‘I Would BEG Him Not to Take the Stand’: CNN Legal Analyst Says Trump Shouldn’t Testify in NY Criminal Case Because Last Time ‘Went Dreadfully’

CNN Senior Legal Analyst Elie Honig said lawyers for Donald Trump should keep him off the witness stand in his Manhattan criminal trial – even if it means begging him not to do it.

The former president is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to cover up extramarital affairs ahead of the 2016 election. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts. Jury selection in the case is set to begin on Monday.

There has been some speculation as to whether Trump will take the stand in his own defense. Appearing on Wednesday’s edition of The Lead on CNN, Honig explained why that would be problematic for the defendant.

“Elie, do you think Donald Trump is gonna testify in this case?” Jake Tapper asked. “And if you were his attorney, would you advise him to take the stand?”

Honig was blunt:

So on the second point, first, I would beg him not to take the stand. You never quite know what Donald Trump will do. I think it’s unlikely he takes the stand, Jake, even though in movies and TV, the defendant seems to always take the stand. It’s quite rare in a criminal case.

Now, we did get a bit of a preview of how this might go. He took the stand in the civil case in New York, and that went dreadfully for Donald Trump. If I was his lawyer, I might try to remind him of that.

He concluded that while Trump would be within his rights to testify, “I do expect him – if any sort of reason and sanity prevails here – not to take the stand.”

Watch above via CNN.