Trump's Hush Money Trial

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"MVP of liars"

Former President Trump's defense team hammered Michael Cohen in closing arguments today, calling Trump's former fixer an "MVP of liars," Axios' Erin Doherty reports.

• Why it matters: In his final presentation before jury deliberations, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche made one last attempt to destroy the star witness' credibility — calling him "the human embodiment of reasonable doubt."

"You cannot convict President Trump on any crime, beyond a reasonable doubt, on the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche argued.

• "He lied to Congress. He lied to prosecutors. He lied to his family and business associates."

🗣️ The other side: "We didn't pick [Cohen] up at the witness store," New York prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said at the start of his closing arguments, which were expected to last more than four hours.

• "The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer. He picked him for the same qualities that the defense now urges you to reject his testimony over."

More highlights.

Robert De Niro delivers remarks outside the Manhattan criminal courthouse today. Photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

Outside the courthouse, the Biden campaign staged a news conference after months of deliberately avoiding commenting on Trump's criminal cases.

• The unusual event featured actor Robert De Niro and two former police officers who protected the Capitol on Jan. 6. The speakers did not explicitly focus on Trump's trial.
• Asked why the Biden campaign decided to come to the courthouse today, spokesperson Michael Tyler told reporters: "Because you all are here, incessantly covering this day in and day out."

⚡ The other side: Immediately after the event, Trump campaign officials held their own press conference accusing the Biden team of politicizing the trial.

• "After months of saying that politics had nothing to do with this trial, they showed up and made a campaign event out of a lower Manhattan trial day for President Trump," said senior adviser Jason Miller.

Go deeper.

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Trump prosecutor focuses on ‘cover-up’ in closing arguments while defense attacks key witness

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump engaged in “a conspiracy and a cover-up,” a prosecutor told jurors during closing arguments Tuesday in the former president’s hush money trial, while a defense lawyer branded the star witness as the “greatest liar of all time” and pressed the panel for an across-the-board acquittal.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-jury-hush-money-stormy-daniels-e262d1fe4a9ca624f2f983ca1000eb55?

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⚖️ Today's Trump trial highlights

Donald Trump's lawyer called star witness Michael Cohen the "MVP of liars" during the Trump trial's closing arguments today, while a prosecutor accused the ex-president of "overt election fraud."

Why it matters: The first-ever criminal trial of a U.S. president is near conclusion after hours of closing arguments.

• The case — over whether Trump's alleged hush money payment to a porn star was an illegal campaign contribution in 2016 — is expected to be in the jury's hands tomorrow.

Today's defense highlights:

1. Michael Cohen: Trump trial lawyer Todd Blanche hammered at the credibility of Trump's former fixer, calling him the "GLOAT," or the "Greatest Liar of All Time," and the "MVP of liars."

• "You cannot convict President Trump on any crime, beyond a reasonable doubt, on the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche said.

2. "Access Hollywood": The infamous tape, which aired about a month before the 2016 election, "was not a doomsday event" that led to a conspiracy to cover up allegations Trump had a liaison with porn star Stormy Daniels, Blanche said.

3. Regarding Daniels: "They did it to try to embarrass President Trump," Blanche said of the prosecution having her testify.

Prosecution highlights:

1. Cohen: Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told jurors Trump "chose Mr. Cohen for the same qualities his attorneys now urge you to reject."

• "We didn't choose Michael Cohen. We didn't pick him up at the witness store. ... This case is about Donald Trump and whether he should be held accountable."

2. "Access Hollywood": Steinglass said the tape in which Trump described grabbing women "was capable of costing [Trump] the whole election, and he knew it."

3. "Subversion of democracy": That's how Steinglass described the alleged scheme with the National Enquirer to quash negative stories about Trump ahead of the 2016 election.

• It "could very well be what got President Trump elected," he said.

Go deeper

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⚖️ Trump's waiting game

The hush-money case against former President Trump will go to the jury today, after Judge Juan Merchan delivers jury instructions.

• Why it matters: The country will soon find out whether Trump will be the first former president who's a convicted felon — or be freed from 34 of the 91 felony counts he faces in four cases.

