Trump Testifying Would 'Significantly Increase' Chance of Conviction—Lawyer

Donald Trump personally testifying in his hush money trial would "significantly increase" the chance that he is convicted, according to one of his former attorneys.

The Context

Trump has pled not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records which prosecutors claim he used to conceal the payment of $130,000 in hush money to Stormy Daniels, a former pornographic actress, to stop her going public about an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

Daniels claims she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006 but this has been strongly denied by the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

What We Know

Tim Parlatore, who worked for Trump on a number of cases until May 2023, made the comment during an appearance on Kaitlan Collins' CNN show.

Questioned about the possibility of Trump testifying, Parlatore said: "Obviously that's his choice. That's a decision that really comes down to the wire based on how the trial has progressed up to that point. Of is it worth it? Is it worth taking the risk to have him testify or do they think they've made their point without it? I personally suggest he probably should not."

Collins then asked whether Trump testifying would increase his chances of being convicted, to which Parlatore replied: "Oh I think it would significantly increase because if the jury disbelieves him on anything, however small, that's something they're going to hold against him and be much more likely to convict."

A 45-second clip of the exchange was shared by Collins on X, formerly Twitter, where it received more than 170,000 views.

Asked by a reporter whether he plans to testify in person on April 19, Trump replied "yes."

Newsweek contacted Donald Trump attorney Todd Blanche and representatives of his 2024 presidential campaign by email at 2:50 a.m. ET on Tuesday. This article will be updated if either wishes to comment.

Views

A number of legal commentators have claimed Trump testifying in person could backfire on the former president including Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney.

Writing on her Substack blog, Vance said: "Very few defendants take the witness stand in their own defense, and Trump, given his past performance and proclivities, should not be one of them…

"If he testifies, he will be subject to relentless and free-ranging cross-examination by a highly skilled prosecution team in Manhattan. As much as I'd like to see this, it's a sure thing Trump's lawyers will do everything they can to keep him off the stand."

Appearing on MSNBC, New York University law professor Andrew Weissmann said Trump personally taking the stand "would really be a death knell to the case."

However, Trump himself has taken a different view, telling reporters on April 12 that "I'm testifying. I tell the truth. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. And the truth is that there's no case. They have no case."

On Monday, both the prosecution and defense in Trump's hush money case delivered their opening statements. A lawyer for the prosecution claimed the payment of $130,000 to Daniels was "election fraud, pure and simple," whilst a Trump attorney insisted his client is "cloaked in innocence."

The court also heard from David Pecker, the prosecution's first witness and former publisher of The National Enquirer. According to prosecutors, the tabloid purchased the rights to negative stories about Trump, including the alleged Daniels affair, then declined to publish them in a process known as "catch and kill." Pecker has been granted immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony.