Next Up, Tish James
The indictment of Tish James on bank fraud and lying to a financial institution is here.
Once again, Lindsey Halligan alone signed it.
Here video statement, which focuses on Trump’s fraud, is very good.
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I really wanted that title to be “Meanwhile, Tish James” after the Cake song.
CAKE rules!
Joshua Friedman:
https://bsky.app/profile/joshuajfriedman.com/post/3m2sa4etz3s2t
October 9, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Since Halligan signed it alone, the whole indictment goes away if Halligan is found to be appointed illegally. What is the statute of limitations on this one?
It will be interesting to see the actual forms that James submitted to the mortgage and insurance companies. Based on other reporting, it seems likely that the government is misrepresenting things here. What a shock. Gambling in the casino.
10 year SOL, re Google.
According to some reports, on one of the mortgage forms submitted in James’ name, a box was checked indicating the home to be purchased was to be her primary residence. Subsequent forms indicated that this was not the case. Is the prosecutor required to point this out?
If they don’t, the defense will. However, like Convict-1 tried to claim in his fraud trial in NYC by DA Bragg, where is the harm? In Convict-1’s case he used it clearly to leverage favorable cash flows for himself and he lost in court. I don’t see any evidence of that with James where she profited from the designation. Did she claim it on her taxes (like Pulte’s parents did) or other benefits? I don’t see it.
Not during the presentation to the grand jury, which is likely why Halligan was able to secure an indictment at all. It’ll definitely come up at trial, though, assuming this gets that far (unlikely, IMO). I wonder how far afield Halligan will have to go *this* time to find AUSAs willing to appear in court for this shitshow?
I wonder if the vote count will leak out like it did for Comey. GJs are majority vote, criminal juries require unanimous, which is why Comey’s prosecution will be doomed on the merits.
Halligan for her part is just begging for her law license to be yanked, not only for partisan prosecutions, but also for performing egal work without the authority to do so. Pay attention to PatFitz’s motion to dismiss due to improper appointment, it serves as a direct warning to Halligan that she can’t do that, but she went ahead anyhow. She probably had no choice after all of her career people ditched her at Comey’s hearing and I don’t think one can parachute in another attorney from another district for the grand jury indictment signoff. IANAL so some guidance would be appreciated on this point.
My thought also. Surely leader in the stakes for the next legal career kamikaze for Trump?
(How long do these things usually take, anyway?)
This is a different, earlier property.
NYCSouthpaw has a good thread about how the indictment misrepresents what the Second Home Rider (James’ alleged violation of which is the “crime”) says and means:
https://bsky.app/profile/nycsouthpaw.bsky.social/post/3m2sayad77k2z
Legally Blonde: the first time as farce, the second time as
tragedya fraud upon the court.So she cosigns a loan for her daughter’s second home and the GOP wants to throw her in prison on a fake charge.
Vindictive prosecution, anyone?
As is well known, a “Mulligan” in golf (as well as more generally) is a “do-over” for a terrible shot.
Henceforth, the term “Halligan” should enter the lexicon as the term for a vindictive, unsupportable, and obviously futile prosecution for political purposes.
She couldn’t indict a scam sandwich!
Another possible addition to current political lexicon:
Trumpism + Fascism = “Trascism”.
Therefore all these people are trascists (pronounced “trash-ists”). Myself, I’m obviously an anti-trascist, which makes me a member of ANTITRA.
(Well, some of this might make it onto a sign I bring to an NK event on the 18th.)
Or “Trashism”…{grin}?
(Since from both incompetence and malice they are wilfully wrecking everything for which The Republic stands.)
Next after Letitia James: Adam Schiff?
He needs to have Steven Miller craft a new Executive Order declaring that mortgage fraud is now punishable by death and decree the Speech and Debate clause for federal politicians to now be null and void. He will sign this EO with a manually-operated autopen. Then have all that follows litigated by 3 levels of the federal court system.
At that point, he can then go after Schiff, while making fun of the circumference of his neck. He’ll have Lindsey Halligan go after her 3rd indictment, using a grand jury from the Eastern District of Ham (sandwich) and then import litigators from Alaska to appear in court while breaking any remaining norms.
#trascism
Don’t give #CanklesTrump and #Cank’s li’l 4’10” (h/t AOC) evil henchman (so evil his own family can’t stand this broken man) any ideas.
Laurence O’Donnell tonight suggested that there is a “state of mind” problem in the indictment, in that it states as fact that James had renting in mind when she purchased the property. How do you prove that? You can’t make her a witness against herself. Many homeowners purchase property and then later on decide to rent it out, and there’s no law against doing that; it’s your property to do as you like with.
I don’t blame Trump or Halligan for this unjust indictment. I blame republican congressmen for not speaking out against it.
