Special Poll
CNN’s legal expert, Norm Eisen, has commented on the likelihood of former President Trump being acquitted in his criminal hush money trial. According to Eisen, the chances of an acquittal are minimal following the jury deliberations this week, but the final outcome remains uncertain.
Prosecutors claim that Trump unlawfully concealed hush money payments made to a porn actor shortly before the 2016 election to hide an alleged affair. Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, which he denies.
In a Monday interview with CNN’s Jim Acosta, Eisen stated, “This was a winnable case. It still is not a slam dunk, in my view, having been there every day for the prosecution. I think the odds of conviction are somewhere upwards of 80 percent.”
Eisen noted that the defense’s approach is not aimed at securing an acquittal, which he believes is unattainable. “What they are hoping for is one angry juror,” he explained. “Whether there’s one juror who either feels sympathy for Trump or just for whatever reason does not follow the evidence and the law. The holdout. That’s what they’re trying for. Just one.”
The case heavily relies on the testimony of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney. Cohen testified that Trump directed him to make payments to porn actor Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 election to mislead voters. Prosecutors argue these payments were intended to deceive the public.
Eisen predicted intense closing arguments on Tuesday, with Trump’s defense team expected to launch aggressive attacks on Cohen and Daniels. “I think, realistically, this was a case that could have been winnable by the defense if they pursued a different strategy,” Eisen said. “If they focused on the areas where Michael Cohen was not as corroborated, and they really haven’t had a focused presentation.”
Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor, also weighed in during the interview, suggesting that if the defense can achieve a hung jury, it could be considered a significant victory for Trump, who is the presumptive GOP nominee for the White House. “I would say a lack of a conviction, I would spin as a win if I was on their team,” Mariotti said.
He added that securing a unanimous verdict for someone as controversial and well-known as Trump could be challenging. “And that is perhaps the dynamic that is the most uncertain. I mean, no one can predict what’s going on in the heads of ordinary people who happen to be on this jury,” Mariotti concluded.