Judge orders Trump to attend lecture on how not to violate evidence disclosure rules
Donald Trump was ordered by a Manhattan Supreme Court Judge to submit to a meeting giving him instructions on how to comply with an order restricting him from using evidence in his criminal case to attack witnesses, reported the Associated Press on Thursday.
"Judge Juan Manuel Merchan scheduled the hybrid hearing — the former president on a TV screen, his lawyers and prosecutors in court — to go over the restrictions with Trump and to make clear that he risks being held in contempt if he violates them," reported Michael R. Sisak. "The case is continuing in state court even as Trump’s lawyers seek to have it moved to federal court. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is considering the transfer request, issued an order this week setting paperwork deadlines and a hearing for late June."
"Merchan, still in charge while that drama plays out, agreed to instruct Trump on the rules by video, rather than in person, after a prosecutor reminded him last week that bringing Trump to court would present mammoth security and logistical challenges," said the report.
Trump faces 34 charges of falsifying business records relating to an alleged hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The former president has denied doing anything illegal and has repeatedly attacked District Attorney Alvin Bragg, even posting an image of himself facing down Bragg while holding a baseball bat. He has also attacked Judge Merchan himself, accusing him baselessly of being biased.
"Merchan issued what’s known as a protective order on Monday, days after a hearing where he urged Trump’s lawyers and prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office to reach a compromise regarding the Republican’s access to and use of evidence turned over by prosecutors prior to trial," said the report. "That kind of evidence sharing, called discovery, is routine in criminal cases, and is intended to help ensure a fair trial. Prosecutors sought the order soon after Trump’s arrest, citing what they say is his history of making 'harassing, embarrassing, and threatening statements' about people he’s tangled with in legal disputes."
This is one of several legal problems Trump is facing. He faces multiple other criminal investigations. He was also just found liable for $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation against writer E. Jean Carroll, and may even be sued again for continuing to lie about her.
Read More Here: https://apnews.com/article/trump-criminal-hush-money-video-hearing-03930ae00505487803f8338fe8840ba7'That's a serious crime': ex-prosecutor says people 'hardly ever forget' showing confidential docs
A legal expert believes Donald Trump may have walked into additional jeopardy at Wednesday night’s town hall, at which the former president described his handling classified documents at Mar-a-Lago as lawful.
Trump said in response to a question from host Kaitlan Collins over whether he showed the documents to anyone, “Not that I can think of, let me just tell you, I had the absolute right to do whatever I want with them. I have the right.” Former Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Rebecca Roiphe during an appearance on MSNBC’s Alex Wagner tonight called the statement "significant."
“Well, that's pretty significant,” Roiphe said.
“It's not an admission, but it's also not a denial, and I think that's really important, because that's a serious crime and it is something that you would remember. I mean, people hardly ever forget whether or not they showed, you know, a highly classified document to a bunch of other people.
“It would provide important evidence to Jack Smith if you were trying to bring that case," she added.
“This is why defense attorneys do not want their clients to go out and talk, because the thing is, you don’t fully know what the prosecution knows yet. You don’t know what’s in the government’s hands, so you’re playing a game where you don’t have all the information and you’re locking yourself in, and you don’t want to do that and this is one of those situations."
“Obviously, he's been reading the same reports that you have. He’s concerned that they may have some information that he doesn’t have so he can’t directly say, you know, ‘it didn’t happen’ if it happened. That is difficult and that’s bad…that’s why you don’t want your client out there in this his town hall giving all these statements.”
Watch:Trump faces backlash from GOP senators over his CNN town hall comments
Donald Trump's event with CNN on Wednesday brought out a lot of critics from the left. Still, according to CNN's Capitol Hill correspondent Manu Raju, some Republican lawmakers are taking issue with some of the comments too.
Asked about the former president's appearance, specifically about Trump's reluctance to say if he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin was a war criminal, Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said, "I think President Trump's judgment is wrong in this case. President Putin and his government have engaged in war crimes. I don't believe that's disputed."
He explained that he's concerned about Trump's position on Russia and Ukraine in particular, and it's one of the reasons Young says he won't support Trump.
When asked about other reasons he doesn't support Trump for the GOP nomination, Young said simply, "Where do I begin..."
Raju said that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) believes Putin is a war criminal and tried to explain away Trump's comments by saying that the former president is trying to stay neutral in the fight between Ukraine and Russia as "a way to ensure peace there."
Trump was about $120 billion off in his numbers about Ukraine aid, CNN's fact-checking found. Ironically, the Trump wing of the GOP has been fighting against helping Ukraine, with some reportedly even taking Russia's side. On Wednesday, Trump called Putin's invasion "a tremendous mistake." He wouldn't answer whether Putin was a war criminal, saying such a brand would make brokering peace harder. But the International Criminal Court wants to hold a trial to answer that question.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) was bothered by Trump's claims about Jan. 6, which Trump still maintains is being blown out of proportion. The former president repeated the claim that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was responsible for security at the Capitol on Jan. 6, which is false, CNN's fact-check explained.
Trump's claim that the day was filled with love and only a few people got out of hand was also called out as false by the CNN fact-check team.
"This statement is false. Hundreds of rioters have been charged with violence toward police on January 6. Trump downplaying the violence and equivocating the insurrection with social justice protests fails to recognize the severity of the attack on the Capitol," the report said.
"Anybody who crossed into the Capitol under the circumstances I witnessed firsthand, it's hard for me to have a positive predisposition towards them," said Tillis.
Off camera, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) told Nicky Robertson, "It looks like a lot that the Democratic campaign ads were being written last night."
Watch:
