(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Two Standout Moments in the Closing Arguments [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2024-05-28 The court is in a short recess, and there’s about 2 hours left to go in the prosecutor’s summation. But I have hopes that the case is already won just from two points that stood out for me. First is the unforced error Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche committed just before lunch: Judge calls defense attorney's comment on sending Trump to prison "outrageous" Judge Juan Merchan said he'd give a curative instruction as to defense attorney Todd Blanche's remarks about sending Trump to prison. During his closing arguments, Blanche talked about Cohen's credibility and told the jury: "Then he came in here, he raised his right hand and he lied to each of you repeatedly. You cannot send someone to prison you cannot convict somebody based upon the words of Michael Cohen." (Merchan also told Blanche his words were “outrageous,” but that was out of the jury’s hearing.) Juries take lots of cues from the judge; he’s the ultimate authority in the courtroom and he is expected to be fair. (Looking at you, Aileen Cannon.) They’ve already had several experiences of Merchan’s having to correct Trump’s lawyers, and especially the dressing down (though they were not present for most of it) of the one substantive witness Trump’s side put on. [Merchan] gave a curative instruction to the jury, explaining that Blanche's comment was "improper" and that if Trump is convicted, "a prison sentence is not required."He gave a curative instruction to the jury, explaining that Blanche's comment was "improper" and that if Trump is convicted, "a prison sentence is not required." ca.news.yahoo.com/... Now, Blanche has done a lot of questionable (and questioned) things in this trial that were clearly on Trump’s orders (like calling Costello in the first place, and pushing Daniels to say how everyone thought Trump was a great golfer). So it is possible Trump told him to say this as well; as Merchan told him, Blanche is an experienced lawyer and knows you shouldn’t tell the jury they could impose a sentence. So this could be Trump’s last gaffe as well as Blanche’s. Doesn’t matter. It just destroyed much of whatever credibility Blanche left has with the jury. Second: The prosecutor, Steinglass, made an argument that made even Trump’s children sit up and take notice: Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass argued in summations late Tuesday afternoon that it was “no coincidence” that the Stormy Daniels payoff did not happen until a decade after the alleged sexual encounter in 2006. Steinglass argued that that fact disproves any defense suggestion that the Daniels payment was related to sparing his family. The hush money deal was reached in October 2016, two weeks before Election Day, “because the defendant’s primary concern was not his family, but the election.” www.washingtonpost.com/… Steinglass has generally done a good job in both establishing the people’s case and discrediting the defense. But this one point alone was to my mind a body blow. He just demolished not only the argument that Trump was only trying to protect his family but also helps fix the timeline that the prosecution has been building. Yes, Daniels was trying to sell her story during the election, but the point here is that Trump was unconcerned about her and what she might say any time in the 10 years prior. He would have paid her to keep quiet years before, if he had any concern that Melania might hear about it. By itself, it doesn’t convict. Taken with everything else, I think it could well be the straw that breaks Trump’s back. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/5/28/2243297/-Two-Standout-Moments-in-the-Closing-Arguments?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/