Judge Shuts Down Trump Lawyer Amid Heated Court Exchange

Donald Trump's attorney Todd Blanche was reprimanded by Judge Juan Merchan on Thursday morning after the judge ruled that the former president must stand trial starting March 25, but an expert told Newsweek why he wasn't surprised by Merchan's decision.

Merchan rejected the Trump legal team's attempts to dismiss charges associated with the ex-president's purported affair with adult film actress Stormy Daniels and the alleged falsification of records efforts to quiet a financial exchange before the 2016 presidential election. Alleged payments included $130,000 to Daniels to keep the purported relationship a secret. Trump has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

After Merchan's decision to keep the March 25 date of the trial—the first criminal trial against a former or sitting president—Trump's legal team fired back. Blanche called it an "injustice."

He also said during what was described by MSNBC's Kyle Griffin as a "heated exchange" with Merchan in which the judge told Blanche, "Stop interrupting me."

Newsweek reached out via phone and email to Blanche and the Trump campaign, as well as the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, for comment.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg brought the case forward, charging Trump with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records—including the ex-president allegedly paying Daniels $130,000 to keep the supposed affair clandestine.

It was the first of four indictments against Trump last year, yet he has remained a popular figure within the Republican Party and is currently on a trajectory to claim the GOP nomination for president. If successful, he will face President Joe Biden in an election rematch.

Trump is also facing trials based on allegations that he engaged in federal election interference in the 2020 election and its aftermath culminating with the events at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, purportedly aiding to overturn electoral results in Georgia that same year; and the supposed mishandling of classified documents that were discovered at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida.

Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor, told Newsweek via phone that he is not surprised that Merchan upheld his decision to proceed with a trial, with jury selection slated to start March 25.

"Trump has done such a good job of delaying the other three cases," Rahmani said. "The irony is that it harmed him here because he doesn't have a trial date in South Florida [for the classified documents] case, he doesn't have a trial date in Fulton County [for the Georgia election case]. He doesn't have a trial date in D.C. because of the stay [resulting from Trump lawyers' appeals]."

He admits that this case in Manhattan likely includes the "weakest" criminal charges against the former president, due to Bragg's predecessor, Cyrus Vance Jr., not choosing to prosecute Trump when he was leading the DA's office. The case is also older than the rest and many details have likely been forgotten by the general public.

But Bragg was the first "to rip off the Band-Aid" on the criminal prosecution of Trump, Rahmani added, which led to a domino effect of additional indictments.

Michael Cohen, the former president's former attorney and "fixer" who served prison time for campaign finance charges and lying under oath to Congress, will remain the star witness in the case, he added.

The merits of the case that will be disputed by Trump's team may include arguments of Trump reimbursing Cohen for legal fees, or going the route of arguing that Trump made payments to potentially protect his family from embarrassment rather than salvage his 2016 political campaign.

"I think that could resonate with a lot of people," Rahmani said. "[Trump] could still get hit with a bunch of misdemeanors, but he wouldn't serve any time [if charges are knocked down to misdemeanors]."

Update 02/15/24, 12:38 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comment from Neama Rahmani and additional information.