“Whoa, Prosecution Has a Photo That Shows Trump Was with Schiller”: Trump’s Legal Team Battles Over Crucial Evidence
Photo Credit :McCollester/Getty Images
Donald Trump’s attorneys are currently engaged in a fierce battle to prevent the introduction of a potentially damning piece of evidence that legal experts believe could be pivotal in the case against the former president. The prosecutors aim to present a photograph of Trump with his former bodyguard, Keith Schiller, at a campaign rally shortly before the 2016 election.
This photograph, experts suggest, could substantiate Michael Cohen’s testimony regarding a phone call he made to Trump about a hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Andrew Weissmann, a former federal prosecutor, highlighted the significance of this evidence in a social media post. “Whoa, the prosecution has a photo that shows on 10/24 Trump WAS true with Schiller just minutes before the call Cohen said he had with both of them!” Weissmann posted on X. “Which Blanche had sought to refute.”
The defense, led by attorney Todd Blanche, is arguing against the admissibility of the photo. Blanche contends that the prosecutors failed to adhere to the rules of evidence, specifically pointing out that they did not issue a subpoena to C-SPAN, the organization that captured the photograph during its coverage of the rally. According to Blanche, the C-SPAN record custodian did not authenticate the information on their website during previous testimony, and a paralegal from the district attorney’s office also failed to authenticate it properly.
Former U.S. attorney Barbara McQuade expressed her agreement with Weissmann’s assessment, emphasizing the photo’s importance. “I’m with Andrew on this,” McQuade stated. “Blanche is arguing the photo isn’t relevant, but it’s huge. It tends to corroborate Cohen by showing Trump was exactly where he says he was minutes before the call & Schiller could have easily passed Trump the phone.”
The debate over the photo’s admissibility is a critical moment in the legal proceedings, as it touches on the integrity of the evidence presented. The prosecution argues that the photograph supports Cohen’s narrative, which has been a central element of the case. Cohen has previously testified that he arranged the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels at Trump’s behest, aiming to prevent the story from affecting the 2016 election.
If the photograph is admitted, it could strengthen the prosecution’s case by providing visual evidence that Trump was indeed in the presence of Schiller, as Cohen described. This would potentially undermine the defense’s efforts to discredit Cohen’s testimony and suggest that the hush money payment was not directly orchestrated by Trump.
As the trial progresses, the outcome of this evidentiary battle will be closely watched, as it could significantly influence the jury’s perception of the case. Trump’s legal team remains adamant in their efforts to exclude the photo, arguing procedural missteps, while the prosecution pushes to solidify their case with what they believe to be a crucial piece of evidence.