An inpatient Trump, the lawyers and the media will stay in the courtroom as the jury deliberates.

• If the 12 jurors can't reach a unanimous decision, the trial could end in a mistrial.

This is the only Trump trial likely to conclude before voters head to the polls.

Screenshot: Via Truth Social

Above: During a break yesterday, Trump posted his opinion of the prosecution's closing argument.

The defense's closing argument ran nearly three hours. The prosecution went more than five hours, finishing just before 8 p.m. ET.

• Riffing on GOAT, the sports acronym for "greatest of all time," Trump lawyer Todd Blanche labeled Michael Cohen the GLOAT — "greatest liar of all time ... the human embodiment of reasonable doubt." Blanche said there's "not a shred of evidence" Trump falsified business records. (AP)
• Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass accused Trump of "chutzpah": "Everything Mr. Trump and his cohorts did in this case was cloaked in lies. ... We'll never know if this effort to hoodwink voters made the difference in the 2016 election, but that's not something we have to prove." (NYT)

Keep reading.

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The 12-person jury in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial will begin deliberations today, moving them one step closer to deciding Trump's legal fate. During closing arguments on Tuesday, the defense and prosecution delivered diametrically opposed stories about the hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 and the subsequent reimbursement to Trump's ex-lawyer Michael Cohen the following year. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 34 felony counts for falsifying business records and denied the affair with Daniels. A felony conviction of a former president, and presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, would be unprecedented.

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Jurors in Trump hush money trial end 1st day of deliberations after asking to rehear testimony

NEW YORK (AP) — The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial ended its first day of deliberations without a verdict Wednesday but asked to rehear testimony from key witnesses about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-judge-verdict-390f045e9e8a37f069e82576edd7a842?

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🕒 No Trump verdict today

Screenshot via CNN The 12 jurors in former President Trump's New York hush money trial deliberated for more than four hours today, before being excused shortly after 4 p.m. ET. They'll reconvene tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Why it matters: Any verdict on each of Trump's 34 felony counts must be unanimous. Judge Juan Merchan urged the jury this morning to "set aside" their personal opinions and treat the former president like "another member of the community." Trump appeared to be bracing for a possible guilty verdict as he left the courtroom, telling reporters: "Mother Teresa could not beat these charges." Go deeper ... Read the jury instructions.

[stinsonmarri]

I am so glad to see someone speaking out about this man. I believe that politics has always been—Nebuchadnezzar's dreams show proof, and when he talked to Daniel one-on-one before he became a beast for seven years. Every kingdom had politics and religion that opposed the true justice of YAHWEH. I do not feel that we have read Daniel and Revelation correctly because we should have been prepared for Trump. He is not the beast, but he has beastlike qualities, and it was not him but the Protestant churches that showed that it was them that would be outrageous. It is them we need to keep our eyes on. They are the ones that will surprise you. The Catholic church has its role and not what we think. Keep your eyes on Israel and Palestine. So keep this up. I agree with what you are doing, and I feel that you have been chosen to provide the truth! When religion overtakes politics, it becomes a persecuting power. It will need a dictator, but the time is not yet!

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Trump’s hush money case has gone to the jury. What happens now?

NEW YORK (AP) — After nearly two dozen witnesses, 16 days of testimony and hours of lawyers’ closing arguments, it’s time for the jurors to have their say in Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-hush-money-trial-jury-deliberations-38642e8b525477b49c6cc1320f10f25b?

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Jurors in Trump’s hush money trial are zeroing in on testimonies Deliberations are resuming today after jurors asked to rehear potentially crucial testimony about the alleged hush money scheme at the heart of the history-making case. Read more.

Things to know: What is the jury deciding: To convict Trump, the jury must unanimously find he created a false entry in his company’s records, or caused someone else to do so, with the intent of violating or concealing a violation of a state law making it illegal for conspirators “to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.” A conviction would mean that jurors all agreed that at least one of the three unlawful acts argued was done to promote Trump’s election.   What will we know about the decision: Very little. The deliberations are secret, though jurors — whose identities are being kept from the public — can have a court officer deliver notes from them to the judge. There is also no limit on how many days deliberations can continue.   What happens if there is or is not a verdict: Jurors can either send a note saying there is a verdict, but not what it is, or they can say they can’t agree and the judge, in consultation with both sides, must decide what to do next. There’s no rule about how long a jury must take to resolve differences before a mistrial is declared. A guilty verdict would deliver a stunning legal reckoning for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee while an acquittal would represent a major win for Trump and embolden him on the campaign trail.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Posts misrepresent New York judge’s instructions to jury in Trump hush money trial   Here’s what every key witness said at Donald Trump’s hush money trial   Cohen’s credibility, campaigning at court and other takeaways from Trump trial’s closing arguments

[stinsonmarri]

They found him guilty! YAHWEH will have the last say. Stand still and know who rules. If no one is above man's law, then what do you think about THE FATHER'S Commandment, Judgments and Statutes?

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Guilty: Trump becomes first former US president convicted of felony crimes

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-deliberations-jury-testimony-verdict-85558c6d08efb434d05b694364470aa0?

🗳️ It's all about November now

A scowling Donald Trump, now a convicted felon, told reporters today that the "real verdict" for him "is going to be Nov. 5, by the people."

• That's one of the few things that Trump and President Biden agreed on in the hour after Trump's historic conviction on 34 felony counts: Voters will deliver the final judgment on Trump on Election Day.

Even as Trump supporters vowed retribution while Biden's tried to stifle their satisfaction with mixed results, both candidates downplayed a watershed moment in U.S. history: A former U.S. president convicted of a felony by a jury of his peers, while trying to win back the White House.

• "Today's verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box," said Michael Tyler, communications director for the Biden campaign.

Trump's conviction added a host of unknowns and "never-befores" to a campaign that already was full of them.

• His sentencing is scheduled for July 11 — four days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
• He could receive a few years in prison. But even if he's sentenced to do time, that wouldn't happen until his appeals were exhausted.

The day felt momentous, but many Democrats, as well as the Biden campaign, are convinced the vast majority of voters already have formed their opinions on Trump.

• The country is deeply divided, with warring political tribes choosing their own news sources and information feeds — their own realities.
• Bolstering the view that most Americans are living in partisan, parallel universes: Trump retained a slight lead in the polls during the trial even as embarrassing details about his alleged sexual encounter with a porn star were laid bare in the Manhattan courtroom.

The question bedeviling both campaigns is whether attaching "convicted felon" to Trump's name will change the minds of many independent voters and even some Republicans, as several polls have suggested.

• Overnight polls might give an early indication, but pollsters like to survey voters over several days to get a more accurate sample.
• A Quinnipiac survey last week found that about 23% of independents said a guilty verdict would make them less likely to vote for Trump, compared to 11% who say it would make them more likely to back him.

Another thing to watch: Trump's GOP is famously loyal to him, including when it has come to casting him as a victim of America's judicial system.

• Now many Republican candidates for office will be put in a position of trashing that system to defend Trump.

Between the lines: Those in Biden's campaign aren't exactly ignoring the verdict.

• But they are trying to use it to focus voters on what they think are Trump's bigger vulnerabilities.
• "The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater," Tyler said in the campaign statement.
• "He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution, pledging to be a dictator 'on day one' and calling for our Constitution to be 'terminated' so he can regain and keep power."

In a post on Truth Social late today, Trump was succinct:

• "VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!"

