CNN legal analyst says he would 'beg' Trump not to testify in hush money case

A CNN legal analyst said Wednesday he would “beg” former President Trump to not testify in his New York hush money trial that is slated to begin next week.

Elie Honig told host Jake Tapper on CNN’s “The Lead” Wednesday that the attorneys for Trump should keep the former president from testifying during the hush money case. Trump’s attorneys have been trying to delay the case from kicking off Monday, but their efforts have failed so far.

“So on that second point, first, I would beg him not to take this stand. You never quite know what Donald Trump will do. I think it's unlikely he takes the stand, Jake, even though in movies and TV, the defendant seems to always take the stand, it's quite rare in a criminal case,” Honig said.

Honig noted that Trump testified in the New York civil fraud case last year, but that it went “dreadfully” for the former president.

“So it's always the defendant's prerogative. He always has the right to testify, he has the right not to testify. I do expect him, if any sort of reason and sanity prevails here, not to take the stand,” Honig said.

Tapper also asked Honig about how Trump’s lawyers should prepare him to sit through this trial, noting that Trump has had “some difficulties with his courtroom behavior.” Honig said that he would “implore” Trump to “behave himself.”

“The jury is sitting just a couple feet away from you. They're watching and evaluating everything you do. And if you're hanging your head and grumbling and having a temper tantrum, they will see that they will hold that against you,” Honig said.

Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records over reimbursements to his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, who paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. The former president has denied the affair and has pleaded not guilty to the charges.