Dear listeners,
Donald Trump wasn’t supposed to give a closing statement at the New York AG’s civil trial, but he gave a brief one anyway — and why not? There’s no jury to influence and, let’s be honest, Judge Engoron seems to have made his mind up. So he let Trump mug for the cameras that Trump likes to imagine are in the courtroom.
Trump also wanted a delay of the next E. Jean Carroll trial so he could attend his mother-in-law’s funeral and/or a campaign rally in New Hampshire — Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the request — and Trump owes nearly $400,000 for the legal fees he caused the New York Times and its journalists to incur when he sued them over a story he didn’t like. Well, at least he had fun.
Rudy Giuliani is bankrupt and faces the creditors’ committee of his nightmares. And in Georgia, his lawyer made decidedly unimpressive arguments to dismiss the RICO and other charges against him — though, as discussed last week, external circumstances may be coming to his and the other defendants’ rescue.
Michael Flynn has a performative defamation lawsuit against Andrew Weissmann, over the allegation that he was actually guilty of the crime he pleaded guilty to. And Bill Ackman says he’ll sue Business Insider for reporting that his wife, former MIT professor Neri Oxman, committed plagiarism — though really, Oxman would have to sue, and an unwinnable lawsuit (as it looks to be) is likelier to serve his PR goals rather than hers. We’ll watch to see if and when the lawsuit emerges.
We hope you enjoy the episode,
Josh
Sweetie, Please File This Lawsuit