Read more

⚖️ Trump's charges, by action

By Erin Doherty and Alice Feng

Table: Alice Feng/Axios

💥 Pro-Trump right erupts By Stef W. Kight, Stephen Neukam and Juliegrace Brufke     House Speaker Mike Johnson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy listen as former President Trump talks with reporters. Photo: Justin Lane/Pool via Getty Images   Republican leaders quickly rallied around Trump after he was found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment that amounted to a campaign contribution. GOP congressional leaders attacked the "weaponizing" of the justice system and decried the decision as "corrupt" and a "sham" — and expressed confidence that it would boost their chances of victory in November. "President Trump will rightfully appeal this absurd verdict — and he WILL WIN," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a statement, calling it a "shameful day in American history." "Democrats just pulled off the biggest sham in U.S. history," said House Republican Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) "This verdict will not withstand an appeal, and was only brought as an attempt to interfere with the 2024 election," said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). "The voters will settle this on Nov. 5." "Now more than ever, we need to rally around [Trump], take back the White House and Senate, and get this country back on track. The real verdict will be Election Day," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is running for GOP leader, said on X. While many of Trump's usual defenders were quick to dismiss the conviction, others were slower to respond. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has long battled with Trump, has been silent so far. Ahead of the decision, former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, now running for Senate, urged "all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process" regardless of the result. What to watch: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) suggested Trump's conviction sets a dangerous precedent of prosecuting ex-presidents. "Two can play this game," he said.

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📝 Inside the courtroom

Trump as the verdict is read. Courtroom sketch: Jane Rosenberg via Reuters Judge Juan Merchan had told the courtroom he planned to send the jury home at 4:30 p.m. Trump looked upbeat, chatting animatedly with his lawyers, AP reports. Then, unexpectedly, the judge was back on the bench. There was a note from the jury, signed at 4:20 p.m.: "We the jury have reached a verdict." The jurors asked for 30 minutes to fill out the verdict form. The broadcast networks broke into afternoon programs. As the minutes passed, defense lawyer Todd Blanche whispered to Trump, who was stone-faced, arms crossed. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case, entered the courtroom and sat with aides in the gallery. Just before 5 p.m., the judge returned to the bench. He instructed court officers to bring the jury into the courtroom. Most of the 12 jurors — seven men, five women — looked straight ahead as they walked past Trump. "How say you to the first count of the indictment, charging Donald J. Trump with falsifying business records in the first degree?" a court staffer asked. "Guilty," the foreperson, whose name has not been publicly released, said — then repeated "guilty" again and again and again. Trump showed little emotion, shaking his head at one point as the counts were read. He stood as jurors left, appearing to look at them one by one as they passed in front of him. In the hallway outside the 15th-floor courtroom, cheering could be heard from the street below, where Trump fans and detractors were gathered.

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🔮 What happens next

Screenshot: NBC News Former President Trump will deliver remarks to reporters at 11 a.m. ET today at Trump Tower. Other moments to watch, from Axios' Sareen Habeshian: 1. Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 — four days before the Republican National Convention begins in Milwaukee. His defense attorney, Todd Blanche, indicated last night that they plan to appeal "as soon as we can." 2. Potential jail time: The 34 charges are all Class E felonies — the least severe level in New York. They each carry the possibility of up to four years in prison. But the judge can also decide to sentence Trump to probation without prison time. That would require the former president to report to a probation officer (awkward for swing-state travel). Legal pundits said that since Trump is a first-time offender, and based on typical sentences for these offenses, they don't expect Trump to be jailed. 3. Trump can still run: There's nothing in the Constitution that bans felons from seeking the presidency. He can even vote for himself: Florida defers to other states' rules for residents convicted of out-of-state felonies. New York law only removes the right to vote for felons who are incarcerated. (Go deeper.)

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Trump verdict

 

A New York jury found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money criminal trial, a historic verdict that makes him the first former president in US history to be convicted of a felony. Trump faces the possibility of a prison sentence or probation for his crimes stemming from a hush money payment scheme to an adult film star that he helped facilitate ahead of the 2016 presidential election. The former president called the jury's decision a "disgrace" and said the "real verdict" will come during the November election. For now, Trump will remain out of prison as he awaits his sentencing, currently set for July 11. A felony conviction of a former president or party front-runner is unprecedented, but Trump, who is the presumptive 2024 Republican nominee, can still run for office.

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BREAKING: Trump found guilty on 34 felony counts in NY hush money trial

WASHINGTON — Jurors in New York state court on Thursday found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star, ultimately to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/30/breaking-trump-found-guilty-on-34-felony-counts-in-ny-hush-money-trial/?

