You know the charges against former President Donald Trump by the corrupt Soros-backed prosecutor Alvin Bragg are in trouble when even ABC and NBC are skeptical about their legal standing.
That was exactly what happened on Tuesday night, during their respective evening newscasts, when discussing the recently unsealed charges against Trump. Correspondents from both ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News were skeptical about the charges, to say the least.
Analyzing the thirty-four charges against Trump on World News Tonight, ABC’s chief legal correspondent Dan Abrams noted how “the facts as laid out today could be a compelling argument, but before they even get there they’re going to have to overcome the legal issues.”
Unfortunately for Bragg, Abrams seemed perplexed about what exactly the “crime that prosecutors are alleging escalated this from a misdemeanor to a felony.”
“So far, the Manhattan DA is being pretty vague about exactly what that crime is. There are potential statute of limitations questions here,” Abrams noted. “So expect some not frivolous very quite serious motions to be made by the Trump team to try to even prevent this from getting to a jury in its current form.”
On NBC Nightly News, senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake admitted that “falsifying business records is normally a misdemeanor but in an untested legal gamble, Bragg is charging Mr. Trump with the lowest level felony.”
Later on, in the show, anchor Lester Holt turned to senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett for her opinion on “how strong does the state's case appear to be.”
Jarrett admitted that while “there is a mountain of evidence offered by prosecutors in court papers today,” “the fundamental question is whether any of it amounts to a crime.”
“Expect to hear from Mr. Trump's attorneys attacking the way Bragg is using uncharged violations of federal campaign finance violations to bolster what is normally a state misdemeanor,” Jarrett added.
She ended by noting: “It appears no court has ever ruled that that's allowed and it's what makes the case legally risky.”
The case is in serious jeopardy if this is the way two of the three liberal broadcast networks are covering these charges against Trump. Maybe they should encourage Bragg to prosecute “real crime” instead of going after Trump like then-MSNBC host Chris Matthews did when John Edwards was facing similar charges.
To read the relevant transcript click “expand”:
ABC’s World News Tonight
4/4/2023
6:42:13 p.m. EasternDAVID MUIR: But Dan, still a very difficult case to prosecute.
DAN ABRAMS: Yeah I mean look there’s the facts and the law. The facts as laid out today could be a compelling argument, but before they even get there they’re going to have to overcome the legal issues. Question one, what is the crime that prosecutors are alleging escalated this from a misdemeanor to a felony? So far the Manhattan DA is being pretty vague about exactly what that crime is. There are potential statute of limitations questions here. So expect some not frivolous very quite serious motions to be made by the Trump team to try to even prevent this from getting to a jury in its current form.
NBC Nightly News
4/4/2023
6:33:52 p.m. EasternGARRETT HAAKE: The case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg centers around the accounting of hush money payments that Trump fixer turned critic Michael Cohen says he made to stormy Daniels in 2016 on behalf of Mr. Trump to conceal an extramarital encounter which the former President denies. The indictment also referencing what appeared to be hush money payments to Karen Mcdougal who alleged an affair with Mr. Trump.
And a $30,000 payment to a former Trump Tower doorman who prosecutors allege claimed to have a story about a child Trump had out of wedlock. Both accusations that Mr. Trump has also previously denied. Falsifying business records is normally a misdemeanor but in an untested legal gamble, Bragg is charging Mr. Trump with the lowest level felony.
[...]
6:36:30 p.m. Eastern
LESTER HOLT: Joining me now is senior legal correspondent Laura Jarrett. Laura, 34 counts here. How strong does the state's case appear to be?
LAURA GARRETT: Lester, there is a mountain of evidence offered by prosecutors in court papers today, but the fundamental question is whether any of it amounts to a crime. Expect to hear from Mr. Trump's attorneys attacking the way Bragg is using uncharged violations of federal campaign finance violations to bolster what is normally a state misdemeanor. It appears no court has ever ruled that that's allowed and it's what makes the case legally risky.
