memeorandum: How to Make Trump's Fraud Verdict Matter to Voters (Dan Pfeiffer/The Message Box)

1:55 PM ET, February 17, 2024

Top Items:

Trump Allies Plan New Sweeping Abortion Restrictions — His supporters are seeking to attack abortion rights and abortion access from a variety of angles should he regain the White House, including using a long-dormant law from 1873. — Allies of former President Donald J. Trump and officials …

Discussion: UPI, Diane Ravitch's blog, DNyuz, Associated Press, Democrats, The Hill, Forbes, Mother Jones, Bloomberg, New Republic, Politico, USA Today, Mediaite, Digby's Hullabaloo, NBC News and HuffPost

Erica Orden / Politico:

Can Trump pay? What if he doesn't? Here's what to know about Trump's massive civil judgments. — He's now on the hook for nearly a half-billion dollars across three civil cases. These are the rules for when and how he must pay. — NEW YORK — A seven-figure verdict, an eight-figure verdict and, now, a nine-figure verdict.

Discussion: Joe.My.God., Lawyers, Guns & Money, PoliticusUSA, New York Daily News, Raw Story, The Hill, DNyuz, Mock Paper Scissors, Associated Press, Business Insider, BizPac Review, Political Wire and UPI

Dan Pfeiffer / The Message Box:

How to Make Trump's Fraud Verdict Matter to Voters — The verdict in the civil fraud case should cost Trump more than money. — Yesterday, a New York City judge fined Donald Trump more than $350 million for falsely inflating the value of assets to secure better terms from lenders and insurers.

Discussion: Washington Post, Benzinga, The Hill, ABC News, Business Insider, Breitbart, DNyuz, The Guardian, BizPac Review, Mercury News, The Atlantic, Raw Story, LGBTQ Nation, HuffPost and Associated Press

Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian:

Trump's hubris has brought about the downfall of his family's business empire — Even the giant fortune Trump inherited from his father did not stop him from steering the family's dynasty on to the rocks — Judge Arthur Engoron's ruling on Friday concludes the nearly century-long history …

Discussion: Raw Story and PoliticusUSA

James Poniewozik / New York Times:

For Donald Trump, the Recriminations Will Be Televised — The former president's trials aren't being aired. That isn't stopping him from turning them into a political reality show. — The civil-fraud case against Donald J. Trump's businesses in New York, in which he was ordered to pay a penalty of $355 million, was not televised.

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Althouse

Olivia Alafriz / Politico:

Haley: RNC shouldn't be Trump's ‘piggy bank’ — Yesterday's civil fraud trial verdict, along with interest and his other civil judgments, means Trump is on the hook for over $500 million. — Nikki Haley said she is less concerned about Donald Trump's legal troubles than how the former president planned …

Discussion: Fox News and BizPac Review

Abdallah Fayyad / Vox:

Trump is suddenly in need of a lot of cash. That's everyone's problem. — The former president was just ordered to pay $355 million in his New York fraud case, bringing the tally this year to nearly half a billion dollars in civil damages. — Two recent verdicts have now left Donald Trump …

Discussion: Washington Post, DNyuz, The Guardian, Raw Story and New York Times

Associated Press:
Trump's legal debts top a half-billion dollars. Will he have to pay?

Discussion: The Guardian, Outside the Beltway, USA Today, Raw Story, Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg, DNyuz, Slate, Deadline, CBS News, Forbes and The Hill

Lauren Irwin / The Hill:
Haley warns Trump could try to use RNC as ‘piggy bank’ if reelected

Discussion: DNyuz, Mediaite, Joe.My.God. and Raw Story

Bloomberg:
Zelenskiy Invites Trump to Observe ‘Real War’ at Frontlines

Discussion: Reuters, The Hill, Fox News, Radio Free Europe/Radio …, Politico, Modern Diplomacy and The Guardian

Slate:
Trump and His Family Are Fined $355 Million for Fraud—and a Lack of Remorse That “Borders on Pathological”

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
In civil fraud case, judge fines Trump more than $350 million

Discussion: Raw Story, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, DNyuz, The Hill and Rolling Stone

Reuters:
Trump hit with $354.9 million penalty, 3-year ban in NY civil fraud case

Associated Press:
Verdict in Donald Trump's civil fraud trial expected Friday, capping busy week of court action

Tara Suter / The Hill:

Haley presses Trump to call out Putin amid silence after Navalny death — GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley pressed former President Trump to call out Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death, while arguing that his silence is “a problem.”

