What exactly was Trump found guilty of?
I am glad that I was not a juror on the Trump trial, as the charges - as reported by the mainstream media - seemed rather vague. "Falsifying Business Records" seems like an odd felony, particularly when the profit from it, if any, is slim.
I mean, I get it, from a tax perspective. If you claim a hush-money payment to a porn star as a "legal expense" then you might be defrauding the IRS or the NYS tax authorities. But in the greater scheme of things, the lost tax revenue on an fraudulent $130,000 deduction might be, at most, $30K in Federal and State taxes, if that. And I suppose one could argue that if your business was being a reality television star, that paying $130K for a "non-disclosure agreement" is part and parcel of your "business" of selling your image - because, let's face it, that's all Trump is, an image sold on the Internets.
I am sure they will raise that issue on appeal.
Of course, New York is the home of Wall Street and the largest trading platform in the world. It is important for publicly-traded companies not to falsify business records, lest investors be snookered by such lies. Better off to hype your stock on Reddit/wallstreetbets because that's legal, right? But the point is moot as the "Trump Organization" is privately held and if anyone is being defrauded (other than the IRS), it is Trump defrauding himself.
I mean, who is getting hurt here? Some argue that this hush-money payment, made days before the election, turned the election in Trump's favor. Perhaps, but I recall at the time hearing about the Stormy Daniels tryst as well as a host of dirt on Trump, who like a bad penny has been turning up since the days of the Trump Princess, the Trump Casinos, and the Trump Shuttle - all of which he lost due to incompetence and overpaying for.
But being a shitty businessman is not a crime and the sort of intelligentsia who watches "reality teevee" thought he was a big boss-man who hired and fired people on a whim (instead of a reality teevee star playing at being a big boss-man). Those idiots would have voted for him either way - and still support him to this day. Even the "evangelicals" support him, as they want to see the rise of the Anti-Christ so the end times will be moved along more quickly.
No, I don't buy the election thing. He didn't win - Hillary lost. And by the way, after losing the nomination to Obama in 2008, why was she deemed the "presumptive nominee" sixteen years after her husband left office? The Democrats nominated the wrong candidate - an empty suit could have beat Trump in 2016 - but not a pantsuit.
As a "first-time offender" (first-time caught, anyway) he likely won't see jail time but will see a fairly hefty fine - paid in full by the GOP finance committee. The end result will be.... nothing. Well, nothing other than to embolden his followers and get out the vote for GOP candidates down-ballot.
Hitler came to power only after a failed putsch. He spent his time in jail writing a book and made himself into a martyr which served only to increase his popularity. When the government "suppresses" something, it only serves to increase the curiosity of the masses, as everyone loves a bad boy and wants to see what is being withheld from them.
This whole thing could backfire in a spectacular way for the Democrats.
I mean, I get it - the only thing they could nail Al Capone for was tax evasion. But no one really liked Al Capone - not even his associates. He killed people and despite the media's fascination with gangsters (it sells newspapers - and today, eyeballs) most folks simply didn't give a shit when he got put away. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.
But politicians are a different animal. Believe it or not, some folks actually like Trump, or at least the image of him they were sold. They also are vehemently against what the right-wing media has painted as the platform of the Democratic Party. According to Fox News, the most burning issue facing America today is transgender bathrooms. Sadly, some on the far-left agree, along with defending Hamas, which is a terrorist organization.
Of course, Trump is still facing charges - far more serious charges - for his interference in the 2020 election. Sadly, it doesn't look like those will even get to trial before the election. So we have this rinky-dink "win" that people can rightfully piss on as much ado about nothing - and then bootstrap to pooh-pooh the more serious crimes he committed.
Choose your battles wisely. Election fraud? Yes! But why did it take nearly three years to bring these charges? Falsifying business records? More like a technical foul. And a case that will only embolden Trump and the MAGA set.
This was a missed opportunity with potentially catastrophic consequences.
