'Shame on him!' Fox News contributor Leo Terrell blasts Trump attorney for waiving Supreme Court rebuttal
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: On Thursday, Fox News contributors Leo Terrell and Jonathan Turley chastised D John Sauer, the lawyer who represented Trump in his presidential immunity case at the Supreme Court, for declining the opportunity to rebut Special Counsel Jack Smith's team's arguments and have the final say during oral argument on 'America Reports'.
According to Mediaite, “The one critique I would have against the Trump attorney. You never, never, never, never, never, never, never waive a rebuttal argument,” said Terrell during a panel discussion. “And I heard that, when he did that, I was shocked. You always have the last word, he abandoned that last word, shame on him!”
Jonathan Turley surprised by unanswered rebuttal
“Yeah, I tweeted at the same time, I was quite surprised. I’ve never seen a rebuttal waived, because there was a lot there still on the table,” he agreed. “I thought that the counsel for the special counsel was really struggling at points. And at others, he was able to eke out some good solid ground. That’s your chance, to come in there and to hit hard without any rebuttal coming from the other side. So I was surprised by that.”
John Sauer's bold claim
Sauer argued on Trump's behalf that he was immune from criminal prosecution for any actions he took as president, fielding tough questions from Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ketanji Brown Jackson, John Roberts, and others at various points.
In one astonishing moment, Sauer even claimed that the president could be exempt from punishment for ordering the assassination of a political foe.
“It would depend on the hypothetical, what we can see that could well be an official act,” Sauer stated after Sotomayor provided such a hypothetical.
However, according to George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley and civil rights attorney Leo Terrell, prosecutors have yet to present proof that former President Donald Trump committed a crime in the "hush money" case being prosecuted by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Prosecutors put former National Enquirer executive David Pecker to the stand on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday to explain how the tabloid purchased the rights to articles concerning Trump while not publishing them, including a $130,000 payout to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Turley pointed out that the prosecution had not linked Trump personally to illicit activities while questioning the media executive about Trump's alleged involvement in the schemes.
