307 Comments

A lot of folks owe DA Alvin Bragg an apology. Everyone said this was the weakest case against Trump... and yet, it is the only one that got through the process to conviction.

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E. Jean Carroll and Stormy Daniels!

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STRONG WOMEN UNITE!!!

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Gina, heck, all women should unite! (And I'm an old guy.)

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" The Judge and prosecutors in court today were American heroes. They put themselves squarely in the sights of a very powerful man."

Ah, but you see, that's part of the illusion...people BELIEVE he is powerful, treat him accordingly, and - voilà, he IS powerful in our eyes. But DA Bragg, Judge Merchan, and the twelve jury members pulled back the curtain to find...to find what? A craven, whimpering coward, bully, and lying manipulator, that's who. And ultimately found the "powerful man"guilty of 34 felonies, by unanimous vote. And sent him into the presidency as Felon 47, full stop.

This is the first but all-important step in demolishing "the powerful man" image, and if other civil and legal institutions can summon the same courage to call the Orange Wizard out every time he transgresses, his feet of clay will be exposed, and tRump eventually will crumble, as all frauds and bullies before him.

Have faith, people, the NYC judicial system has shown us the way, we must only embrace and follow their example.

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Bravo, Lance! Well said!!!

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And District Attorney Bragg shut-out Trump 408-0. ✌🏽⚖️😇

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Agreed. And it took bravery to take on Trump because he is like a tornado mowing down and destroying everything in his path.

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Seriously Judge Merchan is a hero. The 4 SCOTUS justices who would have bent to 45 are not.

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Not only could have but did. They are waiting with bated breath to do more for him. Damn them to hell.

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We keep learning what real heroes look like. I wish it had been Judge Merchan who had been on the cover of Time Magazine as “Person of the Year.”

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It should have been Kamala Harris. or Anybody But Trump.

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Are you serious? Mershan is a coward.

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Please reread Joyce and move on without the drama. Merchan has demonstrated he is an exceptional judge and hero who gave the citizens this small measure of justice. Thank him and be at peace.

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A prison sentence would have been vacated. He gave Roberts and Barret the room to vote for a small measure of justice.

No matter what Trump is now a felon in the eyes of the law and history.

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Roberts and ACBarrett played it to make the court seem somewhat less SPOILED. I agree, if there was a chance for a real penalty, both would’ve voted with the MAGA BOYS… Tommy, Hang your flag upside down and Gorsuck…..

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Please tell us in what way? You would have preferred a jail sentence which could never have been carried out anyway and would have preserved the illusion that Trump was still able to avoid the stigma of being a convicted felon?

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How is Judge mershan a coward

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Disagree wholeheartedly….. Just throwing in a wrench, Ron? Please explain….

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Joyce, I am glad you have hope. I am not there yet. I am concerned with the immunity ruling that Trump will act like a mob boss. Already we are experiencing this with pronouncements about using force to take Greenland and Panama. Now Republicans in Congress are introducing bills to decimate programs that help Seniors, those on Medicaid and SNAP. All to give billionaires more tax breaks. I can’t even understand how sadistic these folks are

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It's greed as well as lust for power that fuels these brutes. There is no doubt that these sycophants will play their games like those in Nazi Germany but in the end many of them, not enough I might add, paid the price for their treachery.

I wonder, will it take an invasion by one of our former allies that will cleanse the American palette?

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Yes, greed and power act like drugs. Look at how many reasonable Republicans and a few Democrats took a taste and all of a sudden you watch them suck up to the rich and powerful.

What I hope and believe is that it will be the midterms that steady the ship....

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And the major newspapers? Washington Post and the New York Times!!!!! They bow down to Trump, too! Why is anybody who is repulsed at having a felon as President still subscribed to those papers? The stupidity of Trump is what sells the papers and they are his partners.

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We may be able to stop some of their more destructive actions by having the Dems stay united. They will overreach and the middle class will quickly see that their intention is to add to the assets of the wealthy, not to help regular people. We should take back the house and the Senate in the midterm elections.

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Also, the Dems should take the lead, loudly, proudly and strongly on serious campaign finance reform. Too many voters are disenchanted by the problem of money in politics and we will win people back by taking the lead on this issue once again.

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Amen to that! And they need to find a way to rework the Federal Election Commission so it doesn't end up deadlocked or controlled by one party or the other. I still have hope that when many of those on the Right are no longer serving in positions of authority or are dead, we will be able to right the wrongs of Citizens United and undo some of the fuckery passed by the GOP and the current SCOTUS.

