the election so all these judges can throw the book at him.
I feel that by delaying sentencing Judge Merchan has put Trump above the law. Absolutely nobody else would get such deference to their other activities. The schedule situation (indeed the entire trial) is not we the people's doing, nor the court's doing - it is Trump's doing.
I do take some heart from the fact that this sorta kinda indicates that Merchan intends a prison sentence, and expects Trump to lose.
Note, I am not a lawyer and may find an analysis that changes my opinion, which at this point includes a large measure of frustration and disappointment.
I’m glad the sentencing is delayed. It would have given his supporters more reason and fire to get off the couch on November 4th. I also hope he’s not found guilty in Judge Chutkan’s court before 11/4 either. I am keeping the faith that Kamala has a real shot at winning and that Donald’s chickens will finally come home to roost.
If the rule of law reigns supreme, then Chutkan's electoral-politics-be-damned approach stays true to a system of justice in which all men are treated equally. Merchan made the wrong decision. I don't care how problematic tRump is as a defendant. He's been treated differently and this should not be.
Big "if" at the start there, and that 'if' does not appear to be true. I think Chutkan's choices have further undermined it.
However, you're correct in your conclusion, and overall your logic holds up.
I think Merchan demonstrated the wisdom of Solomon in his decision. It wasn't an easy black-and-white one.
Well Christina, you're wrong.
Your convictions might waiver, but your judgement is obviously in error.
We are the intimidation nation. A monster threatens, and we recoil, bowing to his whims. Will he engulf us all, or will righteousness and joy be able to conquer his evil intentions? It’s a classic battle of good vs evil. We must defeat the monster, but will we?
While I am disappointed with the delay, it does not make the convictions go away, as Trump seems to think. My hope is that this change will allow Merchan to sentence trump to prison time, Secret Service issues or not!!
My plan for Trump's incarceration: New York designates Trump Tower a prison and we incarcerate Donald there for at least four years with ankle bracelets and security systems. There'll be room for as many secret service agents and security guards as necessary. Maybe just confine it to the penthouse.
Judge Merchan has been a straight shooter so far; I firmly support his decision now. Trump can no longer appeal to SCOTUS on the basis of election interference, he loses a major talking point, and he won’t be seen as a martyr in order to increase support of his base. I smell prison time!
I smell it too.
👏💙🇺🇸
Justice delayed is justice denied.
By bending over backward so as to not to appear to violate Trump’s constitutional rights the justice dept. has created a two-tiered judicial system that gave him the means to delay accountability.
Over the course of the past year, we have witnessed Trumps legal Rope-A-Dope in action. His strategy of delay, delay, delay has worked beautifully. Of course, he had lots of help from Judge Canon in Florida and none other than the Supreme Court with its lightning-fast Section 3 of the 14th amendment disqualification decision and its ponderously slow immunity decision.
It’s been a travesty.
Now with the Mar A Lago & Georgia trials plus Judge Merchan’s sentencing frozen in time Trump is unburdened and free to continue campaigning as if he had no legal issues at all. Without the specter of legal consequences or accountability he now appears “not guilty” to many voters. Image is everything.
And who else would benefit from or even approach this kind of consideration? If it were you or me, we'd be wearing an orange jumpsuit already. Just ask Trump Inc Allen Weisselberg. If it were a less powerful and/or influential politician I doubt any delay of this magnitude would be in play.
He successfully abused the legal system with ample assistance from the inside.
The justice system failed We the People and established a double standard in the process.
There is only one last hurdle for Trump: To win by hook or crook this election Nov. 5th.
I agree with your assessment here. The delay tactic worked and Trump was able to continue his criminal activity unimpeded. Any other person would have been arrested and jailed for what he did. I’m disgusted and disappointed with the justice system and the attorney general’s inaction
It is all very scary and disturbing.
