{"id":2256517,"date":"2024-05-31T08:55:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-31T12:55:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legal-expert-jonathan-turley-provides-ray-of-hope-after-trump-guilty-verdict-the-case-will-be-reversed\/"},"modified":"2024-05-31T08:56:10","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T12:56:10","slug":"legal-expert-jonathan-turley-provides-ray-of-hope-after-trump-guilty-verdict-the-case-will-be-reversed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legal-expert-jonathan-turley-provides-ray-of-hope-after-trump-guilty-verdict-the-case-will-be-reversed\/","title":{"rendered":"Legal analyst Jonathan Turley offers optimism post Trump&#8217;s conviction: Predicts reversal of the case"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flegal-expert-jonathan-turley-provides-ray-of-hope-after-trump-guilty-verdict-the-case-will-be-reversed%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2256517&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Jonathan Turley, a \u200claw professor\u2064 at George Washington University, \u200cbelieves that a reversible error by Judge Juan Merchan led\u2064 to \u2062a guilty \u2064verdict against former President Donald Trump on \u206334 felony counts. Turley anticipates a \u200bpotential reversal\u2063 of\u200d the\u200b case in either the \u2064state or federal systems, \u200dhighlighting concerns about\u2062 the legal process and the nature of the accusations.\u200d Jonathan Turley,\u2062 a law professor \u2064at George Washington University, suggests that a reversible error by Judge Juan Merchan resulted \u200din a guilty verdict against former President Donald\u2064 Trump on 34 felony counts. Turley \u200dexpects the \u2063case to be overturned in the \u2063state or federal\u2062 systems, emphasizing issues with the legal process and the accusations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<header> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/commentary\/\">  Commentary <\/a>   <span> <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/randydesoto\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<p> <span>   By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/randydesoto\/%20\"><span>Randy DeSoto<\/span><\/a> <\/span> <span>   May 31, 2024 at 4:20am <\/span> <\/span>  <\/header>\n<section>\n<p>George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley believes New York Judge Juan Merchan committed a clearly reversible error to help a New York jury convict former President Donald Trump on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>The 12 jurors found Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/breaking-crucial-verdict-reached-trumps-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">guilty<\/a> on all 34 felony counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-the-charges-brought-against-the-trump-organizations-cfo-part-of-a-witch-hunt-experts-weigh-in\/\" title=\"Are The Charges Brought Against The Trump Organization\u2019s CFO Part Of A Witch Hunt? Experts Weigh In\">falsifying business records<\/a> in relation to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels and others during the 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI obviously disagree with this verdict as do many others. I believe that the case will be reversed eventually either in the state or federal systems,\u201d Turley wrote on X.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHowever, this was the worst expectation for a trial in Manhattan. I am saddened by the result more for the New York legal system than the former president,\u201d he continued. \u201cI had hoped that the jurors might redeem the integrity of a system that has been used for political purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">I obviously disagree with this verdict as do many others. I believe that the case will be reversed eventually either in the state or federal systems. However, this was the worst expectation for a trial in Manhattan. I am saddened by the result more for the New York legal system\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JonathanTurley\/status\/1796290636464742856?\">May 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Turley elaborated on Fox News on what grounds the case would likely be reversed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen they were reading those guilty verdicts, the one thing we didn\u2019t know was what he was guilty of, because if you remember, the judge allowed the jury to find guilt on any one of three secondary crimes,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s one of the many issues that I think presents reversible problems in this case,\u201d the law professor said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor those upset by this verdict, remember, this remains a country committed to the rule of law, and this is going to go up on appeal. I think it\u2019s going to be reversed in the state or federal systems,\u201d Turley said.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">TURLEY: We still don\u2019t even know what he was found guilty of \u2014 a sad day for this country. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jGUot0f8FV\">pic.twitter.com\/jGUot0f8FV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TrumpWarRoom\/status\/1796304346793074876?\">May 30, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Manhattan District Attorney Bragg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/turley-braggs-created-frankenstein-case-trump-based-dead-misdemeanors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">indicted <\/a>Trump last spring on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree, taking what are normally misdemeanor violations and making them felonies by alleging that Trump was seeking to hide an underlying crime.<\/p>\n<p>But Bragg <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/levin-no-underlying-crime-listed-trump-indictment-didnt-anything\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">was not clear<\/a> on what the underlying crime was, although he suggested when he announced the charges that it had to do with a reported $130,000 payment made to Daniels.