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Unfortunately I think the current SCOTUS will be around a long time.. Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett are relatively young (50s) and I've expect we will see two more 50ish judges replace Alito and Thomas soon after Trump takes over. Fortunately the three Dems are still pretty young as well. But I see a lot of 6-3 decisions in the next 12-16 years mostly going against the liberals.

The only way that might be defused is for a Dem to be elected in 2028 along with a Dem Congress and they enlarge the court to 15 justices. That doesn't require constitutional amendment, just a simple r law.

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Merchan should have had a “change of heart” and sent the fat fu*k to jail for 8 days, just long enough so that he could go straight to his inauguration from jail.

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In his orange jump suit, with no time to change clothes or put on his pancake makeup…

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That would have been lovely…

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It's a great fantasy, but it would never have happened. As Joyce points out, it's likely that if Judge Merchan hadn't said in advance that he was not going to sentence him to anything other than unconditional release, the corrupt SCOTUS would have delayed the sentencing, as the orange dirtbag requested. So now we have a president-elect (and soon to be President Convicted Felon, which will be my name for him come 1/20/2025) who is, for all time, a convicted felon. And he only has 30 days to file an appeal. Is he going to want to keep dredging this up and reminding folks of his feloniousness? I'm not sure his snowflake ego could bear it.

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Of course he will appeal. He hates being a felon more than the cost of the appeal, even in PR terms. And the verdict can still be overturned in which case he won't be a felon anymore.

But it will be good while it lasts!

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He will appeal….Narcissists cannot help themselves…..

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Wouldn't have happened. He would have been given time to appeal and by the time anything could have been done he would be in office. Merchan knew exactly what he was doing.

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Wouldn't that have been something!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏

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I am more concerned that Donald be seen by a global community as a convicted felon than the pure matter of him being in jail for a few hours or days.

History will show

I agree with Joyce

Kudos to Judge Merchan for a harrowing year, and protection to him and his family.

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Yes, history will surely show … if we survive. But sadly, some won’t be around to read it.

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I am sure, some will not, lol, I am 78, but a green girl still, but I see how there are young new waves who are and will be there eager to get through this and live differently.

Donald and his ilk have no idea, blinded that they are by their greed, that they will not last.

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“Ilk” — excellent word!

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😁

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Concur Flo.

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Ridiculous. Trump will wear his conviction as a badge of honor. He is the OG!

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He may try to act like he doesn’t care. But he is actually a scared little bully terrified of being a “loser.” His father will be ashamed of him from his perch in hell. His father’s #1 rule was to NEVER be a sucker or a loser. If he had any brains he would let it go. But he’ll keep the story alive by fighting to have it overturned. Accepting being a loser is beyond his capacity.

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And will don his gilded b-ball shoes and challenge all comers one-on-one … just like Mike.

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As a convicted felon, are there countries he cannot enter as president or does the convicted felon sentence only apply to him as a private citizen?

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If a convicted felon cannot serve in the military, how can a convicted felon serve as the nation's Commander-in-Chief?

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Everything he's done has been unprecedented, and was never contemplated by the Framers. Was never even contemplated by anybody until it actually came to be. Shocking and shameful. He's an embarrassment to the good name of the United States of America.

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One thing that cannot be contemplated by anyone is the Trump Presidential Library. At dinner my husband and I were trying to think of what it could possibly contain. We're both rather creative but couldn't come up with anything. Yep, another Carter Center for sure--I can't wait....

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6hEdited

My first thought is that his library, if it is anything but an empty shell, will be located in a Florida swamp and filled with examples of all the cheap items he has made in China to sell to his willing victims...God Bless the USA bibles, various books he "wrote," trading cards with his picture, Trump drinkware and glassware, Trump vodka, Trump steaks, MAGA hats of course, T-shirts, Trump cologne and perfume, Trump “Never Surrender High-Tops” and a gaggle of other shoes, Trump "Freedom cooler," NFTs, Trump "silver" coins, Trump gold plated coins, Trump watches, Christmas ornaments, soon to be Trump guitars and in celebration of his election a new line of goods including a pair of $299 "Trump Landslide" boots and a $69.99 special inaugural edition of his God Bless the USA Bible.

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You're pretty good! But you forgot one important moneymaker--swatches of the suit he wore getting his mugshot.....

