Trump’s Bluster Busted; Lawyers Get Stuck for Costs
If you'd like to loose a million bucks for representing him, get in touch immediately
The civil courts are doing what the criminal justice system can’t or won’t with former President Donald Trump, his lawyers, and others involved in undermining our democracy.
Yesterday a federal judge dinged Trump and attorneys with a $937,989 bill based on the facts (or lack thereof) involving a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and other political opponents.
U.S. District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks of Southern Florida said in his 46-page order that the lawsuit “should never have been filed."
The suit was originally filed in March 2022, and alleged that Clinton and the Democratic National Committee conspired with senior FBI officials and others before the 2016 election to fabricate ties between the Trump campaign and Russia in order to damage him politically.
It was dismissed in September and Trump was ordered to pay $66,000 after one defendant sought sanctions. This week’s order came after a group of the remaining defendants, including Clinton, filed a separate request for sanctions.
Clinton’s piece of the action –which will ultimately go for legal expenses– comes to $171,632.06. (Remember, the last time Trump got spanked it only cost him $130,000. No doubt he’ll blame the increase on “Joe Biden’s inflation.”)
This was more than a simple dismissal. The judge was pissed, and issued a 46 page ruling, saying this lawsuit was among many filed by the former President that undermined the rule of law, siphoned resources "from those who have suffered actual legal harm" and painted judges as partisans.
"This case should never have been brought. Its inadequacy as a legal claim was evident from the start. No reasonable lawyer would have filed it," Middlebrooks wrote, adding that the suit was intended "for a political purpose."
The order referred to a "continuing pattern of misuse of the courts" and cited a series of lawsuits brought by Trump. Among them was last month's defamation lawsuit against the Pulitzer Board and repeated lawsuits against New York Attorney General Letitia James, who investigated and eventually sued Trump over allegations of bank, tax and insurance fraud.
Trump’s lawyers filed paperwork this morning to drop their lawsuit against the New York Attorney General. Given that this case was also slated to come before Judge Middlebrooks, this was likely a prudent move.
Meanwhile, the former president has indicated that he believed monies owed should be paid by his attorney. Ha! Not only does Trump not pay his attorneys, he’s trying to stick them with the cost for putting his blarney on paper.
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His 2024 presidential campaign, announced in mid-November, isn’t bringing in the money it needs. His appeals to small donors are steadily less productive, leading some observers to posit that he’s asked for money too often.
Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair reported:
There are several theories about why Trump’s campaign has been so underwhelming out of the gate. “Money is a real issue,” the former administration official said. Already, prominent GOP mega-donors, including billionaires Ken Griffin and Stephen Schwarzman, have said they aren’t supporting Trump’s 2024 run.
As a presidential candidate, Trump isn’t allowed to tap into the $100 million war chest his various super PACs have amassed since he left the White House, meaning he either has to raise the money himself or spend his own. “A rally is expensive. They cost a half million dollars easily,” a veteran of Trump’s 2016 campaign told me. Trump’s 2024 campaign has yet to file a fundraising report with the Federal Election Commission, but two sources close to Trump told me the money spigot isn’t flowing like it used to.
A “major speech” coming out of Mar a Lago on Thursday turned out to be a series of threats to get even with elements of the “deep state” in government and the media. Don’t watch the video below without a soothing beverage nearby.
The first “rally” of the campaign has been announced for January 28 in South Carolina. Trump will be joined by two of his highest-profile South Carolina supporters — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster.
This event, in a state with an early primary, and has historically been supportive of the former President, may well be a defensive move by the campaign, since two other figures from South Carolina are considering 2024 campaigns for president of their own.
Nikki Haley, a former governor and on-time U.N. ambassador, and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott have been making moves that could translate into a full fledged campaign lately.
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It should be noted that Trump’s deposition in the lawsuit brought by Jean Carroll seeking damages for rape didn’t go as planned. Remember, Trump said Carroll “ wasn’t his type.”
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