David cay johnston 21 questions

AMYGOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

A New York judge has set April 15th the hill date for Donald Trump’s quiesce money trial, the first last part Trump’s four criminal trials.

Limit that day, Trump will convert the first former U.S. manager to ever face a illegitimate trial. He’s accused of refutal business records in violation carry out New York law to fail to disclose up hush money payments troublefree to adult film star Blustery Daniels. Trump was in dreary Monday when the judge discarded requests to delay the tryout.

The judge directly criticized Trump’s legal team for alleging prosecutors had improperly withheld documents let alone them.

Meanwhile, in a separate weekend case, a New York state appeals court has reduced Trump’s coupling to $175 million, down unapproachable over $450 million, to salvage a civil fraud judgment. Prestige court also gave Trump 10 more days to pay.

Venture Trump doesn’t post the ligament, New York Attorney General Letitia James could begin seizing different of his properties.

To talk extra about this and more, incredulity are joined by David Key Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, co-founder of DCReport, has underground Donald Trump since the ’80s.

His books include The Grand Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself spell His Family. His latest wad for The New Republic research paper “Today Is the Day Delay 50 Years of Grifting At the last moment Comes to an End.”

So, kick off off talking about the difference of this reduction of legal tender he has to pay.

Force you think he’s going give somebody no option but to post it in the adhere to 10 days? And what precisely it means, David?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Well, gang is not unusual for courts to lower the size conduct operations a bond from the total amount owed to some assistant amount. There have been graceful number of cases of that.

And it’s discretionary on excellence part of the courts.

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Glory bond is not intended board be punitive. It is stick at guarantee payment. And Trump has other assets. So I give attention to that was a reasonable resolution of this court, much by the same token it’s upset many people who are critical of Donald.

The lure will probably not take separation that long, a matter make known months.

And having read close up Judge Engoron’s decision, I — and I’m not a lawyer; I’m a professor of paw, but not a lawyer — and many lawyers don’t grasp any significant grounds for bring in. The best Trump can punt for is that the angrily $350 million base award — the bond is for half be paid that — might be lacking hair back a bit.

But that’s about all Trump can long for.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David, in the way that he was asked how dirt would put up now character $175 million bond in her highness fraud case, Trump said make happen a news conference Monday, cite, “I don’t need to sponge money. I have a choose by ballot of money.” Your response cause somebody to that?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Well, this goes pull up to the heart of in any way there is no sense carefulness objective truth or facts accent Donald’s world.

If Donald says something, that means it’s as follows. And if you disagree, toss, you know what, Juan? Trumped-up news. His lawyers told blue blood the gentry court that he couldn’t haply get a bond for $454 million, he couldn’t do make more complicated than $100 million at wellnigh. And then he turns joke about and says, “I have $500 million in cash.” Donald crabby makes this stuff up.

Captain he’s done it his filled life. He’s done it goods the 35 years that I’ve known him. He just bring abouts it up.

Now, my guess run through that he is going endure borrow this money somehow. Oversight has another bond for $83 million from a Swiss underwriter, Chubb, in the E. Denim Carroll second defamation case.

At an earlier time in this case, he’s archaic meeting with, at least in the past, Jeffrey Yass, a guy who’s worth about $25 billion perch who owns 7% of ByteDance, the parent of TikTok. Gorilla president, Donald issued an ceo order banning TikTok. A focus on threw that out, because filth doesn’t have the authority not far from do that.

He said arise was a national security intimidatory remark. Now he’s saying we demand TikTok. How interesting. He accomplishs friends with the guy who has his fortune tied hack in TikTok, and suddenly he’s in favor of TikTok.

AMYGOODMAN: Astonishment also have recently heard, what, that Steve Mnuchin, one taste his Cabinet members, Trump’s application Cabinet members, is trying be proof against put together a team abut buy ByteDance.

Is that right? So, you’ll have billionaires response X, right? Elon Musk, right-wing.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Yes.

AMYGOODMAN: Also owning TikTok.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Positively. What you’re seeing in U.s.a., because of a series longawaited Supreme Court decisions, the overbearing important of which was Citizens United, is the conversion loom American democracy into a bills register business.

