{"id":2236717,"date":"2024-05-03T16:52:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-03T20:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-vindictive-prosecution\/"},"modified":"2024-05-03T16:54:36","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T20:54:36","slug":"last-week-in-lawfare-land-vindictive-prosecution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-vindictive-prosecution\/","title":{"rendered":"Recap of the Week: Uncovering &#8216;Vindictive Prosecution&#8217; in Lawfare"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flast-week-in-lawfare-land-vindictive-prosecution%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2236717&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The legal battle against former President \u2064Trump \u2062in Manhattan intensified with the &#8220;hush money&#8221; trial reaching its\u200c 11th day. Meanwhile, other cases involving Trump have slowed down\u2064 amid pending \u200dappeals and motions, \u2062including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/alec-baldwin-other-rust-movie-producers-could-face-tremendous-legal-fallout-experts-say\/\" title=\"Alec Baldwin, Other 'Rust' Movie Producers Could Face 'Tremendous Legal Fallout' Experts Say\">high-profile trials<\/a> in Georgia and\u200b Washington, D.C. Stay informed on the latest developments\u200d in each case. The legal battle against ex-President Trump in Manhattan escalates with the ongoing &#8220;hush money&#8221; \u200dtrial.\u2063 Other Trump-related\u2062 cases in Georgia and Washington, D.C., face delays due to appeals. Stay tuned for updates on these high-profile trials.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>The lawfare crusade against former President Donald Trump continued in Manhattan this week as the criminal trial for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/manhattan-da-wont-charge-donald-trump-with-any-crimes-trump-attorney-says\/\" title=\"Manhattan DA Won\u2019t Charge Donald Trump With Any Crimes, Trump Attorney Says\">alleged \u201chush money\u201d payments<\/a> wrapped up its 11th day, in what is expected to be a weeks-long affair. <\/p>\n<p>But as the criminal trial in Manhattan heats up, the other cases against President Trump have slowed to a halt while appeals and motions are pending, including District Attorney Fani Willis\u2019 case in Georgia over Trump\u2019s questioning of election results, Special Counsel Jack Smith\u2019s Jan. 6 case accusing Trump of conspiracy and obstruction, and Special Counsel Smith\u2019s classified documents case. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1770861379\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-feda00a7003e54aa9da4fedf087b05b0 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-feda00a7003e54aa9da4fedf087b05b0\"><\/div>\n<p>Here\u2019s the latest information you need to know about each case.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/last-week-in-lawfare-land\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read our previous installments here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Manhattan, New York: Prosecution by DA Alvin Bragg for NDA Payment<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this New York state criminal case, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg \u2014 who The New York Times <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/09\/magazine\/alvin-bragg-donald-trump-trial.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acknowledged<\/a> had \u201ccampaigned as the best candidate to go after the former president\u201d \u2014 charged former President Donald Trump in April 2023 with 34 felony charges for alleged falsification of business records. Trump\u2019s former attorney Michael Cohen paid pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election as part of a nondisclosure agreement in which she agreed not to publicize her claims that she had an affair with Trump (who denies the allegations). Nondisclosure agreements are not illegal, but Bragg <a href=\"https:\/\/manhattanda.org\/district-attorney-bragg-announces-34-count-felony-indictment-of-former-president-donald-j-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">claims<\/a> Trump concealed the payment to help his 2016 election chances and in doing so was concealing a \u201ccrime.\u201d Judge Merchan, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/judge-trumps-new-york-case-appears-donated-15-biden-president-2020-rcna78577\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donor<\/a> to Biden\u2019s campaign and an anti-Trump cause in 2020,\u00a0has issued a gag order on President Trump generally prohibiting him from publicly speaking on possible jurors, witnesses, and other personnel in this case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: The trial began on April 15, and jury selection was completed on April 19. Lawyers for both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/last-week-in-lawfare-land-witness-testimony-another-scotus-case-and-a-new-indictment-drop\/\" title=\"Lawfare Update: Testimonies, SCOTUS Case, and New Indictment Drop\">sides made opening statements<\/a> on April 22. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b1a317a7709d586acad3e33c008144b1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-b1a317a7709d586acad3e33c008144b1\"><\/div>\n<p>So far, the jury has heard testimony from David Pecker, a former publisher of the National Enquirer who allegedly helped \u201ccatch and kill\u201d news stories about President Trump\u2019s previous alleged affairs; Gary Farro, a banker who worked with Michael Cohen and detailed his financial activity related to the alleged \u201chush money\u201d payments; and Keith Davidson, the attorney who allegedly negotiated the \u201chush money\u201d agreements for Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. <\/p>\n<p>In a line of questions for Davidson that included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-trial-keith-davidson-stormy-daniels-lawyer-testimony\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discussions<\/a> of Charlie Sheen, Hulk Hogan, and Tila Tequila, Trump\u2019s lawyers highlighted Davidson\u2019s history of striking agreements with celebrities to keep damaging stories out of the media in exchange for large sums of money. Seeking to undermine Davidson\u2019s credibility, Trump\u2019s lawyers painted Davidson as someone who went \u201cright up to the line without committing extortion.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>On May 2, the prosecution also played a 2016 audio recording of President Trump and his then-lawyer Michael Cohen allegedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/listen-audio-trump-michael-cohen-181737544.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">discussing<\/a> the purchase of Karen McDougal\u2019s extramarital affair allegations. <\/p>\n<p>As of this week, Trump had already been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/04\/30\/politics\/donald-trump-fined-usd9-000-for-violating-gag-order-in-hush-money-case\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fined<\/a> $9,000 stemming from 9 alleged violations of Judge Merchan\u2019s gag order. Another hearing on 4 additional gag order violations was held on May 2, and a ruling is still pending. This week, Judge Merchan also issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nycourts.gov\/LegacyPDFS\/press\/PDFs\/D.O.motion4contempt-FINAL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">written order threatening Trump with jail time<\/a> for future gag order violations. Trump has continually referred to the gag order as \u201cunconstitutional.