Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett criticized the criminal charges against former President Trump relating to hush money payments, arguing they amount to selective prosecution.
Jarrett noted Hillary Clinton’s campaign also secretly paid for opposition research yet faced no prosecution, saying “if your last name is Trump, the standard of justice is different.”
“Hillary Clinton did pretty much the same thing,” Jarrett said. “She, too, used a lawyer to secretly pay for the phony Steele Dossier and booking it as legal expenses. She was fined by the [Federal Election Commission], but she wasn’t prosecuted, and neither was Barack Obama, even though he was fined a whopping $375,000 for hiding donors and keeping illegal contributions.”
He slammed Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg for bringing charges the DOJ previously declined to bring, saying the payments were legal as determined by the FEC.
“But, if your last name is Trump, the standard of justice is completely different and turned on its head,” Jarrett added.
“[Bragg] had to attach it to a supposed election law violation, well it’s not. Federal Election Commission investigated, and they said this is perfectly legal. It is not a campaign donation,” Jarrett said. “The DOJ concluded there is no crime here.
“But, you know, enter Alvin Bragg who is charging under federal law even though he is a local prosecutor and has no jurisdiction and authority to do that. But the judge is letting him get away with it,” he added.
Separately, CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin said two evidence rulings were reasonable, including keeping out the “Access Hollywood” tape, calling it good news for Trump’s defense.
“Jeff, I‘m wondering what you make about the different evidence that the judge has ruled inadmissible,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper said.
Toobin said, “I thought those were very reasonable conclusions by the judge. The Karen McDougal [of Clinton fame] story is very similar to the Stormy Daniels story. It is money paid to silence women who were allegedly involved with Trump.”
“I also thought it was appropriate to keep the access Hollywood tape out. That is the case. That is a tape about nonconsensual sexual contact with Donald Trump saying what everyone knows he said about what he could do with women,” Toobin added.
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