For months, we have been bombarded with information about the current and upcoming legal problems facing former president #P01135809. He is dealing with four criminal prosecutions (in Florida, DC, Georgia, and New York) and two civil suits (both in New York). This does not include the recently concluded civil suit in New York which awarded E. Jean Carroll $82 million in damages. Nor does it include the dozens of lawsuits or criminal prosecutions winding their way through various state court systems involving his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election or various mechanisms relating to ballot access for the presidential election this November.
I’m not going to go into all of this in great detail today. The information is both extensive and readily available on the internet. There are a lot of people who track this stuff as part of their regular jobs; they also have the aid of a slew of researchers who spend their days gleaning information from these widespread investigations. I don’t have employees. So today I’m going to talk briefly about one of the best websites for keeping up with this information – Just Security (more specifically, its “#P01135809 [sic] Trials Clearinghouse” page). Just Security defines itself in the following terms on its website:
Just Security is an online forum for the rigorous analysis of security, democracy, foreign policy, and rights. Founded in 2013, we aim to promote principled and pragmatic solutions to problems confronting decision-makers in the United States and abroad. Our expert authors are individuals with significant government experience, academics, civil society practitioners, individuals directly affected by national security policies, and other leading voices. Our Board of Editors includes a broad range of leading experts on domestic and international law and policy. Just Security is based at the Reiss Center on Law and Security at New York University School of Law.
We are grateful for support from Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Open Society Foundations, Global Institute for Advanced Study at New York University, Atlantic Philanthropies, New York University School of Law, and individual donors.
The views expressed on this site are attributable to their individual authors writing in their personal capacity only, and not to any other author, the editors, or any other person, organization, or institution with which the author might be affiliated or whom the author may advise or represent in legal proceedings.
The website lists 21 key topics that they have focused on in the last decade. If you want a historical picture of what went on in Afghanistan or regarding COVID-19, for example, it’s a great place to start.
One of their banner topics right now is called “#P01135809 [sic] Trials Clearinghouse,” and it’s the best place to find a comprehensive discussion of what’s going on (and what’s been going on). The page is updated regularly – the last update was on February 8. Here’s a bit of what they say under the headings of each part of their analysis.
14th Amendment Section 3 Litigation
This is the case that was heard in oral argument before the Supreme Court on Thursday, February 8. When you click on the link to this case, here are the options you will see.
Clicking on any of these links will give you more information that you probably need – although it provides a go-to source for anyone attempting to write coherently about this topic (including me). Clicking on the “Relevant Court,” or “Key Statutes,” tab will take you to the primary source documents supporting their analysis. The two other tabs take you to secondary sources – the analytical pieces written by people whose job it is to make sense of all of this. I get the most out of this by clicking on the “Just Security Writings” tab. This opens up a list of analytical articles written by the experts on the Just Security team. Here’s the list that comes up for your perusal.
New York Attorney General Corporate Fraud Case
Once again, if you click on this link, you’ll find a set of options:
You’ll see that you have one additional option for this case: because #P01135809 can’t keep his mouth closed, the website provides a compilation of statements he has made about this case. If you click on the “Just Security Writings” tab, here’s the list of articles
This is a much briefer list of articles, but if you click on the “Media and Other Resources” tab, you’ll find more information. As you may recall, this is the case awaiting New York Judge Engoron’s decision on the amount of damages the #P01135809 Organization will be required to pay as a result of the fraud allegations that have already been proven. This decision has been delayed because of new information that the chief financial officer for the organization, Allen Weisselberg (who had already served jail time for his actions on behalf of #P01135809) is facing new charges of perjury in related cases. Weisselberg has thus far refused to provide testimony against #P01135809; his commitment to the former president has been reinforced by the $2 million severance package he was paid upon leaving the organization. We shall see.
January 6 Election Interference Case – District of Columbia
Here are the options you’ll find if you take a look at this page.
Here you’ll find a long list of articles under the “Just Security Writings” tab.
Another option has been added on this page – “Related Clearinghouse of Select Committee Materials and Other Resources.” #P01135809 and his acolytes and enablers have been bleating regularly that “Nancy Pelosi destroyed all of the information” or some such claim, but the January 6 committee turned over all of its evidence to the Justice Department. You can check it out at this link.
Georgia Election Interference Case
You’ll find even more options on this page. That’s not surprising – this case began with 19 defendants at varying levels of culpability, so there has been a lot more churning as this case has moved forward.
The “Just Security Writings” option brings up this list of articles.
Mar-a-Lago Documents Case – Southern District of New York
You have the idea by now. Click on this page and you’ll find these options:
A whole lot more has been written about this case than some of the others – primarily because of questions over the handling of the classified documents in the case. (Just as an aside – the incessant whining by #P01135809 that the Presidential Records Act gives him authority to keep these documents is a total fabrication. He knows that and his lawyers know that. He’s just hoping that his MAGA base doesn’t know that.)
Below this list, you’ll find a dozen or so analytical pieces trying to explain what all of this means.
2016 Election Interference Case – Manhattan District Attorney
And bringing up the rear is the oldest case and the earliest one charged – the case about the hush money payments made by the #P01135809 campaign to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign – the payments for which former #P01135809 attorney Michael Cohen has already served time in jail.
Here are some things you can read to catch up with what’s going on in this case.
This case seems less serious – alleging campaign finance violations – but laws are laws, and other people have already completed jail sentences because they carried out #P01135809’s bidding. Remember, gangster Al Capone was taken down for tax fraud, not for the murders that occurred at his bidding.
I’ll take #P01135809 in jail for $1000, Alex.
And let’s not forget the bottom line here – because the GOP has decided that MAGA is the hill it is prepared to die on, Republicans across the country seem totally willing to let its voters cast their vote for a man who may not be able actually to take office if he wins. They will have reason to complain mightily if his campaign goes off the rails any more than it already has. We’ve already seen what happens when the weaponized MAGA toddlers throw a tantrum.
And lest we forget — the GOP could have avoided all of this in January of 2021 if three more Republican Senators – ONLY THREE MORE – had the balls most of them were born with to vote to convict him on the charge of Incitement of Insurrection during the Senate Impeachment trial. Seven Republicans voted to impeach him: Richard Burr of North Carolina, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomy of Pennsylvania. Remember that a conviction for impeachment bars the impeached individual from running for office ever again. They could have kept all of this from happening. They chose not to.
And let’s also remember what a lot of people said during the impeachment trial – including Mitch McConnell and #P01135809’s own attorney for the trial – that #P01135809 "didn't get away with anything yet because the criminal justice system could still deal with the situation.” They have changed their tune now that he is actually facing the judicial consequences of his actions. They are saying “Let the voters decide in 2024.”
We’ve already tried that, remember? Since 2020, #P01135809 has consistently denied the decision made by the voters. He has stated specifically that he won’t accept a loss in 2024 because that would prove that the system is rigged. Do we really want to go through all of this for the next however many years he is alive?
Thank you. I think this is a great site. After I read this, I go to Simon Rosenberg (Substack: Hopium Chronicles) and frequently sigh in relief.
God I’m F###ing tired of all things #P01135809! I just wish him GONE! And now our SP has shown embarrassing weakness. It’s mind boggling!