The former president files several fresh motions to toss out Fulton County election interference charges

Attorneys for Donald Trump claim that the former president didn’t have “fair notice” that his attempts to reverse his Georgia loss in the 2020 presidential election could result in criminal charges against him.

A flurry of filings in Fulton County Superior Court on Monday argue that the sprawling election interference case against Mr Trump “consists entirely of core political speech at the zenith of First Amendment protections”.

Attorneys for the former president want the case dismissed on grounds that he has “presidential immunity” from actions while in office, that he was already acquitted for similar allegations in his second impeachment trial, and that he was never told that what he was doing in the state – where he is charged as part of an alleged racketeering scheme to unlawfully subvert the state’s election results – could be prosecuted.

  • @[email protected]
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    592 years ago

    What’s next? Sovereign citizen bullshit?

    Judge, I’m a natural born… what was it… citizen. You cannot charge me for anything. It’s true! Just look at the charters! Those, uhm, charters. I was merely traveling through Georgia. You have to let me go right now. Believe me, I know my rights!

    • SuperDuper
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      592 years ago

      Maritime law, folks. They don’t want you to know about the - you know we have fantastic maritime laws in this country. Some of the best, maybe better than anyone else. We used to have them at least, but the radical leftists won’t tell you about that. When I walk into the courtroom - and these are corrupt places, let me tell you. A lot of people are talking about how unfairly people are treated here, especially if you’re the president. And when you’re the president you know a thing or two about courtrooms, folks. I start talking about the courts and the law and the maritime law and everyone listening - many of them lawyers, some of which have good genes, very good genes, folks, some of them are Jewish - I hear a lot lawyers are Jewish but I don’t know - when I talk about the courts they say “sir! Sir! How do you know so much about courts and law?” I don’t know, folks, but maybe it’s natural talent. But when you walk into the courtroom and you see the judges and the lawyers and the bailiff out to get you but you also see the tassels on the flag - they’re beautiful tassels, folks. One on each corner of the beautiful American flag. Golden, too. Everyone will tell you that I love gold, I have a lot of things painted gold in Mar A Lago. But when you see the tassels you know it has to be maritime law, not the phony, corrupt laws they use in New York, or Georgia, or Colorado. It’s gotta be the maritime law. But there’s no sailors in the court so you know - we used to have fantastic sailors in this country, they’d sail huge distances on the oceans. Maybe hundreds of miles, very far. Very far folks. They were in the Navy but maybe on other boats, too. But when you don’t see them in the courtroom you know they there’s no maritime law. But when you see the beautiful gold tassels on the beautiful American flag you know there’s supposed to be maritime law happening, but it’s not happening, so you know it’s all corrupt. It needs to be thrown out. It means I’m exonerated and everyone knows it. A lot of people are saying it. Very smart people.

    • @[email protected]
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      112 years ago

      Jack Smith spelled his name DONALD TRUMP and since it’s in all caps, it’s not really Donald Trump the person!

  • @[email protected]
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    421 year ago

    After getting caught in a bank robbery, stealing thousands of dollars and traumatizing bystanders, the robber can just say: “No one gave me a fair notice this was illegal”

    Is that pretty much the level of this claim?

    • pachrist
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      151 year ago

      I’d be like entering Fast 5 into evidence.

      See your honor? The good guys were the robbers! They also love America and occasionally fuck members of their family.

  • BeautifulMind ♾️
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    251 year ago

    “Can’t tell if obviously-criminal things are illegal”, and “still thinks he should be president” 🤡

  • MedicsOfAnarchy
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    241 year ago

    Wait a minute, can this be considered a confession? “Yes, I did it, BUT…” ?

    • Uglyhead
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      1 year ago

      Narcs Prayer (again):

      That didn’t happen.

      And if it did, it wasn’t that bad.

      And if it was, that’s not a big deal.

      And if it is, that’s not my fault. <——

      And if it was, I didn’t mean it.

      And if I did, you deserved it.

      __

      These are more of phases or stages of malignant NPD thinking. They can circle and circle and mix around again and again kind of like the ‘5 Stages of Grief’ can do.

  • @[email protected]
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    211 year ago

    Goddammit. The environments going to shit, 3 people own everything and we’re STILL DEALING WITH THIS ASSHOLE! TRUMP IS A BOIL ON US ALL.

    • Queen HawlSera
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      51 year ago

      Imagine what’ll be like when he gets re-elected… God just, take me now.

  • Phoenixz
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    81 year ago

    What do you mean I’m not allowed to walk into a bank with an assault rifle, start shooting around and demand all their money?

    I’m innocent, nobody ever told me that was illegal!

  • Hello_there
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    312 years ago

    Next time that I’m caught speeding, I’ll just claim that I didn’t know that speeding was illegal. That should work.

    • @[email protected]
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      141 year ago

      Firstly: of course he knew it was illegal.

      Secondly: ignorance of the law does not give you immunity

      Third: he assumed no one was taping him committing said crime, if they had not done that he would have simply denied it and his cult would have accepted that lie, as always

    • @[email protected]
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      1 year ago

      Obviously you’re right. That said, in the universe of Trump’s fiction, it tracks (kind of). If the machines were rigged and if the election was stolen, then several things logically follow:

      1. Trump’s actions to retain power were not only justified, but also imperative, and very much within the scope of his duties as president, since he’s the executive branch; while DOJ might normally handle the day to day, a stolen election is a big deal, and it makes sense he would step in. And therefore he would be immune to prosecution for any “law breaking.”

