This Just In – In the history of news, politics and crime there has never been a sequence of seven day like we’ve seen since May 9, 2024.
First, Bonnie Hauser won a new term on the Orange County School Board runoff election and did so quite decisively (a nearly two-to-one margin). Let’s put to rest the argument about turnout please. Thousands of people voted. It was their decision to make and they spoke clearly. School Board voters rejected the argument that they should hand over this decision to six board members who made no representation as to what their choice might be.
So, first nominee for who won the week: Orange County School Board voters.
Last week, we watched a woman storm into a NYC courtroom and stun the nation by doing a fairly ordinary thing – staying calm and telling the truth about a single incident where a powerful man blocked the door and coerced her 27-year-old self into a brief sexual encounter, promising a career opportunity that never materialized.
Women across the country (and on the jury) heard a familiar and credible story from Stormy Daniels. Then came the part no one expected. During cross-examination, she stood up for herself without being disrespectful or combative. The former president’s attorney protracted the cross-examination and tried to provoke the witness with no success. Lawyers commentating on TV about the case were just plain gobsmacked at what an excellent witness she was.
Well-prepared, 18 years older and more mature than the version of Daniels that the defendant met in 2006, this woman is reported to have worn a bulletproof vest into the courtroom out of concern for her safety.
Those concerns are valid. Though she is instructed not to make public statements about the case, Stormy Daniels has taken to posting on her social media accounts some of the many death threats she’s receiving. She adds identifying information about the person making the threat.
Second nominee: Stormy Daniels
This week in that same trial, we saw the prosecution’s star (and final) witness, Michael Cohen, who worked for Donald Trump for 10 years prior to his presidency. He was little more than a thug dressed up with a law degree. If you’re a Soprano’s fan, he was Pauly Walnuts without the brains and charm.
Cohen committed crimes for Trump, before and after he was president. In the Stormy Daniels payoff scheme, thus far, Cohen is the only person who has gone to jail for conspiracy and fraud.
As is the case in criminal trials where a conspiracy is alleged, the jury will usually hear from … well … criminals. In this case, I have to say – career criminals would be insulted to be included in this bunch.
- Trump has admitted to the criminal elements of this case in public, repeatedly.
- His Chief Financial Officer who designed the payback scheme wrote it all down on a bank statement.
- A very high percentage of the case is made with checks, signed by Trump (with his giant sharpie) even though he could easily have instructed others to sign them and denied knowing about it.
The low point in all of this week (and a clear sign that Trump is really anxious about conviction being near) is the parade of VP wannabes appearing at the courthouse in support and mouthing off about what a sham the trial is. This includes, I’m sorry to say, the current Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. Pathetic, sure. Dangerous? Definitely.
The House Speaker has no business bashing the NY legal system. At least he did not dare do it inside the courthouse. I strain to imagine Nancy Pelosi doing anything similar. He should be censured.
My third nominee and the winner of Who Won The Week are all the unseen people at that courthouse (and locally — election workers) who keep things running, ensure security, maintain order for all the OTHER people who are on trial in that courthouse for the last month and are civil and professional despite the fact that the circus has descended on their place of work.
Like the voters in Orange County, they show up, get the job done and move on. I’m looking forward to the “moving on” part.
Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.
Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc
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