Showing posts with label lawyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lawyer. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 18, 2026

Trump’s private lawsuits are piling up

Trump’s private lawsuits are piling up

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/8/18/800085910/news/trumps-private-lawsuits-are-piling-up/ 

Trump’s private lawsuits are piling up

by Lisa Needham
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Pedestrians walk outside the BBC Headquarters in London, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025.
Pedestrians walk outside the BBC Headquarters in London on Nov. 12, 2025. AP

President Donald Trump may be one of a very select few plaintiffs who can say that the Supreme Court ruled against him twice in the exact same way in the exact same case.

That’s because most people understand that the Supreme Court is sorta the end of the line and they don’t ask for a do-over. But that’s what Trump did with his endless attempts to get the verdicts in not one, but two, cases involving his sexual abuse victim E. Jean Carroll tossed out.

In the first case, Carroll I, Trump was found liable for sexually abusing Carroll, and she was awarded $5 million.

After he lost that case, he promptly defamed Carroll, and a separate jury found him liable for that, this time to the tune of $83 million in Carroll II. He’s been desperate to make these things go away and, even though he’s president, he apparently has nothing but time. 

Related | E. Jean Carroll prevails, and Trump keeps losing in court

So, after the nation’s highest court told Trump nope at the end of June, declining to grant his petition for certiorari in Carroll I, he immediately declared he was going to ask the court to reconsider. How strange that they didn’t want to take on an extended whinefest of a case from Trump where he would bluster about how it simply isn’t fair that he has to pay Carroll $5 million just because he lost at every court level, multiple times.

Presumably he’d also like to wipe out the verdict of being liable for sexually abusing Carroll, but let’s face it: He probably cares far more about the money.

Trump, of course, yelled about it on Truth Social and then tried to refuse to pay, saying he shouldn’t be required to cough up money until he asked the Supreme Court a second time.

E. Jean Carroll, second from right, leaves federal court in New York, Monday, May 8, 2023. A jury heard closing arguments from a lawyer for the advice columnist who says Donald Trump sexually attacked her in a department store in 1996.
E. Jean Carroll, second from right, leaves federal court in New York on May 8, 2023. A jury heard closing arguments from a lawyer for the advice columnist who says Donald Trump sexually attacked her in a department store in 1996.AP

But lower courts aren’t stupid. There are plenty of litigants like Trump, willing to drag the other side through hell for no real reason, and there’s a solution for that: When you lose, the money goes in escrow, where it sits until all the appeals are done. Then, it automatically goes to the other party. Trump had even agreed to this in writing—that he’d pay if the Supreme Court didn’t take up his case. So even as Trump was blustering about how he wasn’t going to pay, he’d already paid.

His Truth Social posting about this was exactly what you’d expect: an unconstitutional, unhinged demand that the court let him do whatever he wants, because he is president, and if they won’t let him skate on the judgment, it’s the end of democracy. 

“This Case is really against the United States of America, and all it stands for, and should never be allowed to happen to another President, or Candidate to be,” he whined.

Trump did indeed run back to the court to ask them to reconsider, with a confusing new theory about how if the Supreme Court takes up his other appeal in Carroll II, that would somehow magically wipe out the sexual abuse verdict and judgment in Carroll I. No idea how he thinks that works. 

But on Monday, Trump really did run out of road for Carroll I when the Supreme Court told him nope, again, and that really is the end of the line.

Though this is the end of the line for Carroll I, he’s still dragging her through the mud on Carroll II. He’s begging the Supreme Court to make that one go away based on his theory that when he defamed Carroll in 2019, that was part of his official duties as president, and he should be immune. 

He also got the Department of Justice to intervene, seeking to substitute the federal government for Trump on account of all that official business. And if the Supreme Court were to agree with that, Carroll is out of luck, as you can’t sue the federal government for defamation.  

