Legal scholar Jonathan Turley sent Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg to the dustbin of history on Fox News today warning Bragg that history will judge him harshly if he indicts Trump in this ‘bizarre’ case.
Turley said: “This is part of Michael Cohen’s appeal, right? He used to basically sell his moral and ethical flexibility. He would go all in for whatever side was most beneficial. That doesn’t make you a great witness and in fact, Bragg is looking at a target rich environment for the defense if they ever put Michael Cohen on the stand.
“But that’s actually just deepening the factual side of this case, which is very problematic. He still has to deal with really significant legal problems. Bragg is suggesting, according to reports, that he’d like to prove a federal crime that the Department of Justice didn’t think warranted a charge. That’s something that none of us have really seen before.
“So, he’s taking this bizarre case with all these conflicts into what is a historic moment, and I don’t think history will be very kind to him.
“He will be the first prosecutor to indict a former president,” he said.
Turley said earlier: “If former President Donald Trump is indicted, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would be prosecuting a case that has been widely criticized as long on politics and short on the law.
The star witness is one of the most repellent figures in New York.
“It is only the latest reinvention of Michael Cohen – this time from legal heavy to redemptive sinner. Cohen spent much of his time when he worked for Trump threatening critics, journalists and even students.
“In John Edwards’ prosecution in 2012, the Justice Department used the same theory to charge the former Democratic presidential candidate after a disclosure that he not only had an affair with filmmaker Rielle Hunter but also sired a child with her. Edwards denied the affair, and it was later revealed that Fred Baron, Edwards’ campaign finance chairman, gave money to Hunter.
“Andrew Young, an Edwards campaign aide, also obtained funds from heiress Rachel “Bunny” Mellon to pay to Hunter.
“The Justice Department spent a king’s ransom on the case to show that the third-party payments were a circumvention of campaign finance laws, because the payments were designed to bury an election scandal.
“Edwards was ultimately found not guilty on one count while the jury deadlocked on the other five.
The jury clearly believed there were ample reasons to hush up the affair beyond the election itself.
“Despite legal flaws in the case, Bragg is counting on favorable judges and jurors in New York City. Win or lose, he would reap a huge political reward in being the first to charge Trump.
Ironically, Trump also could come out ahead politically.
“Of all the possible charges he could face, this is the one he would likely invite.
“Bragg would give Trump strong evidence that Democrats have politically weaponized the criminal justice system against him,” he said.
Jonathan Turley: “Well, one would say that Bragg is outside of his lane, but in this case he’s on a completely different highway…this is an effort by a state official to effectively prosecute a federal crime, a crime that the Department of Justice decided not to prosecute.” pic.twitter.com/IsHs6XVocJ
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) March 18, 2023
