During the ongoing trial, defense attorney Emil Bove has requested a limiting instruction in relation to various legal agreements that have been brought up in court. This includes Michael Cohen's guilty plea, American Media Inc.'s non-prosecution agreement, and the Federal Election Commission settlement.
Judge Juan Merchan has expressed confidence in the appropriateness of the limiting instructions he has provided throughout the trial. The defense has proposed an instruction emphasizing that AMI did not admit to any violations of the law in the agreements.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass has reacted strongly to the defense's proposal, calling it 'outrageous.' In response, Bove clarified that his intention was not to be provocative but rather to ensure a fair trial.
Bove emphasized that the purpose of introducing the non-prosecution agreement is to question the credibility of former National Enquirer boss David Pecker, not to establish guilt on the part of President Trump, similar to Cohen's guilty plea that is also part of the evidence.
Both sides have differing views on the role of these legal agreements in the trial. While the defense is concerned about potential prosecutorial overreach in their closing arguments, the prosecution argues that the agreements provide important context to the facts of the case.
Judge Merchan has indicated that he plans to provide a similar instruction regarding AMI's non-prosecution agreement as he did during the trial proceedings. The issue of how these legal agreements are to be interpreted and utilized in the trial remains a point of contention between the defense and the prosecution.
