Trump takes 'bonafide nap' as his 'dull' lawyer bores hush money jury: analyst
Donald Trump took a "bonafide nap" Friday as his attorney managed to bore the jury in a criminal trial tied to the former president's alleged payment of hush money to an adult movie star, a legal analyst said from inside the courtroom.
Former federal prosecutor Harry Litman reported from his front-row seat in Trump's Manhattan criminal court trial that neither the former president nor the jurors appeared titillated by attorney Emil Bove's cross-examination of ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
"Now more like bonafide nap by Trump," Litman reported. " And jury listening but hardly rapt."
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Litman praised Bove's technique, but argued his conversation with Pecker — the tabloid executive who prosecutors contend helped Trump catch-and-kill salacious stories about alleged sexual relationships — was "inherently pretty dull."
Tempo also proved a problem for Bove, according to Litman.
"Overall moving slowly," Litman said. "Certainly not making big inroads on the direct."
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That may be why Litman noted three times in less than 45 minutes that the former president was sleeping.
"Trump heavy-lidded, seems to be dozing off," Litman reported on X at 10:03 a.m.
"Asleep for several minutes," he added at 10:19 a.m.
"Again asleep, b/t his two main lawyers," Litman wrote at 10:47 a.m. "In other cases, even w/ big-shot [defendants], the lawyers would rouse their clients. Not here."
This is the first of four criminal court cases Trump faces, but it is not the first time Trump was caught sleeping in court.
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman caught him sleeping last week during jury selection, spurring him to lash out in a rant directed at "Maggot Hagerman."
Litman's nap time report from the trial — in which Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — spurred much mockery on social media.
"Hopefully," quipped X user Daniel, "he’ll prove that if you snooze you lose."