After more than four hours of deliberations, the jury tasked with deciding on criminal charges against former US President Donald Trump ended the first day without reaching a verdict. The team, made up of 12 New Yorkers, will resume work this Thursday (30), in the morning.
During deliberations this Wednesday (29), the jurors sent two notes to judge Juan Merchan. The first requested a repeat of the judge’s instructions to the jury, while the second asked for some transcripts of testimony to be reread, including those of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer, and David Pecker. According to information from the American broadcaster CNNthe requests appear to indicate that the jury is meticulously weighing the evidence presented during the trial.
The focus of the jury’s deliberations is on the 34 counts of falsifying business records that Trump allegedly made to cover up an alleged payment made for Stormy Daniels’ silence before the 2016 presidential election.
Jurors asked to revisit parts of David Pecker’s testimony, where he cited his communications with Trump, and Cohen and Pecker’s responses about a meeting that took place at Trump Tower. Pecker is a former editor of the National Enquirer tabloid. He was accused of trying to help with the deal that would have culminated in paying for Daniels’ silence
Trump has already pleaded not guilty in this case, which is being tried in New York. Earlier, the former president said that “not even Mother Teresa” would be able to escape her criminal trial, which he described as “rigged”. He also claimed that this case is a “witch hunt” to prevent him from winning the election and blamed President Joe Biden for election interference.
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