Representative Byron Donalds pleaded with potential jurors in Trump’s hush-money trial to vote “not guilty.”
The Republican Party is all in on Donald Trump, so much so that at least one representative is trying to sway his legal proceedings.
Ahead of the start of the Republican presidential pick’s first criminal trial on Monday, Representative Byron Donalds pleaded with the people of Manhattan to give his party leader a break.
“My plea is to the people of Manhattan that may sit on this trial: Please do the right thing for this country,” the Florida congressman told Newsmax. “Everybody’s allowed to have their political viewpoints, but the law is supposed to be blind and no respecter of persons. This is a trash case, there is no crime here, and if there is any potential for a verdict, they should vote not guilty.”
Everybody’s allowed to have their political viewpoints, but the law is supposed to be blind and no respecter of persons.
Uh-huh, okay. With you so far.
This is a trash case, there is no crime here, and if there is any potential for a verdict, they should vote not guilty.
Oh. Oh, you precious little nazi. Guzzle my entire septic tank.
That’s a quality upgrade from “eat a bag of dicks.”
I thank you from the bottom of my heart for addition of “Guzzle my entire septic tank.” to my repertoire of insulting phrases. 😆
Is that not jury tampering?
It doesn’t appear this person actually communicated directly with any jurors on the case; rather, he expressed an opinion about what the jurors should do, while speaking to a fascist propaganda service (Newsmax).
He was clearly at least superficially trying to directly address the potential jurors on a wide reaching platform.
I doubt it’s proscecutable, but he is certainly attempting to taint the jury pool. I wonder if the judge can hold random people not involved in the trial accountable for interfering with the trial from the outside.
As a total lay person, I have no clue what the technical definition of jury tampering is. I looked up NY law:
S 215.25 Tampering with a juror in the first degree. A person is guilty of tampering with a juror in the first degree when, with intent to influence the outcome of an action or proceeding, he communicates with a juror in such action or proceeding, except as authorized by law.
I guess “communicates with” is the key part. He’s shouting publicly at any potential juror and doing so prior to the jury being selected. So I’d guess not in this case?
As a lay person, I agree. If “publishing in the media” is indeed “communicating” (which I see as such), then this guy does at least attempt to tamper jurors.
Are there any penalties involved in that law?
Tampering with a juror in the first degree is a class A misdemeanor.
Class A misdemeanors carry penalties of up to 364 days in jail
If “publishing in the media” is indeed “communicating”
Which it would not be otherwise all the right wing propaganda outlets that go even further would be facing serious charges that are trivial to prove.
“My plea is to the people of Manhattan that may sit on this trial: Please do the right thing for this country."
He is clearly stating that his intended audience is the jurers. How is that not communicating with them?
Because guilty, appeal, guilty, appeal, scotus something something free speech, dismissed.
I’d bet money on it if it ever comes to point. This should be a slam dunk but we don’t live in those times anymore. The law has become a weapon that’s applied and dismissed on a whim.
Yeah. Hard to deny who he intended to speak to when he states who he’s publicly speaking to knowing the clip will be put on TV…
I guess this is stochastic jury tampering.
Yes. It is definitely jury tampering.
But a conservative is doing it and they get a free pass to do anything because they have zero morals.
The right thing for the country would be a guilty verdict for treason. And then the appropriate punishment.
That’s in one of his other court cases. This is about the one where he paid a prostitute to keep quiet after he paid her for sex.
Actually a good point was made recently that this is not about paying for sex or paying to hush a sex workers as much as it is about illegally using funds to influence election-specific matters. The fact that it’s all focused around a sex worker is just Trump’s specific flavor of illegal campaign finance.
https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-trials-of-donald-trump-season
Good point, and true; and the way I put it probably plays into the pattern of Trump voters thinking “well yeah, that’s morally questionable but not illegal and not worth this big of a systemic reaction.”
I will adjust my mentions of this in the future.
To be clear, that was not the crime he is charged with. He’s charged with falsifying business records.
(see other person’s same-level comment too)
good point and true. Not the case where he’s going to be charged with treason, anyway, but you’re right, I should take care to refer to the case properly. Especially if my reason for commenting is to clarify which matter is being discussed!
…and if there is any potential for a verdict, they should vote not guilty.”
Fuck you man.
pwease dismiss the case agwainst my daddy twump fow paying off a pown star and wying about it on wis buiswiss wecords pweaaaaase 🥺 👉👈
dbzer0 mods, please ban me for this post
Is this not jury tampering?
Bootlicking is more important than not jury tampering.
It’s just locker room jury tampering.
Now that is an attempt of political influence on the justice system.
Put that “Representative” behind bars for that.
Same energy as a toddler who just got caught drawing on the walls in permanent marker and now looks like this as they wail and beg you not to tell mom
Also does this mean we’ve officially reached the bargaining stage of grief?
I caught my in laws’ daughter kicking their family dog after popping outside the other day.
She immediately bursts into tears and starts yelling “please don’t tell” and sprints to her mother saying I’m lying before I can even open my mouth.
Lucky for me, THESE in laws are slightly smarter than a republican and immediately saw through the flimsy defense.
Isn’t this jury tampering?
Same goes for the turd sucking his sycophantic mob on judges, prosecutors, witnesses and their families being witness tampering
Eat a fat dick
Don’t mind if I do!
“What do you mean that’s a crime? We do that every day back at the Capitol”
“The right thing” would be to put the man behind bars - anyone that tries to pull an insurrection on their own country (nevermind the other stuff) should be
the right thing for the country would be to make everyone who voted for Trump second class citizens with no voting rights, and then send them all to work camps… they’re all ignorant peasants who need to be told what to do and how to behave…
