Donald Trump insists he will testify in his Manhattan hush money trial, but CNN's Elie Honig doesn't think that would be a wise decision.
The former president has repeatedly said he would take the stand in his own defense on 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election, but Honig said he would not advise Trump to testify.
"You don't have to answer until the moment you take the stand," Honig said. "One of the benefits of being a defendant is you get to see the prosecution's entire case, see how your lawyer does... but the short answer to your question: No, hell no, I would not advise him to take the stand, there's no reason for him to take the stand. It's incredibly risky."
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"Like I said before, the prosecution bears the burden of proven their case beyond a reasonable doubt," Honig added. "Anyone who takes the stand is taking an enormous risk. I know on TV everyone takes the stand because it's dramatic, [but] it's quite rare in the real world. Here, if you're Donald Trump – I mean, look, it would just be a disaster if you get caught in a contradiction as a defendant taking the stand, it's over. If you get caught in a lie, if the jury doesn't like you, it's over. I would beg, plead, urge him – I don't think he is going to take the stand. I think he's positioning right now. I just it's so tactically self-defeating, I can't see it happening."
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