Legal

Donald Trump seemingly defended the Capitol insurrectionists who were out to hang then Vice President Mike Pence, claiming they were understandably angry.

Trump did an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl, who asked 45 whether he was worried for the Veep's safety back on January 6th. Trump poo-pooed the notion Pence was in danger, saying "I thought he was well-protected and I had heard he was in good shape."

That didn't satisfy Karl, who noted how terrible the rioter's conduct was, to which Trump said, "well, the people were very angry." Karl shot back, "They were saying, 'hang Mike Pence.'"

Trump then launched into the defense of the crowd, saying, "Because it's common sense, Jon. How can you -- if you know a vote is fraudulent, right? How can you pass on a fraudulent vote to Congress? How can you do that?"

So, Trump is in essence saying Pence deserved the ire of the crowd, because he wouldn't block certification of the election.

Travis Scott and his team were oblivious to the mass casualties in the crowd at his show while he continued to perform, so says his attorney, who claims emergency workers never relayed the message ... and Travis didn't know the scope of what happened until the next day.

Ed McPherson was on 'GMA' Friday, saying there's still a lot to do in investigating exactly what went wrong last week, but he insists his client was in the dark.

McPherson says Travis was clueless about the calamity in the crowd because he had an earpiece blaring music, blinding lights and no one gave him a heads up. As we reported, Travis even left after the concert and hit up Dave & Busters for an afterparty ... unaware that people had died and hundreds were injured.

McPherson points out the now-viral video of Travis stopping the show to get a fan help who had passed out. He also says it was hard for Travis to determine that at one point there was an ambulance in the crowd ... saying it looked more like a golf cart with lights.

When pushed as to whether or not Travis was inciting his audience to get aggressive by telling them to "rage" -- a phrase he's used for years -- McPherson says that was simply Travis trying to get his crowd into the show and have a good time.

TMZ broke the story, Houston cops were seen taking photos and videos while Travis performed 25 mins after the event was considered a "mass casualty event." McPherson says this is further evidence Travis didn't have a clue what was happening. The lawyer points out, if the cops didn't know ... how could Travis?

On Thursday, 22-year-old Bharti Shahani succumbed to her injuries suffered during the show, she was allegedly trampled during a crowd crush, suffering multiple heart attacks and being declared brain dead.

Travis Scott was more concerned with his own safety than that of his fans, and the tragedy at Astroworld should have never happened ... so says an attorney repping one of the victims.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who is repping the family of Axel Acosta, tells TMZ ... all signs are pointing to Travis and the rest of the festival lineup going to great lengths to protect themselves from the crowd, and not putting nearly enough resources into crowd safety.

Buzbee says Axel traveled all the way from Washington to see the Houston festival and loved Travis, but the feelings were clearly not mutual, because the 21-year-old is one of 9 who perished from injuries suffered at the concert.

The way Tony sees it ... Travis and other artists are full of it when they say they love their fans, because if they really did, they would implement better safety measures at shows. Especially when they're massive 50,000-fan events like Astroworld was.

While Buzbee says he's not singling out Travis from the festival lineup, which also included Drake, watch the clip ... he clearly seems to be laying blame at the feet of the headliner.

TMZ broke the story ... Travis vowed to cover funeral costs for families of the people who died at the show, and provide mental health services to anyone impacted by the events.

Buzbee thinks that's a hollow offer -- he says the Acosta family has not heard a peep from Travis' camp and isn't expecting to get any money for Axel's upcoming funeral.

Travis' camp tells us they have been "actively exploring routes of connection with each and every family affected by the tragedy through the appropriate liaisons" ... adding families of the victims can reach out to them directly too.

Meanwhile, Buzbee is conducting his own investigation, and claims police requested full riot equipment before Astroworld's gates even opened Friday morning -- and by 10 AM cops admitted they had no control ... even with an extra 300 officers coming in to boost the overall number to 500.

