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If Alvin Bragg was literally crucifying anyone, I take it all back, and we should throw Joe Biden in GITMO and put Donald Trump back in office today.

 

EDIT: Holy shit (lol), @Woody Long got there first!

 

It was early before coffee kicked in. I was less than clear on the point.

 

Absolute fucking bullshit. Simpering apologia and rationalization. Verbatim regurgitation of all Fatfuck's bullshit arguments.

 

This is willful stupidity wrapped in a think-piece.

Michael Cohen.
Pled Guilty.
To Campaign Finance Violations.
Related to.
The Stormy Daniels.
NDA.
And Donald Trump.
Was an unnamed.
Co-Conspirator.
In That.
Indictment.

 

Liberal media!!!!

 

I said it upthread, but I think a probationary sentence is appropriate based on the nature of the charges. These are normally misdemeanors that are elevated to the lowest-level felonies based on some specific facts and they're very duplicative of each other, which the law allows and I'm not criticizing.

With the caveat that I'm not licensed in New York and every state has its own sentencing rules, I think on balance low-level, non-violent felony convictions with a limited prior record (it's not first offense in my view because of the contempt convictions) warrant a probationary sentence. That's largely how it would work here, under our sentencing scheme. In fact, a straight active term (in other words, no probationary element) would be off the table. It'd either be probation or a mix of active time and probation. Given the volume of charges, lack of remorse and public proclamations that undermine the criminal justice system, I could see a judge being pissed and including some active element.

I've also mentioned, though, that I think it's important to remember that almost every sentencing scheme I've seen starts bumping up sentences significantly on subsequent convictions. If he gets convicted in Georgia, these convictions have a major effect. If he gets convicted in federal court, these convictions have a major effect. And if he gets convicted of a subsequent crime in another jurisdiction, that could activate his New York sentence. I say could because I don't have the first clue about New York probation violations. But here, they would result in what we call "dips" or "dunks" or where the probationer has to do a few days in jail - "a dip" - or a few months - "a dunk." On the third probation violation the full sentence gets activated.

If Merchan wants to fuck him, while still maintaining a veneer of impartiality, he'll give him max sentences, suspended, maybe even have one or two run consecutive. Then let the chips fall and Trump has a long time to behave or get fucked.

As for appeal, Trump has a number of issues to raise. The first is the novelty of the prosecutions theory for the felony escalation - i.e. the coverup of the other crime that they don't actually have to prove itself. There are also some parts of the jury instructions that raise novel questions. I always worried about the novel approach in this case and it's why I've said I thought it was the weakest of the four. I could see this getting overturned on appeal, but I also think Merchan did a fantastic job of protecting the verdict during the trial and so it won't be easy.

 

And what about contempt of court ??