BS BULLETIN:

• Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer accused President Trump of contributing to harsh public rhetoric about his client.
• Three weeks ago, the same lawyer publicly asked Trump to consider a pardon.
• Trump did not call for Clancy’s execution; Rep. Nancy Mace separately called for a “public execution.”

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney asked President Trump for help after her murder trial ended in a mistrial. Back in court Tuesday, he brought up the president for a very different reason.

Kevin Reddington told a Massachusetts judge that public reaction to Clancy often skips over the question at the center of her defense: whether she was criminally responsible when she killed her three young children. Describing some of the attacks on his client, Reddington said people call her a “demon” and say she “should be executed.”

“This is coming from politicians, from President Trump, all the way down,” he told the court.

Trump did criticize Clancy after the September 4 mistrial. Asked about the case, he told reporters:

“Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing. Can’t be worse. But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price. It’s going to be mental institution or jail or something, but I guess they’re going to go through another trial. It’s too bad.”

Trump did not say she should be executed. Rep. Nancy Mace separately called for a “public execution” earlier this month.

The clash has a remarkable backstory. Days after the mistrial, Reddington addressed Trump directly on Good Morning America, asking him to “consider a pardon” for Clancy. Trump later called it a “state situation.” A president’s pardon power does not extend to Massachusetts state charges.

Tuesday’s hearing also brought a new defense argument. Reddington urged Judge William Sullivan to acquit Clancy, arguing prosecutors had failed to present sufficient evidence. During the trial, the defense did not dispute that Clancy killed Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months; it argued that postpartum psychosis left her without criminal responsibility. The jury deadlocked 11–1 in favor of acquittal on that basis.

Sullivan made no ruling Tuesday. The court is set to take up further motions November 2, while prosecutors have yet to announce whether they will retry the case.

MY QUICK TAKE

Reddington is right that criminal responsibility is a legal question, not a social media vote. But if he’s going to invoke the president in court alongside demands for execution, the distinction matters: Trump spoke of a hospital or jail. Mace called for execution. Those are different statements, however fiercely anyone feels about this awful case.

DBS WIRE SOURCES:

• Mediaite — Trump called out in court by Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer
• Associated Press — Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer questions evidence after mistrial
• Good Morning America — Clancy’s attorney asks Trump to consider a pardon
• CBS Boston — Trump responds to Clancy attorney’s request
• Mediaite — Nancy Mace calls for Clancy’s “public execution”