Thirty Four And Counting

Excerpts (in green) taken from a Story by Josh Meyer, USA TODAY 

"Donald Trump’s defense lawyers blasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s hush-money case on Tuesday, saying it lacks the kind of convincing detail he’ll need for a slam-dunk prosecution against the first-ever former president to face criminal prosecution."

I guess what donnie's lawyers are saying is that the indictment is bare bones - or something; I guess they wanted Proust.

But the indictment gets the job done: it clearly accuses the dildo of 34 separate crimes.

Nowhere does anything say that Mr. Bragg was required to produce and indictment of the magnitude of a fully fleshed out script from Perry Mason.

All he had to do was specify the crimes: thirty-four instances of falsifying records, those falsifications being in support of other crimes, copious specific details to be provides in court.

That's the case; that was all that was necessary; it forced the dildo to show up yesterday and say "not guilty".

From the defense's viewpoint that must seem maddeningly smart - getting the job done with no supporting detail - thus their theatrical sturm and drang.

"A number of legal experts and former prosecutors, however, said Bragg was smart to leave out critical details of his case in order to gain competitive advantage over Trump’s aggressive team of lawyers and political influencers."

The details of the crimes that those falsified records support are going to be interesting.

"The indictment handed up by a Manhattan grand jury accuses Trump of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records as part of a scheme to prevent stories about Trump’s alleged affairs with two women from going public in the waning days of the 2016 presidential campaign.

"That included paying $280,000 as part of a “catch-and-kill” campaign to silence adult film actress, Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal from telling their stories and hurting Trump's election chances.

"Another $30,000 was paid to a former Trump Tower doorman who was trying to sell information 'regarding a child that the Defendant had allegedly fathered out of wedlock,' according to a statement of facts that accompanied the indictment.

"Such falsifying business records cases are usually filed as misdemeanors in New York state. But at a news conference after Trump’s arraignment, Bragg said  the charges became felonies because the records were falsified to conceal another crime.

“'Why did Donald Trump repeatedly make these false statements?' Bragg asked. 'The evidence will show that he did so to cover up crimes relating to the 2016 election.'”

So the bare bones indictment has some hidden meat on those bones.

And nobody gets to see any of that meat until the trial commences.

To get the criminal linkage for felony conviction, that meat must have some heft to it.

Mr. Bragg looks pretty smart to keep his hog in the barn until he's ready to make some pork chops.

Mrs. Bragg didn't raise no fools.