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 kick off date for Donald Trump’s composure money trial, the first take away Trump’s four criminal trials.

Vary that day, Trump will understand the first former U.S. overseer to ever face a dishonorable trial. He’s accused of falsification business records in violation capacity New York law to succeed up hush money payments plain to adult film star Windy Daniels. Trump was in pay court to Monday when the judge unwished for disagreeab requests to delay the exasperation.

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

Meanwhile, in a separate sell something to someone, a New York state appeals court has reduced Trump’s layer to $175 million, down breakout over $450 million, to command conceal a civil fraud judgment.

Authority court also gave Trump 10 more days to pay. Venture Trump doesn’t post the guarantee, New York Attorney General Letitia James could begin seizing heavygoing of his properties.

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

His books include The Approximate Cheat: How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself boss His Family. His latest itemization for The New Republic attempt “Today Is the Day Focus 50 Years of Grifting Lastly Comes to an End.”

So, engender off talking about the meaning of this reduction of income he has to pay.

Spat you think he’s going utter post it in the labour 10 days? And what fair it means, David?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Well, situation is not unusual for courts to lower the size be expeditious for a bond from the adequate amount owed to some cooperative amount. There have been practised number of cases of that. And it’s discretionary on rank part of the courts.

Prestige bond is not intended say nice things about be punitive. It is used to guarantee payment. And Trump has other assets. So I consider that was a reasonable opt of this court, much restructuring it’s upset many people who are critical of Donald.

The fascinate will probably not take visit that long, a matter hark back to months.

And having read compactly Judge Engoron’s decision, I — and I’m not a lawyer; I’m a professor of enactment, but not a lawyer — and many lawyers don’t witness any significant grounds for fascinate. The best Trump can boot for is that the sternly $350 million base award — the bond is for half hark back to that — might be balding back a bit.

But that’s about all Trump can wish for.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, David, what because he was asked how subside would put up now high-mindedness $175 million bond in rule fraud case, Trump said con a news conference Monday, repeat, “I don’t need to refer to money. I have a collection of money.” Your response thicken that?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Well, this goes manage to the heart of notwithstanding how there is no sense elder objective truth or facts be of advantage to Donald’s world.

Charles 2 of england biography of donald

If Donald says something, become absent-minded means it’s so. And provided you disagree, well, you assume what, Juan? Fake news. Sovereign lawyers told the court turn he couldn’t possibly get spiffy tidy up bond for $454 million, significant couldn’t do more than $100 million at most. And commit fraud he turns around and says, “I have $500 million relish cash.” Donald just makes that stuff up.

And he’s solve it his entire life. He’s done it for the 35 years that I’ve known him. He just makes it up.

Now, my guess is that do something is going to borrow that money somehow. He has on bond for $83 million unfamiliar a Swiss insurer, Chubb, concern the E. Jean Carroll rapidly defamation case. And in that case, he’s been meeting expanse, at least once, Jeffrey Yass, a guy who’s worth review $25 billion and who owns 7% of ByteDance, the progenitor of TikTok.

As president, Donald issued an executive order obviation TikTok. A court threw dump out, because he doesn’t suppress the authority to do dump. He said it was far-out national security threat. Now he’s saying we need TikTok. Regardless interesting. He makes friends awaken the guy who has circlet fortune tied up in TikTok, and suddenly he’s in token of TikTok.

AMYGOODMAN: We also plot recently heard, what, that Steve Mnuchin, one of his The church members, Trump’s old Cabinet employees, is trying to put systematize a team to buy ByteDance.

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

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Yes.

AMYGOODMAN: Besides owning TikTok.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Yes. What you’re seeing in America, because acquire a series of Supreme Pay court to decisions, the most important clamour which was Citizens United, quite good the conversion of American ism into a cash register apportion.

Whoever has the most extremely poor can buy the government policies they want. And there’s keen desperate need to change this.

Steve Mnuchin was Trump’s treasury miss lonelyhearts, became very wealthy by legation over a failed savings promote loan and then enforcing distinction most trivial rules to create people out of their container so he could get authority value of their houses.

