Trump blasted after reports say he's unlikely to testify in hush money trial owing to perjury risk
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Donald Trump is unlikely to testify in his New York hush money trial despite previously claiming that he will "absolutely" take the stand, as four sources close to the former president told The Washington Post.
As the trial proceeds, the defense is likely to call a few witnesses after which the jury will start deliberating later in the week, according to Business Insider.
The 77-year-old Republican has been accused of forging business documents to hide a hush money payment worth $130,000 made to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to hide an alleged affair.
Donald Trump might open himself to a perjury indictment if he takes the stand in his hush money trial
Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor, said, "Taking the stand to testify in your own defense is a high-stakes gambit that generally does not end well for the defendant.
He added, "While it provides an opportunity for the defendant to look the jury in the eye and tell their side of the story, it also essentially allows prosecutors to retry their entire case on cross-examination."
John Coffee, a professor at Columbia Law School, expressed that Trump taking the stand means "he would open himself to a perjury indictment, even if he won in this case."
Coffee also mentioned that "an early question on cross [examination] if Trump testified would be whether he ever had sex with Stormy Daniels."
Besides, as per the criminal defense firm Elmen Legal, "In almost every case, the risk of what could come out on cross-examination outweighs any benefit that could be gained from hearing directly from the defendant."
Donald Trump earlier claimed he will ‘tell the truth’ during the trial
During a Mar-a-Lago conference in April, Trump had vouched, "I'm testifying. I tell the truth. All I can do is tell the truth and the truth is they have no case."
On Friday, May 17, a centrist think tank, Third Way, released an ad titled "Coward," mocking the ex-president for failing to keep his promise.
In the video, a narrator is heard saying, "Donald Trump would never plead the Fifth Amendment," referring to a constitutional right that says, "No person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury.
It then shows the ex-POTUS saying, "The mob takes the Fifth. If you are innocent, why are you taking the Fifth Amendment?"
"Now he's on trial for hiding hush money payments to a porn star, but he won't take the stand. Donald, why won't you testify? After all, you believe only guilty cowards take the fifth," added the narrator.
Internet reacts as Donald Trump is unlikely to take the stand in his hush money trial
A netizen shared, "Not testifying shows Trump is guilty and those worried he will testify shows his guilt. Bottom line, it's a double-edged sword, trump is guilty and he, a U.S. citizen, is expected like any citizen to be charged to the fullest extent by the U.S. legal system accordingly and serve prison time."
Another commented, "If you are telling the truth you have no fear of perjury. Fearing perjury is an admission that you can or will not be truthful."
"He took the Fifth Amendment over four hundred times in his deposition in the Trump Org. case. He couldn’t do that if he took the stand in this case. He would have to answer and the physical evidence is incontrovertible," claimed one more.
Someone else expressed, "Trump had no intention of testifying. He had no intention of proudly going to jail and he had no intention of marching to the Capital on January 6th. He is all talk and no spine."
"Perjury or the pleading the fifth are his only choices! He's got plenty of practice with pleading the fifth. After previously using it over 400 times he's a pro," added an individual.
This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.
