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UPDATE: In an unexpected decision that throws him a lifeline, the appellate division GRANTED Trump’s request to lower the bond amount and is allowing him to seek a bond worth $175 million in 10 days. This has caught most folks off guard, admittedly, as fairly much no one was expecting him to catch yet another break. From what I can tell, the panel appeared to agree that Judge Engoron’s original verdict is likely to get knocked down a lot on appeal, so to require the full amount would be unfair and burdensome. I’m quite disappointed in the panel’s decision and will post more when we we can dissect it.

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It’s almost like there is one justice system for rich white Republican mobsters and another justice system for the rest of us.

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Remove the first three words of your comment and you got it right.

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It's not almost. It is.

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Agree.

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The silliness of all this is that Donald could have reduced the fraud law violation penalty if he had corrected his financials immediately upon the AG filing the original action. But that would have required him to act lawfully and in good faith. And he just isn’t wired for doing the right things. Pathological.

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Judge Engeron's ruling is clear about the absurdity of Trump and his execs continuing to lie about even uncontrovertible items. Like the size of his condo. Stupid piled on top of stupid. Donald is a self destructive, self made victim. And he blames his self harm on everyone else. The Trump World Con Game Empire is imploding.

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You can't fix stupid.

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he seems to escape consequences, so not so stupid. Horrible as a human being, but not stupid.

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Well, you said it would be bumpy. Now I'm getting a breaking news email that Judge Merchan is setting the Stormy Daniels case firmly for April 15.

Here's the thing I don't understand that I hope a legal beagle can explain. Trump has already said he'll appeal THAT.

WTF? Can you appeal every damn thing pre-trial in a criminal case if you're rich? Because I can tell you 100% that you can't if you're not rich.

The criminal justice system is broken.

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He can’t appeal a trial date setting.

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TRUMP: I AM APPEALING!!

REAL Americans: (that's debatable. )

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He's as appealing as a sewer rat.

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Thanks, Jay. So when he says he'll appeal, he's just blowing smoke? The Times article says, "After the hearing, Mr. Trump pledged to appeal the judge’s decision, attacking the district attorney’s case as “election interference.” "

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This is where reporting what Trump said without any context is just bad journalism.

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Are you suggesting the New York Times Trump Normalization Service is doing a bad job of covering Trump? He asked sarcastically.

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Clouded tea leaves, but it may flush out the actual state of Trump's liquidity if they didn't also disturb Judge Engoron's separate order to report the details of any bond arrangement.

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It is very disappointing for sure and I highly suspect all his assets together do not reach the amount of the roughly half billion dollars he owes. Yesterday a person had posted all the buildings, amounts he owes and what if any part of these buildings he owns in NYC. The majority of these buildings are either only partially owned by him or are trump branded. The 40 Wall Street you mentioned is a leasehold and if I remember correctly, it expires in 2025. I am concerned they will keep letting him appeal until he can obtain the money from a foreign government and circumvent the fact it came from a foreign source. Alina Habba would not give a definite no to that question when asked in her interview on Fox.

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Exactly my concern they should have said fuck you pay me

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Here is the actual order

https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad1/calendar/Motions_Word/2024/03_Mar/25/PDF/People%20of%20State%20NY%20v%20Trump%20(M-1025).pdf

Note that the monitor and requirement to install a Independent Director of Compliance are still in effect. The appeal must be "perfected" by the September term of the Appellate Division. That means this is all going to be in the VERY public eye just before the election.

Perfecting an appeal appears to mean "This may include getting a transcript of the trial, preparing the record on appeal, writing and serving a brief and getting the case on the court's calendar."

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well shit. It is possible the judgement might get knocked down. But 175 million seems pretty arbitrary, since that is supposed to be 110% of the amount the panel thinks it will get knocked down by. Interest is still running on whatever the ultimate judgment is.

At least that's 175 million less to spend on his campaign, because the sureties are still going to want cash collateral. It COULD be in the form of a letter of credit and it would up to the issuing bank to how IT collateralize the LOC.

Any idea how fast this appeal will go through? Any scheduling for briefs and argument yet set?

Remember if trump loses the appeal with a judgment more than 175, James gets the 175 up front and can still collect on the remaining amount (with interest). Not sure how sureties would feel about issuing ANOTHER bond for a higher appeal.

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The appeal will drag on a long time. The election likely will be long over.

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Disappointment is a collecting account. Everyday folks are fed up with the games. Tiktok's voice is only going to grow in this news.

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I'm concerned about this Truth Social stock sale. A friend of mine whose familiar with the market said that all the social media companies have statistics don't jive with their stock price. They have people who will PRP them up because they generate so much money with their stocks. I'm so confused. Are you aware of something like this? It feels like Whack-a- mole and we are not winning, ugh.

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He up another few billion on today’s speculation. Just insane.

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Jay, everyone is assuming that Trump can easily secure the $175M bond but I'm wondering whether he maxxed out his credit getting the E. Jean bond already. He would likely have been shopping for the two bonds at the same time, and the timeline of events is pretty interesting -- he supposedly had a $100M bond for the NYAG case but was turned down, and suddenly at the very eleventh hour in the E. Jean case he came up with a bond for almost that exact same amount.

