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It is the last chance to influence the jury’s opinion. The question: Is Donald Trump guilty of concealing hush money for a porn actress?
New York – In the hush money trial against Donald Trump, the prosecution and defense want to convince the twelve jurors one last time of the guilt or innocence of the former US president. The closing arguments in court in New York are about alleged document forgery in 34 cases. If convicted, the renewed presidential candidate Trump faces several years in prison, which could also be suspended, or a fine. He has pleaded not guilty.
This is the first criminal trial against a former US president in American history. More than 20 witnesses have been heard since mid-April. The prosecution accuses Trump of wanting to improve his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election by paying $130,000 to porn actress Daniels. Although the payment itself – which neither side disputes – was not illegal, the now 77-year-old is said to have manipulated documents when reimbursing the amount to his then personal lawyer Michael Cohen in order to conceal the true reason for the transaction. This made the payments illegal campaign financing.
Unanimous decision required
The verdict is also likely to have an impact on the current election campaign in the United States – the only question is: how much and to whose advantage. Trump is trying to turn the accusations into a personal advantage and mobilize his supporters by portraying himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system. Incumbent Joe Biden does not seem to have benefited noticeably from the legal proceedings against his challenger.
After the closing arguments, which are expected to end today or on Wednesday, the twelve jurors will retire to deliberate and must reach a unanimous verdict. Officially, there is no time limit for this, but juries usually deliberate for a few hours to a few days. In the event of a conviction, Judge Juan Merchan will determine the sentence at a separate date. If the jurors cannot agree even after a lengthy deliberation, the trial will be over. In this case, the prosecution would have the option of reopening the case with a new jury.
Trump: Sometimes interested, sometimes with his eyes closed
The trial is taking place in downtown Manhattan amid unprecedented media interest and the strictest security precautions. Trump was always present at the sessions and varied the color of his tie from day to day. He regularly put on a grim face for the short photo opportunity at the beginning of the session. Trump seemed to be following some witness interviews with interest, on other days US media were sure that he kept his eyes closed for a long time because he had dozed off. On his way in and out of the courtroom, he sometimes greeted reporters or visitors he recognized. Trump used the trial and the media hype for his election campaign: While he remained quiet in the courtroom itself, he appeared in front of the cameras every day in the hallway outside room 1530 – in which, incidentally, former film mogul Harvey Weinstein was convicted – rarely answered questions and often monologued about how the proceedings against him were politically motivated. As the trial progressed, however, he managed to stick better and better to Judge Merchan’s instructions not to comment on those involved in the trial.
In particular, the trial days surrounding the testimony of key witness Michael Cohen became a showpiece for Trump’s political supporters – including those who are seen as candidates at Trump’s side for the vice presidential role in the November elections.
During the trial, it was Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, who incriminated his former boss. During a tough cross-examination by Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche, it became clear how often Cohen had lied publicly in the past, but despite the sometimes provocative questions, the 57-year-old kept his composure. Another highlight of the trial was the testimony of porn star Daniels herself, who recounted embarrassing details of her alleged sex with Trump – which did not make the former president look particularly good.
At the end of the trial, Judge Merchan lost his composure once when he felt his authority was being undermined by a witness for the defense who was close to Trump. Merchan had the room temporarily cleared and threatened to remove the man from the witness stand. dpa
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