Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley expressed more disgust at the hush money trial of former President Donald Trump while revealing to Fox News host Sean Hannity that Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the case, will eventually have to tell the jury.
“You can’t make a sow’s ear into a silk purse, and that is what this trial is. It’s getting more and more embarrassing. Today, they suggested that there is a second crime, another dead misdemeanor, that there’s zapping back into life, saying that Trump illegally conspired to promote his own election. And you get your mind around that,” Turley began.
“Even if everything that they stated is proven to be true, factually, all the payment of the non-disclosure agreement, the recording of it in this way, that’s not really being that contested because all of that can be true, and there would still be no crime,” he continued.
“And that’s what has left many of us mystified that the judge is letting this get by because we still don’t see that legal linchpin. The judge seems to be shrugging and saying it’s close enough for jazz and let it go to the jury when most of us don’t see a crime here,” he continued.
Hannity responded: “What I see them trying to do and correct me if you think I’m wrong. I see that they’re trying to muddy the waters. They’re using a lot of loaded terms about Donald Trump. They sound like they are trying to make this into the crime of a century, there’s no applicable law, and now the defense has to explain all of that to mostly non-lawyers that are on the jury. There are two lawyers on the jury, so my question is, what would you say to Donald Trump’s attorneys? How would you argue the smoke and mirrors that they keep throwing up, and where are the objections? I like to see more objections.”
“They’re going to have to keep on hammering away to this jury that it’s not a question of proving facts that are lawful, it’s like saying, we’re going to show you he drove 55 miles an hour down the highway. Well, you’re allowed to do that. So they’re setting up all of these factual claims that can be proven because they are largely not denied,” Turley reasoned.
“The really reversible error in this case might come down to the instructions and how the judge tries to put this together for the jury. Because at some point, he has to inform the jury that there’s nothing unlawful about an [non-disclosure agreement], there’s nothing — it’s not a federal campaign contribution in the view of the federal government. But to make those legal issues clear, is to disassemble this case. So, a lot is going to be unfolding here,” he added
“But I think the Trump team has done a good job so far in bringing that out. And we’re going to be looking at some major fireworks in the next few days. When you put [Michael] Cohen on the stand, you’re going to have a truly circus-like environment. You’ve got someone who a judge just recently denounced as a serial perjurer, and he’s going to get on the stand, and he’s going to be the star witness,” Turley concluded.
WATCH:
Georgetown law's Jonathan Turley makes a mockery of DA Bragg and his communist show trial against Trump. pic.twitter.com/YAfvMsP2Ak
— USA Features Media (@UsaFeatures) April 24, 2024
