Stormy Daniels accuses Trump trial judge of corruption similar to dictatorships
Legal experts were up in arms against former pornographic actress Stormy Daniels’ testimony as “prejudicial” on Tuesday during former President Trump’s trial in New York City. The trial saw Trump’s legal team motioning for a mistrial due to the salacious nature of Daniels’ testimony detailing her alleged sexual encounter with the real estate mogul in 2006.
“I used to try cases for a living. I still have a pretty good sense of what evidence is relevant, what is prejudicial and what is completely over-the-top inadmissible. What the judge is letting in today in the Trump trial in NYC will be remembered as a dark stain on our judicial system, reminiscent of corrupt dictatorships. Shame on the prosecution for undermining our judicial system,” David Friedman, a lawyer and former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Trump administration, posted on social media.
Former President Trump also took to social media to express his disapproval, stating, “THE PROSECUTION, WHICH HAS NO CASE, HAS GONE TOO FAR. MISTRIAL!”
The mistrial motion was ultimately denied by Judge Juan Merchan, who presided over the action-packed court day filled with intense witness testimonies and legal debates.
Stormy Daniels recounted in detail to the court how she met Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006 and alleged that they had a sexual encounter at Trump’s hotel room. This encounter has been repeatedly denied by Trump in public statements. Daniels also shared her journey from being an exotic dancer to entering the pornography industry during her testimony.
The case revolves around the alleged falsification of business records related to Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, paying Daniels $130,000 to keep silent about the extramarital encounter. Prosecutors accuse the Trump Organization of reimbursing Cohen and illegally recording the payments as legal expenses with the intent to commit a second crime, which is a felony.
Legal experts and commentators criticized the admission of Daniels’ testimony, deeming it irrelevant to the case and highly prejudicial. They argued that the salacious details should not have been included in the trial.
Eric Trump, the former president’s son, attended court with Trump and shared his disbelief on social media, calling Daniels’ testimony “garbage” and questioning its relevance to the legal bills being disputed in the trial.
Judge Merchan noted during the trial that prosecutors were delving too deeply into unnecessary details during Daniels’ questioning. The defense team repeatedly objected to the intimate nature of the questions and Daniels’ credibility, pointing out inconsistencies in her statements over time.
As Trump’s legal team moved for a mistrial, attorney Todd Blanche accused the district attorney’s office of sensationalizing the case to sway the jury. However, Judge Merchan ruled against a mistrial, acknowledging that some of Daniels’ testimony should have been curtailed.
The intense courtroom drama and heated legal exchanges emphasized the polarizing nature of the trial, attracting widespread attention and debate across the nation.
