Former US President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower to attend his hush money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City, New York, USA, May 28, 2024.
Eduardo Munoz | Reuters
Final arguments in Donald Trump’s hush money trial began Tuesday in New York, and jurors are on track to begin deliberations in the historic case the next day.
“President Trump is innocent,” defense attorney Todd Blanche told jurors.
“He did not commit any crimes and the district attorney failed to meet his burden of proof. Period,” Blanche said.
Blanche initially argued to jurors that they should not find the former president guilty of falsifying business records related to reimbursements he paid his then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payout , which Cohen gave to porn star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election.
Afterward, Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, will urge the 12-member jury to convict Trump of the 34 felony counts he faces in connection with the records describing the Cohen returns as legal fees for work which, according to the public prosecutor’s office, never existed.
On the way into the courtroom, Trump criticized Judge Juan Merchan as “highly conflicted” and “corrupt.”
“This is a dark day in America,” Trump told reporters. “This is a very dangerous day for America. It’s a very sad day.”
Trump is the first former US president ever to be charged in a criminal case. If convicted, Trump faces a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison for each offense.
Republican presidential candidate and former US President Donald Trump sits with his lawyer Todd Blanche during his criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to hide money he paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 Manhattan State Court in New York City continues. USA May 28, 2024.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
He disputes Daniel’s claim that the two had sex once in 2006, months after his wife Melania gave birth to their son Barron. Cohen’s payment to Daniels prevented her from telling this story to the media at a time when it could have hurt his chances of winning the 2016 White House contest.
In his opening statement in Manhattan Supreme Court, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo told jurors that the hush-money payment to Daniels and the refunds to Cohen constituted “election fraud.” Plain and simple.
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Trump spent Memorial Day complaining on social media about the case, which is just one of four criminal cases he faces as he heads into a rematch against President Joe Biden in the November election.
“Why can’t defense go last?” Trump asked in a Truth Social post. Unlike many other U.S. criminal courts, defense attorneys in New York state courts make their closing arguments to prosecutors.
Trump also rhetorically asked his Truth Social followers, “Can you imagine” him having to face closing arguments “in a false and fabricated case?”
“There is no crime or case against President Trump, and if there were, it should have been brought seven years ago, not in the middle of his presidential campaign,” he wrote.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
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2024-05-28 13:47:07
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