Jonathan Turley on Being in Trump Courtroom Today: ‘One of the Most Bizarre Moments I’ve Had in a Courtroom’

BREAM: “I want to bring in Professor Jonathan Turley, who has been in the courtroom today. So you’re fresh out of there. Can you give us any of the flavor? Because when we thought that the court was going to break for the day, it seems like President Trump and his team seemed relaxed, that he was smiling. Maybe they thought, OK, this jury is still struggling. They’re going to leave tonight not having made a decision. Then we get word that verdict is coming in. What can you tell us about the mood inside the courthouse?”

TURLEY: “It was one of the most bizarre moments I’ve had in a courtroom. And I was just observing. The judge had just said that the jury could not reach a decision and that we would be dismissed for the day. Some reporters actually gathered their stuff and were starting to leave. And then the judge came and basically said, my mistake, we just got a note saying there’s a verdict. Throughout this time, you could feel the building pressure in that courtroom. The one person that didn’t seem to register it was the former president. He had been chatting with counsel. He didn’t show any emotion at all as this mantra of guilty verdicts was read. And there was a great — you know, I think that this is one of those things that is, really embodies the entire Trump era. There were people who clearly were thrilled by the result. And there were people that will be very sad by it. I was saddened to watch it. I disagree with this verdict. I think, as I’ve said before, that this case was legally unfounded. When they were reading those guilty verdicts, the one thing that we didn’t know is really what he was found guilty of. Because if you remember, the judge allowed the jury to find guilt on any one of three secondary crimes. We weren’t told whether the jury found any one of those crimes, whether they found all three of those crimes. I’m not too sure we will know that. That’s one of the many issues that I think presents reversible problems in this case. So what I would say is that this is historic moment. We all have to take a breath. But for 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’s going to be reversed in the state or federal systems, but it’s moments like this when you’re on the other side, when you disagree with the verdict, that you have to take a leap of faith in the rule of law. It’s what defines us. Many people feel that this case really embodied the antithesis of that. But as a country as a whole, we have a system in place to review this. For Donald Trump, that’s not going to happen before the election in all likelihood. But let’s keep in mind that this is not the only court. It’s just the first one.”