Yahoo Sports CNN Reporter Says Trump Got ‘A Little Physical’ Prompting His Attorney In Court
CNN chief legal correspondent Paula Reid reported that Donald Trump was physically prompting his lawyer to object on Tuesday when porn actor Stormy Daniels testified at his hush money trial.
“Today, he’s gotten a little physical with Susan Necheles, one of his lawyers, sort of hitting her on the arm, prompting her to object,” Reid said during a CNN panel discussion about Tuesday’s proceedings.
Reid said Trump had been “really scrutinizing” his defense lawyers, engaging in “spirited conversations with all three of them.”
She said, “He clearly has a lot of ideas about exactly how this defense should be carried out.”
Trump was reportedly shaking his head and audibly cursing during Daniels’ testimony, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to warn Trump’s lead attorney, Todd Blanche, to speak to his client.
“I understand that your client is upset at this point,” Merchan told Blanche, according to transcripts obtained by The Washington Post. He said the behavior needed to stop because “it has the potential to intimidate the witness, and the jury can see that.”
Last week, New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman reported that Trump had been increasingly annoyed with Blanche and complained that his lawyer was not aggressive enough.
Some legal experts have suggested that Trump appears to be damaging his defense by pushing his attorneys to use language and strategies that don’t hold up in court.
Necheles sparred with Daniels during a heated cross-examination on Tuesday, seeking to paint her as driven by hatred and lacking credibility. Trump’s mood reportedly appeared to lighten during the cross-examination.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels before the 2016 election. Daniels was paid in exchange for her silence about a tryst she claims she had with Trump in 2006. She described the alleged encounter in detail during Tuesday’s testimony.
