Doug Mastriano adviser Jenna Ellis questions Josh Shapiro's faith — 'at best a secular Jew'
October 22, 2022
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Amid rumors of an imminent indictment of Donald Trump by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over his alleged hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, some New York City attorneys who are no fans of Trump are voicing skepticism about Bragg's chances at winning a conviction, Rolling Stone reported.
“This case is a joke, frankly, and I’ve litigated against that office for 33 years,” said longtime New York criminal defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman, who represented the former Sinaloa Cartel leader know as El Chapo. “I don’t think that case is winnable.”
Bragg's case against Trump raises two questions: did the payment actually violate any laws, or was it just a business-as-usual attempt to prevent an embarrassing sexual affair from becoming public? Even if laws were broken, it's still questionable if the case is winnable.
Manhattan prosecutors contend that the payment to Daniels, through his then personal lawyer and "fixer" Michael Cohen, was illegal because Trump falsely recorded $130,000 in repayments to Cohen as legal fees for tax purposes -- an offense that is usually treated as a misdemeanor.
READ MORE: Alvin Bragg slaps down Jim Jordan: No 'legitimate basis for congressional inquiry'
"Speculation surrounding prosecutors’ legal theory is that the other alleged crime could be campaign finance-related, given that the payoff happened right before the election," writes Rolling Stone's Victoria Bekiempis. "This is where things get especially thorny: if prosecutors do go the campaign finance violation route, it’s not clear whether they’re going to claim Trump wanted to violate state or federal election law. And if it turns out there isn’t an applicable state campaign finance statute (which there might not be) then the question arises: Could state prosecutors invoke federal law in this type of situation, even though it’s not their jurisdiction?"
Another skeptic of Bragg's case is adjunct professor at Cornell Law School Randy Zelin, who is not a Trump supporter.
“I do not believe, based upon what we know, that the felony charge will stick,” said Zelin.
“What you need to do to elevate the misdemeanor falsification of business records to a felony simply is this—[show] that the act of falsifying the business records was done in furtherance of another felony, another crime, that’s it,” Zelin added.
“I think that the District Attorney’s office in New York County is running a great risk of diluting the strength of other potential cases brought by other prosecutors, because this is a weak case—legally, it is a weak case.”
“Practically, it is really more or less a victimless crime, unless you truly believe that the election was truly influenced by the fact that people didn’t know about the hush money payments,” Zelin told Rolling Stone. “And with all of the stuff that he has said, does anyone really believe that if it got out that he paid Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, that it would have changed the election? Probably not.”
Another longtime New York defense attorney with no love for Trump feels the same.
“I think that the basis for the felony, linking it to campaign finance declarations … It’s a strange way to get to an indictment, especially in a falsifying business records situation that’s often charged as a misdemeanor,” Peter Brill said. “On the one hand, the facts seem fairly damning, but the foundation that they’re built on is weaker than I would hope for in the first criminal indictment or criminal charge [against] Trump.”
Read the full report over at Rolling Stone.
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Right-wing crowdfunding site hosts neo-Nazi project to create whites-only community in Maine
March 23, 2023
GiveSendGo, the right-wing website that bills itself as the "#1 FreeChristian Fundraising Site," is hosting a funding project by neo-Nazi activist Christopher Polhaus to create an all-white community in Maine, reported VICE News on Thursday.
The website, which has previously come under fire for letting the extremist group the Proud Boys raise millions on their platform, was notified Polhaus is trying to finance and recruit for a white nationalist scheme, but he remains up as of press time, reported Ben Makuch.
"Pohlhaus served in the Marines for four years in the 2000s and gained prominence among the far-right when he promoted a countrywide and racist banner drop on the first anniversary of George Floyd’s murder," said the report. "Pohlhaus then planned a migration among some of his followers to turn Maine into an all-white ethnostate. He took the cause to GiveSendGo, where Pohlhaus began to raise money for a homestead in a remote part of the state that could one day serve as a community and a place where his group can 'train.'"
According to the report, Polhaus has used his Telegram channel to strategize with extremists over how to paralyze the U.S. economy with targeted sniper attacks on truckers. He also has ties to Riley June Williams, a January 6 attacker who broke into the office of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a neo-Nazi cell in England founded by a member of a designated terrorist group. Earlier this year, he and his self-proclaimed "tribe" showed up armed at a child-friendly drag event in Akron, Ohio, where he and his supporters reportedly gave Nazi salutes and chanted "There will be blood!"
IN OTHER NEWS: Ohio deputies sue 'Afroman' for using videos from raid to promote his music
Polhaus' Maine compound fundraiser has earned a little over $2,000, according to the report, along with 23 "prayers" — an option for GiveSendGo contributors. Much of it comes from "two large donations over $800 each," according to the report.
"In its terms of service, GiveSendGo states it doesn’t tolerate 'discrimination or hatred against individuals or groups based on race, ethnic origin.' Pohlhaus has a giant Swastika tattoo on his chest and frequently makes racist and antisemitic comments," noted the report. However, GiveSendGo has not responded to questions about why they are allowing this campaign on their site, other than a representative of the company telling reporters, “I have sent your request to the proper team member and they will reach out to you when they have the opportunity.”
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Seven sheriff's deputies who raided the rapper Afroman's home in rural Ohio are suing him over videos he posted of the search.
Four Adams County sheriff's deputies, two sergeants and a detective complained Joseph "Afroman" Foreman invaded their privacy by showing their faces in videos he recorded during the raid that he later used in music videos and social media posts, which they allege amounts to a misdemeanor violation, reported WXIX-TV.
“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” Foreman said after the raid last year.
The suit also alleges the videos resulted in their “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”
READ MORE: Jan. 6 investigation at 'crossroads' as Trump attorney set to testify on Pence subpoena
The deputies say they're entitled to all of the rapper's profits from his use of their personas, including proceeds from his music, concert tickets and the promotion of his "Afroman" brand, under which he sells beer, cannabis, T-shirts and other merchandise.
Foreman pledged a countersuit “for the undeniable damage this had on my clients, family, career and property.”
The Adams County prosecutor's office found the raid failed to turn up evidence of criminal activity and no charges were filed in the case, and the sheriff's office appeared to come up several hundred dollars short in returning cash seized in the raid.
However, an independent investigation by the state found that deputies had miscounted the money during the raid.
Foreman published two songs referencing the raid, “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door," and music videos for each included videos from the incident recorded by his home surveillance cameras and his wife's cell phone.
“Thank you for getting me 5.4 MILLION hits on TikTok I couldn’t have done it without you obviously!" Foreman posted on Instagram afterward. "Congratulations again you’re famous for all the wrong reasons[...]”
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