In this episode of Rachel Maddow Presents: Déjà News, the hosts examine the fallout from Donald Trump's violation of a gag order related to his criminal case. They discuss Judge Mershon's potential actions to penalize the breach and the district attorney's strategy to challenge Trump's credibility if he testifies.
The episode also covers other current events, including the dismissal of Alejandro Mayorkas' impeachment trial, the hypocrisy around House Republicans' stances on border security and Ukraine aid, Arizona's strict abortion law, and the fundraising advantage enjoyed by Democratic Senate candidates. The summary provides insights into these topical issues from a legal and political perspective.
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In response to Donald Trump's breach of a gag order related to his criminal trial, Judge Mershon is presented with several options for penalizing the violation. Trump, by endorsing Jesse Waters' false claims about jurors—alleging deceit by “undercover liberal activists”—has committed what Lawrence O'Donnell suggests is a significant violation of the gag order. Judge Mershon's potential actions to reprimand Trump for this infraction could include imposing fines or considering jail time, despite the logistical challenges of jailing a former president. The enforcement of the law is affirmed by Weissmann and O'Donnell as being paramount, indicating that the presence of Secret Service protection does not exempt him from facing sanctions appropriate for the breach.
The district attorney is strategizing to dismantle Donald Trump's credibility should he testify, by bringing up a roster of his previous wrongdoings. Such wrongdoings encompass fraudulent business dealings, malicious statements, and a criminal conviction against Trump's companies. Damning highlights include a fraud judgment by NY AG Letitia James, a punitive damages award to E. Jean Carroll for defamation, financial penalties for a frivolous lawsuit against Hillary Clinton, and convictions of two Trump entities for felonies. These past actions, argued by the district attorney, could severely undermine Trump's credibility to a jury or judge, casting doubt on any testimony he may provide in his trial involving the Stormy Daniels payoff.
Senator Eric Schmidt's tactical mistake emerged when he impeded a carefully negotiated unanimous consent agreement concerning the impeachment trial of Alejandro Mayorkas. Schmidt's objection to the agreement ironically led to the swift dismissal vote that Schumer proposed, thus short-circuiting what could potentially have been a more prolonged and exhaustive impeachment process.
House Republicans face hypocrisy accusations due to their push for the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas while disregarding vital foreign aid votes, particularly for Ukraine and Israel. While Mayorkas works on border security measures in the Senate, his impeachment in the House betrays a conflicting Republican narrative around border security. This internal contradiction is further accentuated by the GOP's delay in advancing foreign aid, critical for Ukraine's defense against Russia, despite the Senate's earlier approval. This behavior is criticized by Goldman as partisanship veiling as concern for national issues, indicating a preference within the party that jeopardizes Ukrainian support.
Arizona's strict abortion law from 1864 remains in effect after Republican lawmakers blocked its repeal. Amidst this legal backdrop, Carrie Lake's controversial advice for women is to drive out of state to access abortion services, drawing significant criticism for its insensitivity. This suggestion appears particularly tone-deaf as it fails to consider the logistical and economic burdens placed on those women unable to travel substantial distances for healthcare.
Democratic Senate candidates are outpacing their Republican counterparts in fundraising, which could bode well for their chances in upcoming elections. Notable in this fundraising effort is Congressman Reuben Gallego, who has a financial lead over Carrie Lake. This trend, reported by multiple news outlets, hints at stronger donor appeal by Democrats and a higher expenditure rate in their campaigns. Moreover, the '5% Trump tariff' on Republican fundraising that involves the former president's name could also be impacting GOP financial strategies. An alignment with public sentiment on crucial issues, such as reproductive rights, may also be contributing to this Democratic advantage.
1-Page Summary
Reports emerged that Donald Trump has violated a court-issued gag order by endorsing false claims about the jurors in his criminal trial.
Donald Trump endorsed a post by Fox host Jesse Waters on his social media platform, which accuses jurors of deceit in order to serve on the jury. Trump shared the unfounded claim that "undercover liberal activists" were "lying to the judge to get on the Trump jury."
Lawrence O'Donnell suggested that this could be the most egregious breach of the gag order to date since it directly targets the jurors partaking in Trump's trial.
Andrew Weissmann highlights that Judge Mershon had issued an order specifically prohibiting public discussion regarding any current or prospective juror, and Weissmann notes that Trump's support of Waters' post appears to be a direct challenge to the judge, potentially inviting sanctions.
Discussed sanctions for Trump's actions could include fines. Weissmann and O'Donnell mention that fines are standard penalties for such violations, though the amount of the fine is not specified.
O'Donnell raises the difficulty of jailing Trump, who, as a former president, is afforded Secret Service protection by law. Nonetheless, jail time of up to 30 days for a single violation is possible, with the potential for this to be cumulative for multiple violations.
