"Where's Melania?"

[marmar]

"Where's Melania?": Missing wife is why Trump's lawyers can't pull off the "family man" defense
National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified that Trump's wife was the last thing on his mind

By AMANDA MARCOTTE
Senior Writer
PUBLISHED APRIL 25, 2024 6:00AM (EDT)


(Salon) In his opening statement in the People v. Donald Trump, defense attorney Todd Blanche told the Manhattan jury to gaze upon the criminal defendant and see a devoted family man. "He’s a man. He’s a husband. He’s a father," Blanche said of the former president accused of election interference. "He’s a person just like you and just like me." Hamfisted as it may be, it was a play by Blanche to distance his cranky, often sleepy client from what promised to be days, if not weeks, of testimony detailing a tawdry conspiracy to pay hush money to an adult film actress in order to cover up what sounds like rampant adultery.

There are many obvious pitfalls in this effort to recast Trump in the image of a suburban sitcom dad. The biggest might be one very noticeable absence in the courtroom. As a reporter who was pointedly ignored by Trump asked on Tuesday: "Where's Melania?"

It's not just the failed fashion model-turned-Mrs. Trump #3 who hasn't shown up in support. None of Trump's five children, or their spouses, have stood by his side in court, either. His two adult sons would rather spend time screening hypothetical future political appointments for "loyalty" than bother to show their father any in-person care at court. His eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, is posting photos of her fancy vacations rather than staying in New York with her father.

....(snip)....

Trump's alienation is both very funny and deeply satisfying, but it also points to a much bigger legal problem for him: The near-impossibility of pulling off what is often called the "John Edwards defense." The former Democratic presidential candidate was indicted in 2011 for having donors pay off his mistress to keep quiet not just about the affair, but the child the two shared. (Full disclosure: I was interviewed by the FBI during its investigation, as I briefly worked for the Edwards campaign. It was an uneventful interview since I knew nothing about the affair or the payments.) Edwards was ultimately acquitted, in part because he successfully argued the payments were more about hiding his secret from his dying wife than helping him win an election. ................(more)

https://www.salon.com/2024/04/25/wheres-melania-missing-wife-is-why-lawyers-cant-pull-off-the-family-man-defense/

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Dedicated to "Melanie"

[Hugin]

2. An "I hate Mondays" meme on FB has more support than Trump has had in court...

This includes the protest outside. Why the press keeps up the narrative of his wide support and bothsiderisms is beyond me.