The hush money case against former President Donald Trump got underway with opening statements on Monday and the first witness in the case.
George Washington law school professor and Fox contributor Jonathan Turley said that the case has left him in "utter disbelief" that they've pursued this case against Trump. He noted some of the problems with the case.
“What is clear, is in this case, Trump is right. I mean, this is an embarrassment. I mean, the fact that we are actually talking about this case being presented in a New York courtroom, leaves me in utter disbelief. I mean, the the arguments today did in fact capture all the problems here,” Turley said Monday afternoon on Fox News.
"You had this misdemeanor under state law, that had run out, this is going back to relate it to the 2016 election. And they zapped it back into life by alleging that there was a campaign finance violation under the federal laws that doesn't exist," he said.
He noted the Department of Justice didn't view it that way (they didn't pursue any violation).
Turley made it clear he thought the case "should not have been brought."
He also questioned it happening before the election like this, saying there was "no reason" for that and he called out the weaponization of the system against Trump.
But this is becoming the split screen election,” Turley said. “Earlier it was pretty damaging to see the split screen between Trump in different courtrooms. This is even more effective when the other side of the screen shows Biden campaigning in key states like Pennsylvania, while he's held in this courtroom."
“It really brings home something that bothers a lot of Americans, including people don't particularly like Trump, that this is the weaponization of the criminal legal system. It's something we should all be able to condemn."
Turley also tweeted about how the first witness, former media publisher David Pecker, was "telling."
The fact that Bragg is starting with David Pecker to discuss an affair not directly involved in the alleged crimes is telling. With a dubious criminal theory, defuse facts, and delayed charges, the case will focus on a different alleged affair and hush money payment...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 22, 2024
The fact that Bragg is starting with David Pecker to discuss an affair not directly involved in the alleged crimes is telling. With a dubious criminal theory, defuse facts, and delayed charges, the case will focus on a different alleged affair and hush money payment.
It is reminiscent of the old story about a man who comes upon another man in the dark looking for his wedding ring. Sympathetic, the man joined the stranger on his knees and looked for almost an hour until he asked if the man was sure that he dropped it here. “Oh, no,” the stranger admitted, “I lost it across the street but the light is better here.”
If Trump is constantly tied up in lawfare and money, then attention has to go there. It cannot be spent on campaigning, and it's also played up in the minds of the voters as an issue. In this case, for something that should never have been charged to begin with.