Overall, Necheles’ questioning today really did seem to be little more than three hours of slut shaming Daniels to make it seem like she shouldn’t be shocked by an old man greeting her in his underwear. How it went over with the jury, I don’t know. For those watching at a distance, it’s hard to see it as anything but crude and demeaning.
If the judge and jury were at all upset with the prosecution for inviting Daniels to tell her story on Tuesday, the Thursday cross-examination was much worse when it came to digging into petty details and going down sideroads that seemed purely vindictive.
And if there was anything that underscored how Necheles was playing for an audience of one, it was when she actually spent time in these proceedings to ask Daniels to confirm that Trump was a good golfer. Daniels didn’t know and didn’t care, but there was certainly someone sitting in the courtroom who had been waiting for that question all day.
In the homestretch, Necheles’ questions devolved into little more than repeated attempts to get Daniels to say she was lying. Again, maybe that played better in person.
But it sure looked desperate and spiteful from the bleacher seats.
