Judge Juan Merchan has sentenced Donald Trump to "unconditional discharge" in his New York hush money trial. This means Trump will remain a felon, but receive no punishments. Glenn rips apart the joke of a sentencing that perfectly sums up the joke of a trial that this was. Trump never should have been charged with ONE felony count, Glenn argues, never mind 34! This sentencing is just another piece of evidence that New York's real goal wasn't to give Trump a fair trial, but to keep him from winning the presidency - a goal that utterly failed. So, should Trump continue to push back and appeal this verdict?
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: All right. The sentence has been handed down by the judge in the Donald Trump felony.
Remember, 34 felonies!
And he was given unconditional discharge. Not to be confused with premature discharge. This means the judge -- this is usually combinative for somebody who, you know, has broken a minor, minor law.
And that's when they -- you know, they're like, okay. Yes. You did cross the street. And jaywalk
But there's no punishment here. Just don't jaywalk again. So it's usually used for very light sentences.
As I read it, Stu.
Is that right?
STU: Yeah. That's what I've been reading as well. Typically, given for minor offenses, where the judge deems formal punishment unnecessary. However, the conviction is so recorded, and it may appear on your criminal record, depending on your jurisdiction. So they --
GLENN: So, in other words --
STU: They'll say he's a convicted felon. They can still say all those things.
GLENN: Correct. Correct. But he doesn't need to serve any time, because he's president of the United States, and he failed on our real goal, which is keep him out of the office of the presidency.
We don't want to get him into any more trouble. So we'll just say, okay.
Well, he's a felon. But it doesn't really matter that much.
It's unbelievable.
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe this judge has tried new Grudge-i-tol. Grudge-i-tol works fast within 24 hours. You'll feel like a whole new person.
Capable of eye rolls. Sassy comebacks, and even declining invitations you don't want to attend. Grudge-i-tol. Not for everyone. Side effects maybe include excessive passive-aggressiveness, overuse of the phrase "not my problem."
And a sudden urge to start every sentence with, well, let me start you right there.
Some patients reported being too good at holding grudges, and refusing to forgive minor transgressions, like spilling salsa on the carpet. Ask your therapist if Grudge-i-tol is right for you!
Remember, it's your boundaries. It's your rules. Grudge-i-tol. Maybe he had some of that.
STU: Maybe he did. Maybe he did.
It seems like he's been throwing those things back like crazy.
He did go through a long dissertation on the extraordinary powers, granted to the president of the United States when it comes to immunity.
And -- and so he's -- he was basically saying, I would have loved to have punished him with more. But there's not much more I can do. So this is what I'm going to do.
GLENN: Yeah. There's not much more legally I can do. Because really, the whole court case was a farce of legality.
STU: Well, that's the truth. That's the truth. That's not what he was saying though.
He was trying to make the opposite case. That we got him on 34 felonies. I can't do anything.
So this is all --
GLENN: I can't do anything. I can't do anything.
What a weasel.
This -- this -- how much did this trial cost the state of New York?
STU: Oh, my God.
GLENN: How much did they spend?
STU: Millions of dollars.
GLENN: Millions of dollars.
How much time did the state of New York, the officials spend. Instead of tracking down killers and everything else.
On running this case against Donald Trump. Which was -- which was a complete farce, from the beginning.
The statute of limitations didn't even apply.
Nobody has ever been tried for this!
Okay? The 34 felonies are just because they kept counting the same felony over and over again. Yeah. Well, he did that on Tuesday, too.
Well, he did it on Wednesday and Thursday.
STU: Even worse than that, Glenn.
It was each count of this. Each payment, right?
The payments are going to Michael Cohen. Essentially what they're saying is a crime.
Again, it's idiotic. But each --
GLENN: It's a monthly payment.
STU: Right. A monthly payment.
So really what we're talking about a monthly payment. There's one instance of this, if you really want to go into it.
They decided to expand it on 12 monthly payments. And on top of that, they said the payment. The -- the invoice was a separate crime.
For each payment. And then I think, the recording of it in the ledger was a third crime for each of these.
So it came to 34, because a couple of details on a couple of the months. The bottom line, that's how they came up with 34 felonies.
They just wanted that number to be high. And they wanted that number to be high enough, so that you in Pennsylvania. Or you in Nevada, would not vote for Donald Trump.
This, of course, backfired, enormously.
And, you know, you're left with unconditional discharge.
GLENN: Which is so funny.
Is so funny.
I mean, that's just -- it's the perfect ending for this. Perfect ending.
STU: It is!
GLENN: Except, it shouldn't be the ending.
Donald Trump should pursue this. And have his record wiped.
So he should pursue this. So he doesn't have 34 felonies.
I mean, I won't sit that with that on my record.
I want to expose the bums for what they did.
So I think he should pursue this. And maybe then, give the judge some of that discharge.
And see how that works out for him.
STU: I do think for the country though, the best-case scenario would be that none of this ever happened.
But now that it has happened. Now that they have convicted him. I know Trump was fighting the sentencing.
Didn't want it to occur.
Now that we all know that it was absolutely nothing.
I'm glad that it was over. It would be hanging over -- they would still be bringing it up. As soon as, they get out of office. They will sentence him. And who knows. Maybe they will sentence him to something more seriously.
This is over.
If he wants to challenge it. I think that's great.
I think if he just wants to get it expunged from the record.
