CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said that the cross-examination of adult film actress and Trump trial witness Stormy Daniels after her testimony against former President Trump was a disaster.
While Honig said that Daniels’ testimony about a sexual encounter with Trump in a hotel room in 2006 was “plausible,” her responses under cross-examination by Trump’s team called her credibility into question.
“Her responses were disastrous,” Honig said, referring to the moment when Daniels admitted that she hates Trump.
TOP 5 MOMENTS OF TRUMP TRIAL AFTER ‘SALACIOUS’ STORMY DANIELS TESTIMONY
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig said that the cross-examination of adult film actress and Trump trial witness Stormy Daniels after her testimony against former President Trump was a disaster. (Getty Images)
“That’s a big deal,” Honig said.
Trump has pleadednot guiltyto 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges stem from a years-long investigation by theManhattan District Attorney’s Office. The charges are related to alleged payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to silence Daniels about an alleged 2006 extramarital affair with Trump.
“When the witness hates the person whose liberty is at stake, that’s a big d— deal!” Honig said. “And she’s putting out tweets, fantasizing about him being in jail. That really undermines the credibility.”
STORMY ALLEGES ONE-NIGHT STAND WITH TRUMP, AGREED TO LIE FOR HER $130,000 PAYOFF
CNN legal analyst Elie Honig screenshot (CNN screenshot)
Daniels has made multiple posts about Trump on social media, including writing that she “will go to jail” before she has to “pay a penny” to Trump.
“The fact that she owes him $500,000 by order of a court, owes Donald Trump a half million dollars, and said, ‘I will never pay him. I will defy a court order,’ the defense is gonna say, ‘She’s willing to defy a court order. She’s not willing to respect an order from a judge. Why is she gonna respect this oath she took?’ So, I thought it went quite poorly on cross-exam,” the analyst said.
“I think the cross made real inroads,” Honig added.
The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Fox News’ Brooke Singman and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
Jeffrey Clark is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. He has previously served as a speechwriter for a cabinet secretary and as a Fulbright teacher in South Korea. Jeffrey graduated from the University of Iowa in 2019 with a degree in English and History.
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