<\/p>\n<p>In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/judge-merchan-issues-last-minute-jury-instruction-designed-convict-trump-even-jurors-dont-agree\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">jury instructions<\/a>, Merchan told the 12 jurors that if they found Trump guilty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/politics\/elections\/2024\/05\/30\/trump-jury-instructions-new-york-trial\/73904370007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">violating<\/a> New York tax law, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/registered-foreign-agent-gave-200k-to-mcauliffe-campaign\/\" title=\"Registered Foreign Agent Gave 0K to McAuliffe Campaign\">federal campaign finance law<\/a> (which New York has no jurisdiction over) or falsifying other business records such as bank records, they could convict the former president of the primary crime of falsifying business records.<\/p>\n<p>In other words, the jury breakdown could be four-four-four in what they believed Trump did wrong, which is certainly not the unanimous verdict required under our system of criminal justice.<\/p>\n<p>It also raises grounds for appeal under the Constitution\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/constitution.congress.gov\/constitution\/amendment-6\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sixth Amendment<\/a>, which states the defendant has the right \u201cto be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation.\u201d In other words, one has to know precisely what he or she is being accused of in order to prepare a legal defense.<\/p>\n<p>Trump posted on Truth Social ahead of Thursday\u2019s verdict that Merchan did not allow him to present evidence that he had not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/memos-show-hunter-biden-worried-about-unpaid-taxes-lobbying\/\" title=\"Memos Show Hunter Biden Worried About Unpaid Taxes, Lobbying\">violated tax law<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy said Wednesday on Fox News concerning Merchan\u2019s jury instructions, \u201cIt\u2019s really outrageous, because in a normal criminal case, every statutory crime has what we call elements of the offense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are the things the jury has to agree on unanimously that were proved beyond a reasonable doubt,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>In this case, \u201cWhat makes it a felony is that you\u2019re concealing or committing another crime, and here the judge is telling them they don\u2019t have to agree about what the other crime is,\u201d McCarthy said.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Fox News: Judge Merchan Tells the Jury that They Do Not Need Unanimity to Convict and He Will Treat 4-4-4 as a Unanimous Verdict <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/G2Zeiozykt\">pic.twitter.com\/G2Zeiozykt<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Sean Hannity \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@seanhannity) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/seanhannity\/status\/1795848013308391561?\">May 29, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Additionally, Trump has the right, under the Sixth Amendment, to \u201chave compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor,\u201d which Merchan also denied.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s attorneys wanted to put former Federal Election Commission Chairman Bradley Smith on the stand, but the judge so limited his testimony that they decided it would be of no help to the case.<\/p>\n<div id=\"firefly-poll-container\">\n<p>Do you think Trump\u2019s convictions will be reversed?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>What Smith said he was fully <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/fec-expert-witness-whose-testimony-denied-merchan-reveals-said-trump-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">prepared to address<\/a> was a question at the heart of the matter: Did a payment Michael Cohen, then Trump\u2019s personal attorney, made to Daniels qualify as a campaign expense?<\/p>\n<p>And Smith\u2019s testimony to the jury would have been, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Both the FEC and the Department of Justice had looked at the Daniels payment and decided not to prosecute Trump.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFederal law does not say that anything that you think might help you win an election is a campaign expense. Rather, it\u2019s an objective test, in which things like polling, paying for staff, paying for headquarters, paying for advertisements and so on \u2014 those are campaign expenses,\u201d Smith told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in March.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the problem that the DA has,\u201d he continued. \u201cHe\u2019s trying to allege that these payments to Stormy Daniels were campaign expenses, and I think, quite clearly, they exist from an obligation independent of Mr. Trump\u2019s campaign for president.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Trump has solid grounds on which to appeal either at the state or federal level.<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, the 2024 campaign goes on!<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p><b><i>A Note from Our Deputy Managing Editor:<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span>I heard a chilling comment the other day: \u201cWe don\u2019t even know if an election will be held in 2024.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>That wasn\u2019t said by a conspiracy theorist or a doomsday prophet. No, former U.S. national security advisor Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn said that to the founder of The Western Journal, Floyd Brown.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Gen. Flynn\u2019s warning means that the 2024 election is the most important election for every single living American. If we lose this one to the wealthy elites who hate us, hate God, and hate what America stands for, we can only assume that 248 years of American history and the values we hold dear to our hearts may soon vanish.