NEW DELHI: Prosecutors urged jurors on Tuesday to use their “common sense” and convict Donald Trump as the first criminal trial of a former president reached its dramatic final phase.
As both sides concluded their closing arguments, the stage is set for the 12-member panel to begin deliberating on Wednesday.
With less than six months before an in which Trump seeks to return to the White House, the stakes are high both for the 77-year-old and for the country.
Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, fearing her account of an alleged sexual encounter could jeopardize his 2016 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass made the final push for a guilty verdict, countering Trump’s defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, who called for acquittal, asserting the case against Trump was based on lies.
Steinglass stated that Daniels’s story about her 2006 affair with the married Trump was the motive for the alleged crime, but emphasized, “The case at its core is about a conspiracy and a cover-up” on the eve of an election. “The defendant’s intent to defraud could not be any clearer,” he added.
Blanche urged the jury to acquit Trump, suggesting the only outcome should be a “very quick and easy not guilty verdict.” He argued that Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, was motivated by “outright hatred” for his former boss, and had lied on the witness stand.
“He told you a number of things on that witness stand that were lies, pure and simple,” Blanche said.
During a break before the court reconvened for a rare evening session on Tuesday, Trump took to social media to dismiss the proceedings as “boring.” Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump called it a “very dangerous day for America.”
“We have a rigged court case that should have never been brought,” he said, with three of his five children—Don Jr, Eric, and Tiffany—standing behind him.
Blanche argued that Trump did not closely inspect all the invoices that crossed his desk. However, Steinglass countered that there was a substantial amount of corroborating evidence beyond Cohen’s testimony.
“They want to make this case about Michael Cohen,” Steinglass said. “This case is about Donald Trump and whether he should be accountable for causing false entries in his own business records and whether he did that to cover up his own election violations.”
Polls show Trump neck and neck with President Joe Biden, and the verdict will inject new tension into the White House race. Speaking on behalf of the Biden campaign outside court, actor Robert De Niro berated Trump as a “clown” intent on destroying the country. De Niro’s unexpected press conference—amid a noisy backdrop of pro-Trump protesters and car alarms—appeared aimed at countering Trump’s dominance of TV news channels.
As the first former or sitting president under criminal indictment, Trump also faces charges in separate cases, including accusations of mishandling classified documents and attempting to overthrow the 2020 election. The hush money case, featuring over 20 witnesses and gripping testimony from Daniels and Cohen, is likely the only one to go to trial before election day.
If convicted, Trump faces up to four years in prison on each of 34 counts, but as a first-time offender, he is unlikely to receive jail time. A conviction would not bar him from appearing on the ballot in November or moving back into the White House.
Trump chose not to testify in his defense, instead staging daily tirades against “corrupt” Judge Juan Merchan and claiming the trial was a Democratic Party ploy to keep him off the campaign trail. The jury must reach a unanimous verdict; otherwise, a single holdout could lead to a mistrial.
As both sides concluded their closing arguments, the stage is set for the 12-member panel to begin deliberating on Wednesday.
With less than six months before an in which Trump seeks to return to the White House, the stakes are high both for the 77-year-old and for the country.
Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to reimburse his ex-lawyer, Michael Cohen, for a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, fearing her account of an alleged sexual encounter could jeopardize his 2016 presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass made the final push for a guilty verdict, countering Trump’s defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, who called for acquittal, asserting the case against Trump was based on lies.
Steinglass stated that Daniels’s story about her 2006 affair with the married Trump was the motive for the alleged crime, but emphasized, “The case at its core is about a conspiracy and a cover-up” on the eve of an election. “The defendant’s intent to defraud could not be any clearer,” he added.
Blanche urged the jury to acquit Trump, suggesting the only outcome should be a “very quick and easy not guilty verdict.” He argued that Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, was motivated by “outright hatred” for his former boss, and had lied on the witness stand.
“He told you a number of things on that witness stand that were lies, pure and simple,” Blanche said.
During a break before the court reconvened for a rare evening session on Tuesday, Trump took to social media to dismiss the proceedings as “boring.” Speaking to reporters earlier, Trump called it a “very dangerous day for America.”
“We have a rigged court case that should have never been brought,” he said, with three of his five children—Don Jr, Eric, and Tiffany—standing behind him.
Blanche argued that Trump did not closely inspect all the invoices that crossed his desk. However, Steinglass countered that there was a substantial amount of corroborating evidence beyond Cohen’s testimony.
“They want to make this case about Michael Cohen,” Steinglass said. “This case is about Donald Trump and whether he should be accountable for causing false entries in his own business records and whether he did that to cover up his own election violations.”
Polls show Trump neck and neck with President Joe Biden, and the verdict will inject new tension into the White House race. Speaking on behalf of the Biden campaign outside court, actor Robert De Niro berated Trump as a “clown” intent on destroying the country. De Niro’s unexpected press conference—amid a noisy backdrop of pro-Trump protesters and car alarms—appeared aimed at countering Trump’s dominance of TV news channels.
As the first former or sitting president under criminal indictment, Trump also faces charges in separate cases, including accusations of mishandling classified documents and attempting to overthrow the 2020 election. The hush money case, featuring over 20 witnesses and gripping testimony from Daniels and Cohen, is likely the only one to go to trial before election day.
If convicted, Trump faces up to four years in prison on each of 34 counts, but as a first-time offender, he is unlikely to receive jail time. A conviction would not bar him from appearing on the ballot in November or moving back into the White House.
Trump chose not to testify in his defense, instead staging daily tirades against “corrupt” Judge Juan Merchan and claiming the trial was a Democratic Party ploy to keep him off the campaign trail. The jury must reach a unanimous verdict; otherwise, a single holdout could lead to a mistrial.