Legal Experts Critique Donald Trump’s Attorney for ‘Textbook Mistakes’ in Stormy Daniels Cross-Examination

During Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial, his attorney, Susan Necheles, faced criticism for what legal experts termed as "textbook mistakes" in her cross-examination of adult film star Stormy Daniels. The trial, which has attracted prominent media attention, saw former federal prosecutor Harry Litman and analyst Lisa Rubin discussing Necheles' performance on MSNBC. Litman highlighted the significance of rhythm in cross-examinations. Host Chris Hayes remarked, "There were a few weird Perry Mason moments." To which Litman added, "Textbook mistakes on Necheles' part. Rhythm is everything on cross and her rhythm was repeatedly broken."

As per Raw Story, Rubin, while acknowledging Necheles’ preparation and knowledge of Daniels’ background, criticized her combative tone during the cross-examination. Litman exclaimed, "You want a cross to be quick and have a witness answer every question, 'Yes, correct,' When you get to the point where you have implied you are right, that is when you stop and go to the next topic. She was stuck and there were repeated sidebars." Rubin hopped into the conversation and added, "She knew the book Stormy Daniels had written inside and out. Yet it did not pay off for her because she was combative with Stormy and the tone was nasty to a point that I think the jury will ultimately find empathy."

One notable aspect of the trial was the comparison to "Perry Mason moments," indicating instances where the cross-examination took unexpected turns or encountered challenges. During the trial, Daniels provided detailed testimony about her alleged one-night stand with Trump in 2006. Despite objections from Trump’s legal team, Daniels described the encounter in a manner that suggested potential non-consensual aspects, further adding to the contentious nature of the trial.

Daniels revealed, “Then I just thought, oh, my God, what did I misread to get here? Because the intention was pretty clear, somebody stripped down in their underwear and posing on the bed, like waiting for you. The next thing I know, I was on the bed, somehow on the opposite side of the bed from where we had been standing. I had my clothes and shoes off. I believe my bra, however, was still on. My hands were shaking so hard. I was having a hard time getting dressed. He said, “Oh, great. Let’s get together again honey bunch. We were great together.” I just wanted to leave,” as reported by The Washington Post.

An incident that drew attention was Trump's audible cursing in court, prompting Judge Merchan to warn his attorney Todd Blanche. Merchan warned, “ I understand that your client is upset at this point, but he is cursing audibly, and he is shaking his head visually and that’s contemptuous. It has the potential to intimidate the witness and the jury can see that.”