In an interview with Newsmax on Monday, former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano praised former President Donald Trump's strategic public remarks during his trial, stating they influenced the jury despite courtroom restrictions.
In an interview with "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE," Napolitano lauded Trump's tactical approach, saying, "What the president has been doing as he leaves the courtroom and as he enters the courtroom is brilliant.
"The president's argument is this '[the case] is unfair; if my name were Donald Jones instead of Donald Trump, I wouldn't be prosecuted. This isn't even considered a crime in most of the rest of the United States, and the state of New York has never prosecuted anybody the way they're prosecuting me for this.'"
Napolitano said Trump's method involves making arguments outside the courtroom, which his lawyer won't be able to present inside, thus influencing the jury.
"Those are all arguments that he will make which the judge will not allow the jury to hear, but by saying them when and where he does, and by not being cross-examined on them because he's saying them in a press conference rather than on the witness stand, he's getting those arguments into the jury's head," he added.
The trial focuses on 34 felony counts related to the falsification of business records regarding payments to "catch and kill" stories that could have possibly interfered with his 2016 campaign. ABC News reported that each count correlates with a check, invoice, or voucher allegedly masking payments to Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, as legal fees.
Prosecutors argue these payments were reimbursements for Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels, and prosecutors also say the deal was part of a wider conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws and conceal information from voters.
Trump denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty.
"An accountant I didn't know marked it down as a legal expense. That's exactly what it was. And you get indicted over that?" Trump said in the courthouse hallway during the jury selection process, Politico reported.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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