I don't agree that Trump is unburdened by legal issues because of Merchan's temporary sentencing decision. Trump has been and still is convicted of 34 felony counts, sexual assault and other crimes. That is a factor in many reasonable Republicans' decisions not to vote for him, whether by staying home or voting for Harris. I for one respect that. Trump will be sentenced. Yes, the delay is unfair. But it probably works to cancel a Trump surge for the election plus make it more likely he'll get prison time. These are not normal times and this is not an everyday decision.
ah spoken like ali. he would punch trump in his makeup covered face and hopefully his hair would fall off.
I read this last night:
“Re Judge Merchan: people need to realize that by putting the sentencing off (for now) Merchan has kept the S CT’s hands off the verdict pre election.” (Andrew Weissman Twitter)
—
It is very disturbing to me that Trump continues to escape true accountability for his many many crimes and unethical dangerous hateful cruel behavior!
—-
We all know if Trump fairly wins the election all of his Federal cases and maybe others, will end. It’s a frightening nightmare what else he will do.
—-
It was incredulous to me that he and the accomplices in Congress weren’t rounded up within 30 days of Jan 6 and held without Bail for trying to in effect overthrow our Government!
—-We watched live coverage for several hours as the Capitol Police were brutally attacked and the Capitol was desecrated
—-Forty were injured! Five died!
I wanted him held accountable for any and all of his attacks on our Laws and Democracy long before this!
That one judge tabled the case, and the other stood steadfast, adds to confusion and attacks from MAGA.
Think about the insurrection in Brazil several months ago. The leaders were promptly arrested and put in jail. They can never run for office again when they get out of prison. Brazil is considered a developing country and an aspiring democracy and they were able to do what the United States have not. Garland delayed any action and caused today’s problems. The world looked on after January 6th and was incredulous when nothing happened to most of the perpetrators.
Agreed! The fact that the US couldn’t or wouldn’t do what Brazil did right away is galling. Garland has been a disaster as AG and I sincerely hope that President Harris replaces him immediately.
Citizen trump has no right to have the sentencing delayed. How many other citizens get the delayed sentencing. Same old story poor man loses.
IMO, the sentencing shouldn't have been delayed the first time, the SCOTUS precedent at the time of this NY election interference trial and jury verdict unanimous convictions in 34 felony counts was 19-635, which stated that the public was entitled to "every man's evidence". SCOTUS could have handed down their new contradictory BS decision any time prior to the trial concluding but they chose not to. Since when did Courts review past cases for applicability of new decisions? My guess is never. Vote 💙 for Democracy and Justice to prevail... & career conman, rape adjudicated insurrectionist goes to jail.
SCOTUS did not mind interfering in an election! Thx for the info, Shire.
Al Gore should have been President, let's not give SCOTUS another opportunity to get it wrong, Vote 💙, pay attention to signature match when signing ballot, where applicable mail early and track your ballot so that if it gets flagged for something you have time to fix to be counted.
Good advice. Will we ever eliminate the Electoral College?
Hoping that archaic ick gets addressed, if we can deliver a trifecta for the Harris Walz administration, it would certainly help! Vote 💙
thx, shire. have good one from the CA north of San Francisco.
Thank you neighbor! Wishing you a wonderful day from just a bit south, suggesting Yes on 33 and No on 34. 🤗
Yes.. why was it delayed the first time. You are so right
Because the multi Election Interfering POS filed an appeal stating that SCOTUS said he had Immunity, even though the crimes he was convicted of were initiated prior to him taking office.
https://apnews.com/article/trump-hush-money-new-york-immunity-8db10bfa2631bbafdb32a35241a79e4f
I was also thinking the same thing!
No. Big mistake, insanity. He is fucking guilty as sin and should not be given the benefit of the doubt. If I had to go to court, would my sentencing be delayed if I was running for a local office married? Given his track record of fraud, rape, stealing documents and leading an insurrection, he should be sentenced and have to deal with the consequences of his actions.
This is all about choices and opportunities. The orange chose to break the law and running for president is an opportunity. Would other convicted felons, like the punks who murder people with AR15s, be allowed to delay their sentencing, if they were getting running for local office? No.
