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☆ Trump trial closing arguments to begin in New York hush money case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald Trump looks on before the start of trial at the Manhattan Criminal Court during trial in New York City May 20, 2024. Closing arguments in the criminal hush money trial of Donald Trump are set to begin in New York on Tuesday, with jurors on track to begin deliberations in the historic case the following day. If convicted, Trump faces a possible maximum sentence of four years in prison for each felony count. He denies Daniels' claim that the two had sex once in 2006, months after his wife Melania gave birth to their son, Barron. Matthew Colangelo told jurors that the hush money payment to Daniels, and the reimbursements to Cohen, amounted to "election fraud.

Persons: Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Daniels, Melania, Barron, D.A, Matthew Colangelo, Joe Biden Organizations: Manhattan, New York City, Attorney's Locations: New York, U.S, Manhattan

Cohen testified that Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller put Trump on the phone so Cohen could tell him he was going forward with the Daniels payment. Blanche also said that prosecutors offered no evidence connecting Trump to the payment to Daniels outside of Cohen’s testimony. They speak in coded language, and they speak fast,” Steinglass said of Cohen and Trump. “Trump is deputizing Cohen right in front of Pecker so that Pecker knows that any go ahead from Cohen is a go head from Trump. When the “Access Hollywood” story came out in October 2016, Steinglass said that Trump and the campaign went into panic mode.

Persons: ”, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen –, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, Juan Merchan, Michael Cohen’s, Todd Blanche, Trump’s, Blanche, Tom Brady, ” Blanche, Keith Schiller, Trump, Daniels, Schiller, texted Schiller, “, Michael Cohen, Merchan, there’s, Joshua Steinglass, David Pecker, ” Steinglass, Steinglass, “ Hey, Keith, how’s, Karen McDougal, “ Trump, deputizing Cohen, Donald J, Pecker, Allen Weisselberg, Weisselberg, Jeff McConney, “ I’m, –, Dino, McDougal Organizations: CNN — Prosecutors, Trump, Defense, ” Prosecutors, CNN, AMI, ”, Trump Organization, Trump Org, ” Defense, Trump . Trump Locations: Trump’s New York, Trump, Weisselberg

☆ In a baffling closing argument, Trump attorney Todd Blanche used DA's evidence against his own client
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Laura Italiano | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementTrump was not involved with any such conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, Blanche told jurors in great detail on Tuesday, during a three-hour summation. "The government has to prove to you that President Trump caused these entries — even if they were false — with an intent to defraud," Blanche told jurors. "That was outrageous, Mr. Blanche," state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan told Blanche after jurors were dismissed for lunch. Advertisement"President Trump tweeted what happened when it came out," and then signed a government ethics form that also admitted to the reimbursement, Blanche told jurors Tuesday. Cohen is "literally like an MVP of liars," Blanche told jurors.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Trump, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, reimbursing Cohen, Cohen, Juan Merchan, It's, they'd, Allen Weisselberg, what's, he's Organizations: Service, Business, Prosecutors, New, BI, Trump Organization —, Trump, — Trump Locations: Manhattan, York, New York, Blanche's summations

☆ Defense Lawyers to Begin Closing Arguments in Trump’s Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Former President Donald J. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial will enter its final stage Tuesday as defense lawyers and prosecutors deliver their closing arguments in a last attempt to sway the 12 New Yorkers who will decide his fate. First the defense and then the prosecution will spend hours weaving disparate strands of evidence into a cohesive story that they hope will resonate with the jurors. The undisputed facts concern that $130,000 transaction; Mr. Cohen paid the porn star, Stormy Daniels, to silence her story of a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump. Prosecutors have argued that Mr. Trump directed Mr. Cohen to pay Ms. Daniels and approved a criminal scheme to reimburse Mr. Cohen, disguising the repayments by saying that they were made for legal services that in fact were nonexistent. Their case is backed by the testimony of Mr. Cohen himself, as well as Ms. Daniels, several other witnesses and phone records, text messages and emails.

Persons: Donald J, Yorkers, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Mr Organizations: Prosecutors

☆ Live Updates: Closing Arguments to Begin in Trump Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jonah E. Bromwich | Ben Protess | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +15 min

The defense did not call Mr. Weisselberg either, nor did Mr. Trump take the stand in his own defense. And for weeks, Mr. Weisselberg’s absence has loomed large over Mr. Trump’s case, the first criminal trial of an American president. And when Mr. Trump was sworn in as president in 2017, he entrusted Mr. Weisselberg, along with Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, with running his company. Mr. Trump, Mr. Cohen told the jury, “approved” of the arrangement and knew that they would falsify records to cover it up. Over the course of their decades together, Mr. Cohen knew, Mr. Trump and Mr. Weisselberg had become more or less symbiotic.

Persons: Donald J, Allen Weisselberg, Trump, Michael D, Cohen, Allen H, Weisselberg, Trump’s moneyman, Trump’s, lucre —, Eduardo Munoz, Stormy Daniels, Weisselberg’s, beholden, ” Emil Bove, Juan M, Justice Merchan, “, Evan Vucci, Fred Trump, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric Trump, ” Mr, ” “, Mr, Jefferson Siegel, —, Arthur F, Engoron, Justice Engoron, ”, ‘ Frick, Frack, Cohen’s, Daniels, Susan Hoffinger, Todd Blanche, Dave Sanders, Blanche, Kate Christobek Organizations: Prosecutors, New York Times, Trump, Mr, Reuters, Manhattan, Trump Organization, “ Trump, New, The New York Times, The Trump Organization, Credit, