{"id":2252108,"date":"2024-05-24T12:34:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-24T16:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-week-in-lawfare-land-deadly-force\/"},"modified":"2024-05-24T12:36:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T16:36:54","slug":"this-week-in-lawfare-land-deadly-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/this-week-in-lawfare-land-deadly-force\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week on Lawfare: &#8216;Deadly Force"},"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\">12<\/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%2Fthis-week-in-lawfare-land-deadly-force%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=2252108&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>This week in the legal realm, President Trump&#8217;s defense team concluded its case\u2062 in Manhattan&#8217;s\u200c criminal court. Meanwhile, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pelosis-jan-6-select-committee-subpoenas-four-trump-aides-advisers\/\" title=\"Pelosi\u2019s Jan. 6 Select Committee Subpoenas Four Trump Aides, Advisers\">ongoing criminal cases<\/a> in\u2063 Georgia, Florida, and Washington D.C. see significant developments. Democrats openly discuss the impact of \u200blawfare tactics, aiming to keep Trump off the campaign trail. Stay updated on the latest details of each\u200b case.\u200c This week in the legal \u2064realm, President Trump&#8217;s \u2064defense team wrapped\u200b up its arguments in Manhattan&#8217;s criminal court. Simultaneously, noteworthy progress unfolds in the\u200b ongoing\u2064 criminal cases \u200bin \u2063Georgia, Florida, and Washington D.C. Democrats are vocal about employing\u200c lawfare strategies to sideline Trump\u2062 from the campaign trail. Stay\u200d informed\u200d about the latest updates in each \u200ccase.  <\/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>In Manhattan criminal court, President Trump\u2019s legal team rested its case this week, and closing arguments are expected on Tuesday. After closing arguments, the jury will immediately begin deliberating the verdict. This will mark the first time a jury has ever returned a criminal verdict against a former president. <\/p>\n<p>The criminal cases in Georgia, Florida, and Washington D.C. are still halted while appeals play out. Meanwhile, it was revealed this week that the agents in the Florida classified documents case were authorized to use \u201cdeadly force\u201d if necessary when they raided Trump\u2019s Mar-a-Lago home.<\/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__b89e9-277612256\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e671ef7d0f0eef433c5beffa19228317 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-e671ef7d0f0eef433c5beffa19228317\"><\/div>\n<p>As the lawfare crusade continues, Democrats are now saying the quiet part out loud. On Wednesday, Democrat New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/22\/aoc-admits-lawfare-is-an-ankle-bracelet-keeping-trump-from-campaign-trail\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitted in an interview<\/a> that the lawfare against Trump is achieving the goal of keeping him off the campaign trail, referring to the lawfare as a \u201clegal version of an ankle bracelet around him.\u201d This comes after <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/16\/biden-fundraises-off-lawfare-circus-after-taunting-trump-for-being-stuck-in-court\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">President Joe Biden taunted and fundraised off of President Trump\u2019s legal cases<\/a> last week.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the latest information you need to know about each case.<\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/this-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.\u00a0Trump\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\/\">claims<\/a> Trump concealed the payment to help his 2016 election chances and in doing so was concealing a \u201ccrime.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4e381e286794a0d5a83264c27f0b9282 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4e381e286794a0d5a83264c27f0b9282\"><\/div>\n<p>The trial began on April 15, and jury selection was completed on April 19. 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>: This week, the jury heard further testimony from the prosecution\u2019s star witness Michael Cohen, a former personal attorney of President Donald Trump. During cross-examination on Monday, Cohen admitted to stealing <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/05\/20\/us-news\/trumps-ex-fixer-michael-cohen-admits-stealing-60k-from-him-after-trump-stiffed-vendor-in-bizarre-scheme-to-rig-popularity-poll\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$60,000<\/a> from the Trump Organization. This revelation added to Cohen\u2019s already-<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/17\/3-moments-star-witness-michael-cohen-just-undermined-braggs-get-trump-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">illustrious resume<\/a> of lies and deceit, which includes lying to a Senate committee in 2017, pleading guilty to lying to Congress in 2018, and lying about not committing tax evasion \u201cdespite having told a federal judge, U.S. District Judge William Pauley, in court that he had.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/17\/3-moments-star-witness-michael-cohen-just-undermined-braggs-get-trump-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Commentators have widely agreed<\/a> that Cohen\u2019s testimony was disastrous for Democrat District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s case against Trump. <\/p>\n<p>On Monday and Tuesday, defense witness Robert Costello testified. Costello previously represented Cohen and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?sa=t&#038;source=web&#038;rct=j&#038;opi=89978449&#038;url=https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/trump-manhattan-da-case-bob-costello-testifies-grand-jury-says-michael-cohen-serial-liar&#038;ved=2ahUKEwjJ1pbRyaaGAxWdtYQIHfoWAT4QFnoECBMQAQ&#038;usg=AOvVaw3YuYSiEtj3VsA_iWtweOpR\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">told<\/a> a grand jury last year that Cohen is a \u201cserial liar.