Today is Tuesday, December 6, 2022. This is a big news day for the former grifter president known as Donald J. Trump. Just recently, a Manhattan jury has found two Trump Organization companies guilty on multiple charges of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records connected to a 15-year scheme to defraud tax authorities by failing to report and pay taxes on compensation for top executives. Thus the Trump Organization and Trump Payroll Corporation were found guilty on all charges they faced. Unfortunately, the top honcho himself nor his family were not charged in this case, but the former president’s name was invoked repeatedly during the trial by prosecutors about his connection to the benefits doled out to certain executives, including company-funded apartments, car leases, and personal expenses. This breaking news is detailed in an online CNN article by Lauren del Valle and Kara Scannell entitled “Trump Organization guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud.”

What this guilty verdict means to the organization that bears the grifter’s name is that it could face a maximum of $1.61 million in fines when sentenced in mid-January. Unfortunately, the company is not at risk of being dismantled because there is no mechanism under New York law that would dissolve the company. Too bad! However, a felony conviction like this one could conceivably impact its ability to do business or obtain loans or contracts.

The guilty verdict comes as Dumpf is under scrutiny by federal and state prosecutors for his handling of classified documents, the effort to overturn the 2020 election results, and the accuracy of the Trump Organization’s business records and financial statements. He is also facing a $250 million civil lawsuit from the New York attorney general alleging he and adult children were involved in a decade-long fraud. The attorney general, Letitia James, is seeking to permanently bar them as serving as an officer or director of a company in New York State, among other penalties.

As would be expected from this criminal enterprise, Trump Org. lawyers said they plan to appeal. Good luck with that!

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg weighed in on the import of the case, saying, “This was a case about greed and cheating. The Trump Corporation and the Trump Payroll Corporation got away with a scheme that awarded high-level executives with lavish perks and compensation while intentionally concealing the benefits from the taxing authorities to avoid paying taxes. Today’s verdict holds these Trump companies accountable for their long-running criminal scheme.”

CNN senior legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Elie Honig said Bragg’s approach has been vindicated. Honig confessed this to CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Newsroom, “Obviously, this is a setback for the Trump Org. – a major setback for the Trump Org. They’ve now been found guilty of criminal conduct, criminal tax fraud.” He also said the victory was a win for the Manhattan district attorney.

Even though Dumpf again was not prosecuted in this case, the lead prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, told the jury in closing arguments that Dumpf “explicitly sanctioned” tax fraud and urged them to reject the defense’s argument that former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg was a rogue employee motivated by his own personal greed. Too bad that this too-loyal employee of the Dumpf Organization did not turn on his orange-haired boss. He declined to do so while staring at a prison sentence for his participation in these crimes. And he’s 76 years old, not a young buck. He pleaded guilty to 15 felonies for failing to pay taxes on $1.76 million in income. As part of his plea deal, he will be sentenced to five months in jail if the judge determines he testified truthfully. Why he still remains steadfast to the wannabe autocrat is beyond me! Trump’s own attorneys have already laid all the blame on his bald head, not on the orange haired one. Trump would turn in his dead mother to avoid being held accountable for anything.

Anyway, that’s the gist of the big story for the day. The next one is the ongoing Senate runoff race in Georgia between a pastor and a sinner. So far, I’m still hearing early returns and it’s too early to call the race. I will report anything if I hear something decisive. I see that small rural counties are coming out for the sinner. Ugh! According to the inimitable Steve Kornacki on MSNBC, only 39% of the ballots have been counted. The early vote count is actually better for Warnock, actually. Again, I hear – oh God! – that it still can be a close race! Why are so many Georgians still voting for this ignorant sinner over the more articulate pastor? I can’t wrap my head around this, no matter what one says.

Nearly two million Georgia voters have already cast ballots in the race, which was required under state law when neither candidate scored 50% in the original November election. This was a record in terms of early votes cast.

Another possible blow to the 45th president is the probable decision being made by the House January committee to call for criminal referrals, which could definitely include his name on the top of the list, along with several of his cohorts. This new development is covered in an online CNN politics article by Sara Murray, Annie Grayer, and Zachary Cohen entitled “House January 6 committee has decided to make criminal referrals, chairman says.”

The panel’s chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), told reporters today that the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol has decided to make criminal referrals to the Department of Justice (DOJ). When the panel makes referrals, Thompson said it will be a separate document from the committee’s final report that will be sent to DOJ.

A source familiar with the panel’s thinking told CNN the criminal referrals the January 6 committee will ultimately be making “will be focused on the main organizers and leaders of the attack.” Listening, Mr. Trump?

Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin, Adam Schiff, and Zoe Lofgren and GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, the vice chair of the panel, all trained lawyers, comprise this committee.

The decision of whether to issue criminal referrals has loomed large over the committee. Members on the panel have been in wide agreement that former president Donald Dumpf and some of his closet allies have committed a crime when he pushed a conspiracy to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, as they’ve excellently loaded out during their hearings. But they have long been split over what to do about it, including whether to make a criminal referral of Dumpf to the Justice Department.

In the past, this question has contributed to at times a vigorous and contentious debate among committee members, sources have said. Those who previously said criminal referrals are not necessary to close out the panel’s investigation say the committee lacks prosecutorial powers, and that the Justice Department does not need Congress to investigate crimes as it has its own criminal investigations into the Capitol attack that are ongoing.

But now the committee has come to the conclusion that a criminal referral of the ringleader of the insurrection, even if entirely symbolic in nature, is now a necessary measure in order to complete its work. I say, “Amen” to that! This step could only embolden the powers to be to finally indict the sorry ass of the former “president.”

The Georgia race is very tight, Goddamnit! Warnock is leading, though, 51.1% to Walker’s 48.9%. This is only close to 3 percentage points, I guess. This is going to be a nail-biter, no doubt about it.

Now I hear the sinner has taken the lead! Groan! Walker is leading 50.6% to Warnock’s 49.4%. This is so tight, it’s stomach churning. It’s only by 1.2 percentage points that Warnock trails Walker. Maybe these are the red counties reporting here. Only 67% of votes cast are being tallied now. There are still a lot of outstanding votes, so I cannot tell you what is going to occur. We will know by tomorrow morning – or later tonight.

I hope I have good news to report tomorrow then. Tomorrow will be my last blog before I return from the Sunshine State on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, in the late evening. I will probably post an entry on Wednesday, December 21, if I feel up to it.

I will be here tomorrow, though.

Stay safe and be well.

PS: I now heard that Warnock has pulled ahead of Walker. This is the news I and many more want to hear. Warnock is 50.5% to Walker’s 49.5%. Those are the numbers I want to hear. It’s only 73% of the votes represented. We have a ways to go.