Former President Donald Trump‘s move to skip the first Republican presidential debate may serve as a strategic guard from cross-examination over his ongoing legal battles.
While eight candidates line the stage Wednesday evening in Milwaukee to make the case that they should be the nominee to take on President Joe Biden next fall, an interview between Trump and Tucker Carlson will be aired simultaneously on X, formerly known as Twitter, at 9 p.m. EST, as the former president attempts to steal views away from the cable network and his challengers.
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Trump’s absence from the stage may double as a legal shield from likely attacks by candidates presently polling far below him, according to Alan Morrison, a law professor at George Washington University Law School.
“He’s avoiding being cross-examined by Chris Christie,” Morrison told the Washington Examiner.
Christie, the former New Jersey governor and Trump ally-turned-critic who has a background in federal prosecution, has vowed to be one of the loudest voices against the former president on the debate stage and criticized Trump’s mounting indictments, also slamming his use of donations from “everyday Americans” on legal fees.
Morrison said a cross-examination by Christie would be “terribly embarrassing” for Trump and added that Trump could “admit stuff that the prosecutor could use in the case against him.”
“I don’t think he’s worried about Ron DeSantis, but Christie is a skilled cross-examiner,” Morrison added.
In the months since his first indictment in March, Trump has made it a pattern of lashing out at prosecutors and potential witnesses in the case, leading to federal judges overseeing his cases to impose protective orders and, in a more recent instance, prompting United States District Judge Chanya Chutkan to say inflammatory remarks would speed up his trial schedule.
John Lauro, one of Trump’s lead attorneys in the federal case accusing him of efforts to subvert the 2020 election, has said he normally tells them: “Don’t say anything; don’t make any public comments,” according to a podcast with Florida lawyer David Markus.
“With President Trump, because of the campaign, and I would say because of his personality, it’s impossible for him not to speak out on the issues. So it does present unique circumstances,” Lauro added. “I think, in his mind, it’s sort of fair game from a political perspective to make these comments.”
Despite Trump’s debate absence and his indictments in two state and two federal cases that amount to over 90 charges, he overwhelmingly remains the front-runner for the GOP nomination.
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In the first Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa poll, caucusgoers overwhelmingly said that Trump is their first choice, with 42%. While he isn’t the first pick for the majority of Republicans, he holds a significant edge over opponents.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) was the first choice of 19% of likely caucusgoers. Trump holds a 23-point lead on DeSantis, his closest competitor. No other candidates were able to break into double digits in the state, with the closest contender being Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who boasted 9%. Christie is the first choice of 5% of likely GOP voters.
