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Trump may have to go crawling to DeSantis for help if convicted: Expert

Former President Donald Trump could have some problems that aren't immediately obvious if he ends up convicted in the criminal hush money case in Manhattan, NBC News reporter Jane Timm told MSNBC's Chris Jansing on Wednesday.

For example, in the unlikely event he actually ends up in prison before the election, he wouldn't be able to vote for himself β€” unless Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, with whom he bitterly fought for the 2024 presidential nomination, steps in and says that he can.

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Trump co-defendant's attorney says client only conspired as fake elector for '26 minutes'

Georgia state Sen. Shawn Still (R) should have charges against him in Donald Trump's election interference case dropped because he only participated in the conspiracy for 26 minutes, an attorney argued Wednesday.

At a Fulton County Superior Court hearing, an attorney for Still told Judge Scott McAfee that his client did not deserve to be included in an indictment with other co-defendants in the case.

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'You're an idiot': Joy Reid slams MAGA reporter for harassing her at Trump trial

MSNBC host Joy Reid clashed with a reporter who supports Donald Trump at the former president's hush money trial on Wednesday.

The confrontation came as reporters entered a Manhattan courthouse to hear jury instructions ahead of deliberations in the hush money trial.

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'Bravado was absent': Analyst says latest Trump rant shows he expects conviction

Donald Trump bemoaned his legal predicament outside a Manhattan courtroom after jurors left to deliberate his fate, and a former prosecutor was struck by his downcast demeanor.

The former president complained the trial was "rigged" against him, saying even "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," and MSNBC legal analyst Charles Coleman Jr. said that doesn't sound like a man who expects an acquittal.

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'We've heard this before': MSNBC host quickly cuts away from latest Trump courthouse rant

MSNBC abruptly cut away from Donald Trump's courthouse rant after the jury began their deliberations.

The former president exited the courtroom with his attorneys and glumly rattled off his now-familiar litany of complaints about his criminal trial, calling the process rigged and attacking New York Justice Juan Merchan as biased against him, but co-host Ana Cabrera quickly lost patience with his remarks.

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Donald Trump fumes as jury deliberates: 'Mother Teresa could not beat these charges'

Former President Donald Trump complained Wednesday that even Mother Teresa would be found guilty in his hush-money case.

Moments after the jury began deliberating, Trump spoke to members of the press outside the courtroom.

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'Wishful thinking': CNN's Paula Reid dumps on Trump's belief that jury will acquit him

Former President Donald Trump may believe jurors in his criminal hush money trial will acquit him, but sources close to his team tell CNN analysts they're bracing for a guilty verdict.

Reporter Paula Reid discussed with anchor Kaitlan Collins Trump's optimistic view on his historic New York City trial on Wednesday as the jury prepared to enter into their deliberations.

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'Take these guys out': Ken Paxton and Steve Bannon call for action against 'Gestapo' FBI

Right-wing podcast host and convicted criminal Steve Bannon, a former adviser to Donald Trump, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton compared the FBI to the Nazi Gestapo and said the agency should be dismantled.

During a Wednesday interview with Paxton, Bannon falsely claimed that the FBI had plotted to assassinate Trump during a search of his Mar-a-Lago estate for classified documents.

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'That's pretty poor form': Alina Habba bashed for disrupting Trump jury instructions

Attorney Alina Habba, who is not part of Donald Trump's legal team overseeing his hush money trial defense, managed to temporarily disrupt the proceedings in the Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday.

Moments after Judge Juan Merchan started providing the 12-person jury with instructions on how to arrive at a verdict related to the 34 felony counts filed against the former president, Habba played a video on her phone which caused the judge to shoot her a look.

According to a report from CNN, trial attendees are not allowed to use their phones in the courtroom during the proceedings and Habba was out of line.

ALSO READ: Why Trump’s strength is illusory

While providing updates on the courtroom proceeding, CNN's Paula Reid reported, "Just now a phone went off in the courtroom; our colleagues are reporting that it appeared to be Alina Habba's phone playing a video."

As co-host John Berman laughed, she added, "Apparently the judge did not look, did not react, did not make a thing about it and she apparently put away her phone."

"That's interesting," co-host Kaitlan Collins interrupted, "because Trump's team they've had their phones out. Anyone else, if you're sitting in the back of the room, including the DA's team from what I've seen, are not on their phones. You are not allowed to be on your phone, you can't even have your phone sitting next to you if on silent or even off. The court officers will tell you, put it away, and don't even bring it out."

'Yeah, but Trump's team, they sit right behind them and they often have their phones out doing various things, emails, but to have a video play in the middle of this historic moment when they're charging the jury? I mean, that's that's pretty poor form so hopefully that will not happen again," Reid replied.

"But the judge did shoot her a stern look in that direction, the way the noise was coming from and just moved on, which is probably the right way to handle it, right? This is a critical moment. You want to walk the jury through this incredible task they are about to undertake and not get distracted by something like that," she added.

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'He's gonna hate that:' Hush money trial reporter revels at Trump's next big challenge

Donald Trump is in for a rough ride in a Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday after Judge Juan Merchan sends the 12-person jury considering the 34 felonies filed against him off to deliberate.

After weeks of sitting through testimony and lawyers for both sides battling before Merchan, Trump is now obligated to sit in the courtroom with nothing to occupy him as the jurors decide his fate.

According to CNN legal analyst Paula Reid, the former president who has had trouble staying interested and awake during some of the more boring moments of the trial is going to have a hard time dealing with the anticipation and boredom.

ALSO READ: Why Trump’s strength is illusory

Speaking with host Kaitlan Collins, Reid said Trump will end up like a "caged tiger."

"It is notable that Trump has to stay inside the courthouse as the jury is going to be in that jury room deliberating, we don't know how long it could take," Collins prompted.

"Yeah he's going to hate that," Reid replied. "He's made it clear β€”clearly he doesn't like the case β€” but he also doesn't like the courthouse."

"He really just does not enjoy being in there so he's gonna probably be like a caged tiger and that'll be something for his lawyers have to deal with," she added. "And it really stinks for anyone obviously to be a defendant in a criminal case. It's stressful, you're waiting, but they have no idea how long they'll wait, even when the jury does come back with a note; it could just be a question. So this is going to be a challenging few days for him."

Watch the video below or at this link.

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Jury will likely hold Trump's 'very weak' defense against him: ex-prosecutor

Donald Trump's attorneys were not obligated to present any evidence in his hush money trial, and a former prosecutor said they would have been better off if they hadn't.

The former president's lawyers called one significant witness in attorney Robert Costello, and MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann argued that they should not have presented any case at all.

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Trump lawyer whacked for ignoring 'slew of problematic evidence' in closing statement

Donald Trump's defense failed to address some of the most damning evidence in their closing argument in the hush money case, argued one former federal prosecutor on Wednesday.

Defense attorney Todd Blanche delivered a three-and-a-half-hour closing statement casting doubt on some of the evidence presented by prosecutors, particularly testimony from Trump's former attorney Michael Cohen, but MSNBC legal analyst Andrew Weissmann faulted his thoroughness.

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'Cheap gimmick': Legal expert pans hush money prosecutor's closing argument theatrics

Manhattan prosecutor Joshua Steinglass' attempt to reenact a phone call submitted into evidence during former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial got two thumbs down from one legal expert.

CNN's Elie Honig panned Steinglass' theatrics during closing arguments given to the jury argument, saying he needn't have relied on parlor tricks to prop up testimony from Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen.

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