Don, one aspect you forgot in your execellent pundit-take-down: Who cares if there is minor punishment, the fact of a Federal conviction is big, huge. In any subsequent proceeding he could rightfully be IDed as a convicted criminal (felon if the punishment allows). Even if the judge in a subsequent case rules that the hush money case con…
Don, one aspect you forgot in your execellent pundit-take-down: Who cares if there is minor punishment, the fact of a Federal conviction is big, huge. In any subsequent proceeding he could rightfully be IDed as a convicted criminal (felon if the punishment allows).
Even if the judge in a subsequent case rules that the hush money case conviction itself is inadmissible, it will keep TFG even further from the witness stand because any legitimate cross-examination should start with a variation on, "Mr. T, you just said that not only did you not pay Ms. Daniels, you never had sex with her. Mr. T, you are 76 years old, correct (or 77 depending upon the date of trial)? In your entire life, have you ever told a lie? I am not asking what the lie was, only if you acknowledge ever having told a lie?"
Since no one would believe a "no", the next line of questioning after the "yes" goes down the lane: And, since you acknowledged that you have told a lie, why did you do that? The answer is always going to be a variation on "to look better, to gain an advantage, because it was in my interest at the time."
Don, one aspect you forgot in your execellent pundit-take-down: Who cares if there is minor punishment, the fact of a Federal conviction is big, huge. In any subsequent proceeding he could rightfully be IDed as a convicted criminal (felon if the punishment allows).
Even if the judge in a subsequent case rules that the hush money case conviction itself is inadmissible, it will keep TFG even further from the witness stand because any legitimate cross-examination should start with a variation on, "Mr. T, you just said that not only did you not pay Ms. Daniels, you never had sex with her. Mr. T, you are 76 years old, correct (or 77 depending upon the date of trial)? In your entire life, have you ever told a lie? I am not asking what the lie was, only if you acknowledge ever having told a lie?"
Since no one would believe a "no", the next line of questioning after the "yes" goes down the lane: And, since you acknowledged that you have told a lie, why did you do that? The answer is always going to be a variation on "to look better, to gain an advantage, because it was in my interest at the time."