Trump's team just made a 'common lawyer mistake' in criminal case: ex-prosecutor

MSNBC

If the plan is to go scorched earth against Stormy Daniels come Thursday when the defense will get a second round of questioning of the witness — it likely would be breaking eggs on their own faces.

Former federal prosecutor Elie Honig appeared on CNN to warn the defense against going back to the hotel room.

He suggests they scored huge points with the jury by proving in their nearly 90 minutes of questioning that Daniels not only despises former President Donald Trump — whom she accuses of engaging in a a sexual affair back in 2006 and accepted $130,000 to stay mum about it to affect the outcome of the 2016 election – but that she also hopes he's jailed for it.

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The network reported that the strategy Trump's defense appears to be taking is to "address some of this reputational damage to Trump" that he may believe occurred from Daniels' testimony.

"They do plan to cross-examine her for longer than they originally intended tomorrow and I think that's a mistake," Honig said. "It's a common lawyer mistake."

"Am I correct that you hate President Trump?" asked Trump's attorney Susan Necheles when she pressed Daniels on Tuesday.

"Yes," Daniels admitted.

And you want him to go to jail?" Necheles then asked her.

Daniels responded: "I want him to be held accountable."

"You want him to go to jail, am I correct," she asked again.

"If he's found guilty, absolutely," Daniels said.

For Honig, this line of questioning is the best path forward.

"Sometimes we do this where if a little bit is good, more must be better," he said. "And that does not apply, especially in cross-examine they are off to a very good start... do another hour, just remind the jury that she's biased, she hates Trump, and she is desperate to see him behind bars."

Again, going back into the salacious details between the sheets will prove to hurt them.

"She's told conflicting versions of this story before," said Honig. "Leave it at that. You don't need to go back in that hotel room. It's the last thing you want to do."

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