CNN legal expert Norm Eisen said there is little chance that former President Trump will be acquitted in his criminal trial after jury deliberation this week, but that the outcome is far from decided.
Prosecutors allege that Trump illegally covered up secret payments made to an adult film star in the weeks before the 2016 election to cover up a past affair. He was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business documents and denied the charges.
“This was a winnable case. Still not a slam dunk, in my opinion, having been there every day for the arraignment,” Eisen said in a statement. CNN Interview with Jim Acosta Monday. “I think the chances of conviction are somewhere above 80 percent.”
“The defense, in part because of this scattershot approach, the defense is not really seeking an acquittal. That’s out of reach here,” he continued. “What they expect is an angry juror.”
Whether there is a juror who feels sympathy for Trump or simply for whatever reason does not follow the evidence and the law. Resistance”, added the expert. “That’s what they’re trying to do. Only one.”
Eisen said the case focused on testimony from Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who told the jury that his former boss advised him about payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election. argued that the payments were made to intentionally mislead voters.
He predicted a “field day” of closing arguments on Tuesday, with Trump’s defense attacking Cohen and Daniels in a “scorched earth attack.”
“I think realistically this was a case that could have been won by the defense if they pursued a different strategy,” Eisen said. “If they had focused on the areas where Michael Cohen wasn’t corroborated as much, and they hadn’t really given a focused presentation.”
Former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti added in the interview that the former president’s defense strategy of opting for a hung jury could still be a big victory for Trump, the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for the White House, if it is successful.
“I would say lack of conviction, I would spin it as a victory if I was on their team,” said Mariotti.
“I will say that someone so well-known and controversial is Donald Trump, getting a unanimous verdict on anything can be a challenge,” he continued. “And that’s perhaps the most uncertain dynamic.”
“I mean, no one can predict what’s going on in the heads of the average person who sits on this jury,” the former prosecutor added.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
