“Why don’t we see if you’re able to address it” Judge Warns Trump’s Lawyer Over Mishandled Cross-Examination in Hush Money Trial
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal hush money case issued a stern warning to the former president’s lead attorney on Thursday, indicating that if he could not effectively manage his cross-examination, prosecutors would take over.
Todd Blanche, representing Trump, faced a challenging second day as he cross-examined Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and the star witness in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case. The cross-examination began with questions about the unsealing of the indictment on March 30, 2023, which accuses Trump of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to these charges, told Raw Story.
“[Blanche] clearly left the impression to the jury that there was something improper,” argued prosecutor Josh Steinglass.
Merchan agreed.
“I certainly think the jury should be advised,” said Merchan, then addressed Blanche. “The question is how.”
“Why don’t we see if you’re able to address it,” Merchan told Blanche. “If you’re unable to do it properly, the prosecution can do it on readdress.” When prosecutors again raised concerns about the misleading nature of Blanche’s questions, Merchan added to Blanche, “Try to clean it up yourself.”
Blanche’s questioning quickly drew objections from prosecutors, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to call the lawyers to the bench. Merchan upheld the prosecutors’ objection but revisited the issue less than two hours later during a jury break.
Prosecutors continued to express concerns about Blanche’s line of questioning, particularly regarding Cohen’s conversations with Detective Jeremy Rosenberg, an interview with MSNBC host Joy Reid, and a New York Times report on the unsealed indictment in the hush money case.
Blanche indicated his willingness to clarify any misunderstandings, but Judge Merchan seemed skeptical of Blanche’s ability to rectify the situation without further intervention. This interaction underscored the high-stakes and contentious nature of the proceedings as both sides navigated the complexities of the case.
