Former US President Donald Trump's historic hush money trial took place on May 21, 2024.
If convicted, Trump could face prison time or probation.
The defense rested without calling Trump to testify and closing arguments are scheduled for next week.
The prosecution called several witnesses including Michael Cohen who testified that Trump ordered hush-money payments.
The trial revolves around allegations that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
Trump had previously hinted at testifying but ultimately did not take the stand, instead being represented by a team of lawyers who called two witnesses: a paralegal and Robert Costello.
In the historic hush money trial of former US President Donald Trump, both sides presented their cases on May 21, 2024. The defense rested without calling Trump to testify, and closing arguments are scheduled for next week. The jury will consist of twelve New Yorkers who will decide the outcome of this landmark trial.
The prosecution called several witnesses, including Michael Cohen, who testified that Trump ordered him to make hush-money payments. The defense attempted to impugn Cohen's credibility during the trial. However, the prosecution is relying on his testimony as evidence against Trump.
Trump had previously hinted at testifying in his own defense but ultimately did not take the stand. Instead, he was represented by a team of lawyers who called two witnesses: a paralegal and Robert Costello, an attorney who was in talks with Cohen during the FBI investigation.
The trial revolves around allegations that Trump falsified business records to cover up hush-money payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. If convicted, he could face prison time or probation.
Stay tuned for more updates as the trial progresses towards its conclusion.
The defense rested its case in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial after roughly 90 minutes of testimony.
Trump had repeatedly teased that he would testify in his own defense but ultimately did not take the stand.
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Donald Trump’s defense team rested their case in the hush money trial without calling him to testify
The most important witness for the defense was Cohen, who testified in the prosecution’s case and was subject to cross-examination.
Cohen’s credibility as a witness was questioned by Trump’s attorneys during cross-examination.
Jury will get a week off before closing arguments set for next Tuesday, with a verdict possible by the end of next week.
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The article contains selective reporting as it only reports details that support the authors' position of Trump not testifying in the trial. The authors quote and discuss at length how Trump had previously expressed his intention to testify but ultimately did not. They also mention how prosecutors planned to question Trump about various misdeeds if he took the stand, implying that this was a reason for him not testifying. However, they do not mention or consider the possibility that Trump may have chosen not to testify due to strategic reasons or legal advice from his attorneys. This selective reporting skews the readers' understanding of the situation and is deceptive.
But on Tuesday, the opportunity for Trump to testify came and went quickly, with attorney Todd Blanche telling the judge once Costello was off the stand, ‘The defense rests.’
Following a routine hearing on what would be allowed – known as a Sandoval hearing – the judge ruled that prosecutors would have been allowed to question Trump about various misdeeds if he took the stand.
The defense rested its case in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial on Tuesday after roughly 90 minutes of testimony – and without the former president taking the stand.
Ultimately, there was little suspense in the decision: the lawyers and the judge have been gaming out the trial’s end-game schedule for the past week as though Trump would not testify.
Michael Cohen is a witness in Donald Trump’s criminal trial.
Cohen has openly expressed his animus towards Trump and has written memoirs criticizing him.
Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison for crimes including lying to Congress and violating campaign finance laws.
Cohen testified that Trump ordered him to make hush-money payments, one of which went to Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s defense team attempted to impugn Cohen’s credibility during the trial.
The prosecution is relying on Cohen as a witness in the case against Trump.
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The author makes several editorializing statements and uses emotional manipulation in her article. She describes Michael Cohen as a 'valuable and fraught star witness', 'frank about his motives and past', a 'jilted lackey', Trump as a 'cheeto-dusted cartoon villain' and Cohen's memoirs as 'that trash the former president for his many transgressions'. These statements are not facts but rather the author's opinions. She also uses phrases like 'boiled down to', 'in part forced by', and 'actually makes him seem more credible to a jury'. These phrases imply that she is interpreting or explaining events in a way that goes beyond the facts presented in the article.
Cohen testified that he had spoken with Trump in October 2016, via Trump’s bodyguard’s phone, about paying off Daniels. Attempting to ding Cohen on the details of the call, the defense insisted that Cohen hadn’t spoken with Trump and had actually discussed a different matter with the bodyguard
The fact that Cohen has already served time in prison for admitting to crimes related to hush-money payments actually adds to his credibility as a witness here
To get a sense of his animus toward his ex-boss, look no further than his T-shirt depicting Trump behind bars
That transparency made him appear like ‘the agent who was held accountable, whereas the principal has escaped accountability'
The defense has tried to portray Cohen, Trump’s ex-lawyer and fixer, as a jilted lackey
