Well, things were going seemingly quite poorly for Trump lawyer Todd Blanche this Thursday as questioning of former Trump ally Michael Cohen continued amid the ongoing New York City trial of the ex-president on charges of falsifying business records.
Legal expert Norm Eisen was among those providing updates. “OMG, Blanche asks if can approach and discuss all the objections sustained,” Eisen relayed after a series of objections from prosecutors received the judge’s backing. “Judge: (quietly, shaking head) no[.] Smackdown. Blanche is not up for this.”
Earlier portions of Cohen’s time under questioning specifically from Trump’s defense team also went poorly for Donald’s lawyers, with — again — Blanche being upbraided by the judge after some of his initial questions focused on alleged animosity from Cohen towards… Blanche, rather than the defendant (Trump). The judge put Blanche on the spot at the time, insisting that the questions needed to focus someplace other than alleged bias against the lawyers.
“I did not think it could get worse that Tuesday’s start to cross for Blanche,” Eisen added. “Maybe its not worse, but it ain’t much better[.] He needed to come out swinging, impose his will on Cohen, rattle him & make impression on jury[.] Not happening.”
Trump, as always, was personally present for the proceedings. He is compelled to attend the trial because of its specifically criminal nature.
Before further proceedings on Thursday, Trump seemed to violate his gag order imposed earlier by the trial judge with a rant to members of the media clearly targeting a particular line prosecutor on the case, meaning someone serving underneath District Attorney Alvin Bragg. And there were already other areas of concern, with various allies to Trump showing up to support him at trial in recent days and complaining about targets covered by the gag order, like a daughter to the judge, who isn’t herself involved in the case. Directing others to make covered statements could constitute further violations of the order by Trump.