Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York City fired back up on Monday — and with it, the fireworks.
In discussions before the main bulk of arguments continued, a Trump lawyer (Emil Bove) was apparently up in arms over a possibility of the defense bringing in a purported expert witness to speak to election-related issues. According to one account of the exchange from Newsweek writer Katherine Fung, Bove was pushing the defense-claimed importance of what the expert (a former commissioner at the Federal Election Commission) would be saying as presiding Judge Juan Merchan argued that an expert providing legal opinions from the stand would create its own host of new issues.
“Trump lawyer Emil Bove thanks Merchan for his guidance but argues that the definitions Smith would testify about would be “absolutely critical for the jury to understand the allegations in this case,”” Fung posted.
Somewhat contrary to Bove’s arguments, which were seemingly referencing election-related allegations from prosecutors that the local team used to raise Trump’s business records charges to a felony level, prosecutors apparently don’t have to prove the actual perpetrating of an election-related offense beyond a reasonable doubt — just intentions related to such a thing.
The district attorney’s office ties Trump’s alleged falsification of business records related to hush money for Stormy Daniels from before the 2016 election to an alleged ambition of covertly impacting that election on Trump’s behalf.
“After Merchan cuts in, Bove waves his arms and continues to try to argue, but Merchan calms him down, and says “relax,”” added a post on X (formerly called Twitter) from journalist Tyler McBrien. Trump, as always and as required, was personally there for this.
