Trump's legal filings 'read like tweets' and won't ever convince a judge: reporter
As his indictments pile up, former President Donald Trump is increasingly relying on his campaign and a potential election victory to save him from prosecution — but the melding of his campaign and his legal case goes both ways, with the former president mounting defenses in court that more closely resemble campaign talking points on social media.
That's the view of New York Times reporter Glenn Thrush, who weighed in on Friday's "Deadline: White House."
"It's interesting to see the evolution here — or no, that suggests progress, a devolution," said anchor Nicolle Wallace. "[Trump's campaign says] no, he's not only running to pardon himself. There's no MAGA hats being produced and handed out. He is running so he is never liable for his alleged crimes."
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"Well, it certainly seems that his political strategy is superseding his legal strategy, because some of these filings really are reading like tweets," said Thrush.
As an example, said Thrush, "there was a graphic in the filing in D.C. requesting the delay that sort of showed the height of all the documents if piled up that the government is having him review, that it's bigger than the — as if you couldn't review things electronically. I mean, this is not going to sway a judge, it's not going to sway a jury. It's hard to figure out exactly how this fits into any legal context."
And that's even putting aside the news conference Trump had planned for Monday in which he claimed he would show irrefutable proof the Georgia election had been stolen, Thrush noted — an event Trump only canceled after desperate pleading from his lawyers.
"You know, I wonder if Fulton County would have to re-empanel the grand jury to look at a superseding indictment if he was going to make some of the same fraudulent claims that he's accused of in this indictment," Thrush continued. "You have to ask yourself at some time, even if the primary season seems to be as one-sided as it's looking, whether or not they're going to hunker down and develop some sort of a strategy. I know here in D.C. Judge Chutkan indicated quite strongly, even if this doesn't come to trial in January, she intends to move this expeditiously."