Jonathan Turley Says Bragg’s Case Against Trump Is ‘Collapsing’ After Witness Testimony
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley on Friday said the prosecution’s case against former President Donald Trump is failing as a key witness is benefiting the defense.
Trump is on trial facing 34 felony counts of allegedly falsifying business records in relation to a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. The prosecution’s first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, was helpful to Trump as the prosecution made mistakes that the defense capitalized on during cross-examination, Turley asserted on Fox News’ “Outnumbered.”
WATCH:
“It’s a breakdown in the courtroom. They have a witness that is disassembling in front of them,” Turley said. “The prosecution never revealed to the jury in the direct that Pecker had actually killed stories for other celebrities, that he had been working on stories two decades before the election with Trump that he was suppressing. And now it’s only getting worse. Yesterday was really bad In terms of the cross-examination for the prosecution. Today is much worse. I mean, here Pecker is saying that Trump didn’t want to purchase the story. Yesterday when he asked him about reimbursing Cohen, he said he didn’t know anything about that.”
Pecker has testified about former Trump attorney Michael Cohen and the former president allegedly purchasing former playboy model Karen McDougal’s story of an alleged affair from the outlet, one of three instances the prosecution argues reveal an unlawful “conspiracy” to influence the 2016 election.
“I think the defense is doing a very good job, but I have to say that this is collapsing on its own weight,” he added. “You just have to stand back and let it fall. Just asking simple questions that the jury would want to know has left serious damage for the prosecution. These are not strange tangential questions, these are questions you would’ve expected the prosecution to ask as just the completion of their line of questioning. Like was Donald Trump the only one you did this for, when did you start to do this?”
Despite Pecker’s testimony not damaging Trump, former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy on Friday suggested Judge Juan Merchan’s friendliness toward Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg could lead to jury bias against the former president.
“It’s one thing to be watching the trial through the media, if you are watching it on our channel, you hear me. You hear Kerry Kupec, you hear Jonathan Turley talk about the weaknesses of the case,” McCarthy said. “The jury is not getting that filter. The jury is getting the district attorney’s version of events and taking its cues from a judge who has been very friendly to the district attorney. So if you’re watching this with legal commentary, you know they’re not really proving a conspiracy in there and don’t really have federal campaign finance in there. But I don’t know that the jury knows that.”
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org
What’s so frustrating about all this, is that we all know that none of these cases would be happening if Trump was not running. The entire country is well aware of this fact, so why are we as supposedly intelligent people allowing the democrats to make us and I mean all of us (Left and Right) ( Democrats and Republicans) look like idiots and continue to pull this charade!! What makes it even worse is that the Main Stream media is portraying these trials as if Trump should be strung up. Really, I mean take a step back and look at the events and everything leading up to these events, when initiated and most important the merit of each case. They changed laws to alllow charges in NY to be made, they went after Trump for disagreeing with Election results as if they on the left all of them didn’t do the same thing in 2016!! In Florida they raided the former presidents home for so called documents that he as a president had the authority to have regardless of what they tell you, but Biden on the other hand had similar documents going back to 2016 and had no legal right to have them, he gets a pass because he’s in capable to stand trial? If that’s the case why is he capable of still being president now? Do you see what’s going on in the world!! Why doesn’t Trump deserve at the minimum same consideration as after all as a President it’s not unusual for a former president to remove documents or declassify documents which to repeat myself a Vice President cannot do!! If Biden wants to become a President who is incapable of standing trial then let Americans vote for him but don’t deny Americans the opportunity to choose their alternative, but they fear I mean really fear the reality that Biden will not just lose to Donald Trump, he will be todays McGovern to Trump as he will lose by the largest margin in 50 years. It’s all out there people, just educate yourself without relying on the mainstream media. Trust me I’m no MAGA although I love my country. I’m just a guy who had to retire to take care of my sick wife who watched his 401 lose 30% under Biden and is struggling making ends meet between grocery, utility, and tax bills these last 3 plus years. I thought we’d manage but if this continues and under Bidrn it will I don’t see that happening. As I said it’s all out there if you just look, don’t vote party, vote for whom the people of country needs, not the people of other country’s need!!