Trump’s behavior is no less aggro and no less stupid even when it’s his own lawsuit. His attempt to get $10 billion from the BBC for defamation without having to prove either defamation or damages should have been tossed long ago. But Trump lucked out here and got Aileen Cannon 2.0, Judge Roy Altman, who, like Cannon, is one of his appointees who sees their job as protecting Trump, not the justice system. 

Related | Everyone warps their values to protect Trump

Altman has functionally turned the case on its head. The BBC moved to dismiss the lawsuit, which normally results in a stay of discovery, which makes sense. If a party is going to be able to get out at the motion to dismiss stage, very early in the litigation, making the defendant pony up scads of discovery is burdensome because none of it is relevant if they succeed on their motion. 

But Altman has functionally barred the BBC from getting discovery from Trump while simultaneously forcing the BBC to provide discovery to Trump. Altman is the perfect judge for Trump, the man who believes it is outrageous that he has to provide anything at all. He said he wants $10 billion, so the BBC has to give him $10 billion!

Meanwhile, the BBC is having to go to court to try to have the court help them obtain testimony and documents from Trump’s Jan. 6 inner circle: Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. But they all have Secret Service protection, which is a pretty effective way to avoid being served. But per Trump, trying to subpoena witnesses is just the BBC “trying to distract away from their own obvious liability.”

People look at a protest art installation to highlight Jeffrey Epstein's birthday of Jan. 20, 1953, on the National Mall, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, in Washington.
People look at a protest art installation to highlight Jeffrey Epstein’s birthday of Jan. 20, 1953, on the National Mall, Jan. 19, 2026, in Washington.AP

Buddy, it’s a lawsuit. It’s YOUR lawsuit. You’re the one that has to prove things, not the BBC. Even Altman probably isn’t going to bless an argument that he should just rule against the BBC without a trial or discovery or anything.

And don’t forget Trump is also at war with The Wall Street Journal. Earlier this year, a federal judge threw the lawsuit out, saying Trump hadn’t plausibly alleged that the newspaper published the article revealing his gross little birthday boobies drawing for his pal, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, with malicious intent.

Then Trump got the right to refile the suit, which he did in May. But he didn’t draw a sycophant like Altman, despite bringing the suit in Florida, which is usually a safe bet for Trump. Instead he drew Judge Darrin Gayles, an Obama appointee, and Gayles is handling things the right ‘way round. Since The Wall Street Journal moved to dismiss, Gayles has stayed discovery pending his ruling on that motion. 

Additionally, after a recent hearing, it doesn’t look like Judge Gayles is interested in letting this thing go on, even after giving Trump a second bite at the apple. While it’s infuriating to have to root for The Wall Street Journal, of all media outlets, we’ll take it. The enemy of my enemy … you know the rest. 

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  1. Comment by A Citizen.

    Presidents should be barred from filing suits - at least not while in office, possibly for life. It's the mother of all conflicts of interest. It's straight-up bribery. Pay up or you can't make the business deal you want. And the president should never be able to sue the government.

  2. Comment by Slideman.

    There really should be some sort of penalty for all of these frivolous lawsuits!

  3. Comment by Whatsnuts.

    It has always used our judicial system as a weapon. It's way past time to return the favor and bury it in lawsuits and keep his assets tied up in court.

  4. Comment by noofsh.

    What a disgrace that he even attempted to get out of paying twice. You realize he now has another lawsuit over paying the second lawsuit. He owes 91 million because he defamed EG Carroll. His claim is that he can not be sued because the defamation happened while he was president. As a federal employee he can not be sued. But of course he was not acting in his role as president when he defamed her. So there is still that to come.

  5. Comment by gratuitous.

    The felon really needs to be declared a vexatious litigant, one who isn't allowed to file any more lawsuits until they've been screened and found to be non-frivolous (and isn't it weird how "frivolous" litigation is no longer a Republican bugaboo?).

  6. Comment by Gutenberg.

    Trump lawsuits are like a cheap suits. They don't fit right, they don't look right and they don't wear well -- unless you've got a judge tailor who will stitch them up just right with threadbare threads that only look good to the jackass plaintiff. But, that's all that's needed to wear a lawsuit that no Goodwill could countenance.

