Jury deliberations will begin Wednesday morning in New York prosecutors’ case against Donald Trump, the first criminal trial involving a former president.
“You, the jury, have the ability to hold the defendant accountable,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told the panel at the end of his 4 1/2-hour closing argument Tuesday.
Deliberations will begin after State Judge Juan Merchan delivers his instructions to the 12-person jury on the laws it should consider when deciding the landmark case. His instruction is expected to take about an hour.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a secret payment his lawyer Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the closing days of the 2016 election. that Trump reimbursed Cohen through a series of payments that were falsely listed as legal expenses.
The prosecutor’s office was able to upgrade the charge, normally a misdemeanor, to a felony by claiming the records were falsified with the intent to conceal another crime. Steinglass suggested that Trump was trying to cover up a series of crimes, including violations of state and federal election laws.
Trump attorney Todd Blanche told the jury: “President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crime and the public prosecutor did not meet the burden of proof. Period.”
He argued that the records were not falsified because Trump was not reimbursing Cohen for Daniels’ payment; rather, he was paying for general legal services because Cohen was Trump’s personal lawyer at the time.
Steinglass called that account jaw-dropping, noting that Trump had already publicly acknowledged reimbursing Cohen.
Cohen was the prosecutors’ star witness and Blanche told jurors he was untrustworthy because of his history of lying. “He’s literally the liars’ MVP,” Blanche said.
Steinglass acknowledged that Cohen had a history of lying, but said he often did so to protect Trump. The fact that Trump’s lawyers are trying to use these lies to undermine his credibility “is what some people might call bold,” Steinglass said.
The trial began with jury selection on April 15. Trump, who said before the proceedings began that he would “absolutely” testify, did not speak in his own defense.
If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison.
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