Other felons have to be jailed before sentencing. The orange one should be no different.
Who gives a shit about his base? The J6ers are in prison. Let the base break the law and arrest them also. then they could all get together, sing and equate themselves with Mormon Tabernacle Choir..
Ask yourself, would I be given the same opportunities as Trump?
None of us would be treated with such respect. Trump put his fixer Cohen in jail for what he ordered him to do on his behalf and Bill Barr covered up “The Person of Interest #1” while he was in office.
u are correct. the SDNY was closing in and Barr told them to stop. watch this to see kamala at work on barr. he is shaking in his fucking shoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHd_UlebyoM and for more fun her is It is Only Beer Brett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tsm1GPnlqmU
ps i am a recovering alcoholic and It is only beer means the jack daniels is not far away... alcohol is alcohol. end result is the same... not anymore! thx myra. have a good weekend.
wow, what a fabulous job Harris did of grilling Barr! This reminds me of Harris taking down Kavanagh:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/D2y6dKIkF7k?app=desktop
yes. that is a good one also. Its Only Beer Brett. Being a recovering alcoholic, it’s only beer means where is the jack daniel’s? it was fun watching Only Beer tremble in his shoes. i hope kamala does the same with orange one on tuesday!
By claiming justice isn't politically influenced, Judge Merchan contradicted that premise by trying to avoid the appearance of being political! He should have proceeded with sentencing on September 18. Judge Chutkan denied Trump's request to postpone proceedings in her court because of claims that these are "sensitive" times. She did not cave, and is treating this defendant as an individual like the rest of us, not a candidate.
It’s frustrating to see Trump get away with so much. But I believe Merchan did the prudent thing. His case, unlike Chutkan’s has already been tried, the verdict is in. Chutkan recognizes her long road ahead, the case going back to the SC.
Chaos would have ensued if Trump was sentenced to jail. Probation would have aroused anger. Home confinement, while campaigning?
DA Bragg could have insisted the date this month be kept for sentencing. He placed the burden solely on Merchan’s shoulders. Why?
It’s up to all of us to vote Harris. Then a diminished, increasingly unstable, deranged man will face his sentence with no excuse that the legal system was interfering in the election. Justice is coming.
Although my immediate, knee-jerk reaction was that Trump had managed to game the system yet again, I join the chorus in affirming that Judge Merchan made exactly the right decision.
Here's the thing: the judge will be sentencing Trump and not, as in Judge Chutkan's case, holding a hearing. She is, of course, also doing exactly the right thing by allowing Jack Smith to present his evidence in court so that the public will be apprised of the extent of Trump's crimes before voting.
What the delay in sentencing also tells me, however, is that Judge Merchan will be sentencing Trump to prison, and deservedly so. If he were only to be sentenced to, say, some sort of probation, the sentence might well have been delivered this month. But by delaying the sentencing, Judge Merchan has taken a potentially incendiary issue of out Trump's hands.
NO!
He could have sentenced Trump then delayed having it carried out until after Nov. 5th
I am so sick of RICH WHITE MEN who get judges like Merchan & all others from #CorruptCannon to #CorruptSCOTUS & give them break after break after break while Trump has evaded justice for 40 yrs
Judges must realize:
that every time the cut him another break?
They're denying justice for the rest of US!
In America today it's only justice for #ConvictedFelonTrump &
#NoJusticeForUS
Two things can be true at the same time.
The decision does succeed in appearing non-partisan, while at the same time benefiting Trump.
(This doesn’t mean that I have to be happy with the result. I’m not.)?
If Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito are not concerned with keeping up the appearance of impartiality, why should Judge Merchan?
I believe that the Court made the correct decision. Trump remains a convicted felon. The delay removed a potential distraction which would have been appealed in most any event.
I really see no downside to the delay. Trump would have continued to whine about his crap regardless ( or as we say in South Jersey, irregardless) of his sentence.