Discussion: DNyuz, Politico, Washington Examiner, The Guardian, New York Times, USA Today, New York Daily News, Reuters, National Review and Washington Post

Maura Reynolds / Politico:

'I Have to Say Goodbye. But I Don't Want to Go to Jail.' — One of Navalny's closest friends mourns his death, and Russia's future. — Alexei Navalny didn't want to be a martyr. What he wanted, according to Yevgenia Albats, one of his closest friends, was to lead his country.

Discussion: New York Daily News, El País, Blue Virginia, DNyuz, Axios, Atlantic Council, CNN, The Hill, Just Security, NBC News, Associated Press, Washington Examiner, Semafor, Business Insider, Reuters, Mediaite, The News Beyond Detroit and HotAir

Ken Dilanian / NBC News:

National security experts criticize Biden's handling of classified documents — The disclosure that Biden told his ghostwriter he discovered classified documents in his Virginia home in 2017 but did not return them troubles some national security experts. — The controversy …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, HotAir and New York Magazine

Steve Benen / MSNBC:
GOP suffers ‘most spectacular embarrassment imaginable’ in anti-Biden case

Discussion: Slate, The Daily Caller, Trending Politics Conservative, Raw Story, New York Post, The Hill, Mediaite, New Republic, NPR, PoliticusUSA, Joe.My.God., New York Times, CBS News and Newsweek

Douglas MacKinnon / The Hill:

Raise your privileged hand if you're willing to ‘fight to the last Ukrainian’ — Hey, what's a million-plus dead and wounded when you live thousands of miles away in a bubble of arrogant privilege? — In August 2023, U.S. officials estimated that approximately 500,000 Russian and Ukrainian troops …

Washington Post:

‘Star witness’ mostly silent in hearing to disqualify Fani Willis — ATLANTA — A man billed as the “star witness” in the case to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) took the stand Friday and acknowledged he exchanged text messages about Willis with the defense attorney …

Ryan Lizza / Politico:

‘All Hell Broke Loose’: How Congress Blabbed About Russia's Space Nukes — On Tuesday night, Rep. Mike Turner, the chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, showed Rep. Jim Himes, the committee's ranking Democrat, a short statement that he wanted to release.

US Department of Justice:

Justice Department Transfers Approximately $500,000 in Forfeited Russian Funds to Estonia for Benefit of Ukraine — For Immediate Release — Estonia to Support Ukraine Using Funds Forfeited by United States After Interception of Sophisticated Military-Grade Machinery Bound for Russia; Defendant in Scheme Separately Pleads Guilty

Discussion: Euromaidan Press and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

New York Post:

Lyin' expelled ex-Rep. George Santos makes Jimmy Kimmel's ‘wishes come true’ by suing host over misusing Cameo clips — This is no laughing matter. — Expelled ex-Rep. George Santos is suing television host Jimmy Kimmel for allegedly misusing his Cameo clips on his show, The Post has learned.

Discussion: NBC News, MeidasTouch, Trending Politics Conservative and Consequence

Ken Tran / USA Today:

Ex-FBI official sentenced to over two years for hiding payment from Albanian businessman — WASHINGTON - A former top FBI counterintelligence official was sentenced on Friday to 28 months in prison for concealing at least $225,000 he took from an Albanian businessperson with ties to the Albanian government.

Discussion: US Department of Justice, Associated Press, Washington Examiner and CBS News