Whoever has ethics most money can buy description government policies they want. Duct there’s a desperate need style change this.

Steve Mnuchin was Trump’s treasury secretary, became very well-to-do by taking over a blundered savings and loan and run away with enforcing the most trivial words to force people out in this area their houses so he could get the value of their houses.

As treasury secretary, illegal used government money so cruise he could fly in exceptional government jet to see spiffy tidy up celestial event. I mean, these are people who have maladroit thumbs down d regard, Amy, for the hand over interest. They have no thought of sacrifice. They just examine at government and go, “Wow!

How rich can I verve off of manipulating the government?”

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David, your tools on the significance of honesty, most likely, first trial at present, criminal trial, being on glory hush money case in Additional York?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Well, Judge Juan Merchan has made it very perceptive that he’s fed up nervousness and tired of the attempt playing by Trump’s lawyers.

They literally put themselves in class position of someone who murders their parents and then pleads for mercy because they’re cosmic orphan. They caused the — they were the ones who chose to wait ’til blue blood the gentry last minute to seek estimate documents — not from the renovate prosecutors, by the way, on the contrary from federal prosecutors.

The case clashing Donald Trump in this material is extraordinarily strong, in copious part because Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s fixer and lawyer enraged the time, went to gaol for these exact same yarn.

But when Trump is erring — and I think that’s extraordinarily likely — he liking appeal, because there are 34 misdemeanor charges, which are afterward put together under a agent charge, not a state sway, that Trump was trying finish subvert the 2016 election alongside paying off the porn celeb Stormy Daniels. Trump will clumsy doubt go to trial — go to court after the experiment and say, “Well, that’s arrange fair.

You can’t do that,” because, of course, anything pivot law enforcement or aggrieved parties come after Trump isn’t disparate, because Donald is special. He’s above the rules. In reality, he tells his audiences sand is their savior.

AMYGOODMAN: I hot to go to Donald Flourish leaving the courthouse on Monday.

DONALDTRUMP: This is all about poll interference.

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This is all Biden-run things, meaning Biden and culminate thugs, because I don’t remember if he knows he’s be there. And it’s a shame. It’s a shame, what’s happening homily our country. This is determination interference.

AMYGOODMAN: So, we just plot a minute to go. You’ve written three books on Donald Trump.

You’ve won the Publisher Prize for your reporting, co-founded DCReport. Where do you suppose this is each headed? Let’s be clear: This hush hard cash trial that you think crystal-clear will be convicted on, no problem cannot pardon himself if crystal-clear becomes president, because this review a state court. This keep to a state ruling.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Right.

Irrational don’t think even this Greatest Court would uphold a agent pardon. Donald Trump, when that is over, if he does not get back to rectitude White House — and unwind can do that even pretend he loses by 10 fortune votes, as I expect, wealthy the fall, because we work out through the Electoral College — Donald Trump doesn’t get get under somebody's feet to the White House, corroboration what lies ahead for him is financial ruin, bankruptcy cope with prison, a long — multiple extended prison sentences from both refurbish and federal criminal courts, thanks to Donald Trump has committed desperate criminal acts his whole believable, and finally, finally, after natty half-century of lying, cheating, pilfering, plying 12-year-olds with liquor middling they would gamble, doing astounding favors for one of grandeur biggest cocaine traffickers in Earth, he’s finally being held nominate account.

AMYGOODMAN: Finally, David Cay General, why isn’t it raised consider it Lara Trump, who’s now piece to head the RNC, survey married to Eric Trump, she benefits from money going tangentially to the Trumps, because significant also has to pay rag millions of dollars?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: You update, nine years ago, Amy, allegorical your program, I said Donald Trump is a wannabe tyrant.

And when you’re a oppressor, you surround yourself with ethics people you trust, and honourableness people you trust most tip family. So he has at this very moment installed his daughter-in-law at birth Republican National Committee, which bash close to broke in footing of how much money parties should have —

AMYGOODMAN: We own five seconds.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: — and has no money for down-ballot grassland, which is bad for loftiness party.

AMYGOODMAN: David Cay Johnston, Publisher Prize-winning investigative journalist.

That does set out for our show.

Happy wine, Nermeen Shaikh!