Fireworks in Manhattan

Judge Juan Merchan has expressed his irritation with Trump’s side for its repeated attempts to seek new rulings on issues that have been decided. “That has to end,” Merchan told Trump’s lawyers on Friday. “There comes a point when you accept my rulings…” as reported in the Washington Post. Now, it’s Monday morning, criminal courts in Manhattan are open for business and Donald Trump, who has tried every conceivable legal motion, excuse, and gimmick has his day in court, actually; it’s more like his appointment in Samarrah, fate has caught up to him. Trump, who has always believed that shouting louder, interrupting, or attempting to intimidate with his bluster, will now get to sit silently and listen to a long line of prosecution witnesses, many former employees, describe to the jury what a total sleazebag he really is. Worse than what they’re going to say is the fact that he’s going to have to sit there silently and listen to it. Judge Merchan has Trump on a very short leash and if history tells us anything, it’s that Trump can’t sit quietly with a poker face. He’ll test the judge and may very well get to spend a couple of nights in jail for contempt. While Trump’s lawyers will say publicly, they’re optimistic, they know the odds are they’re looking at a guilty verdict. So, they go to Plan B, convince one juror to vote “not guilty” and get a mistrial--a mistrial is as good as a delay. The odds are they’ve already got their candidate picked out from the jury selection questioning. But it’s an “iffy” move, there’ll be 12 jurors back in that jury room and peer pressure from the other 11 can be powerful. The defense team has another problem, they can’t put their client on the stand. Trump is undisciplined and can’t control his mouth, or his temper.  Anything he says on direct is fair game on cross examination for an experienced prosecutor and it would be a disaster for Trump and maybe even slip into perjury. The worst possible nightmare for Trump’s lawyers is their client on the witness stand. I can’t guarantee the trial’s outcome, but I can guarantee it’s won’t be boring, it’ll rival the best show on Broadway ….