Donald Trump's 'Frankenstein' Case Slammed by Legal Analyst

Donald Trump's Manhattan hush money trial has been described as "a Frankenstein case" by a legal analyst who slammed its credibility.

Speaking on Fox News, legal analyst and attorney Jonathan Turley called the case "bizarre" and said prosecutors had slim evidence to convict the former president.

The hush money trial, which started on Monday, will determine whether Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, falsified business records over payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep an alleged affair between them secret before the 2016 election.

Prosecutors led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg allege the payments were part of a scheme to stop potentially damaging stories about the Republican from becoming public. Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges against him in the case.

Turley said that Bragg had been vague about what crime Trump allegedly committed and that Trump had only committed a state misdemeanor that "died" because of the statute of limitations. He said Bragg's assertion that Trump made false filings to hide the crime was not credible.

"This is a Frankenstein case," Turley said. "They took a dead misdemeanor, they attached it to a dead alleged federal felony and zapped it back into life. Many of us are just amazed to watch this actually walk into court because it's not a recognizable crime that any of us have seen."

"This bizarre indictment is now going to be an equally bizarre trial," he added.

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Trump via email for comment.

Other legal analysts have said the case has merits. On Saturday, Glenn Kirschner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and frequent critic of the former president, suggested Trump will be convicted following the trial.

On Monday, as the jury selection process for the trial began, the former president was accused of falling asleep in the courtroom.

According to a Newsweek reporter who was in the courtroom for the second day of the trial on Tuesday, Trump was reprimanded by the bench after he was seen gesturing to a potential juror. Judge Juan Merchan said Trump was clearly audible while doing so.

The judge stated that he would not tolerate attempts to intimidate witnesses. Trump attorney Todd Blanche then whispered to the former president, according to the Newsweek reporter.

While seven jurors have now been sworn in, the full jury is still being selected for the trial which is expected to last between six and eight weeks.