\u201d  <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7326f2b791c168ca38ba656c754386d8 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7326f2b791c168ca38ba656c754386d8\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Fulton County, Georgia: Prosecution by DA Fani Willis for Questioning Election Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: The Georgia state criminal case is helmed by District Attorney Fani Willis and her team of prosecutors \u2014 which until recently included Nathan Wade, with whom Willis had an improper romantic relationship. Willis charged Trump in August 2023 with 13 felony counts, including racketeering charges, related to his alleged attempt to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. President Trump is joined by 18 co-defendants, including Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Sidney Powell, and others. Some of President Trump\u2019s co-defendants have reached plea deals; others have petitioned to have the case removed to federal court, each attempt of which has been denied. A trial date has not yet been set, though prosecutors have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2023\/11\/17\/1213895254\/trump-georgia-proposed-trial-date\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a> for a trial to begin on Aug. 5, just a few short weeks after the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: A trial date has still not been set, but Trump\u2019s codefendant Harrison Floyd has <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/02\/did-fani-willis-indict-the-fulton-19-defendants-without-proper-jurisdiction\/\">raised<\/a> the question of whether Willis has appropriate jurisdiction to bring the case. The argument is that \u201cthe proper jurisdiction for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/did-fani-willis-indict-the-fulton-19-defendants-without-proper-jurisdiction\/\" title=\"Was Fani Willis's Indictment of the 'Fulton 19' Defendants Jurisdictionally Correct?\">election-related violations lies<\/a> with the state election board,\u201d not a district attorney. Judge McAfee denied Floyd\u2019s motion challenging Willis\u2019 jurisdiction but allowed Floyd to escalate the question to the Georgia Court of Appeals.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Southern District of Florida: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Handling of Classified Documents<\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors with Biden\u2019s Justice Department <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/06\/09\/biden-doj-indicts-former-president-donald-trump-over-classified-documents-squabble\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged former President Trump in June 2023 with 40 federal charges related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents<\/a> at his Mar-a-Lago residence. The trial is set to begin on May 20, 2024, though this date is expected to be pushed back. Additionally, venue matters: The trial is currently set to take place in Fort Pierce, Florida, in a locality that heavily <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/2020-election\/results\/florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">backed<\/a> President Trump in the 2020 election. If that remains unchanged, the demographics of the jury pool may result in a pro-Trump courtroom.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong>:<strong> <\/strong>In a motion filed on May 2, President Trump\u2019s lawyers <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2024\/05\/02\/trump-moves-dismiss-florida-indictment-based-vindictive-prosecution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">asked<\/a> that this case be dismissed due to \u201cvindictive prosecution.\u201d Trump\u2019s lawyers highlighted that former Vice President Mike Pence and President Joe Biden have held onto classified documents \u2014 but neither was charged.\u00a0Trump\u2019s lawyers argued that the selective prosecution of President Trump is \u201cvindictive\u201d and due to political bias. Judge Aileen Cannon has not yet ruled on this motion. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Washington, D.C.:\u00a0 Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Jan. 6 Speech<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this federal criminal case, special counsel Jack Smith and federal prosecutors <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/08\/03\/jack-smiths-latest-indictment-is-legally-flawed-and-politically-suspect\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">charged former President Trump in August 2023 with four counts of conspiracy and obstruction<\/a> related to his actions on Jan. 6, 2021. President Trump\u2019s lawyers have argued that immunity extends to actions taken by a president while acting in his official capacity and that, in any event, the First Amendment protects his right to raise legitimate questions about a questionable election process.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: This case is currently stalled while awaiting a ruling from the Supreme Court on former President Trump\u2019s immunity claim. The Supreme Court held oral arguments on April 25, but it remains unclear when the Supreme Court will issue a final ruling. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New York: Lawsuit by A.G. Letitia James\u00a0for Inflating Net Worth<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>: In this New York civil fraud case, Democrat Attorney General Letitia James \u2014 who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/politics\/2018\/12\/19\/new-yorks-next-attorney-general-targeted-slumlords-now-shes-going-after-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">campaigned<\/a> on going after Trump \u2014 sued former President Trump in September 2022 under a civil fraud statute alleging that he misled banks, insurers, and others about his net worth to obtain loans, although the loans have been paid back and none of the parties involved claimed to have been injured by the deals. Following a no-jury trial,\u00a0Judge Arthur Engoron \u2014 whom Trump\u2019s lawyers have accused of \u201castonishing departures from ordinary standards of impartiality\u201d \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/02\/16\/trump-fined-350-million-in-democrats-latest-gambit-to-rig-the-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">issued a decision<\/a> on Feb. 16, 2024\u00a0ordering Trump to pay a $454 million penalty. Trump has appealed this decision and posted a required <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/26\/trumps-reduced-bond-doesnt-make-letitia-james-election-meddling-lawfare-any-less-scandalous\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$175 million appeal bond<\/a>. The appeals court plans to hold hearings on the merits of the full case in September 2024. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: This case mostly remains on hold.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7e7ea373be6d5f1f0bde31946e0fb791 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-7e7ea373be6d5f1f0bde31946e0fb791\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The legal battle against ex-President Trump intensified in Manhattan with the &#8220;hush money&#8221; trial entering its 11th day. It is anticipated to extend for weeks. Meanwhile, other cases against Trump have decelerated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3036,"featured_media":2236718,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/50290422486_8372e93524_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2236717","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/50290422486_8372e93524_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236717","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3036"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2236717"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2236717\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2236718"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2236717"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2236717"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2236717"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}