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Tuesday October 3, 2023

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday October 3, 2023

Donald Trump’s Legal Battles: A Timeline as He Eyes 2024

July 19, 2023

In the realm of American politics, few figures have been as polarizing as former President Donald Trump. As he campaigns to take the White House in the 2024 presidential election, Trump is facing a series of legal challenges that could significantly impact his political future. These legal battles span a range of issues, from allegations of business fraud to charges related to the tumultuous aftermath of the 2020 election. Here, we chronicle these legal entanglements in a clockwork fashion.

Business Fraud in New York (Civil)

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In the heart of Manhattan, a courtroom showdown between Trump and New York Attorney General Letitia James is currently underway. The lawsuit, filed by James, alleges widespread fraud in Trump’s financial dealings, accusing him, his adult children, and the Trump Organization of misrepresenting financial information to deceive banks and lenders. The sought-after damages amount to a staggering $250 million. The trial, which commenced on October 2, 2023, marks a pivotal moment in Trump’s legal battles.

Video: Trump and New York AG sit just feet apart in courtroom. See the moment  

E. Jean Carroll (Civil)

December 21, 2022

E. Jean Carroll’s accusations of sexual assault against Trump led to a defamation lawsuit. In a landmark verdict, a jury found Trump liable for battery and defamation in May 2023, awarding Carroll $5 million in damages. Represented by attorney Roberta Kaplan, Carroll’s legal pursuit continues with a second defamation trial scheduled to commence on January 15, 2024. This trial allows Carroll to amend her initial defamation lawsuit, addressing claims made by Trump during a CNN town hall.

Stormy Daniels Hush Money (Criminal)

March 22, 2023

The saga surrounding hush money payments to Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has resulted in criminal charges. Trump is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, related to how the payments to Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, were recorded by the Trump Organization. Scheduled for March 25, 2024, this criminal trial has the potential to unearth crucial details surrounding the payments and their alleged cover-up.

Election Tampering in Georgia (Criminal)

In Fulton County, Georgia, a grand jury indictment rocked Trump’s inner circle, including Rudy Giuliani, with charges under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The indictment, issued on August 14, 2023, followed a two-year investigation led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into allegations of election interference. The charges extend beyond RICO violations, encompassing allegations such as forgery and criminal attempt to commit influencing witnesses. A trial date is expected to be determined in the coming weeks.

News: Donald Trump Gets McDonald’s Delivered To Court During Civil Fraud Trial  

Classified Documents at Mar-a-Lago (Criminal)

Wednesday August 10, 2022

A year after the FBI recovered numerous classified documents from Mar-a-Lago, Trump faced the unprecedented situation of being indicted as a former president. The indictment, consisting of 37 counts, includes charges of willful retention of national defense information and conspiracy to obstruct justice. The trial, scheduled for May 20, 2024, promises to shed light on the circumstances surrounding these classified documents and their implications.

January 6 and the 2020 Election Aftermath (Criminal)

July 23, 2022

Arguably the most significant case brought against Trump, his indictment on August 1, 2023, centers on his efforts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the Capitol attack. This federal criminal case, handled by DOJ special counsel Jack Smith, is set to commence on March 4, 2024. The trial’s timing is notable, as it falls just one day before Super Tuesday, a crucial juncture in the presidential election calendar.

These legal challenges represent a complex and multifaceted backdrop to Donald Trump’s potential bid for the presidency in 2024. As the legal proceedings unfold, they hold the power to shape the political landscape, influence public opinion, and ultimately determine the viability of a Trump return to the White House. The confluence of law and politics in these cases makes them not only significant legal battles but also key factors in the upcoming presidential race. (AI) 

 

Tuesday March 22, 2022

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday March 22, 2022

Putin holds rally in Moscow, praises Russian troops as Ukraine fights back invasion

August 15, 2008

Russian President Vladimir Putin used a rally before a packed soccer stadium on Friday to justify the invasion of Ukraine, promising tens of thousands of people waving Russian flags that all the Kremlin’s aims would be achieved.

“We know what we need to do, how to do it and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans,” Putin told a rally at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium.

Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in an invasion on Feb. 24. Ukrainian forces have mounted stiff resistance and the West has imposed sweeping sanctions on Russia in an effort to force it to withdraw its forces.

Putin, who recently condemned what he called “scum” and “traitors” in Russia, said the soldiers fighting in what Russia calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine had illustrated the unity of his country.

Saturday October 31, 2020

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Saturday October 31, 2020

Biden’s Call for ‘National Mask Mandate’ Gains Traction in Public Health Circles

October 10, 2020

As the nation heads into what public health experts are calling a “dark winter” of coronavirus illness and death, public health experts are coalescing around Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s call for a “national mask mandate,” even as they concede such an effort would require much more than the stroke of a presidential pen.

Over the past week, a string of prominent public health experts — notably Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease specialist, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Trump — have said it is time to seriously consider a national mandate to curb the spread of the virus.

Overseas this week, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia became the latest foreign leader to impose a national mandate for citizens to wear masks. Mr. Trump is opposed to a mandate, and Mr. Biden has conceded that a presidential order for all Americans to wear masks would almost certainly face — and most likely fall to — a legal challenge.

March 6, 2020

Mr. Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, echoed the “dark winter” language during the most recent presidential debate, and he is already using his bully pulpit to promote and reinforce a culture of mask wearing. If elected, he will almost certainly do more.

Mr. Biden has already said that, as president, he would mandate masks on all federal property, an executive order that could have wide reach. He could use his authority under federal transit law to require masks on public transportation. He could also prod governors who are resisting mask mandates to at least require masks in public buildings in their states.

But that is delicate terrain in the United States, where Mr. Trump has turned the act of wearing or not wearing a mask into a political statement. Public health and legal experts say it would be far better for Mr. Biden — or Mr. Trump, for that matter — to use his powers of persuasion to convince Americans that covering one’s face to curb the spread of the virus is a patriotic or civic-minded action.

“Instead of making it about the president’s coercive authority under law it should be about whether the president can support a norm that supports public health, which is in people’s self interest,” said Harold Hongju Koh, a law professor at Yale University and an expert in national security and human rights.

Mr. Trump, however, has shown little interest in supporting such norms. At a rally on Wednesday in Arizona, he mocked California’s mask mandate, saying, “You have to eat through the mask.” (New York Times)