Soulja Boy says fans should be more aware of their surroundings the next time they're at a crowded concert like Astroworld ... but it's also on organizers to create a safe environment.

We got the rapper in NYC on Thursday and asked him what artists are doing to prevent another deadly scene like the one we saw in Houston from happening again.

Soulja says it will take a collective effort to prevent another tragedy ... telling us it's also up to fans to enjoy themselves without getting too wild and making sure they know what's going on around them.

As you know ... the death toll from the Travis Scott show now stands at 9.

SB says people can get caught up in the concert, especially when they all have their phones out, and that's when bad things can happen.

But it's not just up to the fans ... Soulja says venues and promoters need to take the proper precautions for everyone's safety, no matter if it's looked at as an inconvenience. Interestingly, he did not mention the responsibility of the artist.

A police investigation into allegations that Dalvin Cook beat up his ex-girlfriend is NOT currently underway ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Despite domestic violence allegations against the NFL star in a new lawsuit filed by Cook's ex, Gracelyn Trimble, this week ... the Inver Grove Heights P.D. tells us it has not been contacted by any alleged Cook victims -- and therefore, has not launched a probe into the football player.

But, the Inver Grove Heights chief of police, Melissa Chiodo, said that all could change if someone does file a report.

"At this point in time," Chiodo said, "we have not been contacted by anyone for police assistance or that would like to file a police report."

"When anyone does contact us we will be responsive, we are only a phone call away for any citizen or visitor to Inver Grove Heights or they can come in person to our police station to file a report or ask for any police assistance."

As we previously reported, Trimble -- in her lawsuit -- claims Cook punched, hit and threw her violently during an altercation in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. in Nov. 2020. She says she was left a bloody and bruised mess.

She claimed at one point during the incident, Cook held a gun to her head and told her she was going to die. She also said the Minnesota Vikings player held her against her will for hours -- before eventually letting her go.

In her suit, Trimble never said she went to cops over it all, but we've reached out to her attorney to see if she now has plans to -- but so far, no word back.

As for Cook, he's maintained he was the real victim, saying Trimble broke into his home and held him hostage at gunpoint. Dalvin's reps claim the accusations are nothing more than an attempt to extort the football player.

It's worth noting, police also tell us they are NOT investigating Trimble, either.

"I just want everybody to know I'm the victim in the situation," Cook told reporters earlier this week. "The truth and the details about the situation will come out at a further time."

First responders were desperate to get Travis Scott fans help, even calling for the show to end in order to help those needing serious medical attention ... and you can hear the urgency in their radio communications that night.

Several audio clips have surfaced online of Houston Police officers and other medical personnel addressing the issues of crowd crushing, fans passing out and even structural issues during Scott's performance. Things are clearly dire, as one voice says, "... folks are coming out of the crowd complaining of difficulty breathing."

During another radio transmission, emergency workers can be heard saying, "... a lot of people trampled and passed out at the front of the stage."

While the audio doesn't make it clear exactly what time all of this was happening, one thing is certain ... authorities knew things were bad. In fact, at one point they flat out say, "They have to stop the show because there's people trampled and (inaudible) not breathing."

Of course, the major question now -- apart from how 9 people died -- is where the communication broke down between emergency responders and show organizers.

TMZ broke the story, Houston PD officers were spotted taking cellphone video and photos of Travis and Drake as the rappers hyped up the crowd.

According to the timestamps, the officers were seen calmly watching Travis perform between 9:57 PM and 10:02 PM.

Rev. Jesse Jackson tells us, "I'll be in court next week." He says the line of thinking from Gough is "unacceptable" and a "public trial involves public observation."

Sharpton tells us, "The arrogant insensitivity of attorney Kevin Gough in asking a judge to bar me or any minister of the family’s choice underscores the disregard for the value of the human life lost and the grieving of a family in need spiritual and community support."

