'A little bit at a loss': Analysts discuss judge’s potential efforts to avoid 'getting punk’d' by Trump
As Donald Trump's conclusion of New York civil fraud trial's looms, and he continues to face three more trials, the former president's behavior towards judges remains a concern for legal experts and political aficionados.
He's been given gag orders and threatened with legal consequences, and yet, Trump's rants and social media attacks persist.
"Why is it so hard seemingly for people to understand that they're getting punk'd by this guy?" former Republican National Committee Michael Steele asked during Sunday's episode of MSNBC's The Weekend with co-hosts Symone Sanders Townsend and Alicia Menendez.
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Guest and former US attorney Mary McCord replied, "So that's a thing that's interesting, because I was a prosecutor for more than 20 years, and most people who are involved in the criminal justice system — they obey the rules. Now they might've committed a crime, but once hailed into court, they show up, they abide by their attorney's advice, they speak only when they're asked to speak. I think judges are used to people complying with the rules. The lawyers complying with the rules, the defendants complying with the rules, and Donald Trump just defies all of that. And so I think judges are a little bit at a loss. What do you do with somebody who's powerful, and continues to defy the rules? so you see things like sanctions, like you saw Judge Engoron do — you see, 'Get your client under control,' But I do agree. I think they struggle to dispense justice evenly, and they are trying to do it, and he just pushes back in."
Steele said, "He's not powerful. He commands no military, he commands no government agencies. He is a private citizen."
Sanders then added, "Here's the thing, Mary. You spent so much time as a federal government prosecutor. I used to do juvenile justice work, and every time Donald Trump is in court, every time we talk about one of Donald Trump's legal things, I just think about the gross disproportionality that exists within the system. Let's just be very clear and say the quiet part out loud. Barack Obama would never. He could never."
"He also wouldn't because he has respect for rule of office law," McCord emphasized.
Sanders noted, "He wouldn't because he knows that he couldn't. First and foremost, they persecuted the man for a tanned suit. So I don't think they'd let him get away with criminality. Is there an internal conversation, maybe folks are having about the fact that they are potentially allowing Donald Trump to get away with murder here?"
McCord replied, "Well, I suspect that judges in the judge's dining room at lunchtime are sometimes talking to each other about, 'Do you have advice for me, my fellow judges, about how to keep control of this and not let it be hijacked into a campaign event?' And I will also tell you, at least in the DC courts, the federal courts in DC, there are rules about not giving interviews and press conferences in the hallways. And those rules apparently must not apply in the New York courts. So he'll be able to go outside the courthouse, and give his speeches after he's at different proceedings in DC, but he will not be able to come right out into the hallway and do that."
Watch the video below or at this link.
'A little bit at a loss': Analysts discuss judge’s efforts to avoid 'getting punk’d' by Trumpyoutu.be
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