Thank you for noting this critical fact of their (Repub Reps and Sens) eviscerating the US Constitution’s checks and balances – they too are willfully violating their Oath of Office and should never be reelected! This is where WE need the messaging to hit hardest imho between now and the next elections (if they happen).
I see Letitia James will next appear in court on Oct 24 for her arraignment, at which point I think we can assume she will enter a not guilty plea. For the attorneys here- will her attorney attempt to enter any motions at that time or must those wait until later in the process?
Why does this ‘prosecution’ even have to be successful? In some fashion it already is. I’m just a farmer so my thinking here is pedestrian at best, but doesn’t the Comey/Tish indictments work just as well as reinforcement of the brand? They don’t have to be successful in court; the images are out there for MAGA to see and they’re enough. Couldn’t this simply be a tactic to project validation of trumps power?
#te
You are exactly right. No doubt Trump wants prison for his perceived enemies.
But the GOP has shown for over a generation that their overall plan is to just keep throwing smoke bombs to dirty their opponents.
Facts be damned.
We have all of the Bill and Hillary Clinton investigations over decades.
And we have Trump himself saying ” Just say there’s an investigation, and me and the R Congressmen will take it from there.”
Trump’s prosecuted crimes involved bank loans for a half a billion dollars. This is a mortgage for $109,000. This must be one of the Biggest Nothing Burgers Ever. Truly. Plus also, YMBFKM.
Announcement, Nobel Peace Prize 2025
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 goes to a brave and committed champion of peace –
to a woman who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2025/press-release/
10 October 2025
Oh, that’s going to chap Trump’s ass in all sorts of ways. Congratulations to her!
Marcy has just identified another:
https://bsky.app/profile/emptywheel.bsky.social/post/3m2trnwedzs2s
October 10, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Links to 8/26/24 letter from Rubio, Rick Scott et al:
https://www.rickscott.senate.gov/services/files/6B35DA8B-8FC9-4B05-BCC8-DB71EC9AD7DE
Signatories are Senators Rick Scott and Marco Rubio, and Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, Michael Waltz, Neal Dunn, Byron Donalds and Carlos A. Gimenez
Uh-oh. Ketchup will be flying in the West Wing. I wonder who they will get to do Rubio’s multiple jobs after Donnie fires him.
And the WH has declared that this proves the Nobel Committee chose “politics over peace”, because they didn’t give the award to a guy who is extra-judicially murdering fishermen in International waters, and militarily invading cities in his own country..
50501NY:
https://bsky.app/profile/50501newyork.bsky.social/post/3m2tkbl274k2a
October 10, 2025 at 7:17 AM
So…new anti-fascist pope is from Chicago; the Nobel Peace Prize goes to a female Venezuelan pro democracy activist, and a Puerto Rican superstar is performing the Super Bowl half-time show.
The October 18 No Kings Day protests should be even larger this time around.
Sustained democratic resistance historically only needs 3.5% population participation in order to bring about positive change, according to political scientist Erica Chenoweth who studied resistance movements between 1900 and 2006 and found non-violent protests more effective than violent ones to overturn undemocratic regimes.
Two people have already been shot by ICE agents in Chicago, one of them killed. Trump’s heavily armed and over militarized thugs want violence. We must laugh in their faces, videotape their attacks, refuse to play into their provocations, and do everything we can to prove we are the majority; we still live in a democratic country, and their days are numbered.
I’m somewhat concerned by the fact that people keep bandying that 3.5% figure around – it seems to imply that if we can just get enough people to a one-day protest event, we’ll unlock a “democracy protected!” achievement or something. It doesn’t work like that.
No Kings is a one-day event that puts a face on the movement.
Chenoweth’s 3.5% refers to “sustained” resistance. That can include conversations in varieties of platforms in a sustained attempt to raise awareness of the threats to life, liberty and happiness at every opportunity.
This can include a comment to the grocery clerk that the people who raised the prices on everything need to be voted out. And everybody needs to vote and encourage everyone they k is to vote.
And mentioning to the hairdresser who sees her funds go down because of a shrinking economy the importance of voting or we will be stuck with increasing difficulty to achieve and sustain the best versions of our selves.
And you can listen. This is what I think Chenowith means by sustained. Hopium Chronicles Simon Rosenberg is making the case for this strategy regularly.
Also, “only” needing 3.5% of the population means you “only” need 11.5 million people to engage in “sustained democratic resistance”.
Digging deep but can’t find it one way or another, but where is “Primary Residence” used on the forms in a singular way? I’ve seen references to “A Primary Residence” (which drives me nuts in a more unique manner than most [sic]).
Also, I am curious what all Halligan presented to the grand jury. Did she present 2-3 counts or 20-30 counts? That she only got one count is itself telling but not sure of how much.
Well, Trump got the headline he wanted. Now he and Fox can lecture us about the need to hold lawyers to a higher standard.
How big a ballroom can she add with the “18k in ill-gotten gains”?