Undercover Prosecutor Merchan Helps Bragg Lawlessly Stress Cohen’s Guilty Plea

The judge in Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial has stacked the deck against the former president.

Share this story

Judge Juan Merchan listens as Emil Bove, a member of former president Donald Trump’s legal team, argues for his client during Sandoval’s hearing, amid his criminal trial in Manhattan state court, in New York City, April 19, 2024, in this courtroom sketch.

Jane Rosenberg/Reuters

Editor’s Note: This is the first of two columns on how Judge Juan Merchan has allowed prosecutors from Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to prove a federal campaign-finance crime against former president Donald Trump by relying on blatantly inadmissible evidence — the guilty pleas of Michael Cohen and a non-prosecution agreement David Pecker struck with the Justice Department. The second column will appear tomorrow.

How far out on a limb is Judge Juan Merchan willing to go to help Manhattan’s elected progressive Democratic district attorney, Alvin Bragg, convict former president Donald Trump based on inadmissible evidence?

Andrew C. McCarthy

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

Comments

Advertisement

Advertisement