'Watch out': Trump lawyer Tacopina cautioned before E. Jean Carroll cross-examination
April 27, 2023
On Thursday Donald Trump attorney Joe Tacopina is slated to cross-examine New York writer E. Jean Carroll after her devastating testimony on Wednesday where she described being sexually assaulted by the now former president decades ago and a CNN panel pointed out that the Trump attorney will need to tread delicately before the jury.
Sitting down with "CNN This Morning" co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, political analyst John Avlon called Carroll's testimony on Wednesday "heartwrenching" before noting Tacopina's history of being brusque and then adding it will not play well in a trial over rape allegations.
Addressing Trump's most recent actions, CNN political analyst Natasha Alford stated, "He [Trump] threw out a conspiracy theory that somehow she was politically motivated, being funded by someone else in order to go through with this case."
"He has to really be careful," she continued. "Not only has he insulted her on a personal level saying she wasn't attractive enough for him to even consider. It's this, you know, the discrediting of an accuser is something that a lot of accusers face -- it's something that is really relatable. If her story is powerful and if she goes through this cross-examination and comes out believable, again, I think that is a problem for Donald Trump."
"No question about it," CNN's Avlon interjected. "Look, this is someone that is a very distinguished journalist. She wrote a great book on Hunter Thompson. The testimony yesterday was heartwrenching, this idea she was unable to have a romantic life."
"This is a case that is almost three decades old," he continued. "In that cross-examination today, you know, Trump's lawyer [Tacopina] is a lot of things but delicate is not one of them -- so watch out."
"That's going to be a very difficult needle to thread," Avlon cautioned. "As you said, the judge smacking down Trump for the public comments he's making, this is a case you can't appeal to the court of public opinion."
Watch the CNN segment below or at this link.
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