Donald Trump on Wednesday launched fresh vitriol against the judge and prosecuting attorney in his New York business fraud trial, carefully skirting a gag order imposed on him just a day prior.

Trump tried Tuesday to bully a court clerk, sharing false conspiracies about her as well as her personal information. Presiding Judge Arthur Engoron issued a gag order later that day prohibiting all parties involved in the case from publicly discussing court staff.

While Trump avoided mentioning court staff on Wednesday, he went all out with attacks against Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“This is election interference. They made up a fake case, these fraudulent people,” Trump told reporters. “And the judge already knows what he’s gonna do. He’s a Democrat judge. In all fairness to him, he has no choice.… He’s run by the Democrats.”

  • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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    9 months ago

    Ever hear of the Pentagon Papers?

    Yes. Pretty typical Pentagon and presidential behaviour that should come to no surprise to anyone who’s paying attention.

    In what ways does it cause more harm than good?

    In what ways DOESN’T it? If I had a dollar for every American who died as a result of politics based on one or more politicians deliberate lying, I’d be able to buy the Eiffel tower. If you included every American trapped in avoidable poverty, I’d be able to put in a fair bid for all of France.

    As for the protection of honest speech, everyone has that without giving the already powerful and notoriously dishonest special lie allowance privileges.

    • Melllvar@startrek.website
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      9 months ago

      Yes. Pretty typical Pentagon and presidential behaviour that should come to no surprise to anyone who’s paying attention.

      …exposed by a Senator reading classified documents into the Congressional record, thus entering them into the public record and being immune from prosecution.

      Also, that’s not how Americans spell “behavior” ;)

      • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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        9 months ago

        There’s already whistle-blower protections for that. Granted, the exceedingly authoritative government shits all over such laws when it’s not one of their fellow rich and/or powerful people doing it, but that’s not the fault of the law.

        Also, it’s no secret that I’m not an American and I will spell words however the fuck I want.

        • Melllvar@startrek.website
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          9 months ago

          Congress isn’t covered by whistle-blower protection laws, and such laws generally only protect disclosure to the proper authorities rather than to the public. This also ignores the case when the “proper authorities” may be the very people being reported on.

          I’m still interested in knowing what actual harms you’re alleging the speech and debate clause causes. You pointed to lying, but that’s generally legal anyway and not really enabled by the S&D clause.

          • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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            9 months ago

            Willfully and maliciously lying to harm the reputation of someone else and/or to exploit others financially is called slander and fraud. Both are usually illegal and this is the last time I’ll try to get it through to you that demagogues having carte blanche to slander and defraud people took the point of passing legislation based on said fraud ans slander is a bad thing with often catastrophic consequences.

            I really don’t understand how that isn’t obvious to you. Unless you’ve been wasting my time arguing in bad faith this entire time, of course…

            • Melllvar@startrek.website
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              9 months ago

              Unless you’ve been wasting my time arguing in bad faith this entire time, of course…

              I’m actually being sincere. Something that you clearly don’t understand or appreciate.

              • VikingHippie@lemmy.wtf
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                9 months ago

                You’re right. I don’t understand nor appreciate how someone could fail to see the problem with some of the most powerful people in the world, the ones that shape the rules of an entire country, just being allowed to make shit up as they go along out of spite and greed.

                Especially not when living in a country with only two major parties, one of which has lied their way into inspiring a global resurgence of fascism and the leadership of BOTH parties continue to pretend that a bribe isn’t a bribe unless you specifically annonce that you’re bribing someone and for which specific purpose!

                That’s mind-boggingly obtuse and evidence of some SERIOUS propaganda and/or unearned trust in authority figures. Extremely fucked up either way.