OMG: Trump caught pulling BOMBSHELL stunt in court

We now have an update from the Trump administration in court that is so brazen and so damning, I almost couldn't believe it when I saw it.Glenn, I'm going to put right here on the screen the fact that the Trump team appealed a lower court order against Trump's $1 .8 billion slush fund and his sweetheart IRS immunity deal.Trump is now challenging that in the 11th Circuit in Atlanta.So how can Trump both say that this thing is dead, don't worry about it, we don't even need written confirmation that it's not moving forward, while at the same time trying to resurrect it in the court?

You know, are you accusing Donald Trump of talking out of both sides of his mouth, Brian?Apparently.Because, you know, it's like you say, it's so effing outrageous that he just tried to cram down America's throat.Todd Blanch, his de facto personal attorney as the permanent attorney general for the people of the United States.All the while, Todd Blanch was swearing up and down though only verbally, not in writing, that, no, no, no, this deal is not going forward.This settlement agreement creating an $8 .1 billion cop beaters fund, you know, for Donald Trump to distribute as he sees fit.

No, no, no, it's done.It's dead.It's not going forward.And then the minute Todd Blanche's confirmation looks like it's no longer in play and Donald Trump is going to have to shelve his nomination, at least for the time being.What happens?Oh, by the way, we are appealing the judge invalidating the very settlement agreement that produced a $1 .8 billion cop beaters fund.

How much more transparent can he get that he is trying to just, you know, pull the wool over the eyes of the American people over the Senate?I mean, thank goodness we had two senators, Tillis and Cornyn, who weren't falling for Todd Blanche's bullshit, and they held up the nomination.You know, it's just the corruption.is so in our face.The lies are so obvious and transparent.And they just gleefully tell them day in and day out.

And unfortunately, corporate media always seems to be willing to downplay it and move on to the next outrageous Trump post, which is really doing the American people and democracy a disservice.But, you know, as you say, this is it's absurd.It's brazen.And if there's any good news here, a little bit of a point of light.I think he's going to fail miserably in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.In fact, I think he might get excoriated by even his own judges who he appointed to that Court of Appeals, who in substance kind of tore him apart previously in connection with some of the Aileen Cannon rulings.

Remember that?Trump, Tody, who was forever doing favors for Donald Trump in her capacity as a federal court judge down in Florida.I mean, you know, I think the judiciary is on to Donald Trump.I think they're done playing his reindeer games.They're done doing his bidding.They've certainly taken the gloves off and gone scorched earth after he and his administration.

the Supreme Court.We've always got those six, you know, ideologues, those right wing radicals.And in fact, they really are on the Supreme Court.So I can only believe that Donald Trump's play at this moment is to work his way up and maybe get this thing in the hands of, you know, Alito and Thomas and Gorsuch and Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett and the chief justice himself, John Roberts, and maybe just maybe they will, you know, completely disregard the rules, the law, and the Constitution asit applies to a litigant's ability to bring suit.Because this suit stunk from the moment it was filed, and the federal court judge, Kathleen Williams, told Donald Trump so, invalidated the agreement that was reached.

And not only that, Brian, Judge Kathleen Williams said this lawsuit was brought in bad faith.by Donald Trump.She said this lawsuit was a product of collusion between Trump and his own executive branch.And she said there was no adversarial position, which means no lawsuit can be brought in court.Why?Because Donald Trump sued Donald Trump.

Donald Trump negotiated a settlement with Donald Trump.And Donald Trump gave Donald Trump everything Donald Trump wanted.And that is why Judge Kathleen Williams threw the damn thing out.And it wouldn't surprise me if the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Judge Williams' ruling and had some choice words for Donald Trump in the way he tried to, and I'll quote Judge Williams one more time, manipulate the courts and the legal process.

You had mentioned the fact that legacy media will see this and just move on.So to that end, for folks who are watching right now, if you'd like to support our work and if you enjoy these deeper dives into what's going on so that you can actually understand as opposed to just watching a three minute hit, the best way to support our work, which is completely free, is to subscribe to both of our channels.Those links are in the post description of this video.So if you're not yet subscribed, please go ahead, support independent media and subscribe.But it's worth asking here, as Trump engages in this litigation in court where he continues to appeal this thing up to the 11th Circuit, and hopefully up to the Supreme Court, can his statements in public or Todd Blanche's statements in public be used against him?Because they're claiming in court.

that they support this slush fund and also the protection from IRS audits.But in public, they're they're pretending that they don't want anything to do with it and they're claiming that it's dead as a doornail.So how can those public statements, including stuff that Todd Blanche is saying to even Republican senators during his confirmation hearing, impact his ability to be successful in court?

Yeah, it's a great question, Brian.Anytime one of the parties to the case, either the plaintiff or the defendant, makes an out -of -court statement, That statement can always be admitted against that party.So anything that Trump says publicly that would be relevant to and perhaps damaging to Donald Trump's never -ending court battle in this case can certainly be introduced as evidence against him, can be used against him.But here's the thing.Now that we are moving from the trial court, which was Judge Kathleen Williams' province, she was the trial court judge, up to the Court of Appeals, You don't introduce evidence before the Court of Appeals.The record is set once you are done in the trial court.

