Key reason Donald Trump’s lawyers won’t put him on the stand during his hush money trial, expert says
- Lawyer Gregory Germain predicted that Trump’s team will not let him testify
Donald Trump’s legal team will not put him on the witness stand in his hush money trial because he is a “very difficult man to control”, a legal expert has predicted.
The former president faces up to four years in prison in the ongoing trial over whether he falsified business records in an effort to quell negative press ahead of the 2016 election.
He has repeatedly claimed that he will testify to clear his name, but attorney and Syracuse University professor Gregory Germain told The Sun his lawyers are unlikely to let him testify.
Germain said: ‘He’s kind of a bull in a china shop. He starts bucking and you just don’t know what’s going to happen.
‘He’s a very difficult man to control. His lawyers will be very concerned about him being tried under oath.”
The former president faces a prison sentence of up to four years if convicted in the ongoing trial
Lawyer and Syracuse University professor Gregory Germain told The Sun that his lawyers likely won’t allow Trump to take the stand
Prosecutors allege Trump was part of a scheme to falsify records to conceal a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from discussing an alleged affair with Trump before the 2016 election.
He denies all 34 charges of falsifying company records.
He also faces three other trials, including one for election interference, set to begin in Georgia in August. He denies all accusations.
There has been much speculation about whether the former president, the first to ever face criminal charges, will take a stand in the trial.
Speaking to The Sun, Germain said: ‘The standard view of criminal lawyers is that you don’t want your client to take the stand.
“It’s very dangerous for the client to take a stand because if he says something that turns out to be false, the jury will think everything is untrue and convict them.”
His lawyers would not be able to control what potentially embarrassing questions he was asked, or how he would answer.
Germain said: “I would be very afraid if I were a lawyer to put Donald Trump on the witness stand.
Trump denies all 34 allegations of falsifying company data
There has been much speculation about whether the former president, the first to ever face criminal charges, will take a stand in the trial.
“You can’t practice with him and make him do things the way you want him to do them.”
If it were Biden or Obama, things might be different, Germain said: “They’re quite likable and they wouldn’t be able to get themselves into trouble.”
But he added: “I don’t think Trump can control himself in any way, so it’s just too dangerous to put them on the stand.”
The trial is entering its fourth week and is expected to last next month.
Germain said he thinks Trump is unlikely to be sentenced to prison even if convicted. He said: ‘I think if he were to sentence him to prison it would cause a hue and cry and a crisis.’