He continues, "I respect the defense attorney doing his job but this is beyond defending your client, it is insulting the family of the victim."

The lawyer for defendant William 'Roddie' Bryan in the Ahmaud Arbery trial complained to the judge ... "black pastors" coming to court and sitting with the family is unfair.

Attorney Kevin Gough voiced his displeasure in open court after Rev. Al Sharpton showed up to sit with Arbery's family inside the courtroom.

Gough groused, "I've got nothing personally against Mr. Sharpton ... but if we're starting a precedent where we're gonna bring high-profile members of the African-American community into the courtroom to sit with the family during the trial in the presence of the jury, I believe that's intimidating and it's an attempt to consciously or unconsciously pressure or influence the jury."

And, he goes on ... " ... if their pastor is Al Sharpton right now, that's fine, but then that's it. We don't want any more black pastors coming in here. Jesse Jackson, whoever was in here earlier this week sitting with the victim's family trying to influence the jury in this case."

BTW ... Jesse Jackson was never in the courtroom. He may be referring to attorney Ben Crump, who was in court earlier in the week.

The judge was less than receptive, interrupting Gough and shutting down his argument, after the lawyer makes a Colonel Sanders reference.

Paris Saint-Germain player Aminata Diallo has been released from custody ... as police continue to investigate a Tonya Harding-style attack on teammate Kheira Hamraoui.

The Versailles prosecutor’s office just announced Diallo has NOT been charged with a crime ... nor have any other charges been filed at this time.

Diallo and one other person were detained and questioned Wednesday. The second person has not been identified.

The 26-year-old midfielder is being accused of orchestrating an attack on Hamraoui after a team event in Paris on November 4 ... when two men allegedly dragged her out of a car and beat her with iron bars for 2 minutes, requiring medical attention.

Reports claimed the motive behind the hit was due to playing time.

PSG released a statement Wednesday ... saying, "Paris Saint-Germain can confirm that Aminata Diallo was taken into custody this morning by the Versailles Regional Police Service as part of the proceedings opened following an attack on the Club's players last Thursday evening," the team said.

"Paris Saint-Germain condemns in the strongest possible terms the violence committed."

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial did something that, on its face, seems pure and patriotic -- but, arguably it could also, unjustly, impact the outcome of the trial.

Judge Bruce Schroeder opened proceedings Thursday in Kenosha, WI by saying he wanted to take a moment to recognize Veterans Day. He asked if there were any military vets on the jury, or anywhere in the courtroom.

Only one person responded ... John Black, a member of Rittenhouse's defense team. Judge Schroeder then asked everyone in court to applaud Black for his service, which they did.

Now, it's Veterans Day and no one's saying Black doesn't deserve the respect. The issue here is ... because Black is the defense's use-of-force expert, should the judge solicit applause for him???

The questionable move by Judge Schroeder comes a couple of days after he ripped into the prosecutor for raising the fact Rittenhouse was silent after his arrest to jurors ... which they could read as a sign of guilt.

To be fair ... anyone with a passing knowledge of law knows you have a right to remain silent, so the prosecutor earned that tongue-lashing.

Even though Kyle Rittenhouse didn't seem to shed any actual tears on the stand, D.L. Hughley is convinced the jury will believe his "performance is real" ... and it very possibly could lead to his acquittal.

The comedian/activist's review of Rittenhouse's emotional testimony is pretty blunt -- worst acting since Stacey Dash -- but Thursday on "TMZ Live" he said it will be good enough to sway jurors because a "white dude crying with a haircut is very sympathetic."

Jokes aside, D.L. joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" to discuss what he sees as clear biases, both in and out of the courtroom, surrounding Rittenhouse's case. First off, he says the right wing's financial support of the teenager's defense is evidence it believes "whatever you do for your cause is justified."

He also said our judicial system needs sweeping changes, and he proposed one overhaul to remove jury biases -- namely, not allowing jurors to see the defendant. That sparked an interesting debate about how our system is supposed to work ... versus how it actually does.