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The end game is here, and as Benjamin Franklin said, \u201cWe must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>All of this means that <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>without you<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>, it\u2019s over. We have the platform, the journalists, and the experience to fight back hard, but Big Tech is strangling us through advertising blacklists, shadow bans, and algorithms. Did you know that we\u2019ve been blacklisted by 90% of advertisers? Without direct support from you, our readers, we can\u2019t continue the fight.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Can we count on <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>your support<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>? It may not seem like much, but a <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>Western Journal Membership<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  can make all the difference in the world because when you support us directly, you cut Big Tech out of the picture. They lose control. <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>A monthly Western Journal Membership costs less than one coffee and breakfast sandwich each month, and it gets you access to ALL of our content \u2014 news, commentary, and premium articles. You\u2019ll experience a radically reduced number of ads, and most importantly you will be vitally supporting the fight for America\u2019s soul in 2024.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>We are literally counting on you because without our members, The Western Journal would cease to exist. Will you <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/subscribe\/?utm_source=site&#038;utm_medium=westernjournalism&#038;utm_campaign=authorpitch\"><i><span>join us<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span>  in the fight? <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Sincerely,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Josh Manning<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>Deputy Managing Editor<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span>The Western Journal<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div id=\"after-article-tags\">\n<p>  Tags:<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/2024-election\/\" rel=\"tag\">2024 election<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/alvin-bragg\/\" rel=\"tag\">Alvin Bragg<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/constitution\/\" rel=\"tag\">Constitution<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/court\/\" rel=\"tag\">Court<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" rel=\"tag\">Donald Trump<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/law\/\" rel=\"tag\">Law<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/michael-cohen\/\" rel=\"tag\">Michael Cohen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/new-york-city-nyc\/\" rel=\"tag\">New York City<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/politics\/\" rel=\"tag\">Politics<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/prosecuting-trump\/\" rel=\"tag\">Prosecuting Trump<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/stormy-daniels\/\" rel=\"tag\">Stormy Daniels<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/tag\/us-news\/\" rel=\"tag\">U.S. News<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div id=\"author-info-44657\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/author\/randydesoto\/\">  <\/a> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><label for=\"summary-tab-radio-44657\">Summary<\/label><label for=\"more-info-tab-radio-44657\">More<span> Biographical Information<\/span><\/label><label for=\"posts-tab-radio-44657\">Recent<span> Posts<\/span><\/label><label for=\"contact-tab-radio-44657\" onclick=\"if( typeof grecaptcha=='undefined' ) { let cap_s=document.createElement( 'script' ); cap_s.src='https:\/\/www.google.com\/recaptcha\/api.js?render=6LeJFcsUAAAAAPsIEqvB1EebWbZfqRUe6ebMpGy7'; document.body.appendChild( cap_s ); }\">Contact<\/label><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Randy DeSoto has written more than 3,000 articles for The Western Journal since he joined the company in 2015. He is a graduate of West Point and Regent University School of Law. He is the author of the book &#8220;We Hold These Truths&#8221; and screenwriter of the political documentary &#8220;I Want Your Money.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>  Birthplace <\/p>\n<p>  Harrisburg, Pennsylvania <\/p>\n<p>  Nationality <\/p>\n<p>  American <\/p>\n<p>  Honors\/Awards <\/p>\n<p>  Graduated dean&#8217;s list from West Point <\/p>\n<p>  Education <\/p>\n<p>  United States Military Academy at West Point, Regent University School of Law <\/p>\n<p>  Books Written <\/p>\n<p>  We Hold These Truths <\/p>\n<p>  Professional Memberships <\/p>\n<p>  Virginia and Pennsylvania state bars <\/p>\n<p>  Location <\/p>\n<p>  Phoenix, Arizona <\/p>\n<p>  Languages Spoken <\/p>\n<p>  English <\/p>\n<p>  Topics of Expertise <\/p>\n<p>  Politics, Entertainment, Faith <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On May 31, 2024, at 4:20 am, Randy DeSoto&#8217;s commentary highlights George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley&#8217;s view. Turley suggests that New York Judge Juan Merchan&#8217;s mistake, deemed reversible, influenced the jury&#8217;s guilty verdict on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records against former President Donald Trump<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":662,"featured_media":2256518,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Trump-9.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[548],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2256517","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-conservative-news-daily"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Trump-9.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/662"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2256517"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2256517\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2256518"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2256517"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2256517"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2256517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}