Ex-Prosecutor Flags Hope Hicks' Testimony As 'Body Blow' To Trump In Hush Money Trial

Former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissmann  weighed in on Hope Hicks devastating testimony Friday after the ex-Donald Trump spokesperson broke down in tears during the presidential candidates hush money trial in New York.

The Manhattan district attorney has charged Trump with 34 criminal counts for allegedly falsifying business records to hide payments to conceal allegations of an extramarital affair with porn star Stormy Daniels .

Hicks began crying as defense attorney Emil Bove started his cross-examination of the former spokesperson, who recalled  Trump stating that his onetime personal attorney Michael Cohen had said hed paid Daniels out of the kindness of his own heart. The move, she said, would be out of character for Cohen.

On MSNBC , network host Lawrence ODonnell noted that witnesses sometimes surprise themselves as much as anyone else when they get emotional. Weissmann said that he didnt really care why Hicks was crying but rather cared about the substance of her testimony.

And I also thought about how her crying was kind of icing on the cake for the DAs office, Weissmann said.

Im not in any way suggesting that they sought it, but her testimony was a body blow to the defense here because she put the guilty knowledge of the hush money payments into Donald Trumps mouth, and she recounted that testimony to the jurors.

He went on to describe Hicks testimony as devastating in terms of evidence.

Theres no question that her crying would underscore to the jury, in my view, that she was not there because she wanted to help the government, that she had all loyalty for The Trump Organization, explained Weissmann, referring to the former presidents company. Weissmann also characterized Hicks as a very, very difficult witness for the defense to overcome.

H/T Mediaite