Prediction: The Maniac of Mar-a-Lago to be Found Guilty on all 34 Counts

Manhattan District Attorney Office has done a Superb Job in Prosecuting Trump

After an amateur cross-examination by Todd Blanche, the Manhattan prosecution of Donald J. Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in aid of the the crimes of election interference and illegal campaign contributions is rapidly drawing to a conclusion. Further cross-examination by Trump’s attorney will probably continue today, and then the prosecution will rest their case. It is highly doubtful that Trump will testify in his own defense to deny the claims of Cohen, Daniels, Hicks and Pecker as well as the overwhelming documentary evidence. Defense attorneys generally do not want the defendant to testify as it opens them to wide-ranging cross-examination, and for a perennial, weekly, daily and hourly liar like Trump, it could be devastating.

Trump’s attorneys will probably call an election law expert to testify that the payment to Stormy Daniels and the reimbursements to Cohen were not campaign act violations. As they say if you pay enough money you generally can get an “expert” to testify to anything. But my guess is that will be the end of the defense case though they might have a few Republican politicians testify to what a wonderful, law-abiding and truth telling man Trump is, and the parade of Republicans to the courtroom for cameos was not an effort to become vice-president but was an audition to find some Republicans who were willing to testify to Trump’s truth telling and veracity, and the winner will be the one who can so testify, under oath, with a straight face.

Unless Trump’s lawyers have a real surprise , the District Attorney will probably not have a rebuttal. Documents will be formally admitted into evidence. Then the attorneys will do their summations to the jury reviewing the witness testimony and the documentary evidence. I doubt that Todd Blanche will call Stormy Daniels a liar in his summation because if he did so he would lose all credibility with the jury. Blanche will probably return to the theme that Cohen is a proven liar and felon so how can you believe what Cohen says compared to the ever truthful Donald J. Trump?

Then Judge Merchan will give the jury instructions on the elements of the law involved in the case and the standard of proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. After the jury instructions, the Jurors will retire to the jury room for their deliberations.

My prediction is that the jury will find Trump guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal their true purpose of election interference and illegal campaign contributions by Trump in the 2016 election. To me, the evidence seems overwhelming and Cohen, Daniels, Hicks and Pecker laid a solid foundation as to the purpose and Trump’s intent in falsifying the business records to conceal his crimes that will result in the jury finding Trump guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on all 34 counts. The findings on the true purpose of the business record falsification being a campaign finance violation or election interference will provide the basis to elevate the crime to 34 felonies.

Then after post-judgment evaluations of Trump, Judge Merchan will have to impose the appropriate punishment. My guess, and it is only a guess, that Judge Merchan will impose a six month sentence of confinement to a low-security penal institution together with four years of probation and a substantial fine. Time will tell if my predictions approach reality.

Then there is the sideshow of the Republicans, who came in droves to pay homage to Trump and kiss his ring as he is prosecuted in criminal court. It has been noted that Melania Trump never came to the courtroom to support her husband. Other spouses of politicians have come to court, or been co-defendants, as in the case of Senator Menendez, even when the allegations are rather unseemly, but Melania stayed in hiding, probably at Mar-a-Lago, though she might come to court for the jury verdict, but unlikely. Eric Trump made several appearances, but Don, Jr., Ivanka and Tiffany did not come to give Dad Trump support nor did noted son-in-law Jared Kushner come to support his father-in-law. Melania wisely kept Barron away from the courtroom.

In the absence of family, Trump enlisted his other soldiers in the Republican Army to come to show their support. So these prominent representatives of, what used to be called the Law and Order Party, came to the courtroom and then made public statements denouncing the entire proceedings. The Speaker of the House, Mr. Johnson of Louisiana, honoring the Louisiana tradition of hostility to law enforcement, stood in front of the cameras and microphones and denounced the proceedings as fraudulent and without basis, despite the overwhelming evidence. The Speaker of the House then denounced the Judge in the same words as Trump used and even had the temerity to grossly, inappropriately attack Judge Merchan’s daughter for working for a firm aiding the campaigns of Democrats. Trump obviously used Johnson to say the things about the Judge’s daughter that Trump was prohibited from saying, but by giving Speaker Johnson his lines to use in a public attack, might it be said that Trump was again in contempt of court for giving words to the Speaker to use in a press conference outside the courthouse. Then there were other defenders of law and order like Senator Tuberville, he who withheld military promotions for months due to his dispute with military travel reimbursements for out-of-state abortion trips. Senator Tuberville joined in the chorus of those attacking the proceedings and the Judge and his daughter. Senator J.D. Vance (James David Vance) came to sing his Hillbilly Elegy and attack the Trump trial as a sham, the Judge and of course the Judge’s daughter, as he read the lines provided by Trump. Florida Representative Byron Donalds came to preach the trial as a sham and a conspiracy by Democrats. Governor Doug Burgum of North Dakota (who?) came to denounce the trial and some say to perform for Trump in a bid to be his pick for Vice-President. Senator Vance is also rumored to be a candidate for Trump to pick as his Vice-President running mate, so he was also doing an audition for the defendant.

I cannot think of another criminal trial where so many politicians came out to support the defendant as usually they stay as far away as possible for fear of a criminal taint, but not so with these phony Law and Order Republicans.

Now there is the observation of many reporters in the courtroom that Trump was either sleeping or had his eyes closed during major portions of Daniels’ and Cohen’s and other witness testimony. My guess is that Trump took a sedative, in order to prevent any outbursts during witness questioning, and the sedatives caused him to be sleepy.

Then there is the question of cameras in the courtroom. Georgia allows it but New York does not. The federal courts declare cameramen persona non grata. But with a strong judge like Judge Merchan, I think cameras could be a useful tool to educate the public on the legal system. Yes Judge Ito in the O.J. trial was weak and a ham and he took away from the dignity of the proceeding, but other judges who know how to control a trial and the lawyers could provide a useful public service by allowing cameras in the courtroom. Even the U.S. Supreme Court now allows the public to listen to live oral arguments, a change instituted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

So many predictions and some may prove to be true.