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Thank you Sophia! I wouldn't be surprised if he's sold enough of those "mugshot" swatches to make a dozen suits.

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As i said before thousands of leather bound books with blank pages, maybe transcripts from is various court trials?

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They might have superman comics.

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Can you even imagine his eulogy? What could one possibly even say?

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Haven't thought about the euology, but I thought about the headstone recently for some reason.

I think it should say "Here LIES Donald J. Trump."

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😂😝

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You win! 🤣🤣🤣

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Oh, they will have some gold-painted bibles.

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Exactly. I have wondered this all along.

I’m not sure I can stand 4 years of this/him, JD, and Elon. Seriously.

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We all need to work TOGETHER to prevent these guys from doing damage. We'll feel better when we are fighting them. (I LOATHE fElon, and I wish he didn't have citizenship (and as a car nut, I loathe his damn Teslas, which are as ugly as he is). Really, I'd get a kick out of it if Trump begins getting seriously jealous of fElon.

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7hEdited

And exactly how are we nobodies supposed to prevent the fascists who are already in power from doing damage?

By nobodies I mean people like me - I’m a disabled veteran living on disability (that will no doubt be taken away), I’m poor, I don’t hold office but I do write letters and send emails, neither of which matter one jot for billionaires who don’t give a shit about who they crush. I donate what I can but do not kid myself in thinking that 9.00 actually does a thing.

I am serious, please tell me exactly how I can actually stop trump or Elon or any one of them from doing more damage?

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Continue to write your Senators and Reps. Talk to your friends and family. They have already made Steve Bannon and MAGA mad by supporting bringing in immigrant engineers rather than training and paying Americans. They want to destroy the public schools so they won’t have to pay teacher retirement. Help people understand what they are doing to our country. We can win in the next election.

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There may be a branch of Indivisible where you are--I think they're all over the country--where people get together and send postcards to get people to vote, send letters to their representatives, stuff like that. It's easier when you can do these types of things with other people who are doing them. Just google Indivisible and your general location... If you need help with that let me know. There are a lot of people who don't have much money, so they donate small amounts, and the small amounts add up.

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Good eye, David: "fElon." I think there's a good chance those two guys will self-destruct. Both are rumored to be less-than-stable.

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I sure hope they self destruct! Incidentally, Hope, I saw "fElon" when someone else had done it. So I can't take credit for it.

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Appreciate the "fElon", and request permission to use it-

suggest another, recognizing that the reason the impending occupant

lied and scrambled and threatened and begged to avoid this action on

this day is because he knows that it permanently brands him as a LOSER_

suggest from hereon forward, he be labelled "thirty four"- not president,

not 45, not 47, but thirty four (all lower case) always, and forever. will

rattle around in his brain pan perpetually!

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I live in France (where we have our political problems, too, for sure), and I've been questioned many times by your exact question. It is unfathomable!!

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Take Sarkosy, for example. He is convicted and is illegible for any position for 5 years.

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I know Canada will not and has not permitted people with felony convictions to enter the country. Let’s hope they continue that.

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I don’t think France will either…here again I assume the conviction would follow him to the presidency😎

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Yes, the convictions (plural) will follow Felon 34X. Under STATE, New York), law, the jury determined convictions cannot be pardoned.

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Ditto for Australia.

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I've read in the last day or two that George W. Bush, because he had a felony DUI conviction, had to get permission from Canadian authorities to visit as President. I'd hazard a guess that Trump will be allowed to visit as President, but he'll have to ask for permission to enter the particular country. (For another country to say "no" would be the ultimate cosmic smackdown....)

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I knew someone who was a convicted felon and he like to travel but there were countries he could not go to with that conviction. So it is indeed a very interesting question.

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True - he was convicted as a private citizen…

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Doesn’t matter. But we’ll see whether they will make him a Very Special Person and let him ignore their laws too.

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He will have to have permission to enter certain countries.

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This is for other nations to decide however and whenever they wish.

The decisions of other sovereign nations will have nothing to do with Justice or Law (US or International), but with power and political expediency, until he is dead.

Doubt VD’s eulogy will resonate far,

& it can’t come soon enough. But enough of noise, there’s work to do!

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VD?

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Sorry, my pet name for JD (Vance), since the sofa episode.

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that's a good one!

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Good question!

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Somebody told me that a convicted felon could not hold a liquor license and that is why tRump did not want that sentence. You know, hotels and bars. Misinformation?

