The jury selection process was a bit faster than I anticipated. The evidentiary rulings have been unexceptional. In short, nothing extraordinary, from a legal perspective, has happened yet.
The three things that I will be looking for in the following weeks are:
- WHEN WILL COHEN TESTIFY? Cohen is the principal witness in this case because he has personal knowledge of what Trump said, meant, and did. He is, on its face, also the least credible witness against the man on golf cart. When will the prosecution put him on? Personally, I would call him around the middle of the case in order to bolster his credibility both before and after he testifies, but we’ll see.
- HOW WILL TRUMP’S ATTORNEYS IMPEACH COHEN? Many–maybe most–of Cohen’s notable lies were told to advance Trump’s interests. Asking him about them probably isn’t going to bolster Trump’s case. The lawyers will have to look for something else.
- WILL TRUMP TESTIFY? He will make a dreadful witness, because he will be both aggressive and evasive. Defense counsel will be praying they don’t have to put him on the stand. Will they succeed? TBD.