'Trump trial Tetris': Legal expert exposes ex-president's trial strategy

Former President Donald Trump is engaged in a sort of "trial Tetris" to try to push as much criminal litigation as possible to beyond the 2024 presidential election, argued MSNBC legal expert Lisa Rubin on Tuesday.

"We now have the final part of this, which is the Georgia RICO case kind of coming into view at least from the perspective of [Fulton County prosecutor Fani] Willis' office, how they think the timing of this could look," said anchor Chris Hayes.

"And we know the that Trump doesn't want this trial on that calendar, and then on the other side of the spectrum you get John Eastman saying on the fourth is too late, unlike some people — a point of reference, former President Trump — is there some of those who want this case to go to trial well before the end of 2024 and were entitled to do so," said Rubin. "So it's really anyone's guess what Judge Scott McAfee is going to do. Will he meet Willis at that August 4th date. Will he met her halfway? Will he wait to see whether some of these other federal trials go forward in the days that they are supposed to? I think it's generally accepted among legal experts now that [Judge] Aileen Cannon is not going to try her case on May 20th, but when she does is anyone's guess."

"There's also a question here generally, it keeps being a striking feature in this about, like, you get as much process as you can afford in the American judicial system, and Donald Trump can afford a lot of process," said Hayes.

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"Or his PACs can afford a lot of process," said Rubin.

"Yeah, right, in his direct-mail fundraising solicitations," said Hayes. "The general situation is clean and clear insofar as all lawyers working for Donald Trump have one goal, to delay everything until after the election."

"That's absolutely right," said Rubin. "Today's reporting by The Daily Beast about Juan Merchan brings into the view of the fact that some of these lawyers, who are participating in multiple cases, are nonetheless trying to play the various stages of each other using one court date is a predicate to move another and then go into that second judge or the third judge and using another proceeding. You and I were discussing during the break, this is Trump trial Tetris. Everybody is waiting for the various puzzle pieces to fall into place and move maneuver their way around them and figure out how they should fit together. Right now all I know is that I'm not buying nonrefundable train tickets for anytime in 2024."

Watch the video below or at the link here.

Lisa Rubin explains Trump's "trial Tetris" www.youtube.com