{"id":2239285,"date":"2024-05-07T14:45:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-judge-censors-federalist-writer-former-fec-chairman-from-testifying-key-defense-facts\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T14:47:35","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T18:47:35","slug":"trump-trial-judge-censors-federalist-writer-former-fec-chairman-from-testifying-key-defense-facts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-judge-censors-federalist-writer-former-fec-chairman-from-testifying-key-defense-facts\/","title":{"rendered":"Federalist Writer and Former FEC Chairman Censored in Trump Trial Defense Testimony"},"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\">24<\/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%2Ftrump-trial-judge-censors-federalist-writer-former-fec-chairman-from-testifying-key-defense-facts%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=2239285&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 trial of ex-President Trump \u200bin New York involves strict \u200climitations on the testimony\u200d of a key defense witness, as Manhattan DA Bragg alleges Trump violated\u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-president-trump-gives-pardons-to-73-individuals-and-commutes-another-70-sentences-steve-bannon-is-included\/\" title=\"BREAKING: President Trump Gives Pardons to 73 Individuals and Commutes Another 70 Sentences \u2013 Steve Bannon Is Included\">campaign finance<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-ca-gov-overstepped-his-authority-with-covid-order-issues-permanent-injunction-restraining-newsom-from-further-issuing-unconstitutional-orders\/\" title=\"Judge Rules CA Gov Overstepped His Authority with Covid Order, Issues Permanent Injunction Restraining Newsom From Further Issuing Unconstitutional Orders\">laws<\/a>. Judge Merchan, perceived as biased, has restricted the former FEC Chairman&#8217;s testimony.\u200b The case\u200c revolves around Trump&#8217;s\u200d actions before the 2016 \u200belection and \u2064the classification of \u2064expenses under the Federal Election Campaign \u2062Act.  <\/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 New York judge presiding over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s prosecution of former President Donald Trump has strictly limited the information a key witness for the Republican\u2019s defense can testify about in court. <\/p>\n<p>Bragg\u00a0claims Trump violated the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) when his former attorney Michael Cohen paid pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair. <a href=\"https:\/\/manhattanda.org\/district-attorney-bragg-announces-34-count-felony-indictment-of-former-president-donald-j-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According to Bragg<\/a>, because the cash changed hands ahead of the 2016 election, it should have been publicly reported as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/omar-kept-husbands-consulting-firm-afloat\/\" title=\"Omar Kept Husband\u2019s Consulting Firm Afloat\">campaign expenditure<\/a>. <\/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__b89e9-1195025494\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d3673a079ad10d777828509d4f670b38 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-d3673a079ad10d777828509d4f670b38\"><\/div>\n<p>Judge Juan 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\">financial supporter<\/a> of Trump\u2019s campaign opponent with a <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/08\/judge-who-gagged-trump-to-hide-rabid-pro-democrat-bias-must-recuse-immediately\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201crabid pro-Democrat bias,\u201d<\/a> has gone along with this plan by entertaining <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/04\/05\/12-anti-trump-pundits-and-lawmakers-who-think-braggs-case-is-terrible\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bragg\u2019s weak case<\/a> and gagging Trump. Merchan further hindered Trump\u2019s legal efforts by declaring former FEC Chairman Bradley Smith is only allowed to testify about limited aspects of his job.  <\/p>\n<p>Smith professionally enforced campaign finance laws including the one Bragg has chosen to target Trump over. He has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/opinions\/those-payments-to-mistresses-were-unseemly-that-doesnt-mean-they-were-illegal\/2018\/08\/22\/634acdf4-a63b-11e8-8fac-12e98c13528d_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">long asserted<\/a> that \u201calmost anything a candidate does can be interpreted as intended to \u201cinfluence an election\u201d but \u201cnot every expense that might benefit a candidate is an obligation that exists solely because the person is a candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In an <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/15\/trumps-strongest-new-york-defense-has-nothing-to-do-with-alvin-bragg-or-judge-merchan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">April 15 article for The Federalist<\/a>, Smith reiterated that almost all purchases by politicians could be construed as meeting the \u201cfor the purpose of influencing an election\u201d clause in the FECA but are not scrutinized because they are classified as \u201cpersonal use.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>He noted that even if Trump met the threshold for \u201cmisreporting business expenses,\u201d which his <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/04\/12\/alvin-bragg-kicks-off-another-frenzied-lawfare-trial-with-weakest-case-against-trump-yet\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legal nondisclosure deal<\/a> does not qualify for under the law, it\u2019s often a misdemeanor offense. Yet Bragg, who campaigned on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/04\/09\/magazine\/alvin-bragg-donald-trump-trial.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vengeance<\/a> against the former president, wants it to be a felony. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-88ecdcf566176c4b9a6733ca5b55a00c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-88ecdcf566176c4b9a6733ca5b55a00c\"><\/div>\n<p>Smith\u2019s testimony could have opened the jury\u2019s eyes to the fact that the FEC and Department of Justice deliberately chose not to charge Trump for same payment Bragg insists amounts to a felony. Yet Merchan barred him from mentioning the matter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat the FEC dismissed the complaint against defendant and the DOJ decided against prosecuting defendant for potential FECA violations are probative of nothing,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nycourts.gov\/LegacyPDFS\/press\/pdfs\/Dec%20on%20People's%20MIL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Merchan wrote<\/a> \u201cThese matters are therefore irrelevant and defendant is precluded from eliciting testimony or introducing evidence or both.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Merchan also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nycourts.gov\/LegacyPDFS\/press\/pdfs\/Dec%20on%20People's%20MIL.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prohibited<\/a> Smith from mentioning \u201cthere had never been a case in which anyone had been convicted of a federal campaign finance law violation for the making of \u2018hush money payments.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Smith, with his wealth of knowledge and experience on campaign finance, is only permitted to give \u201cgeneral background as to what the Federal Campaign Commission is, background as to who makes up the FEC, what the FEC\u2019s function is, what laws, if any, the FEC is responsible for enforcing, and general definitions and terms\u00a0that relate directly to this case, such as for example \u2018campaign contribution.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90d23c23da371bbcc99615c3288a4c2e fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-90d23c23da371bbcc99615c3288a4c2e\"><\/div>\n<p>Merchan\u2019s decision to censor Smith erects yet another court-introduced obstacle that aids Democrats\u2019 lawfare and keeps Trump from the 2024 campaign trail. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ce49725d79d6b74c7d99b231bc797f32 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-ce49725d79d6b74c7d99b231bc797f32\"><\/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>In the trial led by New York judge Alvin Bragg against ex-President Trump, witness testimony crucial to Trump&#8217;s defense is severely restricted. Bragg alleges Trump breached the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) through payments made to Stormy Daniels by his lawyer, Michael Cohen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":490,"featured_media":2239286,"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\/Screenshot-2024-05-07-at-11.54.43-AM-e1715100968792-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2239285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-07-at-11.54.43-AM-e1715100968792-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239285","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\/490"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2239285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2239285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2239286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2239285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2239285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2239285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}