By: Donald V. Watkins
Copyrighted and Published on May 30, 2024
An Editorial Opinion
I have been telling my readers for over a year that Donald Trump’s legal teams lack the experience needed to win his four criminal cases. Today, they lost Trump’s Manhattan "hush money" criminal cases by a shutout verdict count of 34-0.
This blowout may be a record defeat in a New York state court criminal case.
Trump’s New York “hush money” case was the weakest one of the four criminal cases pending against him. Todd Blanche and his legal team tried to win this case by using the traditional "buckshot" approach wherein the defense team challenges every witness and every piece of government evidence. This was the wrong approach for this case.
They also took marching orders from Donald Trump, who has never tried a criminal case in his life. This was the second huge mistake in the case.
To win the case on all 34 counts, Trump’s team had to use the "sniper" approach wherein the defense attorney waits patiently for the right opportunity to fire his/her "kill-shot" (figuratively speaking within the context of litigation jargon only) at the main government witness – Michael Cohen. Even then, the cross-examination questions required for the "kill-shot" are totally different from the ones asked by Todd Blanche’s inexperienced defense team.
These two major mistakes combined to doom Trump to 34 “guilty” verdicts in an otherwise very winnable case.
The fight in Trump’s case now shifts to the sentencing phase. This is where most defense lawyers fall completely down. I expect Trump’s defense team to fail miserably at the sentencing phase, as well. They are dejected, demoralized, emotionally drained, and defeated.
Todd Blanche will now go down in the annals of American jurisprudence as the lawyer who lost former President Donald Trump's historic criminal case by a 34-0 blowout.
Donald
Can you explain why his lawyers didn't fight for the SOL on the underlying misdemeanors?
My observation in light of Donald Trump's legal team, he had no choice but accept what could afford.. Trump by now faces a financial hardship, virtually all funds donated to his campaign for President is immediately applied toward legal expenses which amount to 88 charges.
As an attorney, you know legal representation don't come cheap. Just a few months ago, Trump had to settle two civil suits with E. Jean Carroll totaling $83 million dollars, and even if he's a declared billionaire it would be rather difficult for him to payout such huge sum of cash, and have enough on hand to pay lawyers representing him in criminally charged cases.
AlthoughTrump's didn't deliver in the "hush money case"ias expected,. I…
The man can't carry a firearm but may have access to the nuclear codes if he wins.