{"id":2254146,"date":"2024-05-28T10:04:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-28T14:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-what-to-know-as-closing-arguments-begin\/"},"modified":"2024-05-28T10:07:47","modified_gmt":"2024-05-28T14:07:47","slug":"trump-trial-what-to-know-as-closing-arguments-begin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-what-to-know-as-closing-arguments-begin\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Trial: Key Points Ahead of Closing Arguments"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-what-to-know-as-closing-arguments-begin%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2254146&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The criminal trial against\u200c former\u2063 President Donald Trump for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/marjorie-taylor-greene-calls-likely-second-federal-trump-indictment-election-meddling\/\" title=\"Marjorie Taylor Greene labels potential second Trump indictment as 'election meddling'.\">hush \u200bmoney payments<\/a> has ended its testimonial \u2062phase\u200d after four weeks and\u200d nearly two dozen witnesses. Trump, facing\u200b 34 felony charges \u2063of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rep-jordan-subpoenas-former-manhattan-prosecutor-who-pushed-for-trump-indictment\/\" title=\"Rep. Jordan Subpoenas Former Manhattan Prosecutor Who Pushed for Trump Indictment\">falsifying business records related<\/a> to payments made to Stormy Daniels, has \u2064pleaded not guilty. As the trial moves into closing arguments, defense attorneys\u200d aim to instill reasonable doubt in \u200bat least one juror about the credibility of key witnesses Daniels and Michael Cohen. Meanwhile, prosecutors \u2064are expected to underline \u2063the reliability\u2063 of Trump Organization\u2019s financial documents and\u200b witness\u200d testimonies. The defense may also\u2064 highlight the absence of a key witness, Allen Weisselberg, ex-CFO of the Trump Organization, who was not called to testify.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>NEW YORK \u2014<\/strong> Testimony in the criminal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3018617\/three-things-expect-final-stretch-trump-hush-money-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>hush money<\/a> trial against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> has concluded after more than four weeks and nearly two dozen witnesses, moving the case to the crucial stages of closing arguments, jury deliberations, and a possible verdict.<\/p>\n<p>Trump faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records with the intent to commit or conceal other crimes relating to payments made to porn star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/stormy-daniels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Stormy Daniels<\/a> to maintain her silence about an alleged sexual encounter in 2006. Trump has pleaded not guilty and denies the affair. Despite the structure of the falsified records charges, he has not been charged with any other crimes.<\/p>\n<p>Here is what to know as closing arguments in the historic first criminal trial against a former president begin.<\/p>\n<h2>Closing arguments<\/h2>\n<p>On Tuesday, both Manhattan District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/alvin-bragg\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Alvin Bragg\">Alvin Bragg<\/a>\u2018s prosecutors and Trump\u2019s defense attorneys will present their closing arguments, providing a summary of the key points they presented throughout the roughly four weeks of testimony. These arguments are not evidence but will serve to reinforce their narratives to the jury. Prosecutors will likely emphasize the credibility of the Trump Organization\u2019s financial documents and testimony from key witnesses, including Daniels and Michael Cohen, who implicated Trump in the hush money payments.<\/p>\n<p>The closing arguments come after the 12-member jury, which has six alternates, took a weeklong break from the trial beginning last Tuesday and extending through Memorial Day. Trump attorney Alina Habba argued on Monday that the jury should have been sequestered over concerns that the long break and conversations with peers could influence their decisions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd for them to be able to be out and about on a holiday weekend with friends and families who have opinions, who are watching the news, TVs in the background at the pool party, I have serious concerns. If they\u2019re left-wing and they\u2019re watching MSDNC, as my client calls it, [MSNBC] or CNN, they\u2019re not going to get fair news,\u201d Habba told Fox News.<\/p>\n<h2>Defense strategy<\/h2>\n<p>The defense, having called only two witnesses and not Trump, needs to instill reasonable doubt in at least one juror to avoid a conviction. They are expected to challenge Daniels\u2019s testimony and Cohen\u2019s credibility, arguing that Trump\u2019s primary concern was protecting his family, not influencing the election.<\/p>\n<p>Some lawyers have said Trump\u2019s team will need to present an argument \u201cthat raises reasonable doubt,\u201d according to attorney George Conway, who told MSNBC on Saturday that he believes it would be the way for Trump to gain a full acquittal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think their best shot, and that\u2019s what they\u2019re gonna do, is hope that there\u2019s just some person on the jury who just refuses to convict,\u201d Conway said.<\/p>\n<p>But other legal experts said Trump\u2019s legal team, led by Todd Blanche, Susan Necheles, and Emil Bove, might flag to the jury that the prosecution\u2019s key witness never took the stand. That witness is Allen Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization chief financial officer who, prosecutors say, was in a room with Trump and Cohen at Trump Tower when they worked out the details of what Bragg\u2019s team described as a conspiracy.<\/p>\n<p>Weisselberg was never called to the stand in part because he is serving time for a crime that began with him making false statements in a court of law. He was sentenced to five months in Rikers Island after pleading guilty to perjury in an unrelated civil case involving Trump, a man with whom he worked for nearly 50 years.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors likely thought Weisselberg\u2019s testimony could damage their case further, given that Cohen has a past of inconsistent testimony. Trump lawyers also did not choose him to call the longtime CFO to the stand. It\u2019s not clear if Weisselberg would have confirmed Cohen\u2019s version of events had he been called to testify.<\/p>\n<p>The defense \u201cjust needs to point out the failures to prove and failures to call relevant witnesses that might have had information that could give the jury more to think about,\u201d attorney Katie Cherkasky told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>earlier this month.<\/p>\n<h2>Judge\u2019s instructions<\/h2>\n<p>Judge Juan M. Merchan will instruct the jurors on the legal standards they must follow before they decide on the verdict. This step, possibly happening on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning, is crucial because it guides the jury on what to consider during deliberations.<\/p>\n<h2>Jury deliberations<\/h2>\n<p>The jury will then deliberate in private, evaluating 34 counts of falsifying business records. This process is confidential and can vary in length. Jurors may request clarifications or testimony excerpts, but the exact nature of their discussions is unknown.<\/p>\n<p>There are also two lawyers on the jury, a rather uncommon occurrence after a thorough <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chauvin-juror-jury-duty-a-chance-to-spark-some-change-something-we-got-to-do\/\" title=\"Chauvin Juror: Jury Duty A Chance To \u2018Spark Some Change,\u2019 Something \u2018We Got To Do\u2019\">jury selection process<\/a>. Some lawyers have said the pair of attorneys on the jury could take on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2024\/04\/18\/trump-trial-jury-lawyers-00152839\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>\u201cstrong leadership position\u201d<\/a> that could affect the votes of the other 10 members.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER\">CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Possible outcomes<\/h2>\n<p>A unanimous decision is required for a verdict on each count of business falsifications made between February and December of 2017. If the jury cannot reach a consensus, Merchan may instruct them to continue deliberating. Persistent deadlock could lead to a mistrial declaration.<\/p>\n<p>The coming days are pivotal in determining the outcome of this landmark case, with each step bringing it closer to resolution.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After over four weeks and almost 24 witnesses, the hush money trial against ex-President Trump in New York has concluded its testimonial phase. The case now approaches decisive stages: closing arguments, jury deliberations, and a potential verdict. Trump is being tried for 34 felony charges related to falsifying business records<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2254147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24123752979604.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2254146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/AP24123752979604.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2254146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2254146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2254147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2254146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2254146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2254146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}