Alvin Bragg Attempts Another Sneaky Move Against Trump
Judge Juan Merchan may have reconsidered his actions after last week’s defense mistrial motion that he triggered. The judge foolishly allowed Manhattan prosecutors to bring in graphic testimony from Stormy Daniels about a 2006 encounter with Donald Trump, which was unrelated to the main question in the trial. This move seemed to have influenced the jury against the defendant.
District attorney Alvin Bragg’s latest maneuver was too much for the judge, who, after a weekend of deliberation, denied the prosecutors’ attempt to introduce Allen Weisselberg’s severance agreement to the jury this morning.
Weisselberg, Trump’s former CFO, is currently in Rikers Island, where he has been prosecuted twice by Bragg in the last two years. Despite Bragg’s usual leniency toward criminals, Weisselberg’s situation is different due to his refusal to implicate Trump in crimes that Bragg believes he committed.
The prosecutors’ attempt to use Weisselberg’s severance agreement is deceptive. The agreement, which provided a $2 million package upon retirement, does not prohibit Weisselberg from testifying in court, as it explicitly states that testimony compelled by lawful process is exempt.
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The real reason Weisselberg is not testifying is the Manhattan DA’s office, as Weisselberg fears further prosecution if his testimony displeases Bragg. Despite the legal authority to grant immunity, Bragg chooses not to do so to prevent Weisselberg from testifying in Trump’s defense.
Bragg’s tactics have aimed to deceive the jury into thinking Trump is preventing Weisselberg from testifying, rather than Bragg himself. This is just one example of the corruption of the state’s legal system, as Bragg has inflated minor charges against Trump into multiple felonies.
Regardless of one’s opinion on Trump, the manipulation of the legal system in this case should concern all New Yorkers and the country as a whole.
Andrew C. McCarthy is a former federal prosecutor.
