He’s basically just giving the judge the middle finger and daring him to do something tomorrow since he usually gets away with all this stuff.

Lisa Rubin Summary:

Todd Blanche argues that Trump's payments to Cohen were for legal services, not payback for the Stormy Daniels settlement, despite Trump's tweet acknowledging repayment for the NDA.

NEW: The jurors have been excused for the day just after David Pecker, the former chairman of American Media, home of the National Enquirer, was about to start discussing Bonnie Fuller, the former US Weekly editor who was “killing it.” 1/

The Trump criminal trial has recessed early, due to the Passover holiday. We got 20 minutes of testimony by Pecker (after opening arguments). Pecker admitted to paying for stories (checkbook journalism).
Remember -the crime isn't the hush money payoff per se. The crime is

No one on the jury is falling asleep

NYT is reporting David Pecker will be the first witness in Trump's trial. When the indictment was unsealed, I reviewed the DA's statement of facts to see what they thought they could prove. A year later it helps us understand what we'll see in court. joycevance.substack.com/p/unsealed

Three district attorneys in Georgia have renewed their challenge of a commission created to discipline and remove state prosecutors, arguing it violates the U.S. and Georgia constitutions. apnews.com/article/georgi…

is there anyone in public life more disingenuous than Kevin McCarthy?

2/Trump’s lawyers will have their work cut out for them as their demanding audience of one meets the rules & strictures of behavior in court. They won’t be able to make some of Trump’s wild arguments, both b/c they run afoul of what the rules permit AND very importantly..

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo, who took down Trump's 'charitable' entity in an earlier phase of his career working for the NY AG, begins opening statement for the people with these words, 'This case is about a criminal conspiracy and a cover-up.'

1/Opening statements explained: 'The trial will start with opening statements from the lawyers. They are not permitted to argue their evidence at this point. Opening statements are for telling the jury what each side expects the evidence will show' open.substack.com/pub/joycevance…

The scheme the prosecution is outlining is catch & kill to elect Trump-awful but lawful. Trump crossed the line into illegality when he created false business records to conceal his payments to Cohen to cover up the payments to Stormy Daniels.

It's always the cover up.

Joyce Alene David 'Pecker'. What an apt name for someone in this trial.

David Pecker's importance as a witness for the people: the prosecution tells the jury he discussed the catch and kill scheme directly with Trump & also with Michael Cohen.

Just Security Colangelo:

'It was election fraud, pure and simple.'

'We will never know, and it doesn't matter,' if it changed the outcome.

ICYMI, this would be a good time to catch up on the mechanics and basic facts of the scheme on @Just_Security x.com/rgoodlaw/statu…

Colangelo:

'They knew it was damaging not only because Trump bragged about sexual assault,' but because it was on tape.

Colangelo pivots to Trump's 'hot mic' moment in the 'Access Hollywood' tape:

Hope Hicks was sent a transcript of the tape, he says.

'The evidence will show that the defendant desperately did not want this information about Karen McDougal to become public' because he was concerned about how it would affect the election, Colangelo says.

When AMI determined later that Mr. Sajudin's allegations weren't even true, Cohen instructed Pecker to delay releasing him from the non-disclosure agreement until after the 2016 election, the prosecutor tells the jury.