Trump portrayed as both victim and lead perpetrator during closing arguments at hush money trial - 2024-05-29

WHAT TO KNOW Closing arguments in former President Donald Trump 's hush money trial ended Tuesday night in Manhattan.

The jury is expected to receive instructions on the law Wednesday morning and then begin deliberations in the historic case — the first time a president or ex-president has faced trial on criminal charges.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of felony falsifying business records as part of what prosecutors alleged was a scheme to hide the payment of hush money to adult porn actress Stormy Daniels to cover up a sexual encounter before the 2016 presidential election.

"President Trump is innocent," Blanche said. "He did not commit any crimes and the district attorney did not meet the burden of proof."

Blanche accused Cohen , who was the only witness to allege a direct link between Trump and the falsified business records, of lying while on the stand and cautioned the jury against convicting Trump based on the word of the now-disbarred attorney.

"Michael Cohen , he's the human embodiment of reasonable doubt. He lied to you," Blanche told the jury. "He is biased and motivated to tell you a story that is not true. … Michael Cohen is the GLOAT, greatest liar of all times."

Steinglass, in a version of a retort routinely used by prosecutors when the defense tries to question the credibility of cooperating witnesses, said: "We didn't choose Michael Cohen . We didn't pick him up at the witness store. The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer."

In a highly-charged statement that later earned the stern rebuke of the presiding judge, Blanche told the jury: "You cannot, you cannot send someone to prison, you cannot convict someone based on the words of Michael Cohen ."

Merchan later told the jury to disregard Blanche's statement and pointed out a prison sentence is not mandatory for the charges. Trump faces up to 4 years in prison if convicted, but could receive no jail time as a first-time offender in a nonviolent, white-collar case.

For his part, Trump , 77, the GOP's presumptive candidate for president in the November election, expressed his dissatisfaction with the prosecution's presentation in a post on his social media website Truth Social late Tuesday afternoon.

"BORING!" Trump posted, followed by "FILIBUSTER!"

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg was in court as the closing arguments were delivered. Three of Trump 's children were also in attendance — Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Tiffany Trump . Trump 's wife Melania Trump — who had only months before given birth to Trump 's youngest son Barron, now 18, at the time Stormy Daniels alleged she bedded Trump — was not.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of felony falsifying business records as part of what prosecutors alleged was a scheme to cover up the payment of hush money to Daniels, who testified — in sometimes graphic detail — that she had a sexual encounter with Trump at a celebrity golf tournament in 2006.

Prosecutors have said the cover-up was part of a pattern of ''catch and kill'' schemes, the heart of a "criminal conspiracy" between Trump , Cohen and supermarket tabloid publisher David Pecker , to buy negative stories about Trump and bury them as he sought the presidency against Hillary Clinton.

The charges of falsifying business records are misdemeanors, but were upgraded to felonies by prosecutors, who argued the crimes were committed in order to cover up another crime, which prosecutors said is conspiracy to promote an election by unlawful means.