Donald Trump may have unintentionally provided a new advantage to prosecutors in his New York criminal case, according to legal expert Catherine Christian.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2024, the former assistant district attorney analyzed a recent Truth Social post by Trump during an MSNBC appearance. In the post, Trump seemed to disclose insights about the jury instructions in his ongoing trial.
Trump is accused of paying hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign to influence the election’s outcome. With closing arguments scheduled for Tuesday, this case has garnered significant attention.
Christian discussed the possible implications of Trump’s online remarks on the jury instructions, which have not been made public yet.
“I want to show something he posted on Truth Social,” the MSNBC host began. “I wonder if this gives a hint about jury instructions and what they might be.
“I know we haven’t gotten an announcement from Judge Merchan, but I wonder if he has said something to the prosecution or defense, and I’m asking because Donald Trump said this:
‘The reason the highly conflicted Judge Merchan had to come up with three fake options for the jury to choose from without requiring them to be unanimous, which is completely un-American and unconstitutional, is the corrupt Soros’ … so he’s talking about three options for the jury to choose from without requiring them to be unanimous.
Is he talking about federal election crime, state election crime, tax crime as the underlying felony charge, and do you have a sense that they know what the jury instructions are going to be?'”
Christian suggested that Trump’s post might indeed provide a glimpse into the jury instructions.
“I would hope that the defense and the prosecution know what the jury instructions are going to be since they’re giving their summations tomorrow.
“I understand why the press and why we would all want it, [but also] why the judge didn’t release it. He wants to make sure the first time the jury hears about this, and the jury is abiding by the judge’s rules, and not watching this right now, is the first time they hear about this is tomorrow.”
She speculated that Trump’s reference to “three options” could mean the jury will be instructed to consider various underlying felonies, potentially including federal election law violations and state tax crimes. This, according to Christian, could be a significant development for the prosecution.
“So that post by Donald Trump is sort of a hint, if you can believe Donald Trump, that maybe the instruction to the jury will be that the unlawful means, conspire to promote an election by unlawful means, could be the federal election law violation, could be tax crimes, state tax crime violation, so I have a feeling that that’s probably what Donald Trump is talking about because his lawyers have a copy of the jury instructions the judge will give tomorrow.”
Christian emphasized that if the jury believes all the evidence presented, Trump’s revelation could be a “gift” to prosecutors. “Definitely, it’s a gift to them,” she concluded.
This development comes amid a series of legal challenges for Trump, who is also facing other investigations and trials. As the 2024 presidential race heats up, Trump continues to maintain a significant presence in the political landscape, despite his mounting legal troubles.
