A verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York hush money trial is approaching, with closing arguments concluding after a lengthy day in court on Tuesday.
The prosecution and defense summarized nearly six weeks of arguments and testimonies in a final bid to sway the jury.
Trump’s defense focused their closing argument on questioning the credibility of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, the prosecution’s primary witness. Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, asserted that the prosecution’s case hinged entirely on Cohen, arguing that if Cohen could not be trusted, neither could the case.
“What Mr. Trump knew in 2016, you only know from one source,” he said. “And that’s Michael Cohen.”
Blanche characterized Cohen as “the human embodiment of reasonable doubt,” “an M.V.P. of liars,” and “the greatest liar of all time,” the New York Times reported.
The prosecution, on the other hand, sought to depict Trump’s alleged actions as part of a large conspiracy that may have influenced the outcome of the 2016 election. Attorney Joshua Steinglass argued that Trump’s alleged hush money payments and the National Enquirer’s efforts to buy and conceal negative stories about Trump constituted election fraud.
“This scheme, cooked up by these men, at this time, could very well be what got President Trump elected,” he said. “This was overt election fraud, an act in furtherance of the conspiracy to promote Mr. Trump’s election by unlawful means.”
Prosecutors also countered Blanche’s assertion that their case depended solely on Cohen by highlighting the other evidence presented during the trial.
“They want to make this case about Michael Cohen: It isn’t,” Steinglass said. “It’s about Donald Trump.”
Trump faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records related to hush money payments made to porn actress Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors presented as evidence 11 checks, 12 ledger entries, and 11 invoices that were used to pay Cohen a total of $420,000 in 2017. Trump denies both the affair and the hush money payments.
When court reconvenes, Judge Juan Merchan will instruct the jurors on the legal issues central to the case. They will then begin deliberations before delivering a verdict in the historic case against a former president.