  7. Comment by Robpos.

    > The enemy of my enemy … you know the rest.<

    People always misquote this adage.

    The enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend/ally/or compadre.

    They’re just somebody with whom our common interest is temporarily aligned and when our common interest has been overcome, they will right go back to opposing you at every turn.

  8. Comment by Wired Wolf.

    Defamation is his "official duty"? Ok...that actually tracks.

    • Reply by Desert Scientist.

      At least it is a favorite ploy. He should be named conman of the century! He gets at least that superlative! He only got to be president because fools believed him and thought he would not betray them. The truth is he'd betray anybody if it gained him something!

  9. Comment by blueoregon.

    Well, no wonder he's too busy to focus on his job.

  10. Comment by Milwrob.

    The BBC is going to roast him slowly, get his records and hopefully publish what they get!

  11. Comment by TRPChicago.

    Well-reasoned summary of ill-reasoned litigation.

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Saturday, August 8, 2026

Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as US attorney general by one vote in Senate

 

Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as US attorney general by one vote in Senate

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/todd-blanche-trump-senate-confirmed-vote-attorney-general-b3029737.html 

Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche confirmed as US attorney general by one vote in Senate

Vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns from Republicans as well as Democrats

Booker goes scorched earth on Republicans for advancing Todd Blanche's nomination for Attorney General

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Todd Blanche as Attorney General in an early-morning vote.

It cements the authority of Donald Trump’s former personal attorney over a Justice Department that the president has sought to bend to his will.

In a narrow 50-49 vote, the Republican-led Senate approved Blanche, making him the second Attorney General confirmed since Trump returned to the White House in 2025.

Trump has previously stated his desire to use the law enforcement agency to investigate his political enemies.

While Blanche has already been leading the department in an acting capacity, his confirmation could free him to pursue the Trump administration’s agenda even more aggressively.

Blanche said on social media that he was “deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me.”

He added that he was “grateful” to senators for working late to confirm him.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed by the Senate by a one-vote margin
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was confirmed by the Senate by a one-vote margin (AP)

The vote followed a tumultuous confirmation fight that exposed deep concerns — from some Republicans as well as Democrats — about installing Trump’s close ally atop a Justice Department that historically prided itself on its independence from the White House.

In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — and by every Democrat.

The path to confirmation for Blanche was unusually rocky, due in large part to Republican concerns about a controversial settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service.

An under-pressure Blanche publicly promised in writing that the department would abandon Trump’s proposed $1.8 billion compensation fund for the president’s allies, including those who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and rein in another piece of the settlement designed to shield Trump and his family from IRS tax audits.

His appeals were enough to win over Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, the decisive vote who threw his support behind Blanche Friday morning. Cassidy said no other nominee may be able to run the department better under Trump and suggested Blanche’s role as Trump’s former criminal defense lawyer can make him more effective at pushing back on the president’s demands.

“This is not a referendum on President Trump. It is a decision regarding Mr. Blanche in very specific circumstances,” said Cassidy, who lost his primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed challenger.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that confirming Blanche would be a “serious mistake.” He begged his colleagues not to be on the “wrong side” of history.

“If there is ever a moment in history when we need an Attorney General above reproach, who is clearly dedicated to ending corruption, even at the highest level of our government, it’s right now,” Durbin said.

The vote capped off a bruising confirmation fight, with Blanche’s loyalty to Trump at the center of the stalemate.

Blanche was elevated to the top Justice Department post in an acting capacity after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April. Blanche moved swiftly to advance the president’s interests, accelerating investigations into Trump’s perceived foes and announcing the settlement that created the $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate people who feel mistreated by the criminal justice system and provided Trump and family members with immunity from tax audits.

The controversial settlement threatened to torpedo Blanche’s nomination until he formally rescinded the fund in writing under pressure from Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. The deal reached between the senators and the department unlocked a vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, which advanced Blanche’s nomination earlier this week.

