Posted on 05/28/2024 8:05:34 AM PDT by Red Badger
KEY POINTS
Closing arguments in the criminal hush money case of former President Donald Trump began in New York.
Trump, who is headed to a rematch against President Joe Biden in November’s election, is the first former American president to face a criminal trial.
The Republican is charged with falsifying business records related to reimbursements to his former lawyer Michael Cohen for a 2016 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
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A defense lawyer told jurors in a New York courtroom Tuesday that former President Donald Trump “is innocent” of crimes related to a 2016 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump “did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof. Period,” defense attorney Todd Blanche said as he began closing arguments at Trump’s trial on felony charges of falsifying business records.
Those records described as legal expenses Trump’s reimbursements to then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen for a $130,000 payout to Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. Prosecutors said the payment, which kept Daniels quiet about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump a decade earlier, was designed to prevent her from damaging his chances to win the White House in 2016.
Blanche argued, “You should want and expect more than the testimony of Michael Cohen” to convict Trump.
“President Trump is not guilty,” Blanche said in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Blanche told jurors the records were not false, and there was no intent to defraud anyone by labeling the records as legal expenses.
“Cohen lied to you, Cohen lied to you,” Blanche said of Trump’s former lawyer, who testified at length about Trump directing him to pay off Daniels, and how he did little if any legal work for Trump on the heels of that payment.
“The story Mr. Cohen told you on that witness stand is not true,” Blanche said.
The lawyer said that even if jurors determined there a conspiracy to influence the outcome of the 2016 election, he expected them to conclude that Trump was innocent.
“As I said to you in the opening statement, it doesn’t matter if there was a conspiracy to win the election,” Blanche argued. “Every campaign is a conspiracy to promote a candidate.”
After Blanche finishes, Joshua Steinglass, a prosecutor from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office then will urge the 12-member jury to convict Trump of the 34 felony counts he faces related to the records.
On his way into the courtroom, Trump blasted the trial judge, Juan Merchan, calling him “highly conflicted” and “corrupt.”
“This is a dark day in America,” Trump told reporters. “This is a very dangerous day for America. It’s a very sad day.”
Trump is the first former U.S. president ever to be tried in a criminal case. If convicted, Trump faces a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison for each felony count.
He denies Daniels’ claim that the two had sex once in 2006, months after his wife Melania gave birth to their son, Barron.
In his opening statement in Manhattan Supreme Court, assistant D.A. Matthew Colangelo told jurors that the hush money payment to Daniels, and the reimbursements to Cohen, amounted to “election fraud. Pure and simple.”
Trump spent Memorial Day on social media complaining about the case, which is just one of four criminal cases he faces as he heads to a rematch in the November election against President Joe Biden.
“Why can’t the defense go last?” Trump asked in a Truth Social post. In New York state courts, unlike many other U.S. criminal courts, defense attorneys give their closing arguments before prosecutors.
Trump also rhetorically asked his Truth Social followers “can you imagine” him facing closing arguments “on a FAKE & MADE UP CASE.”
“THERE IS NO CRIME OR CASE against President Trump, and if there was it should have been brought seven years ago, not in the middle of his Campaign for President,” he wrote.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
The Prosecution will say, “Trump is guilty of being a poopy head, therefore you must convict!”
Given the jury pool in Manhattan, I suspect none of those words mattered: “Trump did not commit any crime!”
Their minds were most likely already made up before the trial even started.
I'm not sure I'd have said "sure there was a conspiracy! so what?" in my closing if I were the lawyer for Trump.
Presumably the prosecution already gave its closing.
The judge told them to convict or else
Yup! Why bother adjourning to the jury room? Oh, for appearances. Got it.
The jury wasn’t sequestered......how much contact you think at least one of ‘em had during the trial from someone distantly connected to president taterhead?.......if it DIDN’T happen I’d be more surprised.
It would be amazing if the jury acquits Trump, or even a hung jury would be great. However,I think the fix is in and Trump will be found guilty on at least some of the charges. The media will be orgasmic to report Trumps “guilt” in a show trial worthy of Stalin. Of course the verdict will be thrown out on appeal but the media jackals will have their day. The leftists will he hoisted on their own retard as Trump will be seen as a martyr and surge in the polls.
The whole trial was for sake of appearance.
I fear that the judge will not take the chance that the jury was actually paying attention. I fear that he will direct a verdict.
Agreed. There is only a 10% chance of getting one pro-Trump juror. It will be a unanimous conviction after about 5 minutes of deliberations.
If he does all heck will break loose..................
Orange Man bad….
Good reason to be overturned on appeal....................
x
Not sure there’s any provision for a judge in a criminal case to issue a directed verdict of guilty. Not guilty, yes, that’s provided for in the rules, but Guilty? It’s not like Pink Floyd’s The Wall! (The evidence before the court is incontrovertible. There’s no need for the jury to retire!)
Prosecution gets to go first and last, since it has the burden of proof. Well, that’s the theory for the last 250 years, anyway...
I thought that was a lame concept also, just an uncalled for stupid thing to say.
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