Yes; and he made it deploying exquisite - unprecedented, yet necessary - descriptions of context.
I wish one of these judges would remind Trump and his lawyers that he HAS to participate in his defense. Running for president was a CHOICE. If the cases get in the way, well, I guess it wasn’t a very smart point. Stop bending reality around this petty, bitchy little man.
Based on the number of comments going both ways, I’ll only say that I think Judge Merchan made the wrong decision. It is not fatal if Trump looses the election, but it is if he wins. I think it is wrong because it gives undue weight to the politics of the situation. Whether the bias created by the decision favors the man or the electoral processes, it does, in fact, give him preferential treatment. By attempting to avoid the appearance of bias, the judge creates the very thing he is trying to avoid. By pretending to remove lady justice’s blindfold, he topples her scales.
His decision to delay is a decision influenced by the election. Delaying it is proof of it. I believe he should not have caved in to this and it only hurts justice. I felt Trump would be (and should be) running his campaign from prison. That is the only way his guilty sentence would be a reality for Republicans. He does not qualify as a candidate and should not even be on the ballot. This disgraceful reality needs to be acknowledged as such. No more breaks!!!! No more pussyfooting around the truth!!!!
Of course the judge's decision is justice delayed. Trump has been remarkably successful in delaying all his court cases. However, both the defense AND the prosecution agreed to the delay until after the election. One can speculate that both the prosecution and the judge are assured that if Harris wins the election, the judge can impose an appropriate sentence that may indeed call for incarceration -- a sentence that would be virtually impossible to impose before the election. Bit of course the downside is that if Trump somehow wins the election, all his federal cases will disappear and he will never face the consequences of his heinous behavior.
However we are talking about a State case that he can't just make go away (unless the corrupt Supreme Court helps him).
Judge Marchand did the right thing. Judge Chutkan did the right thing. Somewhere in this balancing act, justice may prevail. I've got to believe that Trump's extraordinary luck with his lifetime of cheating, scamming, and flaunting the law, will finally meet its rightful end: Jail.
His means will determine his end.
I think Merchant plans to send Mr. Trump to jail. By delaying the sentencing Trump cannot claim he lost the election because he was sentenced before the election.
I truly believe , however this ends, Judge Merchant had had enough of his family and himself
being terrorized by agents of the criminal Trump.
Trump as we all know is the most aggrieved criminal of this century .
His flying , shrieking , monkeys have made it difficult for good people to act with their consciences as opposed to their hearts and emotional well being .
Understandably , the justice system is being affected by his attempts to manipulate the people who he believes would send him to jail. He , ( Trump) is the one responsible for that possibility.
Oh and the media severely under reacting to Trumps verbal atrocities, no matter how heinous.
And now we have on the record an endorsement of this criminal ex president , DJT .
By none other than the Fraternal Order of the Police .
Seems right , same idea, they work to excuse all the unreasonable and unnecessary deaths of minorities at the hands of their officers , who are always “ afraid for their lives” even if the victim is running away from them . Hmmm?
Donald Trump has caused more destruction to our Democracy . He allowed infestation of our country by rot , allowing his owner/ handler, Vladimir Putin to spew his hate and terror . His Russian actors are creating chaos and theft and corruption to add to Thug Trumps coalition.
Why has this convicted criminal been given a pass on any accountability at all? The media , the Heritage Foundation , the Supreme Court Six
All have made decisions to be mules for this broken wannabe Mob Boss Trump. This twisted tribe needs to be stopped for good in November 2024 , thereby stopping the implementation of the Dictators installment of the 2025 plan .
I like that this timing makes it more likely Trump could be in jail while he's trying to steal the election he'll have just lost.
Incarceration after voting day. That's interesting.
Why is our legal system treating Trump like he is special and exceptional? Not fair and does not make sense. He is an unbehaved punk and out of control bum! He is someone who takes advantage of people and situations. Then gets away with it! Trump is more important than the plaintiffs! The man has broken the law and lied so many uncountable times.
