Timothy Parlatore, former lawyer for former President Trump, weighed in on the appearance of several political figures at the former president’s secret trial in New York City.
Parlatore signaled that the visit from high-profile Republicans — including lawmakers and some on Trump’s running mate list — and their matching attire could send the wrong message to legal experts.
“I always tell clients that when it comes to a criminal trial, there are only 12 opinions that matter. And yours is not one of them,” he said on Saturday in an interview in the “CNN Newsroom”. “So what impact will this have on the 12 people in the box?”
“I am concerned that by showing these fingers in and out, it will have a negative impact on the jury,” Parlatore continued. “I know there was an incident where some members of Congress came in, not during a break, and they were somewhat disruptive and the judge looked down angrily. That’s the kind of thing jurors notice.”
The lawyer added, “So, you know, it’s not something I would encourage.”
Parlatore, who represented the former president in his confidential documents case before resigning, acknowledged that “juries are funny things” and could also ignore appearances.
His comments came after at least nine Republican lawmakers took to the New York courthouse on Thursday to stand in solidarity with the former president, including Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Matt Gaetz (Florida), Bob Good (Virginia) . and Andy Biggs (Ariz.), among others.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) joined Trump in Manhattan on Tuesday and criticized the case against the former president. In his remarks, he called the ongoing trial “election interference” and said prosecutors just wanted to keep him out of the campaign.
Republican Senators J.D. Vance (Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) also made the trip, with the latter calling the court “depressing.”
The former president faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a secret $130,000 payment his former fixer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair with Trump before 2016 elections. He pleaded not guilty.
The trial will resume on Monday with a new interrogation of Cohen, seen as the main witness in the case, who finished his testimony last week.
Parlatore said Saturday that he thinks the case will ultimately come down to how legal experts perceive Cohen’s credibility.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
