As the hush money trial involving former President Donald Trump pauses for the weekend, recent testimony and developments have led some observers to question the strength of the prosecution’s case. Esteemed law professor Jonathan Turley commented on the situation, suggesting to Fox News that District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s efforts may be faltering.
The week’s proceedings concluded with testimony from several key figures, including former tabloid publisher David Pecker, Trump’s long-serving assistant Rhona Graff, and Gary Farro, a former banker for Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen. The focus of the trial is a $130,000 payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, allegedly to silence her about an affair with Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Farro provided details about the banking arrangements used to facilitate the payment, while jurors heard briefly from Graff, who confirmed maintaining contacts at the Trump Organization for Daniels and another figure involved in similar allegations, Karen McDougal. However, it was the comments from Turley that captured significant attention.
During a recent interview, he pointed out weaknesses in the prosecution’s strategy. “I have to say this is collapsing on its own weight,” Turley stated emphatically. “I mean, you just have to stand back and let it fall.”
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Turley criticized the prosecution for not addressing what he deemed essential questions. “Just asking simple questions that the jury would want to know has left serious damage for the prosecution,” he noted. “These are the questions that you would have expected the prosecution to ask as just the completion of their line of questioning,” Turley added, suggesting that these omissions could significantly impact the trial’s outcome.
Meanwhile yesterday, conservative justices steered the debate on Trump’s immunity in an unexpected direction during Thursday’s Supreme Court hearing. The discussion primarily focused on topics of coups, assassinations, and internments, with minimal attention given to the former president’s actions. The court is expected to deliver its verdict between now and early July. It is probable that the ruling will indicate that some of Trump’s actions fell within the scope of his official responsibilities, thereby granting him some degree of immunity.
“I wanna start by wishing my wife Melania a very happy birthday. It would be be nice to be with her, but I’m at a courthouse for a rigged trial,” said Trump on Friday as he shook his head. “But we’re doing very well in this rigged trial, and everybody knows it.”
The Republican made his characteristic stop before reporters outside of the courtroom and addressed the scrum for roughly two minutes, starting first with his well wishes to the former first lady.
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“Yesterday was a big day, but I do have to begin by wishing Melania happy birthday. She’s in Florida. I’ll be going there this evening after this case finishes up,” he added.
The hush money trial is set to resume Tuesday morning, with more witnesses expected to take the stand. As both the defense and prosecution prepare for another week of critical testimonies, as all eyes will be on the courtroom.