For a mere 47 bucks you can have the T-shirt in the featured image. It’s a fake. There was no mug shot but when could former President* Pennywise turn down a chance to grift his supporters? He’s also guilty as charged. Whether he’s convicted is up to the jury, not pundits or politicians.

I promised a semi-deep dive into the case, but first The Trump Rules. I’m not going to quote him anymore. I may provide the gist of his remarks but never a quote or a social media post. Repeat after me: I’m tired of writing about Donald Trump, but not about Defendant Trump.

The Indicted Impeached Insult Comedian was a good boy in court but came unglued upon his return to his Florida Fortress of Malakatude. He fumed, he fulminated, he threatened. As a better writer once said: “Sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

As to the People of the State of New York against Donald J. Trump, it’s a deceptively simple case but it won’t be easy to either select a jury or win a conviction. Slate legal eagle Mark Joseph Stern wrote a fine instant analysis of the case’s strengths and weaknesses of the case. I wish Slate had not used the phrase slam dunk in the headline. There’s no such thing as a slam dunk case.

I’m glad that they folded two additional catch and kill stories into the charges. Both involve former Enquirer honcho David Pecker paying off Playboy model Karen McDougal and a Trump Tower doorman who claimed that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock. I’ve never written that last phrase before. It makes me feel all retro and shit.

Pecker joins the mouthy Michael Cohen as a witness. The Pecker part of the case isn’t strong enough for me to use this title: Bragg Has Trump’s Pecker In A Vise.

I stole the last bit from one of the Queens Man’s local papers, The Daily News:

Ouch.

Instead, I stole the post title from my main man, Lawrence O’Donnell:

The statement of facts did not make the most compelling argument for the case. That was made by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg in his presser. Bragg presented the case as election fraud by coverup. Stormy Daniels planned to go public right after the “grab ’em by the pussy” video was released. That was a one-two punch that *might* have spared us the Trump regime. Ouch.

The most important thing about the Trump indictment is that it happened at all. Repeat after me: Someone Had To Go First.

There are stronger cases in Atlanta and Washington. The Mar-a-Lago documents case gets stronger by the day. The WaPo reported that Trump had gone through the documents personally and said:

That’s called obstruction of justice.

Something interesting and unusual happened during the hearing:

The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, stressed the importance of Trump’s rights under the First Amendment, especially because he is a candidate for president. But he disputed the defense’s argument that recent broadsides on social media simply reflect the former president’s frustration.

 

Merchan advised Trump: “Please refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest.” He asked the former president to avoid rhetoric that could “jeopardize the rule of law.”

Told is a better word choice than asked. The Judge is setting the stage for further admonishments and possible sanctions if the Kaiser of Chaos insists on shooting off his mouth about the case. Gag orders are rarely issued, so Judge Merchan is trying subtlety on the least subtle man in the world. Stay tuned.

The Indicted Impeached Insult Comedian tried and failed to incite violence over his arraignment. DOJ has been criticized for going after the small fry in its Dipshit Insurrection inquiry BUT the prospect of jail time has deterred white rioting. The decapitation of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys is another factor. Both groups were instrumental in the breach of the Capital. They are now leaderless and rudderless. One could say the Proud Boys have been neutered. Snip.

As I’ve said repeatedly over the years: The Law Is Slow. But the wheels of justice appear ready to roll over Defendant Trump. If we want to restore and revivify the rule of law, patience remains in order.

The last word goes to George Michael. Have I told you lately he was my countryman?