The flipping isn’t over
Donald Trump is reluctantly learning to play by the rules-the rules of the court. CNN reported that Trump stormed out of the courtroom following Michael Cohen’s testimony, and he was visibly upset that Judge Engoron ordered him to the stand for questioning. Following questioning, Judge Engoron told Trump that he was “not credible” (no surprise there) and fined him an additional $10,000 for violating the gag order. No, Donnie, you are not only not the smartest man in the room, you’re also not the most powerful. He’s getting a good taste of what’s ahead for him in the upcoming criminal trials and a nice welcome to how the rest of us must behave in a court of law. He is not above the law, and he might as well get used to it.
Former Prosecutor Glenn Kirschner was correct that other defendants in the RICO case will be flipping. CNN reported that at least six of them have talked plea deals, except pro-Trump lawyer Robert Cheeley, who turned down a deal some time ago. CNN tried to get other names, but Salon has named Misty Hampton and former Trump campaign official Mike Roman. CNN was told that there is little to no room for compromise when it comes to Donald Trump. Obviously, getting to Trump is the goal in flipping others.
Fani Willis is obviously going for the proverbial jugular. She has not offered (and won’t) deals to Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, or John Eastman. Those three are a bit higher on the proverbial tree. Meadows has been granted immunity in the federal case, and he continues to try to move his Georgia charges to federal court where he thinks he will fare better. Depending on what he says during testimony in the federal case, he might help himself in Georgia-or he could hurt himself, as he will be married to his testimony. Robert James, a former district attorney in DeKalb County, told CNN that Fani Willis is using a strategy that worked for her before in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating case, which was also filed under the RICO statute.
Former Florida prosecutor Katie Phang, who now hosts her own show on MSNBC, believes that two others who were involved in the data breach in Coffee County will flip next: Cathy Latham and Misty Hampton. Latham is the former chair of the Coffee County Republican Party, and she was one of the fake electors. She allowed the forensics “experts” from SullivanStrickler to illegally download data from voting machines and was seen taking a selfie with one of them. These people really thought they were doing something. Misty Hampton is the former elections director in Coffee County and was also present for the breach.
Expect to hear regular news on this case. Judge Scott McAfee has scheduled a motions hearing for December 1 to consider Trump’s eight motions to dismiss the pending charges, but that is not happening. It’s time for Trump to stop trying to hide from his crimes, and prosecutors are making sure he gets his days in court.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years