Five Questions With Former Assistant Manhattan DA Karen Friedman Agnifilo

Before becoming a criminal defense lawyer in private practice, our guest tonight for “Five Questions With,” Karen Friedman Agnifilo, served in multiple roles in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, including as the Executive, Chief of the Trial Division and Chief Assistant District Attorney. Since leaving the DA’s office, she has been a criminal defense lawyer in private practice. Karen is one of the most authoritative voices we could turn to tonight to understand what will happen at the end of Donald Trump’s trial, which is rapidly approaching.

The expectation is that Todd Blanche will finish cross-examining Michael Cohen by the lunch break on Monday. There will mostly likely be some redirect examination from the prosecution and perhaps a witness or two from the defense. And there’s a big asterisk here: although it’s widely assumed Trump’s lawyers will convince him not to testify (it’s entirely possible he doesn’t really want to despite the bluster), there is still a chance he will. That decision belongs to the client. Either way, we will likely hear closing arguments and the Judge’s instructions to the jury next week. Then, all that’s left is deliberations.

To help us understand what to expect once all of the evidence is in, Karen shares her experience with the process, how it works and her observations about this trial in particular. I’m grateful she was willing to take time out from her law practice and her frequent commentary on CNN, where she provides highly insightful legal analysis, to join us tonight!

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