After six weeks and more than 20 witnesses, lawyers on both sides of Donald Trump’s criminal trial are giving their closing arguments Tuesday, making their final cases to the jury before deliberations over a verdict begin this week.
Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead attorney, is delivering the defense’s presentation, arguing that Trump did not commit a crime and saying the prosecution’s key witness in the case, Michael Cohen, is unreliable.
Trump is accused of signing off on a scheme to illegally falsify records, with the goal of covering up a $130,000 “hush money” payment made by Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016. The scheme was designed to subvert election law and keep the payment secret, prosecutors say. They allege Trump falsely portrayed reimbursements for the $130,000 payment as monthly checks for ongoing legal services, paid during the first year of his presidency.
Trump’s defense argued the checks and associated records were accurate. Blanche said that the prosecution failed to prove its case and told the jury that Cohen lied about several aspects of the case during his testimony, at one point calling his assertions “absurd.”
Trump’s lawyers said they would need about two hours to make their case. Prosecutors will go second and said they anticipated needing about four hours.
After the jury hears the two sides’ summations, the judge will give them instructions and deliberations will begin. That can happen as early as Tuesday, but may be Wednesday.
