Today is Thursday, January 11, 2024.    Today the $370 million Donald Dump civil fraud trial heard closing arguments from his dipshit lawyers and from the miserable defendant himself, Donald J. Frump, who went on his usual mindfucking rant in which he is always portrayed as the perennial victim of a liberal plot directed toward destroying him.    An online CNN article by Jeremy Herb, Lauren del Valle, and Kara Scannell entitled “Takeaways from the closing arguments in the $370 million Donald Trump civil fraud trial” covers all of the salient points of this most consequential trial in the life of the former dimwitted president. 

Chump’s decision to launch into a monologue at the conclusion of his lawyers’ closing arguments reflected the fact that the civil fraud trial is a serious threat to Trump’s business and brand, where Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to bar the fading real estate mogul from doing business in the state.  

Judge Arthur Engoron has already found Chump is liable for fraud in the civil case, and he plans to offer a full decision by the end of the month. 

Here are the takeaways from the final day of the trial:

Trump finds a way to be heard in court

The former president gave the same whiny speech in multiple locations today:  The cameras outside the courtroom, to Engoron inside court, and at his 40 Wall Street property in the afternoon to reporters.

Notably, the most important time Dump gave his repetitive speech was where there were no cameras:    inside the courtroom.

Relying on the same old nonsense, Trump said, “This was a political witch hunt,” Dump said while speaking to the judge in an unscheduled moment in court.   The hapless defendant added, “What’s happened here, sir, is a fraud on me.”  That’s truly priceless, given how much of a fraud this guy is.

Just before breaking for lunch, Chump’s attorney Chris Kise renewed his request to Engoron to give his client “two to three minutes” to make his case directly to the judge.

The truly patient judge here addressed the buffoon, asking if he would promise just to comment on the facts related to the case.

This request from the judge provoked a five-minute rant from the defense table.   The guy who has no bounds or limitations said, “We have a situation where I’m an innocent man.  I’ve been persecuted by somebody running for office and I think you have to go outside the bounds.”

Surprisingly, Engoron sat back for several minutes, letting the bloviator go on, before interrupting him to tell his time was running out. 

At one point, Engoron said, “One minute, that’s all I’m saying.”  Dump replied, “You have your own agenda, I understand that.”

Finally, Engoron addressed Dump’s flabby attorney, saying, “Mr. Kise, please control your client.”

Then Chump laughingly took this line of argument, “Your honor, look, I did nothing wrong.   They should pay me for what we had to go through.   What they’ve done to me reputationally and everything else.”

AG maintains that Trump ‘acted with intent’ to defraud

The attorney general’s office argued in its closing presentation that Chump “acted with intent” to fraudulently inflate the value of his assets in his financial statements.

Summing it up very succinctly, Andrew Amer, an attorney for the attorney general’s office, said, “The buck stopped with him.”  He went on to say that Frump was responsible for the conduct Trump Organization executives Allen Weisselberg and Jeff McConney participated in to inflate his assets.

“Mr. Trump was certainly in the loop to review and approve the statements,” Amer said.  “The court should infer that he acted with intent to defraud based on his extensive knowledge about these assets.”

Trump’s lawyers argue case is political attack

Trump’s attorneys aped the same cockamamie themes as their “stable genius” client during their closing arguments, accusing the New York attorney general of a political vendetta against Chump.

Trump’s lawyer, Chris Kise, said at the outset of his presentation, “This entire case is a manufactured claim to serve a political agenda.”  He had the nerve to add, “It has always been press releases and posturing, but no proof at all.”

Both Kise and Alina Habba – a lawyer for the Trump Organization – then went on a personal attack of Attorney General Letitia James that doesn’t bear restating here.   These lawyers are just mimicking the boorish strategy of their demented client. 

Next steps in the case

The judge in this momentous case said he hopes to issue a ruling by the end of January, but that’s not set in stone either.  

And this is hardly going to be the end of the matter.   Which means that if Engoron issues a negative judgment against Chump, his lawyers will promptly file an appeal which means that more delay is inevitable in Chump facing financial accountability in this case.   That means the case could stretch on, with the fate of Trump’s ability to do business in New York hanging in the balance.   

Meanwhile, Chump may be back in a Manhattan courthouse next week for another defamation trial brought against him by magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll. 

The perennial defendant now has said with some irony, “I want to go to all of my trials.”  Not something I would want to boast of, Mr. Dump.

Today Elliot and I drove to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to have brunch at our favorite Bedford Avenue eatery, Juliette.   We vainly attempted to isolate Atticus in the kitchen by spreading a white science board across the entranceway, leaving him his turbo scratcher toy and his food and water bowls.   We were a little afraid of leaving him alone in the living room since he has shown himself to be a dynamo of feline energy.   Every day, he seems to get onto new countertops around the apartment, whether it be glass dining tables, bookshelves, or computer desks.   

Suffice it to say when we returned home after 3, we didn’t find Atticus in the kitchen but sitting on a dining room chair.   What most assuredly transpired was that he was able to leap over the front barricade consisting of a science white board and a chair placed against it.   We shouldn’t have been surprised to see him there at all.   So now we don’t have to try to keep him only in one room anymore.  We can be rest assured that he’ll find a way to extricate himself from such an enclosed location. 

Stay safe and be well.

Last night I found Atticus on the top step of this step stool.    I waved him down, of course.