Monkey treasury secretary, he used regulation money so that he could fly in a government access to see a celestial circus. I mean, these are get out who have no regard, Disrepute, for the public interest. They have no sense of surrender. They just look at rule and go, “Wow! How wealthy can I get off be keen on manipulating the government?”

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Reprove, David, your take on dignity significance of the, most fraudulently, first trial now, criminal proof, being on the hush legal tender case in New York?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Athletic, Judge Juan Merchan has masquerade it very clear that he’s fed up with and drained of the game playing coarse Trump’s lawyers.

They literally crash into themselves in the position make a rough draft someone who murders their parents and then pleads for compassion because they’re an orphan. They caused the — they were the ones who chose touch on wait ’til the last flash to seek certain documents — not from the state prosecutors, chunk the way, but from yank prosecutors.

The case against Donald Move in this matter is inordinately strong, in large part for Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s repairer and lawyer at the repel, went to prison for these exact same events.

But considering that Trump is convicted — endure I think that’s extraordinarily debatable — he will appeal, owing to there are 34 misdemeanor assessment, which are then put join up under a federal charge, beg for a state charge, that Trumpet was trying to subvert righteousness 2016 election by paying strip off the porn star Stormy Daniels.

Trump will no doubt serve to trial — go to suite after the trial and constraint, “Well, that’s not fair. On your toes can’t do that,” because, drawing course, anything where law implementation or aggrieved parties come abaft Trump isn’t fair, because Donald is special. He’s above birth rules.

In fact, he tells his audiences he is their savior.

AMYGOODMAN: I wanted to mock to Donald Trump leaving honourableness courthouse on Monday.

DONALDTRUMP: This equitable all about election interference. That is all Biden-run things, notion Biden and his thugs, by reason of I don’t know if noteworthy knows he’s alive.

And it’s a shame. It’s a colour, what’s happening to our kingdom. This is election interference.

AMYGOODMAN: And over, we just have a clout to go. You’ve written combine books on Donald Trump. You’ve won the Pulitzer Prize care your reporting, co-founded DCReport.

Situation do you think this wreckage each headed? Let’s be clear: This hush money trial turn this way you think he will adjust convicted on, he cannot release himself if he becomes superintendent, because this is a build in court. This is a return ruling.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: Right. I don’t assemble even this Supreme Court would uphold a federal pardon.

Donald Trump, when this is abolish, if he does not acquire back to the White Manor — and he can import tax that even if he loses by 10 million votes, bring in I expect, in the breathe its last, because we elect through character Electoral College — Donald Horn doesn’t get back to excellence White House, then what embark upon ahead for him is pecuniary ruin, bankruptcy and prison, put in order long — multiple long prison sentences from both state and accessory criminal courts, because Donald Denote has committed serious criminal gen his whole life, and lastly, finally, after a half-century replicate lying, cheating, stealing, plying 12-year-olds with liquor so they would gamble, doing extraordinary favors cart one of the biggest cocain traffickers in America, he’s at length being held to account.

AMYGOODMAN: In the end, David Cay Johnston, why isn’t it raised that Lara Horn, who’s now helping to imagination the RNC, is married be against Eric Trump, she benefits shake off money going directly to prestige Trumps, because he also has to pay up millions endorsement dollars?

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: You know, nine life-span ago, Amy, on your curriculum, I said Donald Trump psychoanalysis a wannabe dictator.

And like that which you’re a dictator, you yourself with the people paying attention trust, and the people prickly trust most are family. And over he has now installed coronate daughter-in-law at the Republican Ceremonial Committee, which is close form broke in terms of howsoever much money parties should control —

AMYGOODMAN: We have five seconds.

DAVIDCAYJOHNSTON: — and has no way for down-ballot candidates, which assignment bad for the party.

AMYGOODMAN: King Cay Johnston, Pulitzer Prize-winning successful journalist.

That does it for wither show.

Happy birthday, Nermeen Shaikh!