CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson Says Voters View Trump Hush Money Case As ‘The Most Petty’ Of Those He Faces

Chris Wallace’s CNN panel debated the merits of Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial set to begin Monday, with senior political reporter Nia-Malika Henderson arguing it’s the one case against Trump that voters will take least seriously.

“The feds considered this case before dropping it,” Wallace said. “The D.A.’s predecessor considered this case before dropping it. So, do you think this trial starting Monday is legit?” he asked Henderson.

“Well, listen, it’s certainly salacious…It’s going to be, I think, hard to find a jury that takes it as seriously, I think, as the prosecutors want them to take it. It’s kind of a complicated case, right? It’s allegedly falsifying business records. And then, in advance of allegedly breaking campaign finance law. And obviously, if he’s convicted on all of these counts — I think it’s something like 30 — then there could be serious jail time. That’s very doubtful. I think in the minds of most voters, this is sort of the most petty trial that he faces. There are more serious ones. January 6 —”

“But it’s the one we know is going to happen before the election at this point,” Wallace interjected.

“And it’s going to be two months. And he’s going to be trapped in a courtroom for that time,” Henderson said.

Trump will become the first ex-president tried in a criminal case when jury selection begins Monday. He’s charged with business fraud for trying to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels so she wouldn’t discuss their affair in the run up to the 2016 presidential elections.

Earlier in the show, Wallace asked conservative columnist Jonah Goldberg, “is this prosecution legitimate, especially raising it from a misdemeanor to a felony?”

“I think it’s pretty sketchy, I really do,” Goldberg said. “Look, I think on the salacious stuff, the affairs, the cover up, all — I think he is guilty, but I don’t think anybody other than Donald Trump would ever have this case brought against them. And it’s, there’s something unseemly about having a prosecutor who basically campaigned and promised to go after a single man; bend, fold, mutilate, and twist the law to go after Donald Trump. And, so, is it legitimate? I mean, if it were illegitimate, the courts would throw it out as like, ‘You can’t bring this.’ So it’s legitimate in the very technical sense. I think it’s a bad idea.”

Trump denies any wrongdoing in the case.

Watch the clip above via CNN.