Adam Schiff is a very accomplished trial lawyer, but the lawyer who has caught me eye so far is Hakeem Jeffries. He was brilliant yesterday as he deadpanned Trump’s version of The Perfect Call. He was brilliant. As soon as I can find it … it will be on my blog.
Hakeem gets it. No bullshit. He knows how to examine a witness. With Dan Goldman not present for this Senate trial… Hakeem should clearly be the second lawyer up after Schiff. In fact, from this point forward I’d sit the other five House lawyers down for the remainder of the trial. I didn’t see anything special in those five. My father would have run circles around these five….not even close. Kid you not.
There is an art form to witness examination. There is a beauty to it when it’s done the right way. Hakeem is a natural. I’d limit the Dem’s cross-examinations to Schiff and Hakeem only. This is like basketball when you sit the second unit down for the night. Cross-examination is when a trial is won. This is the time your two best lawyers have the ball in their hands.
Call it mens rea. Call it corrupt or criminal intent. It should start to be getting somewhat clear for all to see at this point unless you’re an utter dimwit.
Here’s Hakeem from this summer with Bob Mueller. You can tell from Mueller’s manner he was relieved someone excluding Schiff finally ‘got it.’
To me, observing a good trial lawyer is like watching an elite athlete. It takes my breath away.