Former President Donald Trump faces felony charges related to hush payments made to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.
However, CNN legal expert Arthur Aidala pointed to a potential weakness in the prosecution’s case – the lack of Trump’s signature on key documents.
Aidala, a defense attorney who has represented figures like Harvey Weinstein and Rudy Giuliani, said this gap could be exploited to argue Michael Cohen acted independently without Trump’s authorization.
He also questioned the reliability of Cohen and Daniels as witnesses.
Aidala indicated the defense strategy may aim for a hung jury rather than outright acquittal by planting enough doubt in jurors.
“There is paperwork that corroborates the people’s evidence and that’s obviously hurtful for the president but my understanding is it’s not paperwork with Donald Trump’s handwriting on it or his signature on it except for a check,” Aidala said.
With Trump’s signature absent from critical evidence, the defense appears poised to challenge the prosecution in proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, which could influence the trial’s outcome.
Trump has argued publicly he cannot receive a fair trial in New York and criticized those leading the case.
