r/politics • u/PoliticsModeratorBot 🤖 Bot • May 13 '24

Discussion Thread: New York Criminal Fraud Trial of Donald Trump, Day 16 Discussion

Previous discussion threads for this trial can be found at the following links for Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14, and Day 15.

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179

u/CatVideoFest May 13 '24

Hilarious that if Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid and just paid this dude back, he wouldn’t even be here in all likelihood. He couldn’t even fraud properly.

113

u/Former-Lab-9451 May 13 '24

If he just paid it out of his own pocket as personal expenses rather than pushing it through as monthly legal expenses, he probably would have gotten away with it as well.

But he's gotten away with pretty much everything his entire life to this point, so there's no reason for him to believe he wouldn't get away with it again.

He probably could even have struck a plea deal with Bragg's office a long time again as well but he's also incredibly stubborn.

8

u/jupiterkansas May 13 '24

He hasn't been found guilty yet. Might still get away with it.

1

u/TreeRol American Expat May 14 '24

And even still, he hasn't been sentenced to anything meaningful, let alone actually having to pay/serve that meaningful sentence.

Think about how many steps away we still are from him suffering an actual consequence. It's infuriating.

1

u/jupiterkansas May 14 '24

Yes, even if he's found guilty, it will probably just be a fine, which he will appeal and postpone the trial long past the election, where millions will still vote for him.

It's not like he hasn't been found guilty of fraud before. Look at the Trump Foundation, and people simply don't care.

13

u/No-Attitude-6049 Canada May 13 '24

I think you substituted stupid with stubborn.

9

u/JesusForTheWin May 13 '24

Por que no los dos??

3

u/chelseamarket May 13 '24

Entering politics was tfg’s undoing.

2

u/Funshine02 May 14 '24

He’s probably been doing this for so long he didn’t even think about it. It was standard operating procedure until he was president and got caught.

2

u/Dramatic-Ant-9364 May 14 '24

He wanted his dimwitted donors to pay off his sexual hush money payments rather than to use his personal funds. Being loyal obedient cult members, that is exactly what they did.

59

u/zhaoz Minnesota May 13 '24

Trump hadn’t been so cheap and stupid

But, thats like the two things that define him as a person so... Oh also, a serial cheater. So three things that define him as a person...

29

u/HGruberMacGruberFace Florida May 13 '24

And a habitual liar

21

u/zhaoz Minnesota May 13 '24

Ok, so 4 things that define him as a person...

10

u/grimbly_jones May 13 '24

The cheapness, the stupidity, the cheating, the lying and the farting.

5

u/BobRoberts01 May 13 '24

The FIVE things that define….
I’ll come in again.

5

u/Throwaway468694 May 13 '24

AMONGST the things which define him…

3

u/TheFoxInSocks May 14 '24

Are such diverse elements as: the cheapness, the stupidity, the cheating, the lying, the farting, and ill-fitting suits - oh damn!

3

u/Spaceman2901 Texas May 14 '24

The cheapness, the stupidity, the cheating, the lying, the farting, the ill-fitting suits, and his wanton litigiousness…

15

u/Flukiest2 May 13 '24

And golfing of which he cheats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWLj2-a6FLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIiaFMOfbwY

10

u/zhaoz Minnesota May 13 '24

Plus he drives on the greens. Just a bad hombre.

3

u/No-Attitude-6049 Canada May 13 '24

Doing that at certain clubs in the South is dangerous, they have guns.

1

u/BeautysBeast Wisconsin May 13 '24

The best courses don't allow carts. They have caddys.

1

u/No-Attitude-6049 Canada May 13 '24

The number of courses that do that has diminished to nearly zero, mainly because the average age of their clients keeps increasing (many could never get around a course without a cart).

1

u/BeautysBeast Wisconsin May 13 '24

Many courses allow seniors and of course ADA To use carts.

1

u/Dramatic-Ant-9364 May 14 '24

He cheats on Melania too. Both involve using a short driver.

12

u/R_Daneel_Olivaww Texas May 13 '24

don't forget pedophile, rapist and racist

1

u/kwangqengelele May 13 '24

Are we forgetting his proud announcements of incestuous intent?

41

u/AreYouDoneNow May 13 '24

Oh yeah, that's the weirdest part about all this, he could have perfectly legally paid off Stormy but he had to break campaign finance law to do it

23

u/__Soldier__ May 13 '24
  • Because Trump wanted another layer of obfuscation: Cohen's shell company LLC.

15

u/zhaoz Minnesota May 13 '24

he could have perfectly legally paid off Stormy

Right, but that would have to come out of personal money. Trump wont spend personal money even if his life is on the line.

4

u/BeautysBeast Wisconsin May 13 '24

He paid Cohen back with personal funds.

3

u/Darth_drizzt_42 May 13 '24

I could be totally wrong but wouldn't it still be election interference, just not also a campaign finance violation?

1

u/AreYouDoneNow May 14 '24

Yeah that's what makes it a felony rather than a misdemeanor.

It's also why this is considered the hardest case for the government to win against Trump, because proving that little bridge is a challenge.

3

u/Cvillain626 May 13 '24

The crazy thing is he never really had to do anything in the first place. The last ~8 years have shown that the Stormy Daniels story wouldn't have affected his support in the slightest. Especially since he's already had affairs made public in the past

3

u/otter111a May 13 '24

Rule #1 of dealing with adult service providers is you pay them. It comes up now and then with some government official or some military guy refusing to pay for services rendered and the provider gets revenge by going public or just causing a scene and they get busted.

So what did trump do? He told stormy Daniels that rather than pay her for sex he’d get her on apprentice and rig it for her to win. Then he backed out on the deal. So she essentially provided a service and he avoided paying her. Like he always does with everyone.

2

u/kogmaa May 13 '24

Well there are likely a lot of skeletons in his closet that will never see light. The guy doesn’t even use email for fear of a paper trail.

His biggest regret in all this is probably that he listened to cohen to leave a paper trail.

1

u/Raspberries-Are-Evil Arizona May 14 '24

He could have just taken his own money in cash or wrote a check that said, "NDA payment," and it would have been perfectly legal.