The presiding judge’s conduct on Tuesday during closing arguments at former President Donald Trump‘s hush-money trial in New York City made for an “otherworldly” experience, according to George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley.
Turley told Fox News host Sean Hannity that Judge Juan Merchan allowed prosecutors to discuss former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s plea deal in a way that implicated his old boss—despite orders not to let that influence the jurors who begin deliberations on Wednesday.
“What I saw in that courtroom was really otherworldly,” Turley said. “I really attempted to give the judge the benefit of doubt on many occasions, but what I saw today was, frankly, outrageous.”
“At one point, the prosecutor actually said that Michael Cohen committed federal election violations upon the orders of Donald Trump,” Turley added. “Now, Merchan has given an instruction that the jury is not to supposed to attribute Cohen’s plea deal as an issue of guilt towards Trump.”
“So the defense objected and Merchan just overruled it and allowed the prosecutor to repeatedly state that the federal election violations by Trump are a fact and there is not any dispute to that and Merchan just sat there,” Turley said.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to allegedly cover up payments in a bid to conceal a tryst with adult film star Stormy Daniels as part of a “catch-and-kill” scheme to influence the 2016 election. Trump denies the affair and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Continuing his critique of the judge, Turley quipped that Merchan was “as useful as a ficus plant in that courtroom” as he waited for a “sign” that the judge was listening to what prosecutors were saying during the closing arguments.
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At one point, Turley explained, prosecutors said former White House aide Hope Hicks “burst into tears” because she knew her testimony during the trial “destroyed” Trump’s defense. “Really? How do you know that?” Turley asked rhetorically.
Turley also noted a prosecutor “basically started to testify” when saying that “catch-and-kill techniques” like what Trump is accused of employing “are just not used in media or politics.” Turley added, “That’s not in the record. He was giving testimony. There’s no expert for that.”
“Hillary Clinton killed and planted cases in that very election,” Turley went on. “Some of the most outrageous hoaxes were perpetrated by the Hillary Clinton campaign with an enabling media. In fact, many of those reporters listening helped the Hillary campaign do that.”
“That’s what was so otherworldly about today,” Turley said. “And I can’t imagine a jury member going into deliberations and not assuming that it is an established fact that federal election law violations have occurred.”
