During the ongoing legal proceedings involving former President Donald Trump, his legal team has raised a significant point regarding Michael Cohen's phones being factory reset. This development has sparked a debate between Trump's attorneys and the prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass.
Steinglass expressed his surprise at the charge, stating that he has never encountered a situation like this before. He emphasized that Trump's team is pushing for the jury to be instructed as if their arguments are already established facts in the case. He humorously remarked that he would prefer the facts to be rooted in the real record rather than an 'imaginary record'.
On the other hand, Trump's attorney, Emil Bove, argued that Cohen had reset his phone in 2016 and subsequently loaded something onto it, the contents of which remain unknown. Bove also highlighted the existence of messaging apps like Signal and Dust that have the capability to delete messages, supporting the need for the proposed instruction.
However, Judge Juan Merchan intervened in the discussion, stating that Bove effectively questioned the district attorney's technical records custodian who testified about Cohen's phones. The judge made it clear that while Trump's defense team is free to argue this point during summations, he will not be instructing the jury specifically on this matter.
The back-and-forth between the legal teams underscores the complexity of the case and the differing perspectives on the significance of the factory reset of Cohen's phones. As the trial progresses, it will be interesting to see how this particular issue is addressed and its impact on the overall proceedings.
