On Monday, the prosecution concluded its case, and before the prosecution rested, Trump's defense team summoned two witnesses: paralegal Daniel Sitko and Robert Costello, a former legal advisor to Michael Cohen.
The jury was disqualified by Judge Juan Merchan until after Memorial Day.
The jury will hear closing arguments from the Trump defense team and the New York prosecution the next day, on Tuesday, May 28.
It is anticipated that the jury will begin deliberations on Tuesday afternoon or on Wednesday following Memorial Day.
Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, has accused former President Trump of 34 charges of first-degree business record fabrication.
On all counts, Trump entered a not guilty plea.
The prosecution had to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump had fabricated those documents in order to hide paying the porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in order to quiet her about a supposed 2006 affair. This payment was made to Daniels just before the 2016 election.
The former head of state has insisted on his innocence.
On Monday, the defense team for former President Trump sought to dismiss the case a second time, claiming the prosecution had not provided any proof linking him to any business record fabrication. The prosecution's "star witness," former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, completed his testimony, at which point defense lawyers filed a petition to dismiss.
In order to hide the $130,000 payment from his wife, Cohen said in court that he personally made it to Daniels using a home equity line of credit. According to Cohen, he took this action because Trump instructed him to "handle it" and stop a bad narrative from surfacing before the election.
However, Cohen was never told to do so by the president, according to Trump's defense lawyers.
Cohen claimed in his testimony that Daniels "reimbursed $420,000" him for the $130,000 he had paid him. Cohen claimed that Trump was aware of the specifics of the reimbursement and that Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of the Trump Organization, had advised him to "gross up" the payments.
Cohen was given 11 cheques totaling $420,000 by the prosecution. Cohen attested to the fact that each one was received and deposited. The payments included a bogus description of a "retainer," according to Cohen.
Todd Blanche, the Trump defense lawyer, requested an expedited order of dismissal, arguing that there is "absolutely no false business filings" and that there is "no evidence" that the company records or files at issue were fraudulent.
Blanche stated that there is no question that Cohen represented Trump personally in 2017 and that there is no proof that Trump intended to mislead, conceal, or fabricate financial data.
Blanche stated that no further crimes were being hidden up and that if there were any documents of intent to deceive, they would be visible. He claimed that neither when the payment was made to Stormy Daniels nor when Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization at the time, created the repayment plan, there was any indication that anyone was considering filing a campaign finance report.
The jury will hear closing arguments from the Trump defense team and the New York prosecution the next day, on Tuesday, May 28.
It is anticipated that the jury will begin deliberations on Tuesday afternoon or on Wednesday following Memorial Day.
Alvin Bragg, the district attorney for Manhattan, has accused former President Trump of 34 charges of first-degree business record fabrication.
On all counts, Trump entered a not guilty plea.
The prosecution had to demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump had fabricated those documents in order to hide paying the porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 in order to quiet her about a supposed 2006 affair. This payment was made to Daniels just before the 2016 election.
The former head of state has insisted on his innocence.
On Monday, the defense team for former President Trump sought to dismiss the case a second time, claiming the prosecution had not provided any proof linking him to any business record fabrication. The prosecution's "star witness," former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, completed his testimony, at which point defense lawyers filed a petition to dismiss.
In order to hide the $130,000 payment from his wife, Cohen said in court that he personally made it to Daniels using a home equity line of credit. According to Cohen, he took this action because Trump instructed him to "handle it" and stop a bad narrative from surfacing before the election.
Cohen claimed in his testimony that Daniels "reimbursed $420,000" him for the $130,000 he had paid him. Cohen claimed that Trump was aware of the specifics of the reimbursement and that Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of the Trump Organization, had advised him to "gross up" the payments.
Cohen was given 11 cheques totaling $420,000 by the prosecution. Cohen attested to the fact that each one was received and deposited. The payments included a bogus description of a "retainer," according to Cohen.
Todd Blanche, the Trump defense lawyer, requested an expedited order of dismissal, arguing that there is "absolutely no false business filings" and that there is "no evidence" that the company records or files at issue were fraudulent.
Blanche stated that there is no question that Cohen represented Trump personally in 2017 and that there is no proof that Trump intended to mislead, conceal, or fabricate financial data.
Blanche stated that no further crimes were being hidden up and that if there were any documents of intent to deceive, they would be visible. He claimed that neither when the payment was made to Stormy Daniels nor when Cohen and Allen Weisselberg, the CFO of the Trump Organization at the time, created the repayment plan, there was any indication that anyone was considering filing a campaign finance report.
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NY v. Trump: Defense does not seek testimony from the former president; move to dismiss is pending