Recently, MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos unpacked how Judge Juan Merchan objected on behalf of former President Donald Trump during the New York v. Trump hush money trial. According to the analyst, it is not common for a judge to raise an objection on behalf of a client in such a manner.
Merchan objected as Stormy Daniels was delivering her witness testimony, suggesting that the adult film star was providing information irrelevant to the case. Daniels claimed that Trump told her she would be forced to reside in a trailer park before their alleged 2006 extramarital affair.
In a recent segment discussing the ongoing trial, the panel discussed how the defense seemed reserved in raising objections during the testimony of Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen. According to Judge Diane Kiesel, a retired New York State Criminal Term Judge, Trump’s team does not want to appear fearful to the jury.
She said, “I think the defense does not want to look like it’s jumping up like a jumping jack and is fearful of the testimony of Michael Cohen. I think they know they’ve got a lot of ammunition waiting that they’re going to use on cross examination.”
Cevallos weighed in, “The prosecution’s been asking a lot of leading questions. These are, I mean, loosely defined, although it’s not precise to call it that, but it’s basically a question with a yes or no answer. It’s objectionable, but you make a decision, am I going to make all these ticky-tack objections? They may get sustained and I feel victorious for a moment, but does the jury see this as being afraid, I’m hiding something, I don’t want the question to be asked? It seems to me the defense has taken a very, very deliberate tack to not object frequently. They barely object at all.”
The legal analyst pivoted to discussing Merchan’s rare decision to object on behalf of Trump. Cevallos further explained how the former president’s legal team could be tactically reserving its objections, thinking ahead to a potential appellate process.
Cevallos continued, “And maybe, arguably, because you had a sua sponte, the judge objected on his own, which really rarely happens. It is very rare. How often does a judge interject to object for the defense? It really doesn’t happen very often. So, for Justice Merchan to even say it, to me, signals that if there is a conviction, that has to be the lead appealable issue for the defense. And, by the way, if they didn’t object, they may have waived it. It’s a risk. You can either object too much and be perceived as somebody who’s a pain or you can object not at all and maybe, poof, waive some of your appellate issues.” Watch the discussion below:
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Donald Trump has been highly critical of the hush money trial and Judge Merchan, who previously issued a gag order against the former president. Trump has emphasized his opinion that the case is a witch hunt designed to keep him off the campaign trail and that Merchan is conflicted.
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.