Donald Trump’s “delay tactics” in his New York civil trial aren’t actually delaying anything
The New York appeals court has put a temporary “pause” on Letitia James’ civil case against the Trump Organization while it rules on one of Donald Trump’s nonsense motions. I’m really not worried about this. The appeals court should hold an expedited hearing and strike it down within a few days. If so, the trial won’t be delayed at all.
The realistic best case scenario for Trump is that it takes a little more time for him to lose this motion, and he manages to delay the trial by a matter of days. That is, obviously, not a win for him. But we’ll still see this meaningless pause spun in doomsday fashion in some circles.
The only way Trump could possibly gain anything meaningful from this is if he wins the appeals court hearing. The odds of that might be slightly above zero percent, but I just don’t see it happening. Short of that, this is nothing.
Let’s all remember that something is not “delay tactic” if it doesn’t delay anything. It doesn’t matter how many folks on TV and Twitter might use the term “delay tactic” or chant slogans like “delay, delay, delay” or “run out the clock.” If it doesn’t delay anything, then it’s not a delay tactic, and it should be called what it is: a drowning man desperately flailing in ways that aren’t helping him.
Bill Palmer is the publisher of the political news outlet Palmer Report