Judge Merchan Could Convince Donald Trump to Make 'Risky' Move in Trial

New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan could convince former President Donald Trump to make a "risky" move in his Manhattan criminal trial.

Former federal prosecutor Jennifer Rodgers was asked Monday during an appearance on CNN if Trump could testify in the trial for alleged hush money payments made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.

"As soon as a defendant testifies, everything else kinda fades away," Rodgers said. "It would be really risky for him to testify and there's no way he's gonna do it if they don't get a really good ruling from the judge on what prosecutors can and can't go into on cross-examination."

Rodgers explained that prosecutors could cross-examine Trump on "impeachment evidence," which includes "questions about reputation for dishonesty."

"No one has a stronger reputation for dishonesty than the former president," she said.

Newsweek reached out to Trump's spokesperson via email for comment.

The context:

The jury selection process for Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan is expected to begin on Monday.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump in April 2023, accusing the former president of "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."

The former president has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case.

What we know:

Last month, Trump said that he "would have no problem testifying" in the case. "I didn't do anything wrong," he explained.

Trump further discussed testifying last week while speaking to reporters, telling NBC News, "Yeah, I would testify, absolutely."

"I'm testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that there is no case," Trump said.

The former president was previously placed under a gag order in the trial after criticizing Merchan's daughter.

Views:

Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, has continued to call for the trial to be dismissed while also criticizing President Joe Biden and other Democrats.

"As virtually every legal scholar has powerfully stated, the Biden Manhattan Witch Hunt Case is, among other things, BARRED by the Statute of Limitations. This 'trial' should be ended by the highly conflicted presiding Judge," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Monday.

What's next:

The jury selection process on Monday will have more than 500 New Yorkers fill out questionnaires about their political beliefs before 12 are chosen.

Six alternate jurors will also be selected for the case.

Update 4/15/24, 8:09 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.

Update 4/15/24, 9:02 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.