Former President Trump’s defense team launched a counterattack against the charges of hush money on Tuesday, accusing key prosecution witnesses of lying in their testimonies, which could potentially overturn the prosecution’s case over the past few weeks. The prosecution claims that these testimonies demonstrate the former president’s interference in the 2016 election by suppressing unfavorable news coverage.
The closing arguments of this historic first criminal trial against a former president in American history are expected to last an entire day, providing the lawyers of both the prosecution and defense with a final opportunity to address the Manhattan jury before deliberations begin.
According to a report from Reuters last week, Trump decided not to appear in court to defend himself in the final trial.
Defense lawyer Todd Blanche stated in his closing argument, “President Trump is innocent, he has not committed any crimes, and the local prosecutors have not fulfilled their burden of proof.”
During hours-long remarks to the jury, Blanche criticized the prosecution’s legal basis for the case. The case involves allegations that on the eve of the 2016 election, then-presidential candidate Trump orchestrated a payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her silent about their alleged extramarital affair, which the prosecution views as election interference.
Blanche rebutted all the prosecution’s charges against Trump, stating that if one were to follow the prosecution’s logic, “every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to boost a candidate, a group effort to help someone win.”
After over four weeks of arguments, the jury will decide whether to convict the Republican presidential candidate.
As the prosecution bears the burden of proof, they will make their final statements.
Prosecutors will tell the jury that the testimonies they have heard are sufficient to convict Trump on all charges; while the defense strategy is to highlight the credibility issues of key prosecution witnesses, such as Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen.
Regarding Cohen, Blanche said, “He is a master of deception, he lies frequently. He lied to Congress, he lied to prosecutors, he lied to family and business partners.”
During his fourth appearance in court on May 20, Cohen admitted to embezzling tens of thousands of dollars from the Trump Organization by inflating payment amounts.
He previously pleaded guilty to multiple federal charges, explaining that he had “no income” and his earnings were “insufficient” to cover legal fees and living expenses. However, in the fiscal years 2017-2018 before his conviction, he reportedly earned around $4 million. He also admitted to earning about $4 million annually since publishing a new book in 2020 and starting the podcast Mea Culpa.
Cohen is also accused of providing false documents, with one of the prosecutors in this case, Susan Hoffinger, mentioning that he used AI-generated false case citations in court earlier this year.
Additionally, Cohen had initially claimed that Trump himself was not involved in the hush money payment to adult film star Daniels, suggesting that she and her lawyer were extorting Trump, but later changed his statement.
Following the closing arguments from both sides, the judge will explain relevant laws to the jury and factors they can consider during deliberations.
Trump faces 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, with a maximum sentence of four years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and denies any wrongdoing. It remains unclear whether Trump would face imprisonment if convicted.
This so-called “hush money” case is just one of the four major criminal cases Trump is facing. As he seeks to regain the White House from Democrat Biden, the outcome of this case is crucial, as a conviction could have significant implications for the 2024 presidential election and American society. It is currently uncertain whether the other cases will go to trial before the November election.