Trump's ex-lawyer doubts legal team can stop him from testifying in hush money trial, Internet calls it 'legal blunder of the century'

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A former attorney to Donald Trump said the ex-president would act according to what he wants despite his lawyers' attempts to keep him from testifying in the ongoing hush money trial, reported Raw Story.

Jim Trusty, the lawyer who withdrew from the White House hopeful's classified documents case, gave the warning about his former client's likely insistence to take the witness stand during an interview on CNN on Monday, April 22.

Suggesting that Trump should avoid testifying, the ex-attorney advised that he should instead focus on key witness Michael Cohen and "nothing else." Cohen, Trump's former fixer, is a potential key witness in the trial brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg against the real estate mogul.

The prosecution and defense made the opening arguments on April 22 in the historic trial that kicked off last week. The first witness, David Pecker, former CEO of American Media who was involved in the "catch and kill" scheme to cover up Trump's alleged affairs, was the first witness to take the stand.

Jim Trusty advises Trump against testifying

"I think it's a bad idea," the former attorney said about Trump's possible plan to take the stand. "I would say no, but it's going to be one of those things where the client ultimately has control of that...the lawyers can only woodshed you so long and push, so we'll see."

"I think you want the entire focus of this jury on Cohen's credibility. And I know [former] President Trump probably thinks that he could go out there and change the day by having his opportunity to address the court," Trusty added.

Cohen, who worked for Trump for over a decade till 2018, made the hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels on behalf of the ex-president shortly before he won the 2016 election to silence her about their alleged sexual encounter.

However, Trump has denied all allegations and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He faces 34 counts of criminal charges for falsifying business records to cover up the hush money payment Cohen made.

Further into the interview, Trusty acknowledged the former president's frustration with stopping himself from testifying. When host Wolf Blitzer pressed whether he thought Trump should "shut up," he responded, "I don't know about 'Shut up' because there's a political lane you can't avoid. This is a guy running for president."

The former commander-in-chief declared his intention to testify in the trial before it kicked off on April 15. Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence, he said, "I'm testifying. I tell the truth. All I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is, that there's no case. It's a scam. It's a scam. That's not a trial. That's not a trial. That's a scam." 

Internet reacts to Trusty's remarks

Weighing in on Trusty's opinion on Trump not testifying, some netizens suggested he should take the stand, while others supported the same hoping prosecutors would exploit his mistakes.

One user described it as "the legal blunder of the century." Another wrote, "I’m begging him to take the stand, and testify on his own behalf. Begging!"

On the other hand, a third user said, "I hope he does, so the prosecutors can rip him to /shreds." A fourth response read, "I want him to testify because he will incriminate himself! If he doesn't, he will claim his free speech rights were violated."

A excited user added, "Fingers crossed!"

"Once Trump starts testifying, they will a stenographer to keep track of the additional counts, criminal acts and charges," an individual claimed. Another user called it a "Fairly good test of his sanity."

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.