Former President Trump’s lead defense attorney in his recent criminal trial said Melania Trump’s failure to appear in court does not reveal a “lack of love and support.”
“Their son was finishing school in Florida,” Todd Blanche told David Oscar Markus’s Podcast “For Defense”which aired on Sunday.
Melania Trump did not attend any seven-week trial. Three of Trump’s children — Donald Trump Jr., Tiffany Trump and Eric Trump — watched some days, as did Lara Trump, Eric’s wife.
Blanche said she never discussed — nor did she want to discuss — whether the first lady would attend with her client.
“I don’t believe that a lack of presence should be interpreted as a lack of love and support. It’s just a lack of presence,” she added during the podcast interview.
Last week, Trump was convicted on all 34 counts of covering up a secret payment in New York business records with the intent to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election.
The jury’s verdict marked the first criminal conviction of a former US president, and Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11.
Trump, in an interview on Sunday, said the trial and conviction were difficult for his wife, especially given the salacious nature of the testimony. He accused prosecutors of doing this intentionally.
The meeting with Markus, whom Blanche said she considers a friend, was the last in the Trump lawyer’s post-verdict media tour. Blanche promised again to appeal the conviction.
During the interview, the pair revealed that Markus suggested one of the most memorable lines to appear in Blanche’s closing argument, when the lawyer attacked prosecutors’ star witness, Michael Cohen.
Blanche asked the 12 New Yorkers on the jury if they were familiar with the acronym “GOAT,” which stands for “Greatest of All Time,” from the names of athletes Michael Jordan and Tom Brady.
“Michael Cohen is GLOAT. He is literally the biggest liar of all time,” Blanche continued.
Markus asked Blanche on the podcast: “the jury reacted to the phrase, did you like it?”
“I think they liked it, the ‘Liars’ MVP’ too. I was trying to personalize it more for them,” Blanche replied.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