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The NYT reported that he has around $300 million in cash so I think he can pay it.

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Yes, he had to pledge a brokerage account to get the E. Jean bond and not sure how much value that has or whether he counts its value in his "500 Million." That is not available to any sureties on this new bond and it isn't really "his" unless he wins the appeal.

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He he, I just wrote he'd get out unscathed, and here you are.

We are not a society to punish rich.

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Yes. I read this in The Guardian yesterday and was truly disappointed. On the other hand, we should all be used to the fact that justice does not get applied to Treacherous-treasonous-tantruming-traitor-Trump like it does to other people. I want to hear the stated reasoning. I am also wanting to hear who Trump is shopping around to be his Sugar Daddy in this situation the way that Harlan Crow is Clarance Thomas' Sugar Daddy. It looked like he was interviewing Viktor Orbán, and Jeff Yass of Bite Dance Billions. Who is in the shadows waiting to buy him out?

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Every time I read Treacherous-treasonous-tantruming-traitor I want to change 'traitor' to 'traitorous' to keep the rhythm going.

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I will be looking forward to your dissection of this — and hope it includes the rationale to why the amount will be reduced. Why does this piece of crap always get a break when his criminality is so obvious and transparent? He is not even a smart/saavy crook. He's a petty conman.

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Stupid motherf***er just had his appeal bond lowered to $145 million with 10 day extension to file it. But, sure, let’s send a kid to Riker’s for a year for shoplifting because he can’t bond out. This is the rankest injustice imaginable this week.

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This is beyond fucked up. I'm pissed.

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I just got this breaking news in my inbox, too. I hate the American "justice" system with a seething passion.

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Ah, but just wait for the Court's ruling tomorrow on Mifepristone...

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Oh Ketzel…I hadn’t even thought of that. 🤦🏻‍♀️

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This makes me sick. Crime pays.

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Not for Martha Stewart- and yet she harmed far fewer people far less. Funny how that works when you have a mushroom head instead of a vagina...

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I'm so mad 😡

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Wish I could agree on 'stupid', the orange daughter groper knows exactly what he's doing and how stupid 1/2 the voters are.

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I thought that bankruptcy wasn't an option for criminal fines like this. Regardless, I hope he's mentally and emotionally suffering because of this. It is, after all a situation of his own making. He was getting away with all of this for years. Then he decided to run for President. Technically, the magnifying glass should have burned way hotter during his first, second, and now third campaign, but here we are. If the media had done its job in 2015-16, he never would've made it into the WH. Some in the media have finally started a bit of pushback, but then there's NBC hiring Ronna, so still work to be done, apparently.

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It isn't the "fines" (actually disgorgements) that prevent discharge in bankruptcy. It is the fact that the judgment is for fraud. Bankruptcy would delay things, but interest would still be running while it plays out.

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Yeah, my understanding is that Trump would still be on the hook for his fines. Those aren’t dischargeable in bankruptcy.

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Delay would be the game.

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Years ago I obtained default judgments for my Missouri based client against numerous New York vendors. The defendants declined to pay until I garnished their accounts at the May Company, now Macys, then based in Missouri. With the garnishment pending they couldn’t pay fast enough. Similarly, James can garnish Trump’s accounts at whatever institutions hold his cash and other securities. She can freeze, even if she doesn’t seize just yet. The result so far as Trump is concerned will be the same, loss of use of the assets. My guess is Trump will do whatever he has to in order to get out of that box.

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Freeze and seize. I kinda like the rhyme.

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I noticed that too.

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That's interesting. Is filing your judgment in various counties where property is locating "executing" under the stay provided by the bond? Because those will sit there ahead of any new lenders. If it isn't, I'd expect a bunch of filings in other that Westchester County in the near future. And can she levy without collecting (ie freeze) his shares on any stock in the new corporation?

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“Buckle up, it could be a bumpy week.” When was the last time it wasn’t a bumpy week? I keep hoping it’s sufficiently bumpy for just one person, that he gets ejected from the roller coaster and finally, as he promised in 2020, we never hear from him again!

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UPDATE: The appeals court just caved to the treason weasel, lowering the bond to $175 million and giving him 10 more days - WTF! He. Always. Gets. Away. With. IT! ARRRGGG!

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Treason Weasel is insulting to weasels. But also hilarious. I want the shirt.

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SURPRISE!

NO!

What were you people thinking?! There’s not even disappointment. It went the one of 2 ways I thought it would.

1) some oligarchs hand over the cash.

2) He wins on appeal

In case you missed it, it’s never the trial that’s the issue, it’s not the fines, the amount, the mental meltdowns, guilty verdicts, that B.S. is all for show.

It’s always the appeal.

The judges have the ability to use our laws against “The People” in favor of the “wealthiest” of white trash criminals, and they do every chance they get.

I fully expect that Biden will win the election, but the courts will go against the will of the people and install Trump.

