Reporting on Donald Trump's day in Judge Arthur Engoron's courtroom on Thursday, MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin noted the former president is planning to take the stand on Monday and that his lawyers are not happy with that prospect.
Speaking with "Morning Joe" co-host Willie Geist, Rubin began by stating the $250 million financial trial is not going well for the former president who is facing the possible dissolution of his Trump Organization and his legal team fears he will make things worse if he takes the stand.
The legal analyst also said she gets the feeling that Trump's lawyers will endeavor to talk him out of taking the stand over the weekend.
"There's so much legal trouble surrounding Donald Trump, that people tend to lose track of it all," host Geist prompted his guest. "You're the eyes in the courtroom; as he takes the stand Monday, what does the case look like? How is it going for him right now?"
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"I don't think it is going particularly well," Rubin laughed. "Let me resist your question to one extent: I'm not positive Donald Trump is going to testify. I can tell you, looking at you here, I know Donald Trump wants to testify but his lawyers desperately wanted to lift the gag order that's still in place. They weren't able to do so. They asked Judge Engoron to pause the trial, he would not do so."
"They told me to my face the day before they weren't going to ask him that because they knew how it was going to go," she reported. "That signals to me they are afraid of having their client on the stand and inches away from that principal law clerk he can't talk about when he testifies."
"I'll tell you also, he [Trump] didn't answer any questions yesterday in the hallway, he speechified," she added.
Watch below or at the link.
MSNBC 12 08 2023 06 27 06youtu.be