Trump's attorney says Michael Cohen completely collapsed his words on
the stand last week.
Roll tape.
Michael Cohen, I believe has just completely collapsed under the
on the stand under withering cross examination by President Trump's
trial team.
So at this moment, I don't think there's any further
need to call into question Michael Michael Cohen's credibility,
because I think he has not as of now.
To me, this looks like a directed verdict or at
the very least an an absolute acquittal just based on
the
prosecution's total failure to prove anything,
even approximating a crime. Former prosecutor at the Manhattan DA
Elliott Felig joins me now.
What do you think of a
directed verdict? I think that ship has sailed,
unfortunately for the defense. The
defense had bought a written pretrial motion to dismiss the
charges,
basically on the same theory that they're going to make
the argument today at the close of the people's case,
as a basis for the motion to dismiss.
Judges almost never grant those.
They really prefer that even when even when judges perceive
a prosecution case as being extremely weak,
they prefer the jury to be the one to make
the decision.
They prefer the jury give it its imprimatur as as
rejecting the case rather than the judge.
So I think it's very,
very unlikely he'll grant a directed verdict.
Could it be just dismissed or in some way just
it's over?
No, the judge says it's over.
Forget it. The judge. The judge has the discretion to
do that.
But I think it's extremely unlikely.
OK, Should the defense lawyers bring any witnesses at all
to the stand,
like Bob Costello, for example?
So it's all. It's important to remember that the prosecution
always has the burden of proof.
It never shifts. The defense does not have to create
an alternative factual scenario.
All they have to do is poke holes in the
prosecution's scenario to win a trial.
That being said, so they shouldn't put on a full
case.
They shouldn't present, you know,
an alternative fact pattern. But if they have a specific
witness who can undercut a specific prosecution witness like Bob
Costello,
sure, that's worth doing. How about putting Trump himself on
the stand?
He would be crazy to testify because the entire dynamic
would shift.
It would become a trial about a referendum on him.
It would take the jury's focus away from the many
holes that they've already poked in Michael Cohen's testimony.
So a very limited number of witnesses for the defense,
if at all, if at all,
no testimony from Trump at all.
When can this thing be wrapped up?
Well, if it weren't for the scheduling they have they
they have these off days on Wednesday and Friday.
I'd say, you know the jury would have the case
by the end of the day tomorrow.
But because we have off day Wednesday,
off day Friday, I think the judge probably won't give
the case to the jury until after the Memorial Day
weekend,
which is a shame because the jurors will have to
go and sit there all the way through Memorial Day
weekend.
I think the jurors would much rather have this wrapped
up.
But yeah, that's the schedule.
So if if they did get the case early,
right, you would think that maybe the jurors would say,
I'll forget about this jurors occasion.
Jurors. We all forget. Jurors are human beings.
They want to get this over with.
They want to enjoy Memorial Day weekend with their families
just like the rest of us.
OK, so next week you think it wraps?
Probably. Elliot. Felix, I'm sure you'll be back next week.
Tell us what happening. Thank you.
Thank you, Eddie. Appreciate it.