Appearing on CNN, former Manhattan prosecutor Jeremy Saland was stunned by Donald Trump's actions and words in the first hour of his testimony in the $250 million financial fraud trial.
As reports trickled in about the former becoming immediately combative when asked simple questions, which led Judge Arthur Engoron to implore the former president's lawyer to "control" him, Saland claimed New York Attorney General Letitia James, an observer in the courtroom, has to be pleased.
Speaking with hosts Kate Bolduan and John Berman, Saland said that "the bottom line here is that this is playing into the attorney general's hands."
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"This is what they want," he said of the AG's office. "They are not here to debate politics and what is going to happen outside of the courtroom in the election, but the four corners of the courtroom and whether they can prove their case."
"And going on tirades and talking about big bankers and going after the judge does nothing for his credibility, does nothing to dispute the evidence, does not bring new facts and evidence into play, so all of this really hurts Donald Trump," he continued.
"You don't have to be a former mental professional, but I do wonder if the former president understands the gravity of what he is doing," he suggested. "And I think, also, at the same time he is more afraid of this case because he thinks that the other matters, he is not going to ever see a day in jail and it doesn't really matter. This is his name and this is his future and he is going off of the rails from what we are hearing inside of the courtroom."
Watch the video below or at this link.
CNN 11 06 2023 10 34 47 youtu.be