The videos of former President Donald Trump could potentially be used against him in the Manhattan hush money case, according to legal analyst Elie Honig.
The jury selection process for the criminal case against Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, commenced on Monday. On Tuesday’s proceedings, seven jurors were sworn in. Expected selections consist of eleven more, which will include six alternates. Due to the fact that every Wednesday is barred on the trial schedule, court is in recess on Wednesday.
In March 2023, Trump was indicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records pertaining to reimbursement payments made to ex-attorney Michael Cohen for $130,000 in hush money payments Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign.
This indictment followed an investigation by the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Daniels made the allegation that she and Trump were involved in an extramarital relationship in 2006; Trump has refuted this claim.Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to all allegations and asserted that the case is politically motivated, has maintained his innocence. Tuesday, outside the courtroom, Trump stated that the proceeding “never should have been initiated.”
He proceeded to elaborate on certain aspects of the case, stating, “I recorded the payment I made to the attorney as a legal expense.” Unbeknownst to me, an accountant categorized it as a legal expense. “That is precisely the case.”
Cohen initially claimed that he personally funded the $130,000 hush money he paid Daniels, but subsequently claimed that Trump instructed him to do so. Cohen ultimately received a three-year prison sentence, among other counts, for campaign finance violations associated with the conspiracy.
Honig, a senior legal analyst for CNN, was exposed to the footage of Trump appearing outside court on Tuesday morning by CNN News Central’s John Berman on Wednesday morning.
“Donald Trump there is actually getting to the crux of what this whole case might be about, which is whether he falsified or knew about the falsification or directed the falsification of records here,” according to Berman. “And he used language there that a lot of people look at and say, ‘Wait a second here, was he dancing very close to saying that he was involved?'”
Honig responded by saying: “So, first of all, any statement that Donald Trump makes in public or on social media during the trial is absolutely potentially usable against him.”Prosecutors may request that the judge permit the showing of this video. Currently, the syntax of Donald Trump in that video is a bit jumbled. Prosecutors will likely be cognizant of the fact that, under a particular interpretation, it appears that Donald Trump is claiming credit for the notion that these hush money payments ought to be classified as attorney fees. “That is the crux of the falsification in this case.”
