MSNBC panelists cried foul when a former prosecutor said there is a possibility that a verdict in former President Trump’s trial could come next week.
Final arguments in the former president’s case began on Tuesday, meaning the end of the weeks-long case is in sight. The jury will then decide whether to make Trump the first convicted president in US history, but it is unknown how long it will take to deliberate.
MSNBC’s Katy Tur, Andrea Mitchell and Chris Jansing were discussing when the trial would come to an end. They asked former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Daniel Horwitz how long he thought this would last.
Depending on when closing arguments conclude — which could take a while, as prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said he has prepared comments that could last well into the evening — Horwitz said he believes the jury will hear the case on Wednesday.
“I think this jury will be extremely careful and deliberative. I could see this happening by early next week,” he said in comments highlighted by Mediaite.
Tur laughed and Jansing exclaimed, “What!” Mitchell said, “You’re killing us, Daniel.”
“On the other hand, if they… get this case tomorrow, before the lunch break, I think we will have a verdict before Friday,” Horwitz continued.
“I think they will want to end this case. They don’t want this to last another week. They will want to finish by the weekend,” he said.
Horwitz noted that this is an unusual case since Trump is the former president and presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee. He said he thinks the jury will be “especially deliberative” and it wouldn’t be unusual if they took a few days to reach a verdict.
Still, he argued that there is likely a “Friday effect” weighing on jurors.
“If they get the case when I think they will, which is before lunch tomorrow, I think we will have a verdict before Friday,” he said.
“They will want it to end. That’s the Friday effect,” Horwitz said. “We finished the case. We don’t want to come next week. We sat for a long time. It’s Friday. Let’s get this over with.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
