Trump's 'knee-jerk reaction' to fight court orders has him 'backed into corner': columnist

Donald Trump has been able to get more than one of his criminal trials delayed, but a columnist warned Tuesday that the former president's "knee-jerk reaction to argue against any procedural task or appeal any ruling that appears unfavorable to him in the hopes of delay" will backfire.

In an op-ed published Wednesday, author and researcher Jeremy Novak points out that when it comes to Trump's classified documents case, he recently argued that he should know the identities of witnesses before the trial begins — likely because he wants to intimidate them, Novak contends.

"Known as 'Trump Employee 5,' Brian Butler spoke out in the national media clearly and concisely about the damaging and inculpatory behavior he witnessed from the former president and some of his close employees regarding their handling of classified documents from the White House," Novak writes.

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According to Novak, Butler's choice to come forward himself rather than be exposed by Trump "took away the power of Trump to control the narrative and induce his own style of 'discouragement.'" Now, that witness has gone on national TV and explained everything "in a matter-of-fact manner," putting out "damaging information that the public otherwise wouldn’t have known before the election," Novak writes.

"... With Judge Cannon helping to gum up the works and delay it, it seems likely that more witnesses will feel compelled to come forward to give the public the information they need on their terms, not Trump’s or his minions’ terms, which will apprise the country of even more examples of such behavior."

When it comes to Trump's New York fraud judgment and bond, he's once again utilizing the strategy of "appealing everything in sight." On Monday, his bond was reduced to $175 million and he was given 10 extra days to turn it over.

But thanks to Trump's bluster and portraying himself as being persecuted, Novak wrote the former president has "backed himself into a corner."

"He just won in court, after portraying the whole affair as excessive punishment and election interference, and promised that he has the money, no problem, but just doesn’t believe in paying into such an unjust system," Novak writes.

"So, what’s he going to do now, if he doesn’t just post the bond? Say that he should have won by more, and the corrupt NY judicial system is stacked against him, even though they just gave him a huge break?"

Read the full op-ed over at Salon.