      2. If you’re a superhero cop - not an actual, fat ass fascist bastard cop we have irl, but the kind of cop TV says is what cops are like, you don’t have time for subpoenas and warrants – you break down the doors and you grab the evidence. Maybe you’re not even sure if there’s a crime, but you can’t risk it – and if you’re president, you can argue there’s room for “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” in that context.

      3. If you’re not sure whether there’s been a crime but there’s a massive time pressure and extremely high stakes (as would be the case if the election was actually stolen), you would need to act as if there was a crime, since the consequences if there isn’t pale in comparison to the consequences if there is. So: if you are the head of the executive branch, and you are concerned that there’s a crime of that magnitude, you could easily make the case that you are duty bound to investigate.

      4. So, the situation is this: if you investigate, and there’s a crime, you’ve saved the world; if you investigate and there is no crime, then you will go to jail for it. That’s a bit unfair – so, a warning that, if you investigate this and there’s no crime, then you’re going to jail, might’ve been called for.

      So – if Trump was able to produce even a single piece of evidence to support his claims, the fiction he’s established on top of them is arguable, and, if you start to look at his cases through that lens, his absurd motions and arguments kind of make sense.

      • @[email protected]
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        21 year ago

        This is religion’s fault. Fuckin magical thinking’s all the average american is capable of. The bill for the 80s has come due

      • @[email protected]
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        61 year ago

        if the election was stolen … Trump’s actions to retain power were not only justified, but also imperative, and very much within the scope of his duties as president

        Nope this doesn’t follow. It would just mean that both actions would be equally illegal. There is no provision in law for one to break the law in order to remedy breaking the law.

        you can argue there’s room for “better to ask for forgiveness than permission” in that context.

        This actually basically never applies in real life. In real life we let the criminal off rather than incentivize breaking the law by declaring evidence so gained as fruits of a poisonous tree.

        If you’re not sure whether there’s been a crime but there’s a massive time pressure and extremely high stakes (as would be the case if the election was actually stolen), you would need to act as if there was a crime

        In the almost mythical stereotypical ticking time bomb scenario where morality can only be served by breaking the law the right thing after the bomb is diffused is to attempt to punish both cop and criminal. The cop in that scenario isn’t above the law their actions are a willing sacrifice of their own well being in service of a higher good.

        if you investigate, and there’s a crime, you’ve saved the world; if you investigate and there is no crime, then you will go to jail for it. That’s a bit unfair – so, a warning that, if you investigate this and there’s no crime, then you’re going to jail, might’ve been called for.

        He did investigate. There were 60 some cases including in GA. There was a recount and so forth. None of this was a crime.

        The crime was threatening the SOS and trying to get the SOS or other officials to “fix” the election after he lost. The crime was getting fake electors to swear on lawful papework that they were lawfully chosen electors.

        None of this is even slightly legit. It is as obviously illegal as dealing heroin or hiring a contract killer. Nobody is required to discern the nature of your criminal conspiracy and warn you that you are plotting to commit a crime.

      • FuglyDuck
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        71 year ago

        To #1, the legal avenue is to bring this to the courts.

        He did that and failed the effort. Spectacularly. Multiple times.

        The courts determined that he lost, and that any further arguments were frivolous.

        It should also be noted he was saying the election was stolen before the polls ever opened, so, there’s that.

      • 𝕽𝖔𝖔𝖙𝖎𝖊𝖘𝖙
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        1 year ago

        I think though that (using your argument: given the severity/importance of the claim if true) there’s even more necessity that you produce even circumstantial evidence to justify suspicion of a crime before making the accusation.

        Similar to how cops are supposed to show probable cause before detaining or pulling you over, etc.

        Given that he couldn’t even come close to producing any kind of evidence, even flimsy evidence, and there’s verifiable proof of him pressing election officials and others to illegally alter or create votes to back up his claim, I think it’s clear that he knew very well there was no truth to his claims.

  • cum
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    61 year ago

    The young children didn’t have notice either when he had “sexual relations” with them at Epstein’s mansion.

    • @[email protected]
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      31 year ago

      You know he didn’t need to go Epstein’s Island. He had a young teenage “hot” girl at home. She might have even had friends over from time to time.

      • @[email protected]
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        1 year ago

        His second wife was his babysitter at one point, went on vacation with the family too…

        Edit- his kids babysitter, I should clarify 😁

  • @[email protected]
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    1 year ago

    With all his whining about rigged elections he of all people should know you can’t ask election officials to “find” you exactly the amount of votes you need to win that election.

  • SaltySalamander
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    812 years ago

    Ignorance of the law does not absolve you of the consequences for breaking that law.

    • @[email protected]
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      102 years ago

      Didn’t it work for Trump Jr and the Russian meeting? Like they couldn’t prove that Jr knew the meeting was illegal behind the flimsy excuse of adoptions. Not that I don’t agree, just some people seem to get away with it and this family seems to have unlimited avoid jail cards when either the avalanche of legal filings (according to contractors he’s stiffed) or whining doesn’t work.

      • @[email protected]
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        152 years ago

        There are specific laws where having certain knowledge is required to break them, but as far as I know, that knowledge never includes the law itself.