On Monday, after weeks of the hush money trial against former and potentially future President Donald Trump, the prosecution rested its case. Not only did the case, brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, signal the start of unprecedented indictments brought against a former president, it was also particularly weak and problematic from the start, especially given Acting New York County Supreme Court Justice Juan Manuel Merchan's conflict of interest with his adult daughter working to benefit Democrats.
Trump was indicted by a grand jury in late March of last year and arraigned last April on 34 charges. Bragg charged Trump with felonies in the case when he could have brought the charges as misdemeanors, was using an untested legal theory, and after the statute of limitations had expired.
We're now on Day 19 of the trial, with Susie Moore at our sister site of RedState offering a comprehensive recap of Monday's memorable moments and players. Particularly of note is how former Trump attorney Michael Cohen who is also a convicted perjurer and one of the prosecution's witnesses, admitted to stealing from Trump.
As Bonchie, also at RedState, covered with original emphasis:
On Monday, disgraced felon Michael Cohen retook the stand as he continued to serve as the prosecution's star witness. The problem? Cohen is a proven liar and total scumbag, and Trump's legal team got him to admit that on the stand in no uncertain terms.
In a moment that set the internet on fire, Cohen admitted to stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the Trump organization.
Bonchie continued by referencing other credibility issues for Cohen, again with original emphasis:
I can't claim to know what the jury will ultimately decide in this case given how absurd and overly-politicized it is. I can say with some certainty that in any normal situation, having the prosecution's star witness admit to being a dishonest thief would be a death blow to the case's credibility. Remember, everything revolves around Cohen, who is now claiming to be a patsy who was just doing the bidding of Trump in cutting the check to Stormy Daniels.
That wasn't the only gut punch to Bragg's prosecution, though. Trump's legal team later highlighted that Cohen had repeatedly told the press and others that Trump did not know about the payment. It wasn't until after the FBI raided Cohen's home and office that he changed his story. Again, the lack of credibility of Bragg's star witness is simply astonishing.
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Larry covered such testimony from "thieving liar" Cohen on Monday as well, wondering if this was "the end" to such a case, joking "what a great character witness" Cohen has proven to be.
Additionally, there's been revelations about how Cohen was actually speaking to a 14-year-old prank phone caller as opposed to Trump and how he taped Trump's conversations behind his back.
"All of this is happening as the prosecution is making their case," Larry reminded, highlighting how such revelations have come out during the defense's cross-examination. "Trump hasn't even started telling his story to the jury," Larry added, calling the case so far "a debacle!"
BREAKING NEWS: Michael Cohen ADMITS HE STOLE from Donald Trump under oath...
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 20, 2024
LIVE NOW 👇 https://t.co/pqSikpQbv0
Law Professor Jonathan Turley has been following along with the case and commenting on social media, which included offering his own amusing thoughts about Cohen's admittances as well as how the disgraced former attorney may even run for Congress.
...Committing major larceny is not a particularly appealing pitch for taking an office with the power over the purse. Then again, Cohen can claim that Congress cannot possibly corrupt him . . . he was corrupt before he went to Congress.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) May 20, 2024
Another legal expert to watch is Alan Dershowitz, who has defended Trump at length, despite being a Democrat who is vocal about how he's voted against him and looks forward to voting against him in the future as well.
Although Monday's show he was going to do to further discuss the trial was experiencing technical difficulties, Dershowitz mentioned that he too was in the courtroom "and the case looks even weaker."
I've been in the Trump courtroom all day and the case looks even weaker. Watch the Dershow live @ 5:30pm est on Youtube and Rumble. See my play by play legal analysis of today's court proceedings. https://t.co/wkLGydetO9
— Alan Dershowitz (@AlanDersh) May 20, 2024
As has been discussed at length, Democrats need a Trump conviction before the November election, especially as President Joe Biden is trailing Trump in the polls overall and in key swing states. This way they can hang the "convicted felon" label around Trump, leading just enough voters to potentially rethink their vote in what's looking to be a close and competitive election. It would also possibly be a way out of Biden having to debate Trump, with the first debate between the two scheduled for June 27 with CNN.
Such a trial has been criticized as election interference and the weaponization and politicization of the justice system at its worst. Then again, this trial has gone so poorly for the prosecution, it's possible that Trump could actually be acquitted. That may be too hopeful, however, given the players and stakes involved.
Judge Juan Merchan is required by New York statute to recuse.
— 🇺🇸 Mike Davis 🇺🇸 (@mrddmia) May 20, 2024
Even a former Clinton federal NYC judge said this.
Merchan refused.
Instead, he retaliated against Trump for merely raising this evidence of Merchan’s clear judicial bias by expanding his unconstitutional gag order. https://t.co/M6yFiMsKPr
Of course, we could see a wrench thrown into the situation if Trump himself testifies, something we'll have to stay tuned for. Closing arguments could take place just over a week from now, on May 28, as The Hill mentioned in their takeaways, one of them focussing on how much trouble Cohen is in.
Regardless as to if he takes the stand or not, Trump has been speaking out quite a bit, and earlier on Monday gave remarks highlighting how the case against him is a "witch hunt" and criticized Biden as well as "the highly political judge."
WITCH HUNT! https://t.co/0hSYAwR9k5 pic.twitter.com/a3ytMP26rd
— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) May 20, 2024
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