'Unwilling to lie?' Trump's refusal to face judge in ballot hearing puzzles sec. of state

According to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, Donald Trump's decision to stay away from a trial centered on keeping him off the state's 2024 ballot – coupled with a refusal to testify on his own behalf – could give attorneys for the state a distinct advantage,

On Monday, all eyes will be on a Colorado courtroom where lawyers for six Coloradans – both Republicans and unaffiliated voters – will attempt to make the case that the former president is disqualified from running for office due to provisions found in the 14th Amendment with regard to taking part in an insurrection.

In an interview with MSNBC's Jordan Rubin, Griswold found it curious that Trump won't attend and is refusing to plead his case before a judge.

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Noting that the trial will not include a jury, only a judge, and that there is a lower burden of proof needed in a bench trial, Griswold admitted she can't fathom the former president's reasoning for staying away.

"I think something really noteworthy about this case is, look, it’s going to the foundational question: Did Donald Trump disqualify himself by engaging in the insurrection?' she explained before adding, "You would think, with such a big case, that the potential candidate would want to come and give their side of the story."

She added, "He’s not planning to testify, he’s not giving deposition, and for someone who just loves to grandstand about the cases against him, his silence, compared to what his testimony would be under oath, is deafening."

Asked by Rubin how she expects Trump's absence to play out, she admitted, "I can’t get into too many specifics about how the case will play out, just given some of the orders around the case," before later adding, "So at the end of the day, Donald Trump has proven himself a liar. Maybe he’s unwilling to lie under oath. I don’t know. I can’t get into his reasoning about why he is choosing to not show up. But this is a really big case."

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