One of the more significant stories of the week was Stormy Daniels taking the witness stand in the Trump hush-money trial.
We know why Bragg’s prosecutors thought it would be a good idea to have her testify, but that strategy appears to have backfired.
Talking Points…
- Stormy Daniels takes the stand
- Legal experts weigh in
- Analysis
As most of you have probably already read, Stormy Daniels’ testimony was a bit over the top. Prosecutors had her go into detail regarding her “relationship” with Trump, trying to make Trump out to be a predator.
Now, we know why prosecutors did this… they wanted to expand on the "Trump is a villain narrative," but they went a bit too far. Furthermore, I doubt anyone believes that Stormy was intimidated by Trump in that situation or tricked into doing something she did not want to do, as she tried to portray the event.
Legal experts were stunned that Bragg decided to take this down that route, and even more, were shocked that Judge Merchan allowed this line of questioning during the trial. This now appears to have been a critical mistake all parties and sets up Trump beautifully for a win on appeal.
MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos was among those stunned that Daniels was even called to the stand. He stated:
"You always ask the question, can you get this information from a less risky witness?
"Stormy Daniels is one of those witnesses that tends to not just answer the question asked, but add her own editorial. And that is a really dangerous thing, I promise you. The prosecution is sitting at their desk saying, ‘Just answer the question, please. Just answer the question.’"
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig called her testimony “disastrous,” largely in part because Daniels has made no secret about the fact she despises Trump at this point, which is what Honig focused on. He stated:
"When the witness hates the person whose liberty is at stake, that’s a big d--- deal!
"And she’s putting out tweets, fantasizing about him being in jail. That really undermines the credibility."
Finally, there is Jonathan Turley, who I regard as one of the most honest legal minds in media today. Turley noted that Daniels herself is immaterial to the alleged crime and had no reason to be in the courtroom other than for her racy testimony to turn the jury against Trump. Turley stated:
“He’s suggesting now he’s going to ask the jury to pretend that they didn’t hear it so they could just unhear it, rather than hoping that it was unsaid.
“Of course, that’s not going to work. But what was baffling is that the judge created this dumpster fire that went off in his courtroom. It was the defense that said, there is no reason for this witness. She’s not material to the case. The details of their alleged tryst doesn’t have any bearing on the crime.”
From my perspective, every witness that Bragg has called has helped Trump more than the prosecution. We have always stated how weak this case was, but the questioning of witnesses thus far shows just how far-fetched and weak Bragg’s case really is. Having said that, it still would not surprise me if a jury finds Trump guilty simply because the case is being tried in New York. However, I still firmly believe that this case is ripe to be overturned on appeal, and Trump will walk away from it unscathed.
