Emails Reveal How #Minnesota #Governor #TimWalz Struggled to Deal With #Unrest, #Reach #Consensus With #Critics After #Outage over #Police #Murders of #GeorgeFloyd and #DaunteWright

They show how Walz struggled to balance the #need for #order in the streets against his #credibility with #activist #allies, while simultaneously trying to bridge the #ideologicaldivide between #progressives in his #party and #conservatives.

https://www.propublica.org/article/walz-police-reform-emails-after-george-floyd-daunte-wright-killings

“The #credibility of the court is on the line, & they risk looking very #partisan, depending on not just what they do but how they do it,” Waldman said.

“What made the Court’s 1974 ruling in the #Nixon …case so profound was not its reasoning, but the fact that it was an 8-0 repudiation of Nixon by a Chief Justice he had appointed. I certainly hope that the Court finds a way to present a united front in whatever it decides in #Trump’s case. But…I’m not optimistic,” Vladeck wrote.

There were few #witnesses whose testimony was central to the #crimes charged. One was #MichaelCohen, whose #credibility was attacked by #Trump's lawyer Todd #Blanche.

Another witness —who had no connection to the falsification of business records— was #StormyDaniels, whose #HushMoney from Cohen is what was covered up. Susan Necheles, the defense lawyer w/the most trial experience on Trump's team, worked aggressively to sow doubts about Daniels’s story w/the jury.

#Necheles is trying to make #StormyDaniels look like a liar. But many of her questions have to do w/money & Daniels is making it clear that she is not wealthy. So instead of this line of questioning working to impeach her #credibility, as intended, it’s coming off as a lawyer for a very rich person going after someone w/ less money for having less money.

Yes #Trump has exaggerated his wealth for the years, but he still has more money than the vast majority of the country.

#Colangelo, the prosecutor, responds, saying the judge’s findings that Trump violated his #GagOrder are directly relevant to Trump's #credibility if he takes the stand & points out there is case #law supporting his argument.

Justice Merchan has responded well to #CaseLaw - #precedent - in the past & has expressed frustration w/the defense when they don't cite any.

But Merchan agrees w/defense, saying it would be too prejudicial for a jury to hear that he held Trump in #contempt.

#Trump will likely be pleased w/Necheles's #VoirDire. She questioned the #credibility of those who are expected to testify against Trump, & made a reference to #MichaelCohen, suggesting that some #witnesses might want to seek “revenge” (the title of a Cohen books) on Trump. Cohen’s book is specifically named on the questionnaire.

Trump gives the hairy eyeball to jurors when Necheles suggests that a witness may be lying if they change the details of their story.

Hold Opponents Accountable

Make the enemy live up to its own rules to undermine credibility.

4/n