Donald Trump’s defence team has rested its case in the criminal hush money trial without calling the former US president to testify.
Mr Trump’s lawyers called two witnesses in his defence. Justice Juan Merchan said jurors would return next Tuesday to hear closing arguments, with deliberations likely beginning the following day.
Mr Trump’s lawyers had asked Mr Merchan to dismiss the case before it reaches the jury, arguing that it rests on the testimony of a witness, the estranged former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, who has a well-documented history of lying.
Such dismissal motions are rarely successful, and Mr Merchan indicated yesterday that he was inclined to let jurors assess Cohen’s credibility for themselves. Prosecutors say his testimony is buttressed by other evidence.
Cohen, the prosecution’s final witness, wrapped up his testimony yesterday, clearing the way for Mr Trump’s lawyers to present witnesses and their own evidence.
Lawyer Robert Costello, the second witness called by Mr Trump’s defence, testified yesterday that Cohen told him he did not have any incriminating information on Mr Trump.
Mr Costello’s demeanor on the witness stand apparently angered Mr Merchan yesterday, who cleared the courtroom to tell him, “don’t roll your eyes”.
Mr Costello resumed testifying today before the defence rested its case.
Mr Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment that bought the silence of adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
Though the hush-money payment itself is not illegal, Mr Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide his reimbursement to Cohen, who initially paid for the transaction.
Mr Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty and denies wrongdoing. He says he never had sex with Ms Daniels and has cast the trial as a politically motivated attempt to hurt his effort to win back the White House as a Republican from Democratic President Joe Biden in the 5 November election.
Cohen testified that he spoke repeatedly with Mr Trump about the payment to Ms Daniels in the final stretch of the 2016 presidential campaign when Mr Trump was facing multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
Cohen said Mr Trump worried that Ms Daniels would hurt his appeal to women voters if she went public with her story. Mr Trump’s legal team says he made the payment to protect his family from embarrassment.
Cohen admitted on the witness stand yesterday that he had stolen money from Mr Trump’s business, saying he was angry his bonus was cut after he handled the Ms Daniels payment.
