'I've never seen that': Expert says Trump lawyer sent a 'huge tell' to criminal case judge

Former President Donald Trump's attorney just gave a huge reveal to Judge Juan Merchan in the Manhattan criminal hush money case, former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace on Thursday.

Specifically, he argued, Susan Necheles, one of the most effective and experienced attorneys in Trump's corner, refused to sign off on some of the submissions to the court — a huge red flag for those submissions, and for the defense as a whole.

"Emil Bove, who I don't know, announced during a sidebar, told the judge, this is the first cross-examination I've done as a defense lawyer," said Weissmann. "He is an experienced prosecutor. The judge said, you're doing a fine job, and that's irrelevant. I'm not cutting you breaks whether you're experienced or not. One, I think he's doing a good job. Remember, as a technical matter, he has to play the hand he's dealt. Would I have done the cross the way he did it today? No, but you know what, you can't try someone else's case. You know, you have to kind of be yourself and do what you think is right."

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What Weissmann found particularly "fascinating," he continued, is that "the experienced defense lawyer at the table is Susan Necheles. She's at the far end of the table ... she's not signed certain submissions. I've never seen that. The answer to the question of why would that be, I assume she ethically did not think she could sign it."

"If it sounds like she's one of the best legal assets he has, why is she not playing a bigger role?" asked Wallace.

"Speculation on my part is that she's independent and for the same reason she's not signing things — that is such a huge tell to the judge in the case," said Weissmann. "She is independent and not going to do something she thinks crosses a line. You know, I don't think it helps her that she's a woman. To me, when I heard that Mr. Bove had not ever done a defense cross and I'm sitting there and I know — just understand, in New York, everyone in this world — it's a small world. Everyone knows Susan Necheles is terrific. It's an oddity that she's not there. I'm not saying he didn't do a good job, but that would not be a normal choice."

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