Donald Trump in a Manhattan courtroom - (Photo via AFP)
Donald Trump has claimed he would testify under oath in the Mar-a-Lago documents case, and, while it would be extremely misguided to do so, he just might, according to a former federal prosecutor.
Trump is currently fighting charges in connection with the Florida documents case, which alleges he wrongly hoarded documents of all sorts of classifications and then failed to return them when hit with a subpoena. In a recent interview, Trump is seen saying he would testify under oath in connection with security footage he allegedly ordered to be deleted.
Former federal prosecutor Shan Wu had some words of caution on that topic.
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Wu, appearing on MSNBC's Symone on Saturday, was asked about the potential for Trump to take the stand in his defense at a criminal trial.
"Do you think we will actually ever see Donald Trump take the stand in any of these cases?" the host asked.
Wu said "it would be a mistake for him to testify."
"Most criminal defendants don't do themselves any favors when they testify," he added, noting that there is a "random factor" when it comes to Trump.
"His lawyers have to really listen to him. They seem to be very much guarded by him and don't seem to be able to talk any sense into him or keep him restrained," he said. "So if he pushes them hard enough, they may let him do it."
Wu added that there's another factor to consider, as well: whether he actually wants to testify or not.
"While it is fine for him to want to talk on the stand, it is probably not fine for him to get cross-examined, he won't like that very much," Wu said.
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