Today, I learned that the court filing reflecting Trump’s bond in the civil fraud case was “returned for correction” and specifically, for the inclusion of a current financial statement and power of attorney. But all is not what it seems. 1/
The financial statement that is missing does not seem to be Trump’s. Rather, the court appears to be demanding these documents from Knight Specialty Insurance Co. to ensure that company is sufficiently capitalized and authorized to post the bond. 2/
As of tonight, those documents do not appear on the docket. 3/
Meanwhile, we still don’t know what fee Trump paid for the bond or exactly what collateral he pledged, especially as Don Hanley gave slightly different accounts to various media outlets. 4/
But you know who likely DOES have all of those details? Retired federal judge Barbara Jones, the court-appointed monitor in the case. Under a 3/21/24 order, the Trump Org must give her advanced notice of their efforts to secure surety bonds. 5/
The information she is entitled to includes “any financial disclosures requested or required, any information provided in response to such requests, any representations made by the Trump Org. in connection with acquiring such bonds…” 6/
“…any personal guarantees made by any of the defendants, & any obligations of the Trump Organization required by the surety.” 7/
And I can think of a courtroom full of journalists, as well as a bunch of lawyers in the New York Attorney General’s office, who would love to know what Barbara Jones presumably knows right now. FIN
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NEW: In order to prove vindictive prosecution, a defendant has to show they have been charged due to a genuine animus toward them on account of their exercise of constitutional or statutory rights. That's usually a very tough road to hoe. 1/
Enter Tish James (and her legal team, led by Abbe Lowell). Their brief tonight cites to an Exhibit A, a 112-page compilation of 360 of Trump's public statements dating back to the day after she opened her investigation of the Trump Org and him. 2/
That exhibit reflects a LOT of work but everything in it was already public. What I don't recall seeing before is Exhibit G, an August 2025 letter to Lowell from DOJ's "special attorney for mortgage fraud" Ed Martin. 3/
As I was looking for information about the appointment of Kelly Hayes, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, I found an interesting DOJ press release. It describes how U.S. Attorney vacancies should be filled. 1/
Specifically, it explains: “Pursuant to the Vacancy Reform Act, 28 U.S.C. § 546, the Attorney General has the authority to name a U.S. Attorney to serve on an interim basis for up to 120 days.” 2/
The press release continues, “After that time, if a successor isn’t nominated and confirmed, it falls to the district court to appoint a U.S. Attorney to serve until the confirmation of his or her successor.” 3/
On February 27, Attorney General Bondi told Kash Patel she'd learned the NY field office was sittting on thousands of pages of Epstein records in a sharp letter. 1/
And then she gave a directive: "By 8:00 a.m. tomorrow, February 28, the FBI will deliver the full and complete Epstein files to my office, including all records, documents, audio and video recordings, and materials related to Jeffrey Epstein and his clients, regardless of how such information was obtained." 2/
Bondi continued, "There will be no withholdings or limitations to my or your access. The Department of Justice will ensure that any public disclosure of these files will be done in a manner to protect the privacy of victims and in accordance with law." 3/
NOW: House Judiciary Committee is voting on Rep. Raskin's motion to subpoena four major banks for their suspicious activity reports concerning Epstein's transactions; Rep. Massie votes with Democrats against tabling the motion. 1/
These are documents that Sen. Ron Wyden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, has been seeking from Treasury without success for months. 2/
The effort to subpoena to the banks just failed; by a vote of 20-19, the motion to table won. 3/
The idea that district courts' refusal to unseal grand jury testimony is a barrier on the release on any further Epstein-related information, whether to Congress itself or the public, is a fallacy. 1/
There is a host of information in the DOJ's possession that with or without redactions could be shared. For example, the FBI's own FOIA reading room has a 22-part file concerning Epstein that can be accessed online. 2/
Those materials are heavily redacted, but they also include handwritten notes from the FBI's interviews with several survivors and other records reflecting the 2006-2007 investigation. 3/
NEW: Rep. LaMonica McIver moved to dismiss her indictment late last night. The general thrust of her motions is hardly shocking—but her legal team’s retelling of her visit to Delaney Hall, as informed by discovery received from DOJ, contains some big surprises. 1/
The biggest is that V-1, the HSI agent Rep. McIver allegedly assaulted, was heard on the phone announcing he would be arresting Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, despite the fact that Baraka had “stepped out,” because the Deputy Attorney General directed as much. 2/
McIver also represents she was “shoved” by a federal officer and that she told that officer she would be filing a complaint about his assault. It was only days later that anyone from HSI, ICE, or “any other agency” suggested that McIver was the one who committed an assault. 3/