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The thought of that is terrifying

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That’s just for today, Janine. I’ll recover from my negativity shortly. 😉

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👍👍

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And once he’s installed, all this goes away.

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“Trump’s lawyers have argued that a bond that size is a “practical impossibility” and are asking an appellate panel to cut it down or waive it.”

I love this bit. Trump has spent decades inflating his wealth, but now whines he has no wealth. He inflates his value to get loans then says he’s a pauper to pay taxes and bills.

Pay up. And he keeps saying that there has never been anything like this bond. There has and they have been higher. I wish some of these people who had to pay these higher bonds would step up and say shut up. Trump is whining because he’s not being treated like he’s special. He’s being treated like he’s normal. He’s not used to that. Too bad.

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He is definitely NOT normal! Although many ppl are trying to normalize what he does.

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He is so used to stall, stall, stall and eventually wearing the courts down to a "win" for him. I sure hope this time they all have stronger backbones and tell him in on uncertain terms "NO...you lose."

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I can’t remember where I saw it first (and Substack’s search function is ^*+= so I can’t find it), but: Donald Trump is not trying to win these cases in the way a normal defendant would, through legal means. Just like he’s not running for president the way a normal person would, through political means.

We’re watching a not-very-bright, not-very-well 77-year-old find out for the first time that (some of) the rules apply to him, and he is completely freaking out about it; he wants to destroy the entire legal/political system over it, and unfortunately, because of the influence and reach he has because of his former job, he has enough helpers to give him a nonzero chance of doing it.

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"We shouldn’t expect theatrics, but rather the filing of liens on several key properties, such as 40 Wall Street and the Silver Springs estate, and the freezing of his bank accounts. "

But, I *want* theatrics. What I really want is for the New York Army National Guard to roll up to 40 Wall Street, evacuate the building, and blow it to smithereens as a show of force and a way of telling Merrick Garland that he has dilly dallied long enough.

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deletedMar 25
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And I don't even work for Palantir!

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The “Justice” system in the US appears horribly broken.

Why are all of tRump’s cases getting all of this preferential treatment?

How can the US “Justice” system drag it’s feet on some of the most important cases before it that will impact ALL of us?!

I simply don’t buy the bullshit that everyone in the “Justice” system is just too busy and backed up to deal with a fascist criminal who’s trying to stage ANOTHER coup of the US.

What can be more important than getting to the bottom of these cases??!

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Consider the makeup of the USSC. A vile Uncle Tom and 5 Catholic fanatics. The next decade will be a nasty one

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It’s not just SCOTUS. It seems to be all the state and federal courts that won’t handle extremely important cases in a timely manner.

I know it can be done because SCOTUS decided the 2000 election case too swiftly.

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If it’s a case that beneficial to Republicans, oligarchs, high ranking members and donors to the Federalist Society or The Heritage Foundation, or former Assoc. Justice O’Connor wanting to retire under a Republican president, the case is accepted, heard and decided quickly unless slow walking is beneficial to those above.

As we’re seeing with the Federal court circuit judges in Texas and Florida and the state judge in Georgia, all of which lacked proper experience when nominated and most of whom are members of the Federalist Society (as is AG Garland), there is a dark anti-fair justice to elevating judges that are “tough on crime” or pro-business. I’m fearing there are a lot of stealth Federalist Society judges out there.

I remember there was once a time that the ABA weighed in and gave a rating for nominated federal judges and local and state bar associations (at least in California) gave an experience rating, printed in the voter information pamphlets, on judges up for election. Guess those days are gone.

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Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen any of those voter info pamphlets for judges in NC for a long time.

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Hate to say it but it seems ever clearer to me that there'll never be "justice" for Trump. We live in a two tier system of justice and on top of that, he's packed the courts. He's done tremendous damage to this country. More than courts can right even if they were inclined to hold him accountable.

The only way is winning big in November. With the main stream media compounding the challenges we face (really, now we have Ronna McDaniel on NBC as well as on-going prejudicial horror at the NYTimes and others . . . ), we have a monumental fight ahead of us. We need to stop paying so much attention, and writing constantly, about the court cases and focus on what it's going to take to win. Please, all, let's do more of the work that counts.

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I can’t stop thinking of the violence Trump promises. Bloodbath if he loses, retribution if he wins. Trump = violence

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Republicans= death and misery

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With each passing court ruling my faith in the fairness of our legal system sinks lower. I suggest that the saying which appears above the entrance to the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. - “EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW” - be removed immediately. It is clearly a lie.

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According to The Guardian Judge Merchan started the questions this morning by asking team traitor why they waited so long to bring the document issues to him. The answer seemed lame to me, basically "the process was ongoing the last time we met on Feb 15th.

Bonus fact: 10% of the positions for trumps stock are people selling the stock short. Not a good indicator for him to sell his shares.

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How did this become a meme stock? Is it just MAGA fans driving the valuation, or are other actors involved?

The Yass connection doesn’t seem to be an adequate explanation. He owns 2% through intermediate companies.

How did this stock valuation of 5B get there with so little revenue, no growth, and large losses?

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Your last question is really an answer to your first.

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