Trump trial live updates as prosecution delivers closing argument in “hush money” case
After six weeks and more than 20 witnesses, lawyers on both sides of Donald Trump’s criminal trial are delivering their closing arguments Tuesday, making their final cases to the jury before deliberations over a verdict begin this week.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass began his presentation in the afternoon, defending the credibility of the prosecution’s key witness in the case, Michael Cohen. He told jurors that Cohen’s testimony lines up with text messages, emails and phone call records shown at trial, and urged them to dismiss attacks by Trump’s defense.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, argued that Trump did not commit a crime and saying Cohen should not be trusted. He called Cohen the “greatest liar of all time.”
Trump is accused of signing off on a scheme to illegally falsify records to cover up a $130,000 “hush money” payment made by Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. The scheme was designed to subvert election law and keep the payment secret, prosecutors say. They allege Trump falsely portrayed reimbursements for the $130,000 payment as monthly checks for ongoing legal services, paid during the first year of his presidency. He has pleaded not guilty.
Trump’s defense argued the checks and associated records were accurate. Blanche said that the prosecution failed to prove its case and told the jury that Cohen lied about several aspects of the case, at one point calling his assertions “absurd.”
After the jury hears the two sides’ summations, the judge will give them instructions and deliberations will begin. That will most likely happen Wednesday.
Source: cbsnews.com