\u201d Costello\u2019s testimony sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-53f8cf8169d32907f6f6b9e082c24178 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-53f8cf8169d32907f6f6b9e082c24178\"><\/div>\n<p>President Trump did not testify. <\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, the defense rested its case. Closing arguments and jury instructions are expected on May 28, which would be the final day before the jury begins deliberating the final verdict. <\/p>\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\">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>: On Thursday, Democrat Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed an appeal seeking to reverse the trial court\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/georgia-election-interference-2020-trump-46e0b68c25719c404130f7e6eab69dcd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dismissal of some criminal charges<\/a> against President Trump.\u00a0Willis and Judge Scott McAfee both survived primary challenges in Georgia\u2019s elections on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Southern District of Florida: Prosecution by Biden DOJ for Handling of Classified Documents<\/strong><\/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\/\">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. In early May, Judge Aileen Cannon postponed this trial indefinitely. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments: <\/strong>It was revealed this week that the FBI had <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/21\/fbi-was-authorized-to-use-deadly-force-against-trump-during-mar-a-lago-raid-court-filings-show\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">authorized the use of \u201cdeadly force\u201d<\/a> during the raid of President Trump\u2019s residence at Mar-a-Lago, in which agents sought classified documents that Smith claims Trump had mishandled.\u00a0According to a filing by the Trump team, \u201cThe Order contained a \u2018Policy Statement\u2019 regarding \u2018Use Of Deadly Force,\u2019 which stated, for example, \u2018Law enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary \u2026\u2019.\u201d<\/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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-thanks-ill-be-skipping-the-inauguration\/\" title=\"No Thanks, I\u2019ll Be Skipping the Inauguration\">questionable election process<\/a>.<\/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.<\/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.\u00a0Following 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<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><strong>Maricopa County, Arizona: Indictments of Trump Affiliates Meadows, Giuliani, and 16 Others<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>How we got here<\/strong>:<strong> <\/strong>In April, Democratic Attorney General of Arizona Kris Mayes announced the grand jury indictments of former President\u00a0Trump\u2019s Chief of Staff\u00a0Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani,\u00a0Boris Epshteyn, and 15 others stemming from the 2020 election. President Trump has not been charged in this case, but he was named as an \u201cunindicted coconspirator.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The indictment identified 11 Republicans who allegedly sent false documents to Congress asserting that President Trump won the state of Arizona in the 2020 election. The defendants are also accused of attempting to pressure the Arizona Legislature, then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, and the Maricopa board of supervisors to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p>Legal commentators, including <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/05\/15\/the-lefts-2020-fake-electors-narrative-is-fake-news\/\">one from The Federalist<\/a>, have observed that the \u201cfake electors\u201d narrative is baseless given the established history of <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\">presidential campaigns preparing alternate electors<\/a>, including the John F. Kennedy campaign in Hawaii in 1960.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Latest developments<\/strong>: The defendants, including former New York City Mayor and Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani, were arraigned on Tuesday. They pled not guilty. The trials for Giuliani and former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward are scheduled for Oct. 17. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f9fe2edf88e5fe0346a4d338f4ef6d88 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f9fe2edf88e5fe0346a4d338f4ef6d88\"><\/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 Manhattan&#8217;s criminal court, President Trump&#8217;s defense team concluded its case this week. Closing arguments are set for Tuesday. The jury is poised to deliberate the verdict promptly afterward. If convicted, this would be the inaugural criminal verdict against a former president. Simultaneously, criminal cases unfold in Georgia and Florida<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3036,"featured_media":2252109,"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\/49502664787_7a52149d6d_k.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2252108","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\/49502664787_7a52149d6d_k.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252108","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=2252108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2252109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2252108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2252108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2252108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}