The MeidasTouch Podcast - Trump RICO HEARING has Dramatic Conclusion and it was STREAMED LIVE

Episode Date: September 7, 2023

MeidasTouch host Ben Meiselas reports on what went down at the dramatic first hearing in the Trump criminal RICO case where cameras were allowed into the courtroom.  Head to https://manukora.com/meidas or use code MEIDAS to automatically get a free pack of honey sticks with your order — a $15 value! Remember to subscribe to ALL the Meidas Media Podcasts: MeidasTouch: https://pod.link/1510240831 Legal AF: https://pod.link/1580828595 The PoliticsGirl Podcast: https://pod.link/1595408601 The Influence Continuum: https://pod.link/1603773245 Kremlin File: https://pod.link/1575837599 Mea Culpa with Michael Cohen: https://pod.link/1530639447 The Weekend Show: https://pod.link/1612691018 The Tony Michaels Podcast: https://pod.link/1561049560 American Psyop: https://pod.link/1652143101 Burn the Boats: https://pod.link/1485464343 Majority 54: https://pod.link/1309354521 Political Beatdown: https://pod.link/1669634407 Lights On with Jessica Denson: https://pod.link/1676844320 MAGA Uncovered: https://pod.link/1690214260 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. I'm Ben Micellis from the Midas Touch Network. Folks, cameras were allowed into the courtroom for the first major hearing in the sprawling criminal RICO case in Fulton County, Georgia. Unlike the federal criminal cases where no cameras, very little transparency, we learn about it after there were cameras in state court in Fulton County for the first major hearing where the Fulton County District Attorney's Office showing up making arguments and the lawyers for co-defendants of Donald's Office showing up, making arguments, and the lawyers for co-defendants of Donald Trump were showing up as well.

It's really two critical issues that were addressed at this hearing. Again, all televised. We have the video. I will show you the video. So question number one, you had Ken Chesbrough and Sidney Powell who made demands for speedy trials, meaning under Georgia law, specifically within the term of Fulton County, their cases have to go to trial before November 1st of 2023. So as a result of that, since they both made demands, Chesbrough did not want to be anywhere

near release the Kraken Sidney Powell, yet they both made demands, Chesbrough did not want to be anywhere near release the Kraken, Sidney Powell, yet they both made speedy trial demands. So issue number one, whether they could be severed from each other. And for that, you had Judge Scott McAfee, and I'm going to play for you the tape, denied their severance request, meaning that in October, starting October 23rd, come hell or high water, we will have a RICO case that includes Sidney Powell and Ken Chesbrough. The next question is, well, what do we do with the groups of all of the other co-defendants, including Donald Trump?

First, let me show you this pivotal moment from today's court hearing where Judge McAfee denied the severance request of each other's severance request from Chesbrough and Sidney Powell, meaning their case will be tried together, October 23rd. Be there. Play the clip. Talk about the jurors. I don't think it's as we can take for granted that these would both be two equally four month long trials. I think it could easily be twice that with with multiple defendants. And I think we need to take into account the fact that one docket goes entirely on hold while this case is going. And instead of it being if we're purely considering aspects of judicial economy, which to me was the really the only valid argument here um i think taking up two dockets and uh for

a period of four months also weighs into that as well as the voir dire process and the inconvenience to the jurors um so based on what's been presented today i i'm not finding the severance uh from mr chesbro or pal is necessary to achieve a fair determination of the guilt or innocence for either defendant in this case and so i'll deny mr chesbro's motions to sever from miss powell i'll deny in part uh miss powell's motion to sever from mr chesbro and the plan will be to enter a scheduling order for um miss Powell mirroring that of Mr. Chesbrough with the October 23rd date holding. It sounds like the state is still sticking to the position that all these defendants should remain, and they want to address some of these removal issues.

I'm willing to hear that. I remain very skeptical, but I'm willing to hear what you have to say on it. So you may have heard at the end where Judge McAfee says, with respect to Powell, though, her request for severance is granted in part. And then Judge McAfee said he's a little bit skeptical of the position by Fulton County. What was that about? Well, the partial granting for Sidney Powell is that she wanted to be severed for now from all of the other co-defendants, including Donald Trump, who did not request a speedy trial. So for now, Judge McAfee saying, you and Chesbrough will go together, but will you and Chesbrough go with the other 16 co-defendants or 17 co-defendants? Judge McAfee said, I'm still want to hear

briefing on that. What Judge McAfee said that he's skeptical of is the position that was still maintained by Fulton County District Attorney's Office that they want to try everything on October 23rd. And Judge McAfee's saying, I'm skeptical that we'll be able to do that given that there are all of these proceedings in federal court, removal procedures, there's going to be a ton of appeals even after there's a decision that's reached in the federal court. So that's what he's saying he's skeptical of. So what that basically means that there's probably going to be two main groupings of

cases. The first Chesborough-Sydney Powell case where they'll be tried together, that case starting October 23rd, and then a second group that will include Trump and the other co-defendants. But you see Judge McAfee there. You heard what he said. Seems like law and order, no nonsense. They're not pulling punches, doesn't want delay, wants to run an effective calendar. So we'll see when the other trial dates are set.

