patrick.net

Lately I often hear people complain about the use of donor money to pay Trump’s litigation expenses. That seems wrong-headed to me. Trump is only facing the litigation because he’s running for President. Donald J. Trump is the one taking all the risk — risk of bankruptcy and prison. If people don’t donate, he’s a dead Donald. So his litigation costs are campaign expenses. It’s that simple.

Billionaire businessman Joe Lonsdale has blasted the draconian nine-figure fine imposed on President Donald Trump by a leftist New York judge.

Lonsdale noted that the ruling, issued in New York Attorney General Letitia James’s civil “fraud” case, is “scary” for other businesses operating in the state.

The renowned American entrepreneur declared that the ruling was “obviously” political and “not how this country is supposed to work.”

Trump was fined over $450 million in “damages” by radical Judge Arthur Engoron for “fraud,” even as the judge acknowledged there were no victims in the case.

The verdict has led to shock and alarm even among Trump’s foes, including Jeb Bush, who co-authored a Wall Street Journal article with Lonsdale defending Trump.

Lonsdale told CNN host Michael Smerconish that the verdict is “obviously” excessive and politically motivated.

Echoing Trump’s own rhetoric about the Biden “regime,” Lonsdale said he fears the government is being “weaponized” against political opponents and business will suffer.

“It’s like basically what happens in these countries when you have a regime take over that’s going after its enemies,” he said.

“You weaponize it and you penalize people in ridiculous ways.

“This is an obvious example of that.”

Lonsdale said he and his friends in business are not fans of Trump, but they find the excessive punishment “scary.”

“This is why it’s scary to my friends who do business, who don’t even like Trump because it’s a $400,000,000 fine for something where there’s no victims is obviously a weaponization of government and everyone knows on its face.”

“They know that penalizing that much in business is clearly weaponization,” he said.

Patrick says

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice inspector general on Wednesday, accusing special counsel Jack Smith of election interference by resisting attempts to delay his criminal prosecution of former President Trump.

Smith has pushed federal judges not to delay his case against Trump, which alleges that the former president attempted to overturn the 2020 election. Trump’s attorneys have invoked the Supreme Court over whether Trump can be prosecuted at all, possibly pushing back trial past the 2024 general election.

Gaetz claims Smith’s work is intended to influence the election, violating DOJ policy.

“The witch hunt against President Trump by Attorney General Garland and Special Counsel Smith is a partisan exercise, and the American people know it,” Gaetz said in a statement. “The actions of the Special Counsel Smith to speed up the trial against President Trump violate the DOJ’s rules and the law.”

“His public comments and his office’s briefs before the Supreme Court demonstrate that he has no reason for his actions other than to unlawfully interfere in the 2024 presidential election,” he continued.

Unwritten DOJ policy generally forbids prosecutors from actions that could be seen as influencing an election within 60 days of Election Day. Gaetz argued in the letter that the logic of the rule should be extended to now because “it is indisputable that we are already in an election season.”

Gaetz’s letter to DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz specifically claims Smith’s attempts to speed the case through courts is a “violation of law.”

“It is the core of prohibited conduct that a purpose (not the purpose) of any official action of a prosecutor be to affect any election,” Gaetz wrote. “It may be morally correct that the American people should see swift resolution of this case, perhaps with dropped charges or a Trump acquittal before the November 2024 Presidential election, but wielding Executive Branch authority in the service of this is a violation of law. Prosecutors must be held to a higher standard.”

I was speaking at the VSRF Litigation Conference in Las Vegas on March 8th. I caught up with Brook Jackson at the conference, and she has informed me that she and her attorneys have received email communication from the Department of Justice stating that they are planning to intervene in her case (again) and move to dismiss it.

This comes after, finally, the oral arguments were scheduled for April 17th, meaning the US Government is desperate to squash the case before discovery can be made possible! They cannot afford the discovery, and thus will try to get rid of the case. The DOJ has to provide the rationale for the dismissal, and it remains to be seen what that will be. ...

As I said many times before, while this development is not really a surprise and was expected by me and by Katherine Watt . We think of Brook as an American hero. By bringing this case, as early as she did, and by being steadfast in her pursuit of justice, not as plaintiff but as a relator under False Claims Act, she speaks for all of us and for all victims. This case was instrumental in identifying the Department of Defense as a key “financier” behind the mass murder and biological weapons attack masquerading as a “response” to a “public health crisis”. Pfizer was cornered and had to point to the DOD contract in their first motion to dismiss in April 2022.

The case is not over, and I pray that Brook and her attorneys persevere and ultimately true justice prevails.

President Donald Trump has raised the alarm over evidence that appears to show high-level collusion in the politically motivated classified documents case against him.

Trump revealed that he has uncovered evidence that appears to show that Special Counsel Jack Smith has been taking orders from Democrat President Joe Biden.

The 45th president argues that it proves a direct link between the White House and the prosecution cases against him.

Trump alleges that recent court filings by Jack Smith admit to the special counsel acting under directions from Biden.

https://www.wsj.com/us-news/colorados-star-dna-analyst-intentionally-manipulated-data-investigation-finds-eff028ac

Paywall

"Look at the charts, the numbers don't lie," Missy proclaimed steadfastly, "It's scientifically proven to be 'two in the pink'. However, further study is required to find out 'how many in the stink'."

To prevent being reversed for unconstitutional “unusual punishment” or “excessive fines,” Judge Engoran, who looks much like an old goat, would have been better off ordering a lower penalty for Trump’s completely victimless crime. But the pallid Judge got greedy, or happy, or something, and ordered an historic, planet-sized judgment, which is now creating all sorts of legal problems.

To prevent being reversed for unconstitutional “unusual punishment” or “excessive fines,” Judge Engoran, who looks much like an old goat, would have been better off ordering a lower penalty for Trump’s completely victimless crime.

The son of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Paul Jr., has reportedly managed to avoid criminal charges in a federal fraud case.

55-year-old Paul Pelosi Jr. appears to have dodged federal criminal charges, even as some of his business associates are set to be sentenced to prison over a San Francisco property scam.

According to ZeroHedge, this is at least the seventh time Pelosi Jr. has avoided legal trouble while prosecutors take down companies and business associates around him.

While Pelosi Jr. dodges charges, his business associates still suffer substantial consequences for alleged criminal acts.

Two major Democratic clients of the daughter of the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s hush-money trial have raised at least $93 million in campaign donations — and used the case in their solicitation emails — raising renewed concerns that the jurist has a major conflict of interest.

Trump’s attorneys are considering filing another motion demanding Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan recuse himself from the trial set to begin April 15, sources said.

The judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, is president of Authentic Campaigns, a Chicago-based progressive political consulting firm whose top clients include Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), who was the lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment trial, and the Senate Majority PAC, a major party fundraiser.

Biden’s DOJ Drops Decade-Long Case After Defendant Makes Massive Donation To Campaign