The American voters needed to receive the conclusion of this case. The judge punted and the court failed to carry thru! Shame.
He's already guilty. He just hasn't been sentenced. My guess - he's going to jail. That's why the delay. Making him wait means he gets to ruminate in his mind - it's driving him crazy. And he doesn't have far to go.
The right decision. His likely sentence would have involved confinement, either jail or home confinement. And that would have been a James Comey effect. I’m sure he’s screaming on the inside, but he has always risen above the awful circumstances of this awful defendant.
I think that this is a good and fair judge and so I have to believe that he made the best decision but it's sickens me nonetheless that once again Trump wins... or at least delays his losing. When Dr Martin Luther King Jr said "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice" I had no idea it would take this long.
From the deep well of belief and uplifting patience in his glorious voice, he knew; he understood.
I appreciate that he wanted the hard work of the jurors to be recognized and appreciated. I think we will know if this date change was a good idea only in retrospect.
In reading some of the comments, people seem to feel Merchan made the right decision. I can not agree with the sentiment. While the circumstances may be unique, it creates the impression that there is a two tier system of justice. I believe he has been overly cautious and concerned about being overturned on appeal.
Trump will appeal any sentence. It will be stayed during the appeal, which most likely end up in the Supreme Court. We can only imagine how they will rule.
Polling during the primaries showed that a conviction would change people’s minds about him being president. People have the right to know what type of person they are voting for. Convicted but pending sentencing leaves us hanging, again.
"Merchan bends over backwards to insist that he wanted to avoid giving the appearance that his decision was a political act." By which he made it a political act. No one, NO ONE, else would be given this exceptional treatment.
Another option would be to say what the sentence is and then put off enforcement until later.
Does the current Republican presidential candidate need to go to prison or not?
Like what do you do if he wins but isn’t in power yet?
I wrote the same thing. Announce Trump’s sentence and then defer it until after the election. There must be a reason for not doing this. Makes sense to me At least the people would know Trump is not above the law.
Of course this is the correct strategic and legal decision. Patience and clear, critical thinking is virtuous.
I disagree with Judge Merchan's decision. I appreciate that most judges are concerned about precedent but what kind of message does it send to the rank-and-file Americans who would have been incarcerated for those offenses in a more timely manner? Are we all Leona Helmsley's "little people" who must pay taxes or go to jail if we are found to be tax cheats who defraud the government? Obviously, we are. Donald Trump has skated through life with nary a scratch. Worth a million dollars at the age of three, a draft dodger, a goniff his entire life, and only made to pay for two of his crimes--his phony university and his attempt to profit from his self-fashioned "non-profit." The only American judge who has made a decent decision in dealing with the nefarious and amoral Mr. Trump is Judge Chutkan.
I don’t completely understand it. The judge did not get a position from the prosecution because they said they saw reasonable points made by DJT’s team. Part of what the judge wrote scolded them in legalese. So there is something missing. (I’ve heard analysts say IF Donnie loses the election the odds just went up that he will be incarcerated for some period of time when sentenced.)
Although the whole thing would go to SCOTUS no matter what the judge did, I have to say Donnie will view this as how our legal system has worked for him all his adult life. It does rob him of the big ‘victim’ card in the run up to Election Day. Chances are he had a big fundraising push ready.
Otherwise, life goes on as usual in our “new normal.”
Snatch the martyrdom wind out of his sails now and no one will care when he is incarcerated in late November. Oh wait! I will be happy to see it!
Marquita, he's probably going to be president again, and when he is, he will be completely above the law. We've spent 8 years watching him evolve into the god-king of the US. He'll do whatever the hell he wants, and nobody and nothing shall ever hold him to account, or even slow him down.
The Democratic party took a position of monumental strength in 2021, and turned it into a position of absolute helplessness and absolute weakness. They're not competent. They're not capable. They're not even principled. They're just naive. Your champions aren't able to champion anything, and as a result, you, and all you value, have been left out to dry.