The logistical challenges of incarcerating a former president who is under Secret Service protection are not trivial. O'Donnell contemplates home confinement as an alternative, ...
Judge Mershon's handling of Trump's gag order violation
The district attorney is considering a strategy to attack Donald Trump's credibility if he decides to testify, based on a list of his prior bad acts.
The DA's list includes various legal issues Trump has faced in the past, which may impeach his credibility in the eyes of a jury or judge. These range from fraudulent business practices to defamatory statements, as well as a criminal conviction of the Trump Corporation.
Lawrence O'Donnell cites a significant judgment against Donald Trump by New York Attorney General Letitia James, which involved Trump using a 2016 presidential campaign fundraiser unlawfully for the Donald J. Trump Foundation, leading to the direction of funds toward his political campaign. The court ordered Trump to pay $2 million for breach of fiduciary duty. This case also resulted in the dissolution of his foundation based on numerous charges, such as breach of fiduciary duty, waste, and willful self-dealing transactions.
In a civil case, a jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $83,300,000 in damages for defamatory statements made by Trump, who was also accused of sexual abuse by Carroll and ordered to pay her $2,020,000 in compensatory and punitive damages.
Trump was sanctioned, being forced to pay $937,989 in fees for filing a frivolous and bad-faith lawsuit. The court described Trump as the "mastermind of strategic abuse of the judicial process."
The Trump Corporation and Trump Payroll Court were convicted on 17 felo ...
District attorney's plan to attack Trump's credibility if he testifies
...
Senator Eric Schmidt demonstrated a lack of strategic acumen in the impeachment proceedings against Alejandro Mayorkas.
In a surprising move, Eric Schmidt objected to a unanimous consent agreement that was carefully worked out between Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican leader Mitch McConnell regarding the impeachment proceeding.
By objecting to t ...
Incompetence of Senator Eric Schmidt dismissing Mayorkas impeachment
While the House of Representatives debates the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, it simultaneously neglects to schedule a vote on critical foreign aid for Ukraine and Israel.
The conduct of the House Republicans garners criticism for what Goldman calls a "shameful" impeachment of Secretary Mayorkas. He indicates that this impeachment seems driven by partisanship, notably to bolster Donald Trump's election campaign, rather than a sincere concern for border security.
At a time when Mayorkas is engaged in the Senate working on border security legislation, House Republicans are actively pursuing his impeachment for purportedly not addressing border issues. This move by the Republicans contradicts Mayorkas' efforts and highlights the discrepancy in their actions.
Furthermore, Goldman underscores a notable inaction on the part of the House Republican majority regarding foreign aid. The aid bill, crucial for supporting Ukraine as it exhausts its ammunition against Russian advances, had been passed by the Senate weeks earlier. The delay in the House raises concerns ...
Hypocrisy of House Republicans impeaching Mayorkas while not funding Ukraine aid
As Arizona grapples with the implications of its long-standing 1864 abortion law, the political discourse takes a contentious turn, with some solutions drawing sharp criticism.
Carrie Lake, the Republican candidate for Senate in Arizona, has suggested a solution for women seeking abortion services that has raised more than a few eyebrows. According to Lawrence O'Donnell, Lake advises that women should take on the burden of traveling hours out of state—a prospect that translates to Lake saying: "So get in your car and start driving." Specifically, Lake points to California as a destination where Arizona women can obtain the medical services forbidden under the local law.
The strict abortion law from 1864, which prohibits abortion, remains a point of contention in Arizona politics. Lawrence O'Donnell brings attention to the fact that Arizona Republicans in the legislature have again stonewalled Democratic efforts to overturn the archaic ban. As a r ...
Arizona's abortion ban and Lake's terrible advice to drive out of state
Recent data and political analysis indicate that Democratic candidates for the Senate hold a significant fundraising advantage over their Republican challengers, which may correlate with their electoral prospects in the upcoming elections.
According to the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, Democrats are seen as the narrow favorite in Arizona's Senate race, with the contest being reclassified from a "toss-up" to "leans Democratic." An example of this funding edge is highlighted with Congressman Reuben Gallego leading in fundraising over Republican Carrie Lake.
Axios reinforces this trend, reporting that in nearly every competitive Senate race, Democratic candidates have outraised their Republican competitors in the first quarter of the year. This pattern of more robust Democratic fundraising may suggest that they have managed to appeal more effectively to donors, which could translate into a substantial campaign advantage as the race progresses.
Moreover, NBC News has underscored that Democrats are not just out-fundraising Republicans, but are also outspending them. This could have extensive implications for campaign visibility and voter outreach efforts, which are crucial in tightly contested races.
There's also discussion by Politico regarding former President Trump's influence on GOP campaign finances. There's a reported '5% Trump tariff' that is levied on Republican can ...
Fundraising advantage for Democratic Senate candidates
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