Episode 104 | Who Really Won the Trump Manhattan DA Case?

It's Complicated

Renato Mariotti

News, News Commentary, Politics

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Our hosts, Yale Professor and former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, along with former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti, discuss Trump’s unconditional discharge sentencing, which is laden with complex implications for the American legal system. Subscribe to our Patreon here, where paid members will get access to exclusive portions of this show. patreon.com/reallyamericanmedia While a guilty verdict was reached, as Asha and Renato explain, the lack of concrete punishment opens a whole line of questions about the effectiveness and perception of American justice, especially considering the context of Trump's impending inauguration. We’ll talk about why Judge Merchan chose unconditional discharge in the first place. We'll also explore the limits and responsibilities of judges, as well as the inconsistencies and biases in the system that arise when high-profile political figures are involved. Our hosts also explain how there is a delicate balance to ensuring justice is served timely and properly, without judges succumbing to external pressures. And we’ll discuss how recent decisions like these threaten democratic norms and weaken public trust in the rule of law. As we continue on the tumultuous legal road ahead, this show seeks to empower our listeners and encourage folks to stay informed, stay involved, and stay vigilant. Be sure to join Asha and Renato next time for another hard look at what’s happening at the intersection of politics and the American justice system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	So Renato, who really won in the Manhattan DA's case?
0:05.6	It's complicated.
0:11.7	I'm Renato Marietti.
0:13.7	I'm a former federal prosecutor, a practicing lawyer, and a legal analyst.
0:18.1	And I'm Asha Rangappa.
0:20.2	I teach national security law at Yale University.
0:23.0	I'm a former FBI special agent, and I'm a legal contributor for ABC News.
0:27.7	And we're here to help you understand topics that can't be boiled down into a soundbite or a skeet.
0:37.4	Wow, so Asha, we suddenly have all these topics to talk about. We're trying to squeeze them all into this podcast because, well, it's been happening in the final days of the Biden administration.
0:49.4	Yes. Trump is now officially a convicted felon.
0:55.0	Which is really something.
0:57.5	We've been saying it for a while, but I think technically speaking, until the sentencing happened, he was not a convicted felon.
1:06.4	But now the sentencing has happened and he is a convicted felon.
1:09.4	Yeah, great question, a great point, because we've talked a lot about that. And that's the way
1:13.9	most people think about it. And as somebody practices criminal law, it's like a distinction that we
1:18.7	talk about that I don't think anyone cares about. Like if one of my clients pleads guilty,
1:23.4	they're guilty, right? Or they lose the trial. and that's it. They're a convicted felon.
1:31.2	But actually technically under the law until judgment is imposed or not.
1:44.6	And that could probably explain why, at least partly why Trump was fighting so hard to keep the sentencing from happening because then it would never really be final.
1:48.7	I mean, it kind of dovetails with his, you know,
1:51.4	his tactic of delaying, delaying, delaying everything.
1:53.2	Yeah, absolutely.
	...

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