Ray Brescia

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/ReutersThe bombshell testimony of Stormy Daniels in Donald Trump’s election interference case was certainly dramatic, but other events that took place may mean we are closer than ever to the former president facing the prospect of jail time.It was the statements made by one of Trump’s lawyers that could land him an evening on Rikers Island, and also potentially get that attorney in ethical trouble herself.The coverage of the trial focused mostly on Stephanie Clifford’s (aka Stormy Daniels’) testimony, including quite specific allegations related to her supposed interactions with the former president.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/GettyAfter an astonishing oral argument session before the Supreme Court, it seems highly likely that there is at least some support for the former president’s position that a president can commit crimes while in office, even ones designed to help them remain in office. And what is the reasoning for this position, at least according to what we can tell from some of the questions posed by several of the justices?The reason at least some justices seem to suggest that we cannot hold former President Trump accountable for his actual effort to spur an insurrection to remain in office is that—get this—some imagined future president might be encouraged to remain in office for fear that they might be prosecuted once they leave office.Wait, what?Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast / GettyOn Monday—the first day of substance in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump for alleged election interference—a few important aspects of the case started to come into focus.Reading the tea leaves, the “You Can’t Trust Michael Cohen” approach probably isn’t going to cut it, and the defense will likely have to scramble to come up with at least a backup strategy to prevent a conviction. Trump’s defense team is currently on a losing streak in a run of attempted procedural maneuvers designed to stymie the prosecution.How has Trump’s team fared, specifically, in its efforts to throw whatever roadblocks it could to try to impede this case?Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/ReutersAs the first-ever criminal prosecution of a former president has finally gotten underway, the big question remains: “Will he or won’t he?” Will Donald Trump testify, that is.His legal defense team may have little choice but to let its client put his right hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. But his truth might not exactly set him free.Trump’s serial incorrigibility, hair-trigger temper, and penchant for—shall we say—stretching the truth all make him any defense attorney’s nightmare as a witness. We’ve already seen it in other cases. This is the first one where the stakes are criminal.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty/ReutersDonald Trump’s lawyers are playing legal whack-a-mole to try to help the former president continue to avoid accountability for several decades of alleged illegal activity.In two different New York courts on Monday, Team Trump seemed to have won a bit of a victory in one, but certainly not in the other. While Trump’s camp is likely relieved that he doesn’t have to post a nearly half-billion-dollar bond to continue his appeal, the fact remains that both that case and the Stormy Daniels hush money case are still moving full steam ahead.Earlier this year, New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron found that the former president, family members, and many of the companies they run engaged in massive fraud against lenders, other companies, and government entities. According to that ruling, the defendants benefited from the ways in which they falsely stated the value of many properties in order to get more advantageous loan terms.Read more at The Daily Beast.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/GettyRevelations that the Department of Justice recently disclosed a vast trove of documents to Donald Trump’s defense team in the Stormy Daniels hush-money prosecution in New York made headlines, because the long-awaited trial was delayed for at least several weeks. This delay dismayed many who want to see the former president face some kind of legal accountability for his actions that took place before, during, and after his presidency.Other developments in the case have not garnered as much attention, but likely have more sweeping ramifications for the case, which will still probably start some time before the end of April. What is more, Trump’s team will have to contend with a host of very adverse rulings as the trial unfolds in the courtroom. And both should give Trump and his lawyers great pause.Earlier this week, the judge presiding over the case, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan M. Merchan, made two significant rulings. Read more at The Daily Beast.