Judge Merchan unconditionally discharges Trump’s sentence in the “hush money” case
This was expected, but it is still news:
Judge Juan Merchan sentenced President-elect Donald Trump to unconditional discharge.
In New York, an unconditional discharge means the court found someone committed the crime but thinks a punishment doesn’t serve a purpose.
That means Trump won’t serve prison time, fine, or probation supervision.
The sentencing means Trump is a felon. None of us are stupid. We all know the whole point of this circus was to slap Trump with the felon label.
But they’ve been calling him a felon – a convicted felon – ever since the kangaroo court’s verdict. It was repeated over and over during the campaign. It wasn’t technically true till now, but I doubt most people care or cared about such niceties or have even been aware of them.
The lawfare that has been directed at Trump and others on the right has given a new meaning to the phrase “trumped up charges.” Every time someone on the left talked about how Trump was a convicted felon, it served to remind a great many people of the depths to which the left was willing to go – and actually had gone – to try to destroy Trump. It made the Trump opposition look bad, but they didn’t realize it, which was another example of how far they’d gone.
So now they get to continue to call him a felon. They’ve learned, though, that it didn’t much matter; Trump got elected anyway. It is, however, a way to continue to try to defame him and his supporters, by saying that those who voted for him don’t care about the law and are willing and even eager to vote for a criminal. Such arguments must appeal to those on the left, but fortunately that’s not the majority of the American people.
I can’t resist trying to amaturely psychoanalyze people on the left, in particular the ones who are not dumbies. Anyone with a brain in their head has to know all the cases brought against Trump are trumped up shams that wouldn’t be brought up against anyone who isn’t named “Donald Trump”. And they also must know that none of it does anything but make their side look bad at this point. So why do it at all? They gain nothing and arguably even lose whatever credibility they have left. It all seems so stupid and petty and childish. They get to afix the “Convicted Felon” lable to Trump for a few months until it’s inevitably appealed. So what? This isn’t 2016 or 2020 anymore. And denying it is just idiotic.
Idiotic? Who, Democrats? Surely not, no sir! They are Progessives, who, like Stalinists, intend to rule us FOREVER by the laws from which they exempt themselves.Crafty little bastards.
He’s in temporary good standing with Dreyfus, Thoreau, Solzhenitsyn, Mandela and Sharansky.
Talk about shooting blanks!
I wonder if people in the future will incorrectly think that the expression “trumped-up charges” derives from the lawfare against DJT.
Commenter “Mrs. Whatsit” wanted this judgment so it could be appealed. Now the entire New York justice system is on trial.
Hope it gets turned over for the Kangaroo Courts it was. The show trials of the Soviets in the 50s and 60s got only one thing on Marchan, he didn’t get to execute Trump
One reply: “Al Capone was never convicted of murder. Trump was convicted of something. No justice system is perfect.”
From what I understand, the laws in New York would not prevent Trump from voting in New York, as a convicted felon, and thus the laws of Florida allow Trump to vote in Florida.
I have heard many legal opinions that the verdict will be reversed, so why didn’t the judge just reverse the verdict and let Trump get on with living? Was the convicted felon label more important to him than the “stupid and corrupt judge” label?
Well, apparently so….
And, when it is reversed on any of the grounds, Trump should demand retractions from everyone who defamed him. Sue ’em.
Kate, yes, you’re right. Will New York’s state court system redeem itself? I worked in it for years and, outside NYC at least, the appellate courts are not partisan. Inside the city — well, who knows? So I think the court will do the right thing, maybe. I think it will have to. I can’t imagine the contortions you’d have to go through to write a decision upholding what Merchan did. But I don’t know. I wouldn’t have imagined that the contortions that have already taken place would be possible, so I don’t trust myself. I’m holding my breath (especially since the First Department still hasn’t ruled on the civil fraud case, and what are they waiting for?)
Lawfare is a natural part of mankind’s Rule of Law (AKA King’s Law), but just not documented:
Republicans don’t seem to care about the use of lawfare unless it involves one of them or Theirs.
Remember what happened to parents who protested the schools who were Child Grooming their children? Seems the FBI & DoJ were heavily involved in that form of lawfare.
Forms of lawfare happens all the time, e.g.:
Trump was just one of the fortunate ones who was rich enough to stand against such practices…most end up in jail, prison, broke, etc.