Mastodawn

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

📌 Via Tamar Hallerman: 1/...

Coming at 1 pm: closing arguments from Fulton election defendants who are arguing #FaniWillis should be disqualified from the case. We're also expecting both sides to try and submit additional evidence, incl text messages, cell records and an affidavit #Georgia #legal

Live stream here: https://www.youtube.com/@judgescottmcafee/streams

Among today's spectators: Scott Grubman, att'y who rep'd defendant Ken Chesebro. Former Dekalb CEO and gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones is also back

Bevor Sie zu YouTube weitergehen

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

2/ Hallerman:

Here are some of the things I'm watching for:

- Any hints from McAfee on how he could rule
- Whether he admits any new evidence, allows new testimony
- How defense attorneys interpret Terrence Bradley's testimony

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

3/ Hallerman:

Judge McAfee confirms that defense attorneys have asked for 90 mins to divide between themselves for closing statements. He's giving prosecutors the same amount of time

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

4/ Live feed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly-46g9GTqc

Scott McAfee's Zoom Hearing

YouTube

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

5/ NBC:

John Merchant, Roman's defense attorney, is starting his closing arguments, focusing on what he alleges is a conflict of interest on Willis' part.

Via live blog: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/live-blog/trump-cases-live-updates-fani-willis-rcna140536

Trump Florida case still without a trial date, Georgia judge hears summations in misconduct allegations against Fani Willis: Highlights

Donald Trump attended the classified documents hearing, which could determine a timeline for trial. Later in the day, a judge heard closing arguments on the effort to remove Fani Willis from Trump's Georgia election interference case.

NBC News

6/ Watching this. Merchant is saying that Willis had a "personal interest" in the way this goes, and if he gets overruled, he'll "come back" and do this all over again. (appellate court)

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

7/ NBC:

Roman alleged that Willis skirted the rules to appoint Wade and that she benefited financially from his appointment, which has earned his office over $600,000 to date.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

8/ "There's enough facts in front of you, you know it when you see it," Merchant says of what constitutes a disqualifying conflict.

He's arguing that the standard for removing the DA from the case is an appearance of conflict, not an actual conflict.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

9/ "We couldn't care less if they had a personal relationship outside of work," Merchant says of Willis and Wade. "They were dating for two years and then she awarded him a contract" where Fulton money ended up in his pockets. He says $9200 of Wade's trip spending unaccounted for

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

10/ 🤦🏻‍♀️ John Merchant invoked a quote from a Supreme Court decision on obscenity written by Justice Potter Stewart saying that when it comes to pornography, "I know it when I see it." He said that the allegations of misconduct against Willis fit this threshold of appearance of impropriety.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

11/ Sadow is up now.

I detest him.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

12/ Hallerman:

Trump's attorney Steve Sadow is up next. He's evoking Willis speech at Big Bethel AMEChurch, during which she said critics were playing the "race card." Sadow says it represented "a calculated determination by Ms. Willis to prejudice" a jury against the defendants

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

13/ FYI, this is about Squeaky:

As part of his closing arguments, John Merchant defended his wife Ashleigh, a lawyer for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman who led much of the witness questioning in this case.

"I will resist the temptation to defend my wife, who I believe to be an excellent lawyer," John Merchant told the judge, adding, "but i will say this, judge: you don’t just evaluate the credibility of the witness list. You evaluate the credibility of the lawyers."

more...

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

14/ cont'd:

Merchant said Adam Abbate, a lawyer for the state, "stood up here in open court ... and called her a liar."

"For the state to get up here and impugn her credibility" is inappropriate, Merchant added.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

15/ Hallerman:

Sadow says there is a "legitimate concern based on the evidence of this case of (Willis and Wade's) truthfulness." He cites the testimony of former Willis friend Robin Yeartie and texts between ex-Wade law partner Terrence Bradley and attorney Ashleigh Merchant

Specifically, Sadow mentions Bradley's text “absolutely” when Merchant asked him if he believe Wade’s relationship with Willis began before she hired him

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

16/ Via Acyn:

Judge McAfee on Bradley text messages: In these text messages, is it ever definitively shown how he knew this… Usually if a state has a witness that goes sideways, they've got him locked in.., we don’t have that here

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

17/ NBC:

Trump's lawyer Steve Sadow told the judge that he didn't have to decide in this hearing that Willis and Wade lied. He said that what he had to do is "make a finding of the fact that you have genuine legitimate concerns about their credibility and their truthfulness."

Sadow then pushed the judge on the threshold for misconduct, saying that it only needed to be a "preponderance of evidence."

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

18/JHC.

Hallerman:

Craig Gillen, attorney for David Shafer, says Willis' strategy for her church speech was "deflection." She did two other "reprehensible" things for a lawyer or prosecutor, he said, play "the race card and the God card."

"She chose to inject race into the minds of the listeners and virtually everybody in this community," including people who could serve as jurors down the line, Gillen said. He calls it "premeditated."

Texty the Bard Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff Speaking while Black is now jury tampering? LOL.

T.Wllms Mar 1, 2024

@textualdeviance

their only argument is... we don't like that we are being prosecuted... so we're going after the black DA...

RalfMaximus Mar 1, 2024

@textualdeviance @GottaLaff

Holy shit "THESE PEOPLE" repeated over and over by a white man about a pair of black lawyers is shockingly racist, especially if you've spent time in the american south.