As for why these changes are needed -- well, D.L. believes too many people in power lack the principles to do what's right ... regardless of how it will affect them.

Hours after Kyle Rittenhouse broke down on the stand and cried in front of a packed courtroom ... LeBron James trolled the 18-year-old, accusing the Kenosha shooter of putting on a show.

"What tears?????" the L.A. Lakers superstar said in a social media post. "I didn't see one. Man knock it off!"

The NBA player then took the mocking one step further ... adding three laughing emojis and writing, "That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court."

Rittenhouse was on the stand trying to convince a courtroom that he acted in self-defense when he shot at people during an Aug. 2020 protest in Wisconsin.

The teenager -- who's been hit with multiple criminal charges, including two counts of homicide -- said, "I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself."

Yet at one point during his testimony, he got so emotional trying to explain his actions ... he began sobbing and couldn't get words to leave his mouth.

Rittenhouse broke down in front of the microphone -- forcing a short break in the proceedings -- but James clearly believed it was all a ruse to try to draw sympathy.

The rest of Rittenhouse's hearing, meanwhile, also featured some drama ... with the judge in the courtroom admonishing prosecutors over the way they questioned Rittenhouse.

The officials had asked Rittenhouse about an incident that the judge had previously ruled would not be permitted as evidence ... and after Rittenhouse's attorneys objected, judge Bruce Schroeder exploded.

"You know very well that an attorney can't go into these types of areas when the judge has already ruled without asking outside the presence of the jury to do so," the judge said, accusing the prosecutor of "getting brazen" with him.

"So, don't give me that."

Rittenhouse's attorneys asked for a mistrial over it all.

The family of one of the deceased victims from Astroworld Fest is aiming to set up a scholarship in their loved one's name -- but not before taking Travis Scott to court first.

Rudy Peña was one of the 8 people who died Friday during the concert, and his family has plans to get a fund going in his honor to continue his legacy -- and are hoping to do so at the college he was attending ... so says their attorney, Rosendo Almaraz.

He tells us Rudy's family wants to set up a scholarship at Laredo College, where Rudy was a student ... studying to become a Border Patrol agent via a criminal justice major. Nothing's set in stone yet though ... but we're told that's their intention.

As for what will fund the scholarship they hope to create ... it'd be leftover money from the $34k they raised via a GoFundMe for Rudy. We're told some of that money is going toward funeral costs, and the rest will be earmarked for the scholarship fund -- around $20k.

BTW, you read that correctly ... the Peña family is already burying their son, and they're doing it without the help of Travis because they say they haven't heard from him ... and aren't holding their breath.

Of course, he said he'd cover the funeral expenses of those who perished -- but the Peñas insist they're paying for everything themselves ... and aren't expecting or waiting for any help.

We're told no official cause of death is in for Rudy just yet -- whose body was just released to his family -- Almaraz says he appears to have been trampled badly.

One last thing ... the Peña family has filed their own lawsuit already, and they have named Travis as a defendant. They're alleging negligence and gross negligence directly contributed to Rudy's death that night.

Adam Abdul-Jabbar, the son of NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, has just been sentenced to jail ... after pleading guilty in the stabbing of his neighbor.

Adam -- who had been accused of slamming a blade through the head of a man after the two had quarreled over trash cans in 2020 -- entered guilty pleas to four total charges, including two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, at a hearing earlier this week.

Adam had been facing YEARS behind bars over the charges ... but the judge sentenced him to just 180 days in jail -- and also hit him with two years probation.

Prosecutors said afterward they were furious with the sentence, claiming the punishment did not fit the crime -- and adding that there's a chance Adam could ultimately serve his sentence as home confinement.

"This slap on the wrist is an absolute miscarriage of justice,” Orange County D.A. Todd Spitzer said in a statement to TMZ Sports. "The Orange County District Attorney’s Office vehemently objected ... because we believe the complete disregard for human life over a dispute over trashcans is so egregious it warranted prison time."