I hate to say expunged when we're talking about.
GLENN: I've had to use that sponge. Those are the sponges, I have one on my sink right now.
STU: New Pfizer. Yeah.
GLENN: Expunged.
(laughter)
STU: I think there is a real argument for him to pursue this -- just for his legacy. And just because it's -- it was wrong from the beginning.
GLENN: Yeah.
STU: But at least there's not a possibility.
GLENN: You have to fix the country. Yeah. I mean, here's the thing. I was having dinner with some of my friends. And we were talking about the Epstein case. The January 6th case. Don't mention discharge here.
STU: No, I'm not. I promise I won't go there. But I just want to highlight, I was having dinner with some friends, we were talking about the Epstein case, is such a Glenn Beck thing to say.
GLENN: What?
STU: And then we went into how big is the room in your bunker that you're protecting yourself from the nuclear apocalypse.
And this is --
GLENN: No. We were talking about the January -- we were talking about the January 6th case. We were talking about the P. Diddy case. The Epstein case.
And -- and the question was: That I posed. Was are any of -- is the truth ever coming out on this know.
Is Donald Trump going to release this?
Because of the danger that I think anyone who is involved in exposing that. Is going to be in.
I mean, this is -- this is Jason born level stuff.
To where, you've got all of these names. Of the most powerful people on earth.
Epstein did not kill himself.
You have all the names of the most powerful people on earth, that can make things happen!
And you're going to put that case together? And then try it. Or put that case together.
And then try to find the journalists that are going to release all of this?
I mean, that's a dangerous job.
And I wondered, because it's going to affect both the Republicans and the Democrats, are we ever going to find out about these things?
And I think, what would make Donald Trump Abraham Lincoln, would be to take it on!
And release all of the raw facts of all of it.
And let the chips fall where they may.
That's the -- you have to lance a boil, if -- and that was a good phrase to use at dinner last night. You have to lance a boil, that is on our country. And that is, all of this infection of lies and deceit and corruption, we have to get that out of our system. And the only way to do it, is to just walk through that fire.
STU: He is -- he is Lincoln-esque, in that his political opponents keep trying to kill him. So we have that going on.
GLENN: Yes. Never in a play though.
STU: No. No. I don't think he's a big Broadway guy. For as New York friendly as Donald Trump is. Big Manhattan guy. Don't see him on Broadway a lot.
Do you think he will do this?
Look, it's something he promised. Right?
He ran, during the campaign. I would say, it was his most prominent promise.
But he has run on releasing all this stuff, and being that transparent president we were promised back in the days of Barack Obama and never received!
He wants to get all of this stuff out there. He says he has. He was going to. Now, I know he said that about Kennedy, in the first term. And then some stuff comes up.
So that's why I wonder, at this point, whether that sort of thing will be what we see here.
Because you're right!
There's a lot of people that he knows were involved in this. Not all his enemies, either.
GLENN: And I don't think it's -- see, that's the thing. I think if Donald Trump is really, truly wants to be the transformative president.
Part of transforming our nation is resetting it. Resetting it on truth!
And so you have to expose all of those lies. So it can't be. And I'm not sure Donald Trump is the one who will say, hey, I will protect you, because you're a friend of mine.
I think he's the type that would look at this as, how much trouble will this cost? Will it be worth it? Because that will just cause turmoil like crazy all over the world.
Will it be worth it, in the end?
I believe it is, because truth has to be restored.
And we have to know who the bad guys are. I mean, if -- if -- if this, you know, P. Diddy stuff is happening in Hollywood, we went after with the Me Too movement. We went after people, and, you know, we got Harvey Weinstein out. Now, why didn't we get P. Diddy out? Why didn't we get other people out?
Weinstein was just the one that everyone targeted. And they did get some. A couple.
But we haven't cleaned that out. Why were we willing to take on that?
Why were people brave enough to step up and say, this is what's going on with Weinstein because we were all disgusted by it.
But why won't they continue to do that?
And I think it's because I think there are too many very, very powerful people. Weinstein in the end, they made it seem like, he was really the only one.
And then there was a couple of others. But it wasn't widespread. But I think this stuff is widespread.
STU: Yeah. To be fair, to our justice system, a little bit.
Which takes a decent amount of beating. Deservedly so. You know, Jeffrey Epstein died in prison.
How you think he died or not. He died in prison.
P. Diddy is in prison.
Right? Some of this stuff is happening. We should be able to get some of these answers. We have -- we have received a lot of the answers on Epstein. This was covered widely by the media. As much as we bash the media. If they did actually uncover this, after the justice system failed us the first time. He went, quote, unquote, quote to prison. Where he would just basically hang out in a building that he was paying for.
That all went down. And we did eventually find out.
I just think, it takes a long time. Number one.
And number two, it never really feels like we get the full story. Like, I think we do know a lot about what Jeffrey Epstein did.
We know a lot of his quirks.
GLENN: We do.
STU: We have a lot of these accusations against P. Diddy. But we don't know all the people involved in the periphery. And that's what people want.
GLENN: Correct. They want to know -- look, if this was happening to the average person.
If this was just a ring of people who weren't famous or powerful, every single one of those. Their names would be known. Their pictures would be known.
And they would number jail.
And that's what America needs. And must have. On all of these cases.
We've got to fumigate and start from Catholic Church.
You've got to -- if you want to reset it. You cannot let the infection be anywhere in the body politic.