Even after the deal, Blanche faced opposition from some Republican senators who were concerned with the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and the tax audit immunity deal.

In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (pictured) — and by every Democrat.
In the end, Blanche was confirmed by the narrowest of margins, opposed by two Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska (pictured) — and by every Democrat. (AP)

Murkowski announced early Friday that she would join Collins in opposing Blanche’s nomination, saying the country needs an attorney general “who will check the worst impulses of this administration.”

A former federal prosecutor in New York, Blanche rose to public prominence as a lead attorney on Trump’s defense team, including during the Republican’s hush money trial in New York. He also defended Trump against criminal charges in the two federal cases brought by the Biden administration’s Department of Justice — an experience Blanche has said provided him a firsthand look at what he contends was the weaponization of the criminal justice system against Trump.

Blanche entered the Justice Department in 2025 as deputy attorney general under Bondi, overseeing the agency’s day-to-day operations and serving as the public face for high-profile and controversial matters, like the release of millions of investigative files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Democrats have accused Blanche of prioritizing his loyalty to Trump above all else through investigations against Trump foes such as former FBI Director James Comey and a radical reshaping of the department. Under Bondi and Blanche’s leadership, the department has lost thousands of employees through firings, resignations or voluntary departures.

Blanche’s supporters say that his experience as a federal prosecutor and the trust he earned from Trump in the courtroom make him better equipped than Bondi to explain to the White House the legal constraints of its demands. Republicans have also touted his efforts to bring down violent crime, tackle illegal immigration and combat violent cartels and drug trafficking.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, the Republican chairman of the Judiciary Committee, gave a full-throated endorsement of Blanche ahead of voting, saying that he has led the Justice Department with distinction. “Mr. Blanche is the right choice,” he said.

But it remains unclear whether Blanche will fare any better in delivering on Trump’s desire for retribution than Bondi, whom Trump fired amid resistance from judges, grand jurors and the department’s own workforce as prosecutors sought to establish criminal conduct by one Trump foe after another.

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict Comey on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.” Comey’s lawyers are pressing to have the case dismissed, accusing the department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts.

Blanche has also appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump. But it remains uncertain whether that probe will result in any criminal charges.

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  1. Comment by Bubba Ho-Tep.

    The corruption continues after this break.......

  2. Comment by EdwardCormell.

    I have heard a rumor that President Trump has hired a company to build a huge needle with an eye so big you could drive a Mack truck through it. He has also donated millions to a farmer who is cross breeding Camels with the hope of developing a miniature Camel. Bible scholars are studying the scriptures to determine if this would work. In the meantime the Supreme Court has ruled that nothing MR. Trump does as President can be considered sin. Mind you, it is only a rumor,

  3. Comment by Aileeen48.

    Well doc, first there was the betrayal of the children with the confirmation of Bobby Jr., and now there is the betrayal of women and victims with the confirmation vote for Blanche. Your excuses not withstanding, you knew what the outcome would be and will be, so now you will have to live with the albatross around your own neck of the physician who could have helped and refused to do so.

  4. Comment by Cade.

    This is a 'Disaster' that will haunt the GOP for years and years. The USA is on a very dark path.

  5. Comment by AlbertCamus.

    Fox is in the henhouse. Maxwell release. Victims quietly being silenced.

  6. Comment by FinnSmith.

    I guess the Epstein files won’t be released now.

  7. Comment by Freethought.

    subscriber

    Republicans can always be counted on to do the wrong thing!

  8. Comment by RickNYC.

    "I am the President's lawyer" says it all.

  9. Comment by Warrensballs.

    subscriber

    Confirming Todd Blanche as US Attorney General is like giving a machine gun to a chimpanzee. (with apologies to chimpanzees)

  10. Comment by Observant.

    You mean all those republican senators who had "serious misgivings" that the šŸŠšŸ¤”lawyer will still act as his lawyer when he is the AG.......suddenly lost the spine they never had and voted to confirm him????

    It is so shocking!!

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