Former President Donald Trump, who faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business documents to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election, complained on Memorial Day about the order of closing arguments in his trial in Manhattan.
On Truth Social, the presumptive GOP nominee asked why the government is “allowed to make the final argument in the case against me? Why can’t the defense go last? Big advantage, very unfair.”
Trump learning how the criminal justice system works.
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) May 27, 2024
LAW AND ORDER!!! pic.twitter.com/3GFjnHNEmt
Note: This is how the criminal justice works. According to the American Bar Association, the plaintiff or government is entitled to make a concluding argument, to respond to the defendant’s points and make one final appeal to the jury because the prosecutors have the burden of proof.
Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman, who is reporting from the court room, has characterized Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche as “ponderous” during his closing argument. After listening to Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass deliver the beginning of his closing argument, Litman noted a difference.
This seems obvious, but at any given time you know where Steinglass is in his summation and the overall point that he's arguing for. That just wasn't a feature of the Blanche closing.
— Harry Litman (@harrylitman) May 28, 2024
Litman wrote: “This seems obvious, but at any given time you know where Steinglass is in his summation and the overall point that he’s arguing for. That just wasn’t a feature of the Blanche closing.”
Note: Litman, who teaches constitutional law and national security law at UCLA and UC San Diego, wrote The New York Times op-ed essay ‘How Long Before Trump Destroys the Rule of Law?‘ in November 2018 after then-President Trump ordered his White House counsel to prosecute his 2016 Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and former FBI Director James Comey. (White House Counsel Don McGahn dissuaded Trump from doing so.)
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