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Trump tries to move past his guilty verdict by attacking the criminal justice system

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump sought to move past his historic criminal conviction on Friday and build momentum for his bid to return to the White House with fierce attacks on the judge who oversaw the case, the prosecution’s star witness and the criminal justice system as a whole.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-2024-campaign-trial-4629840240cb308c5eae335532ad17ed?

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⚖️ How Trump's appeal will play out

Donald Trump's legal team began outlining its appeal strategy within hours of his conviction. But legal experts tell Axios' Sareen Habeshian it'll be an uphill battle.

• Why it matters: Appeals can be unpredictable. But given the timeline and the high bar to overturn the verdict, Trump will almost certainly still be a convicted felon on Election Day.

🔭 What's next: Sentencing is set for July 11, after which Trump would have 30 days to file an appeal.

• After a notice of appeal is filed, the case goes to the New York Appellate Division.
• Once that court rules, the New York Court of Appeal, the state's highest court, can decide if it also wants to hear an appeal.
• The Supreme Court could only get involved if some element of the appeal relates to the Constitution or federal law, which doesn't seem to apply.

Zoom in: The defense arguments on appeal will likely include that the location and timing of the trial were unfair to Trump.

• Keep reading.

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Trump convicted

 

Former President Donald Trump said he is "OK" with serving potential jail time or being under house arrest following his historic conviction on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. "I'm OK with it," Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired Sunday. But, Trump added, "I think it would be tough for the public to take, you know, at a certain point, there's a breaking point." A Manhattan jury last week found Trump guilty of all charges in his hush money trial, making him the first former president to become a convicted felon. In an attempt to appeal to younger voters, Trump has also joined TikTok — the social media platform with ties to China that he had railed against as president. The Biden campaign, for its part, also has a presence on TikTok even as the Biden administration has supported a nationwide TikTok ban.

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Republicans who see Trump conviction as politically motivated vow to ‘indict the left’

NEW YORK (AP) — In the days since Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in his criminal hush money trial, Republicans who view the case as politically motivated have coalesced around a new rallying cry: Prosecute the left.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-trial-verdict-republicans-revenge-1c35203e6fd5a62d490969bea1eb9174?

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Manhattan DA opposes Trump effort to lift gag order in hush money case

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office argued in a letter made public Wednesday that former President Trump's partial gag order in his New York criminal case should stay in effect at least through sentencing and the completion of post-trial motions.

https://www.axios.com/2024/06/05/trump-gag-order-new-york-alvin-bragg?

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To Understand the Trump Verdict, Look at the Case Against Shukhratjon Mirsaidov

The legal system cracked down on a New York fraudster last Thursday. Guilty of engaging in a complex scheme to move and hide money for his personal benefit, a former top executive must now face sentencing and the possibility of spending time in prison.

https://theintercept.com/2024/06/03/trump-trial-verdict-white-collar-criminal/?

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Trump to undergo probation interview Monday, a required step before his New York sentencing

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to be interviewed by New York probation officials Monday, a required step before his July sentencing in his criminal hush money case, according to three people familiar with the plan.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-probation-interview-hush-money-ff76617722766fb305d32d84a2bf3600?

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New York’s top court declines to hear Trump’s appeal of the gag order in his hush money case

NEW YORK (AP) — New York’s top court on Tuesday declined to hear Donald Trump’s gag order appeal in his hush money case, leaving the restrictions in place following his felony conviction last month. The Court of Appeals found that the order does not raise “substantial” constitutional issues that would warrant an immediate intervention.

https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-hush-money-gag-order-juan-merchan-c6e8056bf7b82aaf0bbf094d703b5f31?

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Judge alters Trump’s gag order, letting him talk about witnesses, jury after hush money conviction

NEW YORK (AP) — A Manhattan judge on Tuesday modified Donald Trump’s gag order, freeing the former president to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors in the hush money criminal trial that led to his felony conviction, but keeping others connected to the case off limits until he is sentenced July 11.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-gag-order-ruling-hush-money-new-york-cd8e983664e238385572b9b6dff909ad?