T.Wllms Mar 1, 2024

and then the next guy...

and they were just animals... went right to the sex...

this guy is just a pig...

@textualdeviance @GottaLaff

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

So they've decided to generally impugn Willis' character beyond the scope of the inquiry.

SMEAR smear smear

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst I'm livid. This is so so over the top

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

I hear ya. When is the judge gonna STOP this?

Mirishuli Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst @GottaLaff That’s my question. What the hell is the judge DOING.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

@MiriShuli @GottaLaff

He's lost control of the court. WTH???

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst @MiriShuli It's a closing. He can say what he wants if it came up in court. Yes, it's insane, but he's allowed.

Seán Fenian Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff @JaneDoeTheFirst @MiriShuli If we're really lucky, he'll take it far enough that the judge finds him in contempt.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff @MiriShuli

Thanks.

So, an opportunity to smear and politicise, no holds barred.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst @MiriShuli Sure looks that way.

We'd have to ask a lawyer if it's legally out of bounds. But the judge is allowing it, w/ a few challenges

Ms. Missy Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff When asked by McAfree what about Willis' church speech "crossed the line," Gillen can't come up with anything much.

Again, where's the burden of proof? This is all speculation.

Seán Fenian Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy @GottaLaff It's not even speculation. It's throwing mud in hope of some of it sticking, because they KNOW they have a big fat nothingburger otherwise.

Ms. Missy Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff Wow. Lawyer after lawyer with nothing but speculation and innuendo. So far they have ALL failed to cite one solid piece of evidence for any of their speculation.

Even the emails/texts from Mr. Bradley to Ms. Merchant don't prove anything but gossip.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy Yep. It's BS

Ms. Missy Mar 1, 2024

Do these lawyers even hear themselves? They say there is no proof the relationship began when Willis and Wade said it did. While they have shown no proof it began earlier.

Juju&Baba&Yoyo🌈Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy
Yup yup nothing nada, burden of proof is burden of poof!

Michael Wyman Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy @GottaLaff feels basically like the defense’s argument is “Your Honor, I’m white, you’re white, the DA here is black… I mean, c’mon!”

Ms. Missy Mar 1, 2024

@mwyman @GottaLaff
Every single lawyer on that side speaking today is an old white male. I mean, the optics today, whoo.

It's looking to me they have a problem with a smart black female District Attorney.

Michael Wyman Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy @GottaLaff and a woman (particularly a black woman) having a relationship. Gotta make her suffer for that.

T.Wllms Mar 1, 2024

the only thing they didn't call them was straight out sub-human sex-crazed black animals... they came close... but... not quite over that edge.

holy fuck that was just a disgusting display...

@mwyman @GottaLaff

Deb has moved! (see profile) 🇨🇦Mar 1, 2024

@tdwllms1 @MsMissy @mwyman @GottaLaff really sickening, wasn't it? 😦

Mike Babyak Mar 1, 2024

@tdwllms1 @MsMissy @mwyman @GottaLaff McAfee all but rolled his eyes when the Trumpite lawyer tried to argue that the crime in the crime-fraud exception was adultery. McAfee points out the law was found unconstitutional, Trumpite lawyer says," but it's on the books in Georgia."

T.Wllms Mar 1, 2024

@mikebabyak
Yes, I recall seeing that week or so ago.. it was laughable to bring that up...

there are some pretty odd laws still on the books... pretty amazing what still out there.

@MsMissy @mwyman @GottaLaff

Mirishuli Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff Can no one make this man stop talking? He’s making no sense whatsoever and he’s TESTIFYING. I do@not understand why the judge is letting this go on and on and on….

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@MiriShuli Closing arguments. He gets an allotted amount of time. He IS testifying in a sense: He's recapping in a closing argument. It's legal and he's allowed.

Mirishuli Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff but he’s not recapping. He’s providing commentary on phone records not presented during the proceedings.

They hung up on me at 6:57.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@MiriShuli Then I don't know what's allowed.

Martin Parker Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff how many times is this white guy gonna accuse a black woman of playing the race card?

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@martinnumber9 It's nauseating

Martin Parker Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff and not even subtle. Might as well be in a hood

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff
"Specifically, Sadow mentions Bradley's text “absolutely” when Merchant asked him if he believe Wade’s relationship with Willis began before she hired him"

FFS. Belief is NOT fact! This is so basic.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst Are you watching? I hate Sadow.

PlantingTrees😷🇨🇦🌻👠Mar 1, 2024

Nope. My head would explode. I don't know how you do it. You should be getting danger pay.

CDunn Mar 1, 2024

@JaneDoeTheFirst it’s also not under oath…

Democracy Matters

Hell, Ashleigh Merchant should be disbarred.

T.Wllms Mar 1, 2024

Not sure I can even listen to this portion....

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@tdwllms1 It's torture

MasterMischief Mar 1, 2024

@tdwllms1 @GottaLaff The hypocrisy is astounding.

Ms. Missy Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff You're not the only one. He's an ass.

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@MsMissy He's despicable

Rabbi Jill Zimmerman Mar 1, 2024

@GottaLaff oh my thank you for making me laugh WHICH I NEEDED

Laffy Mar 1, 2024

@rabbijill I need it too, but I'm not laughing. I'm pretty depressed today.