For example, you don't have witness testimony.You don't introduce new evidence by way of documents or out -of -court statements in the Court of Appeals.The record is sort of set in concrete once the trial court has concluded its case.It doesn't mean that, you know, the parties can't talk about how their case is really bolstered about how what went on in the trial court should either be affirmed, as one party will say, or should be overturned, as the other party will say.They could certainly allude to the congressional hearing and what Todd Blanche said and what he wouldn't say, some of the things Donald Trump has said or posted.But technically, it doesn't become evidence up in the appellate court, because that's just an oral argument about what happened in the court below.

But what it does is it exposes all of this as an absolute stone -cold sham and a manipulation.Because as much as Todd Blanch said over and over and over again, the weaponization fund is not moving forward, senators reasonably said, oh, well, then lawyers would tend to put in writing the rescission of a settlement agreement.That's kind of the way lawyering works.And Todd Blanche is like, I'm not going to put anything in writing.I mean, you know, that is like the mob approach to taking on this issue, right?Don't send emails.

Don't put anything in writing.Don't talk on a phone because it might be tapped, right?That's what Todd Blanche and Donald Trump really are.They're like third -rate gangsters running our government.But Brian, as I say, I look forward to seeing what the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals says about this manipulation of the court system.

To that end, Glenn, is there anything to suggest how the 11th Circuit might rule on this?Do we know the composition of the panel that's been drawn?Do we know the general composition, partisan lean, of the 11th Circuit?And frankly, is there anything to suggest how even Trump -appointed judges might rule on this issue?

You know, the only thing that gives us a little bit of insight is how the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the classified documents case that came before them a couple of times based on Judge Aileen Cannon's completely out -of -control rulings that were not supported by any case law anywhere, but she was forever trying to do favors for Trump.And twice, The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, there were three judges on the panels.I don't remember all of the judges, but I do know for one of the rulings, two of the three were Trump -appointed judges.And they said, Judge Aileen Cannon abused her judicial power.by doing something for Donald Trump that the law does not allow.And so, I mean, that gives you a little bit of insight.

into at least how the Trump -appointed judges can be completely independent and can rule against Donald Trump when he is supported by neither the facts nor the law.But at this moment, the notice of appeal was just filed by Trump, so we don't know the three -judge panel.And what I will tell our viewers, even though people may be a little bit skeptical of this, These really are random assignments.So whatever three judges are next up in the pecking order, those are the three judges that will be assigned to the three -judge panel that will hear this appeal.Now, ultimately, if Donald Trump lose—and we're in this bizarre upside -down world, because, mind you, Donald Trump sued Donald Trump.He sued the IRS, which he completely controls.

Remember how he says Article 2 means I can do anything I want as president because I'm basically the Article 2 emperor, the ruler of all things.I own everything in the executive branch.And of course, he has been governing that way.So it was Donald Trump who sued his own IRS, which he controls.So he really sued himself.And now Donald Trump has appealed the ruling that went against him.

But Is the IRS going to oppose that ruling when the IRS is, you know, controlled by Donald Trump?This whole thing is in the bizarre upside -down legal world, which is one of the reasons Judge Williams said You can't sue yourself.You can't sue an agency that you completely control.And that's why this lawsuit cannot even be brought in federal court, because the Constitution requires a case or controversy with two separate parties that have adversarial positions.to one another.That's just another one of the many reasons I think this thing is destined to fail in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

Who is able to sue and where do they sue to stop this from happening?Like, if this lawsuit goes away, then what's to stop Trump from just saying, there's no lawsuit preventing me from doing it, so I'm just gonna barrel ahead and pay myself $10 billion from the IRS.Who has to step in and say that this can't move forward if the lawsuit that's occurring right now, there's no case or controversy, so there's not even really standing to bring it.

Ryan, I sure wish that aggrieved taxpayers You know, we're having our tax dollars stolen from us virtually every day by Donald Trump and his corrupt administration.I wish there was a cause of action.I wish we as taxpayers had standing to bring legal challenges when our tax dollars are not just being squandered, right?This is not fraud, waste, and abuse.This is corruption.This is crime.

This is theft in a very real sense of our tax money.But repeatedly, the courts have held that aggrieved taxpayers can't really bring lawsuits to challenge how the government is spending our tax dollars.Maybe that's something we will reconsider moving forward when we go on the reform and accountability mission come January 2029.But what I will say is there are a lot of very creative and inventive law firms and nonprofit organizations that are filing legal challenges to Donald Trump's actions every day.day and they are winning.So I can only hope that one of them will take up this cause and find a party who does have standing to challenge this.

But it's really hard when it's Donald Trump suing Donald Trump.I mean, who's going to have, you know, standing to intervene in that or to bring it forward?lawsuit?It's a tough question, but I do believe we have lots of good nonprofits that are probably working on that even as we speak.

Something tells me that Norm Eisen is on the ball in a big way.To that end, for those who are watching right now, again, if you'd like to support our work, if you enjoy our legal analysis, the best way to support us is to subscribe to both of our channels.Those links are right here on the screen and also in the post description of this video.I'm Brian Taylor Cohen.And I'm Glenn Kirshner.You're watching The Legal Breakdown.