But let's go back into the courtroom. I want to show you some of the arguments that were being made. So first, I want to show you the argument by Ken Chesbrough's lawyer in court today. And Chesbrough's lawyer says that, well, what the government's trying to do, what the state's trying to do, what Fulton County wants to do is they're trying to make this case all about Trump, but no one even knows who Chesbrough is. Here, play this clip. The court shouldn't sever. Let me be clear about something, Your Honor. The state wants this case, and I think it's absolutely clear in the pleadings. The state

wants a case against Donald Trump and all these people together. The state wants to make this case about Donald Trump. Donald Trump is one of 19 defendants. Ken Chesbrough is another one. Ken Chesbrough is not a politician. Before six, seven months ago, he was probably unknown to 99.9999% of the population. You get all those nines? And so now to force him to sit here in a trial where there's evidence of all these other things is just not fair and i'm sorry your honor you know they have a slide here rico is different sure it's different i acknowledge that in my opening but what this slide does not say is that RICO overrides the rules governing fundamental fairness, constitutional and statutory protection that are designed to protect defendants. This episode of the Midas Touch podcast is brought to you by Manicora Honey. Now, when I say the word

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That's a $15 value. Now, I love the jar. I love the squeeze bottle. But the extra pack of compostable honey sticks is a perfect game-changing move for whenever you're on the go. You can bring them with you when you're traveling or when you need a quick snack or running quick errands or if you need an energy boost if you're on a run or at the gym. That's M-A-N-U-K-O-R-A dot com slash Midas or use code Midas to get free pack of compostable honey sticks with your order. You haven't tasted or seen honey like this before. So indulge and try some honey with superpowers from Manicora. Now here's a clip of the prosecutor working for the Fulton County District Attorney's office. And here, the Fulton County District Attorney lawyer, who's representing the office at this hearing, educates, putting it nicely, Chesbrough's lawyer and Sidney Powell on what RICO is. Sure, you may only had a small part in the RICO conspiracy, but if you're part of the common plan and scheme, you can still be charged under RICO and you can't just act like

you had nothing to do with it at all. And in the cases that were cited by the lawyers for the co-defendants, Chesbrough and Powell. What the prosecutor points out here, and I think does quite a good job at it, is it says they're citing cases about why the case should be severed, but the cases where severance was properly granted don't involve RICO cases, Judge. This is a RICO case. Here, play the clip of the prosecutor. I want to look at the cases that were cited by Mr. Cheeseburger in his motion. Griffin versus the state. That's a case where severance was properly denied.

It is not a RICO case. Brown versus the state. Another case where severance was properly denied. Not a RICO case. Baker versus the state. Severance was properly denied. not a RICO case. Baker versus the state, severance was properly denied, not a RICO case. Padgett, severance properly denied, not a RICO case. Jones versus the state,

severance was properly denied, also not a RICO case. Zafiro versus United States, federal case. Again, severance was properly denied, that was not a RICO case. Henderson, which we just received just now, that was also not a RICO case. Severance was properly denied. Mr. Cheeseborough points to a couple of cases in his motion where a conviction was reversed on appeal. And as the court pointed out pointed out in those cases what the appellate courts found was that at trial the evidence against one defendant was minimal almost nothing

compared to the evidence against the co-defendants and so the it was just fundamentally unfair that there was all this evidence that applied to one very little that applied to the other and the jury may have been confused look at at defendant Powell's list. And most of these are the same, so I'll click through them. Again, same cases, most of them severance properly denied, none of them a RICO case, and the ones where a conviction was overturned on appeal, again, it came down to insufficient evidence at trial.

The evidence against the defendant named was just so minimal compared to the evidence that was pertinent to the other defendant's charge. Also of note, Fulton County District Attorney's Office stated that they believe that trial will take about four months after jury selection to complete. They believe that they will call about 150 witnesses. Whether the 19 defendants are tried together or separately, each of them would be four months plus jury selection to go to jury verdict. That's the estimate. So if there were two groupings, say the Chesbrough-Powell grouping one, and then the grouping of Trump and the remaining, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office says it would probably take about four months each every time you do this

trial over and over again. I want to show you this is outside the courtroom after the court rejected the severance. Here is Chesbrough's lawyer. Play the clip. Well, look, obviously, we're a little disappointed. We filed a motion and it was denied. However, we respect the court's ruling. We're preparing for our trial in October. We have a lot of other pretrial motions that we have filed and that we will file. And there's a common purpose of all these pretrial motions. It's to continue to ensure that Mr. Chesborough has not only a speedy trial, which we've demanded, but a fair trial. And it's pretty clear that the state is trying to use RICO in order to connect three or four different alleged conspiracies into one. Folks who have never met each other, folks who are in no way associated as a matter of fact or law. Again, we respect the court's

decision. Clearly, we're going to be tried alongside Ms. Powell, but we will file additional motions to make sure that the trial that we have with Ms. Powell is fair and that Mr. Chesborough is judged on the evidence that's attributable to him and that the jury judges everyone on their own accord. So again, putting all of these clips together, here's what we could say. Number one, RICO trial will be taking place October 23rd with Chesborough and Powell shoulder to shoulder sitting there at the defense table. Do I think Judge McAfee is going to order all of the defendants to go to trial on October 23rd? I don't. I think he is going to sever the others who did not ask for a speedy trial. There will be a second tranche case that will be tried then at a later date, but it seems

that McAfee wants to move this case along. And the ruling there was consistent with the law, steady leader. You know, that's exactly what you want to see and how a judge is thinking about the issues, deliberative, expeditious, thoughtful, I would say. But that's what went down. And we got unique insight seeing that with videotape in court for the first time. We see it in the celebrity trials. Like let's, we all want transparency. Let's bring that same transparency here to the criminal cases against Donald Trump,

whether it's in federal court or state court. Check out MidasTouch.com for more breaking news. And wherever you get audio podcasts, subscribe to the Midas Touch podcast. Have a great day. Hey, Midas Mighty, love this report. Continue the conversation by following us on Instagram the Midas Touch podcast. Have a great day.