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#colangelo

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#HouseRepublicans are summoning Manhattan DA #AlvinBragg to #Congress after #Trump’s #conviction on all counts in his #ElectionInterference #FalsifiedBusinessRecords NY trial.

The #House #Judiciary Cmte’s select subcmte on the *weaponization of the federal government* on Fri invited #Bragg & one of his prosecutors, Matthew #Colangelo, to testify on June 13. The cmte said the hearing “will examine the unprecedented political prosecution” of Trump.

The cmte is led by #GymJordan.

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#Colangelo argues the instruction proposed about fmr #NationalEnquirer publisher #Pecker’s legal consult w/his attorney is irrelevant, because Pecker testified that he didn’t reveal all of the facts to AMI’s general counsel when he consulted them & therefore his attys couldn’t provide proper legal advice.

Bove argues that what matters is Pecker told Trump that he had been told the McDougal agreement was “bulletproof,” & Trump relied it.

(Um, hella hearsay regardless)
#criminal #law #TrumpTrial

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Justice Merchan hears arguments re the expanded #intent #JuryInstructions.
He indicates agreement w/the defense on causing false entries when those false entries are “reasonably foreseeable” to the defendant based on his conduct.

This is related to “#intent to commit or conceal another #crime” — the 2nd crime issue.

Prosecutor #Colangelo argues case #law supports the prosecution.

#Trump atty Bove says the DA’s theory is = to "causing the causer."
(Seriously, no idea wtf he means)

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Prosecutor #Colangelo argues “there’s nothing new at all” about their theory. The charges against #Trump are #felonies because he falsified business records to conceal another #crime. They signaled that other crime was seeking to promote his own #election "by unlawful means," in violation of state #ElectionLaw. That introduces a 3rd potential crime.

3 potential crimes, all wrapped into each of the 34 felony charges of falsifying business records.

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Before entering the courtroom, #Trump potentially violated the #GagOrder forbidding him from talking about prosecutors in the case, other than Bragg. He made what sounded like a reference to Matthew #Colangelo, one of the prosecutors, saying, "a lead person from the #DOJ is running the trial," & baselessly adding, "So #Biden's office is running this trial." Colangelo USED TO work at the Dept of #Justice, & Trump has used similar language to describe him in the past.

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The people call #HopeHicks, Matthew #Colangelo, one of the prosecutors, says.

She is visibly uncomfortable. She is testifying under subpoena. She says she's "nervous.”

Hope Hicks refers to #Trump as “Mr. Trump.” Notably, she says she’s paying for her own lawyer. She says the last time she spoke to Trump was summer or fall of 2022.

That was around the time when text messages she exchanged w/a colleague criticizing the #Jan6 attack were made public.

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The people called the first #witness & #DavidPecker was sworn in.

#Pecker of The National Enquirer, was part of the #CatchAndKill #conspiracy that #Colangelo described in his opening statement, w/ #Trump & #MichaelCohen.

Prosecutor Joshua #Steinglass questioned Pecker. He began by asking him basic biographical information.

At that point, #Merchan stopped testimony, to ask jurors if they'd like writing materials to take notes. At least 10 raise their hands.

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"#MichaelCohen wanted a job in the administration. He didn't get one," #Blanche said, offering a motive for Cohen.

Blanche said Cohen has publicly called #Trump a "despicable human being" & said he wants to see him convicted, wearing an "orange jumpsuit." Blanche on Cohen: "I submit to you that he cannot be trusted."

Blanche tried to tell the #jury that Cohen has perjured himself. #Colangelo objected; the objection was sustained.

This brought attys back the bench.

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#Colangelo encourages #jurors to "tune out the noise" & "focus on the facts" during the course of the #TrumpTrial. He summarizes the evidence again, & says after all the evidence is in, Joshua Steinglass, another prosecutor, will do the closing argument.

He ends by saying there is "only one conclusion: Donald Trump is guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree."

#criminal#law#Trump
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#Colangelo insists that much of #Cohen's testimony will be #corroborated, incl’g by witnesses from The #NationalEnquirer & "an extensive paper trail."

Because the prosecution bears the burden of proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt, it gets to go first (& last) in a #criminal case. The advantage of that can be seen in action here, as Colangelo gives the jury his own frame through which to view #MichaelCohen.

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#Colangelo says #Trump's willingness to go to the trouble of the convoluted repayment scheme to #Cohen “shows just how important it was to him to hide the true nature of Cohen's illegal payment to Ms. Daniels & the overall #election #conspiracy that they had launched."

#MichaelCohen is a key witness. Colangelo explained the litany of problems w/Cohen to get ahead of defense’s attempt to discredit him - something Trump's lawyers can't do, their client won't let them: admit mistakes were made.

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Finished w/describing the series of payoffs, #Colangelo details the part the #criminal charges stem from. He is describing the paperwork arrangement to reimburse #MichaelCohen for the #HushMoney payment he made to #StormyDaniels, & how #Trump & #AllenWeisselberg, sought to “disguise” the repayment.

There were chuckles in the courtroom as Colangelo says Trump was a "very frugal businessman" who watched all the spending at his empire.

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"Another story about sexual infidelity, especially w/ a porn star, on the heels of the '#AccessHollywood' tape, could have been devastating to his campaign," #Colangelo says of the #StormyDaniels story. He says that "w/pressure mounting & Election Day fast approaching, Donald #Trump agreed to the #payoff & directed #Cohen to proceed."

Colangelo says Trump told Cohen to drag out paying Daniels, in the hopes of getting past the #election & then not paying her at all.

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As #Colangelo describes the "#AccessHollywood" tape that he says turned the 2016 campaign upside down, he refers to this email chain. We learned it would be admitted as #evidence only last wk. It's really striking how much important #evidence in this opening was just allowed in, & emphasizes the importance of the judge's decisions.

When Colangelo said the "Access Hollywood" tape transcript depicted the defendant bragging about #SexualAssault, #Trump shook his head.

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#Colangelo says that jurors will hear #Trump, in his own voice, urging the money be repaid in cash. This doesn't connect Trump to the actual #crime, which only relates to a payment to #StormyDaniels. But it suggests a pattern of behavior.

Colangelo is now describing the emergence of the "#AccessHollywood" tape on Oct 7, 2016, beginning w/ email outreach to Trump spox #HopeHicks. Colangelo reads aloud the worst of Trump’s language, bragging about grabbing women's genitals.