The sham “hush money” trial against President Trump took an unexpected turn that has left experts baffled and one CNN analyst has called the proceedings “crazy” and “bizarre.”
The spotlight is on Judge Merchan’s handling of the jury instructions as the case enters the deliberation phase.
On Wednesday, Merchan informed the jury that reaching a unanimous agreement is not necessary to determine President Trump’s guilt on all 34 felony counts, as reported by Fox News journalist John Roberts. Illustrating this point, Merchan stated that three groups of four jurors could independently find Trump guilty of distinct crimes, and he will still interpret it as a “unanimous verdict.”
Judge Merchan is permitting the jurors to select ONE of the three predicate crimes. Jurors do not need to unanimously agree on which of the three crimes Trump supposedly committed.
But here’s where it gets really “crazy”: Jurors were not given a written copy of the instructions, though they are permitted to ask for them to be read back if needed. Many of the jurors took diligent notes as Merchan spoke.
David Oscar Markus, a seasoned criminal defense attorney, was shocked on CNN, Wednesday, over the judge’s handling of this crucial phase of the trial. “The jury must be overwhelmed,” Markus said. “To have all of these instructions just read to them without them getting a copy is going to be overwhelming for them.”
Traditionally, jurors are given a written copy of the instructions to refer to during their deliberations. However, in this case, they will only have their notes and the option to ask for instructions to be reread. Markus also slammed the decision not to allow the lawyers to discuss the instructions in their closing arguments, saying, “It’s crazy that the lawyers were not able to discuss the instructions in their closings yesterday,” he added. “Typically, lawyers can go through the instructions and explain why they’ve met them or why the government hasn’t met them.”
Watch:
An attorney on CNN can't believe how Judge Merchan handled jury instructions
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) May 29, 2024
"The jury must be overwhelmed. To have all of these instructions read to them without them getting a copy… the lawyers were not able to discuss instructions in their closings… which I find bizarre" pic.twitter.com/dsiH6YNosK
As Markus pointed out, the lack of a critical discussion phase means jurors must piece together the legal puzzle on their own, a daunting task given the case’s complexity and significance.
“The jurors right now must be wondering what all this is about,” Markus said.
Here’s the pdf file of the full 55-pages of false and unconstitutional jury instructions because we can have them… but the jury cannot.
Here is the full audio of the instructions, for those who don’t want to read 55 pages of legalese:
IN FULL – AUDIO: Listen To Judge Juan Merchan's Jury Instructions In The Trump Manhattan Criminal Trial Ahead Of Verdict.
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) May 30, 2024
NOTE: Amid outright lies, I have provided the full transcript and audio version of the jury instructions. You can listen while driving or working out.… pic.twitter.com/YOtyWF32q0
