Defense attorney Randy Zelin, appeared Tuesday on CNN’s “News Central” as a legal analyst where he said Trump’s “hush money” NYC trial “fell short” of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case against Trump involves accusations of falsifying business records, tied to a payment made to Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
During the broadcast, host Kate Bolduan stressed the importance of the prosecution’s duty to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Zelin responded, “They fell way short, because let’s start with reasonable doubt. What is reasonable doubt? And it’s not simply a doubt based upon reason. Any time a human being needs to make an important decision in life, if you have enough information, for example, doctor says you need open heart surgery. ‘Doc, go ahead and schedule. I don’t have a reasonable doubt.’ Conversely, if I say ‘I appreciate it, but I need a second opinion, I need more information.’ that is having a reasonable doubt. There is reasonable doubt all over this case.”
“The prosecution needs to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he committed that Donald Trump broke the law. And you think after listening to all of this, you think they fell short. How?” asked Bolduan.
Zelin said, “Where is Keith Schiller? Where is Allen Weisselberg? How did Michael Cohen get away with stealing $30,000? Hold a pity party for him — made $4 million on this, thought he’d be chief of staff. He’s a fixer! If the plumber comes to my house to fix my leak, I could be home. That doesn’t mean I know how he’s doing it and what it’s taking to be fixed.”
Further criticizing the trial’s focus, Zelin remarked, “Stormy Daniels, let’s hold a pity party for her. Why do we need to know whether or not the former president wore a condom or not? It’s simply about did the former president know that books, his records, false entries for legal fees, Michael Cohen was his lawyer, getting intent to cover up the election or to protect his family? It’s everywhere. Everywhere.”
Trump has denied all allegations, pleading not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Echoing Zelin’s sentiments, Trump’s defense team argued that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg failed to meet the necessary standard of proof. “The prosecution fell way short,” Zelin concluded, reinforcing the defense’s position that the evidence against Trump is insufficient.
The trial against Donald Trump reached a pivotal moment as the jury was dismissed following exhaustive closing arguments.
The jury is scheduled to begin deliberations on Wednesday.
During the closing arguments, Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche sharply criticized Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, labeling him as “the GLOAT” — “The Greatest Liar of All Time.”
Blanche argued against Cohen’s reliability, asserting, “You cannot convict someone based on the words of Michael Cohen.” He further called Cohen the “MVP of liars,” underscoring a central theme of the defense’s argument regarding the credibility of key prosecution witnesses.
Blanche’s remarks led to a moment of contention with Judge Juan Merchan after he stated, “You cannot send someone to prison based on the words of Michael Cohen,” emphasizing the defense’s argument against the dependability of the evidence presented.