NEW YORK: In the criminal hush money trial, Donald Trump’s defense team rested its case on Tuesday without calling the former US president to testify.
Trump’s lawyers presented two witnesses for his defense. The jury would return next Tuesday for closing arguments and deliberations likely to begin the following day, Judge Juan Merchan said.
Merchan had been asked by Trump’s lawyers to throw out the case before it went to the jury, arguing that it depended on the testimony of Michael Cohen, a former fixer who was estranged from Trump and has a history of lying under oath.
Dismissal motions are not often granted, and Merchan gave an indication on Monday that he was inclined to let jurors decide whether or not they believed Cohen. Prosecutors say there is other evidence supporting his account.
Cohen completed his testimony on Monday as the prosecution’s final witness, allowing Trump’s attorneys to call their own witnesses and present their own evidence.
On Monday , Robert Costello, one of Trump’s defense witnesses testified that Cohen told him he had no incriminating information about Trump.
Costello’s behavior in court yesterday caused Judge Merchan to clear everyone else so he could tell him “don’t roll your eyes”. Testifying will continue today with Costello prior to resting the case by defence
Trump allegedly conspired to conceal $130 000 paid towards enforcing Stormy Daniels silence during last weeks of 2016 presidential race where she was selling her story regarding sexual encounter with Donald trump.
The payment itself was lawful but trump has been charged with 34 counts of altering business records for purposes concealing payments made as reimbursements by him through cohen who initially footed the bill
Trump has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty; He is being accused at age 77. He added that he knew nothing about sex scandals involving Ms Daniels while blaming Democrats for orchestrating this trial in order to affect his electoral chances against Joe Biden in the Republican primaries on November 5th this year.
Furthermore, Cohen stated that during the final days of the 2016 presidential campaign when Trump was battling against multiple allegations of sexual impropriety he had numerous conversations with him about paying hush money to Daniels.
Trump feared that if she went public with her story, Daniels would damage his standing among female voters. His legal team argues that he made the payment to spare his family from further humiliation.
On Monday while at witness stand, Cohen admitted to having taken money from Trump’s business indicating his displeasure at getting a reduced bonus after handling the Daniels’ payment.