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None would lose his license in NJ…

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Question I would think for courts…either way😎😎

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There may be nations that do not allow convicted felons to enter. However, they'll let this particular convicted felon enter if he's POTUS.

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Love that!

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He will also have diplomatic immunity once he is President and given the lack of a "major" felony conviction (like murder or treason) this isn't going to impede him much unless a country is out for blood.

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Thank you, Joyce, for this. It is so hard to stay engaged at this moment in time and I appreciate your commitment to all of us.

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Joyce, I agree with you whole heartedly as far as the sentencing went today. It was courageous of Judge Merchan. I’m hopeful if don-old does appeal and it goes all the way to SCOTUS that Robert’s and Barrett won’t change their vote.

The California fires are such a tragedy. My heart goes out to those that have lost their homes and those that have been displaced.

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The winds on-shore, firefighters are piloting planes & helicopters. ABC News hitched an aerial ride with a Cal-Fire Chief & telecast clear footage on David Muir's show.

ABC has excellent footage which airs tonight: "American Catastrophe: LA Burning" a 2020 Special Edition. 9 PM Pacific.

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Catharsis, thank you....Felon 47 has a ring to it.

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I read someone say he should from today forward, be known as FOTUS: Felon of….

Nice ring💯

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Ooh, I like that. Felon 47!

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The bottom line is that this man got away with what was supposed to be time served in jail. The worst part of this is that the American people voted this man back into office. I cannot fathom the reason why they would want this kind of man in the highest office of the United States of America and of the world. From here, on out people who voted for this man will feel the repercussion of his decisions that he will make for all of us in the following four years. I’ll be ready to say I told you so.

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I hear you. Would you vote for this man for a local office? For city council? For school board? Heck, no.

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Wouldn't hire him as a garbage collector. . .

I've been an attorney for 46 years. To have this mentally ill, morally corrupt thug in charge of our country for the near future makes me physically ill. Joyce, thank you for your clear thinking and analysis. Your words give me hope.

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I don’t think this particular case was ever going to include jail time.

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Lost among all the discussions about this case, is what sort of money did Trump avoid paying in taxes on that hush money. Isn’t it taxable? If so, will he reimburse? Or is that a different, IRS matter?

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He is a major tax cheat too.

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Really, a jack of many (nefarious) trades, master of none.

I don’t understand cults. Jim Jones, Donald Trump, Branch Davidians … stuff of sci-fi become real.

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The IRS could have been involved in all of his cases involving money but chose not to apparently.

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Well, of course! Why go after the rich crooks when there of so many of without the means to return fire. They have money to litigate … but not to pay taxes.

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I would like to hope that albeit now long after it might have done any good, President Biden would help Degenerate Don to actually honor a campaign promise and release his tax returns

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A pipe dream.

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IMO, the "hush money" is not Trump "income" unless the actual money source was income.

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Income in that he tried to pass off the money as a business expense not a personal one. But I am no expert here.

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The charge of "killing the law" lies squarely on the Supreme Court; Trump "only" broke the law.

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You are so right there! As Joyce said, there are justices who have a lot to answer for. Unfortunately, they won’t ever have to. The one item on my mind is which one of those four will retire first?

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May the history books tell their full stories in great detail.

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Well stated!

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Nice!

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Proves that money & lawyers more interested in money than in serving justice are leaches on the U.S. judicial system. They make a mockery of our laws & justice. This needs to be corrected. That's my view I'm sticking to it unless proven wrong. Kudos to Judge Murchon! He's a HERO!

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"It leads me to believe the damage Donald Trump has done and will continue to do to our system can be repaired through individual acts of conscience and courage. Hear me out" Okay. I heard you out. Here's what I heard. You are an optimist through and through. I grew up in NYC way back when and we ALL KNEW WHO DONALD TRUMP WAS in the 1970's and 1980's. He is a piece of &(*&T! Your optimism is adorable. I am a realist. Trump is an EFFING CRIMINAL no matter what any court does -- or doesn't say. I am sickened that millions of people -- including family members of mine -- voted for him. Despicable...ALL OF THEM!

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I'd like to see more real chicken photos to brighten my mood and a lot fewer of the bone spurs coward chicken.

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Joyce, I love your take here. Merchan has demonstrated enormous strength and moral clarity throughout. As an aside, I’m looking forward to more pics of your birds!

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And chickens, cats, and dogs!

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