A cable news interview between a lawyer for former President Trump and MSNBC host Ari Melber turned contentious on Tuesday.
During the tense back and forth with Trump attorney Joe Tacopina, Melber peppered Trump’s legal counsel with questions about alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels and investigations into the president regarding the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“Here’s why that’s not a lie. Because it was a confidential settlement. So, if he acknowledged that, he would be violating the confidential settlement,” Tacopina said of the reported payment to Daniels. “So, is it the truth? Of course it’s not the truth. Was he supposed to tell the truth? He would be in violation of the agreement if he told the truth.”
“It seems like we’re drawing some blood here because you’re having a strong reaction,” Melber, a former First Amendment lawyer and congressional aide, shot back.
Trump is facing a potential indictment from the Manhattan district attorney’s office related to a hush money payment during the 2016 campaign.
The former president, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, wrote in a recent social media post that the investigation into the matter was “a political Witch-Hunt, trying to take down the leading candidate, by far, in the Republican Party while at the same time also leading all Democrats in the polls, including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Melber pressed Tacopina on the issue during his early evening MSNBC show.
“If they’re pursuing this matter, it’s weaponizing the justice system to keep this guy out of office. Donald Trump is going to win the election and if they bring this case, I believe this will catapult him into the White House.”