On its own, the crime of "falsifying business records" in New York is considered a misdemeanor crime.
AdvertisementNew York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan explained it clearly in his hourlong instructions to the jury on Wednesday morning.
"What you're asking me to do is change the law, and I'm not going to do that," Merchan told Trump's legal team.
On Truth Social, Trump posted quotes from Fox News host Jesse Watters, falsely claiming "the jury can pick whatever crime they want."
"The other thing, the confusion is, nobody knows what the crime is, because there is no crime," Trump told reporters in the hallway outside the courtroom before he left.
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