'Self-inflicted wound': Donald Trump's disrespect for judge could turn hush money trial jury against him, ex-prosecutor warns

Donald Trump is a 'great politician' but a 'dumb lawyer,' former federal prosecutor Jim Walden claimed
UPDATED MAY 28, 2024
The prosecution aims to demonstrate Donald Trump's involvement in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels under illegal campaign contributions (Getty Images)
The prosecution aims to demonstrate Donald Trump's involvement in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels under illegal campaign contributions (Getty Images)

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Former President Donald Trump's confrontational approach toward the judge presiding over his criminal hush money case could prove detrimental in the eyes of the jury, cautioned a former federal prosecutor.

Jim Walden, now practicing law privately, highlighted Trump's failure to grasp the pivotal role judges play in shaping jury perception.

"The thing that I think Trump just doesn't get is, even if you don't like the judge, the jury is going to like the judge," Walden emphasized to The Washington Post. "When you're super disrespectful to someone the jury sees as a professional person doing their job, that's a self-inflicted wound," reported Newsweek.

"Whatever else Donald Trump may be—a great businessman, a great reality TV show host, a great politician—he's a dumb lawyer," Walden remarked. He attributed this assessment to Trump's overly involved stance in his legal defense.

(Juan Merchan/LinkedIn)
Judge Juan Merchan is presiding over the trial (Juan Merchan/LinkedIn)

Donald Trump's historic criminal trial

The prosecution aims to demonstrate Trump's involvement in payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, allegedly to silence her about an affair preceding the 2016 presidential election. Trump, now the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee for president, denies these allegations.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, contending that the payments were illegal campaign contributions. Trump maintains his innocence, asserting the case's politically motivated nature.

Stormy Daniels made several strange remarks during Donald Trump's hush money trial testimony (Getty Images)
Stormy Daniels has been a key figure in Donald Trump's legal problems (Getty Images)

Defense's ill-advised choice to call Robert Costello to testify

The legal missteps in Trump's defense were exemplified by the decision to call attorney Robert Costello as a witness, according to Walden. Costello, who previously advised Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, was summoned by the defense to challenge Cohen's testimony.

However, this move backfired when Judge Juan Merchan rebuked Costello for "contemptuous" behavior in court including interjecting with comments, rolling his eyes and staring at Merchan from the witness stand, derailing the defense's momentum.

(Getty Images)
Michael Cohen's testimony might prove a serious headache for Team Trump (Getty Images)

"Costello was a disaster," Walden claimed. "The defense finally got some momentum, and it all got dialed back because Costello was playing to Trump instead of playing it straight. He had a good story to tell, and instead, they put the throttle right back in the prosecutor's hands."

Cohen was subsequently incarcerated for offenses related to illegal campaign contributions, tax fraud, and additional charges.

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