As we previously reported, Adam and then-60-year-old Raymond Windsor got into an altercation in June 2020 in Southern California after Windsor had urged the 29-year-old to help an elderly woman with bringing in trash cans.

Prosecutors say Adam was so furious with Windsor, he stabbed his neighbor multiple times in the head, neck, back and side.

In a civil lawsuit filed by Windsor against Adam, Windsor claimed he nearly died from his injuries.

"The victim in this case has not only suffered serious physical issues, he is suffering from the trauma of having to relive this violent attack every day he walks out into his front yard," Spitzer said. "This is nothing short of appalling."

Andy Dick's got a new arrest, and probably an ex-boyfriend ... after cops say he smacked the guy upside the head with a liquor bottle, leaving a deep cut.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police responded Monday to Andy's home in the L.A. area, where he and his partner got into an argument that escalated, and allegedly got physical.

When cops arrived they saw enough evidence to arrest Andy for felony domestic battery. He was back on the streets about 3 hours later ... once he posted $50,000 bond.

Our sources say this is the 2nd time in 2 months police went to Andy's place for alleged domestic issues -- he was also busted in October when he allegedly weaponized a frying pan! Cops say he hit his BF in the face with it.

The troubled comedian's legal troubles are well documented. He was sentenced to 14 days in jail for a 2019 sexual battery -- squeezing a random woman's butt on the street.

He's had a couple of run-ins with Uber drivers ... one accused Dick of grabbing his crotch in 2018, and that led to a misdemeanor sexual battery charge.

And, in October 2019, there was this bizarre street fight with an Uber Eats delivery driver. Video showed Andy getting his ass handed to him ... as the driver slammed him to the ground.

And, who can forget Andy notoriously threatening to grope and lick one of TMZ's photogs back in November 2017.

Teyana Taylor is defending Travis Scott for not stopping his Astroworld show as people in the audience were in peril, because she says crowd safety falls on more than just the artist.

We got Teyana Wednesday at LAX, and our photog asked about her stopping shows when she notices folks having a tough time in the crowd, and if Travis should have done the same at Astroworld.

Just this week, Teyana took time out on her own stage to make sure a fan was okay, but she tells us that wasn't in response to what unfolded at Travis' show.

She's also pushing back on the narrative Travis never looks out for his fans ... saying there are just as many videos of him stopping shows when things get out of hand as there are clips of him encouraging fans to go wild.

The way Teyana sees it ... the artist alone can't be responsible for the safety of everyone in the crowd -- especially at shows as big as Travis' -- and it's also up to the venue staff and security to keep things from getting out of hand.

Some folks think Travis saw what was unfolding at Astroworld and just kept doing his thing, but Teyana isn't so sure that's what really happened.

Dalvin Cook is innocent until proven guilty ... and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe says people need to remember that as the Minnesota Vikings running back faces serious allegations of domestic violence made by his ex-girlfriend.

As we previously reported, the 26-year-old is accused of assaulting and threatening to kill his ex, U.S. Army veteran Gracelyn Trimble, in 2020 ... but he claims he's actually the victim.

TMZ Sports spoke with Sharpe about the situation, and he says the masses have to reserve judgment until Cook goes through the legal process ... but they won't.

"Man, this is really tough because my heart goes out to all abused," Sharpe tells us. "But, I mean, now we just don't even get a chance to prove innocence or nothing. We just automatically assume."

"Everybody says, 'I hear that.' We should have our day in court and we should have this. But, that's not what we do. We automatically rush to judgment."

Sharpe adds he hopes the allegations made against Cook aren't true.

"I'm just not trying to convict people in the court of the public opinion without them having their due process," he added.

As for Cook, he told reporters "the truth will come out" and he fully intends to play on Sunday ... but Sharpe would be surprised if that happens.