CNN Panel Slams Trump Lawyers for Slut-Shaming Stormy Daniels on Stand: ‘Hurting Their Defense’

After Stormy Daniels' May 9 cross-examination filled with "slut-shaming", CNN hosts and commentators slammed former president Donald Trump's lawyer Susan Necheles, claiming that her actions are now "hurting" Trump, despite a strong start. Daniels gave hours of salacious testimony in the hush-money/election-interference criminal trial. The defense's cross-examination continued on May 9, per Mediaite.

Most people agreed that Daniels' motivations were successfully questioned during the defense's May 7 cross-examination. However, the CNN panel asserted that many began to question the efficacy of the shaming technique following the cross-examination on Thursday. The adult film star has never tried to hide from her career, therefore it is inappropriate to fault her for it, but it will also work against Trump's argument. Jamie Gangel started the conversation, saying, "I think it’s worse than meandering and drifting. I think the cross is now hurting the defense."

"I’m sure it infuriates Donald Trump that this woman who he is essentially trying to slut shame up their right sort of into a nasty woman. He is infuriated by the fact that she is up there," Nia-Malika Henderson claimed on the CNN panel, to which reporter Jim Acosta responded, "Prosecution objects, Judge Merchan is allowing Daniels, to answer. This is about, Daniels being asked whether she had an affair with one of the documentary producers. Getting to your point, you know that this there’s there’s some slut-shaming."

Henderson explained, "And she cannot be shamed, right? I mean, she is in the adult film business, and she’s fine with it. And I think you see Donald Trump, I think he was cursing yesterday. And you can see I think that it is his motivation to really shame this woman. And it’s not working."

MSNBC's Lisa Rubin said that Necheles questioned Daniels on everything from romantic partners to a side business involving tarot cards to portray Daniels as promiscuous and untrustworthy during the cross-examination. "You claimed to be able to speak with people’s dead relatives, right?" Necheles asked, to which Daniels responded: "I make clear it's all entertainment." Rubin explained that she felt “the way in which they tried to shame her and exploit minor inconsistencies in her story over a period of years, backfired on them.”

Necheles alleged Daniels had an affair, accused her of wanting to benefit from publicly declaring that she had sex with Trump, and accused her of promiscuity, trying to shame her profession. “[Necheles] was mocking Stormy Daniels. She wants the jury to think Stormy Daniels is a liar and she is crazy,” she said. “And she also wants the jurors to judge her for her occupation and Stormy Daniels gave no ground on that.”

“She might be an exotic dancer and an adult film actor, but she was very clear,” Rubin said. “When Susan Necheles used the phrase ‘selling yourself’ to describe what Stormy Daniels was doing on a tour where she was making appearances at clubs, Stormy Daniels set her straight, [saying], ‘I was not selling myself, I was dancing.'”