There Are Only Bad Days In Donald Trump’s Future, And One Of Them Is March 4, 2024
DC trial date set!
Donald Trump might have spent the morning mashing his grundle business all over the keys of his Jitterbug phone so he could Truth Social Tweet his rapid-fire deranged bullshit out into the world. But his lawyers were busy in DC, being bad at it.
First, the headline breaking news: In federal court, Judge Tanya Chutkan has scheduled Trump’s election-stealing Republic-overturning case for March 4, 2024. Good a time as any! Just kidding, ELECTION INTERFERENCE! Just kidding, Trump is only running so he can scream ELECTION INTERFERENCE!
It’s definitely the day before Super Tuesday, though, so hoo boy.
For any Republicans who want to scream ELECTION INTEFERENCE! may we remind you that there are a whole shitload of other garbage humans running for the Republican presidential nomination? We met them the other night in the debate! None is at risk of being indicted. (That we know of.)
But pffffft whatever, those vile fascist morons are gonna pick the authoritarian shitbag criminal anyway. We all know it. Have fun making good choices, Republicans!
The Chutkan hearing was held at the same time as an ongoing hearing in Atlanta to decide whether Mark Meadows can have his trial removed to federal court. He surprised everybody by taking the stand. We’ll see how that shakes out.
Trump’s lawyers had been clinging to a very stupid request that the trial in DC shouldn’t happen until April of 2026. The Justice Department had asked for January 2, 2024. “Neither of them is acceptable,” the judge said. Clearly Chutkan found a fair compromise, between the serious request and the completely unserious one.
Seems like she was very not amused by twit Trump lawyer John Lauro. “Counsel is not entitled to unlimited preparation time; counsel is entitled to reasonable preparation time,” she said. “You’re not going to get two more years. This case is not going to trial in 2026,” she said.
But ohhhhhhh, Lauro bitched and moaned, not enough tiiiiiiiiiime!
“This is a request for a show trial, not a speedy trial,” Lauro fumed. “I’m sorry, your honor; for a federal prosecutor to suggest that we could go on trial in four months is not only absurd, it’s a violation of the oath to do justice.” […]
As Lauro’s voice rose, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan sought to calm him down. “Let’s take the temperature down,” she twice advised the lawyer.
Haha, she told him to cool his fuckin’ jets. Twice.
“This man’s liberty and life is at stake and he deserves an adequate representation,” Lauro said. “As an experienced defense lawyer, we cannot do this in the time frame that the government has outlined.”
Bless him heart!
Federal prosecutor Molly Gaston said actually they’ve produced most of the discovery already, and besides, so much of the evidence has been public for ages anyway, including going back to the January 6 Committee’s findings. As Joyce Vance points out, it’s six months from now, there’s only one defendant, and just four counts. Jesus Christ, get a grip, dude.
Gaston also mentioned Trump’s constant fucking blabbing on social media as a factor that suggests a need for a speedy trial.
The mean judge did not care about any of Trump’s lawyers’ shitty excuses. She didn’t even care that Trump was busy running for president, and said that like all defendants who are indicted for felonies, he will have to fit “trial” into his very busy schedule. “Mr Trump, like any defendant, will have to make the trial date work regardless of his schedule,” she said. (It will really take some scheduling hokey-pokey to fit in “prison,” if/when that ever comes!)
Lauro wailed at the end that the March date means Trump will not have the “adequate representation” to which he’s entitled, which lawyers on Twitter say is an attempt to set up a way to attack the verdict later on appeal.
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti notes that the March 4, 2024, trial date “will make it extremely hard for Trump’s team to push past the election.” So that’s what we wanted to know.
Let’s find a tweet from another legal expert to tie all this up with a bow:
“Chutkan hearing could’ve been worse for Trump, but I’m not sure how. She called his lawyers misleading, obviously took their proposal as a stunt, and set a trial date about as early as she might have. Does Trump now fire Lauro?”
Don’t forget Lauro saying “We will not able to provide adequate representation.” That quote was a good one!
For more play-by-play from the hearing, including all the times Chutkan pants-ed Trump’s idiot lawyers, here is a good place to start.
In other Trump/Prison 2024 news, his arraignment date in Georgia has been set for September 6. In fact, all the defendants will be arraigned that day. Trump kicks off the festivities at 9:30 a.m. ET.
So that’s another date in Trump’s future that will be bad for him, just like March 4, and also all the other dates.
Evan Hurst on Twitter right here.
@evanjosephhurst on Threads!
I have profiles those other places but I think I forgot how to log on.
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This person would happily bring the country down to save himself from the consequences of his own behavior, but he’s too weak and incompetent. Imaging how that feels for a narcissist.
OT: It turns out Betty White was closer to 100, so Bob is going to miss out on the Showcase. Please remember to spay and neuter your Republican.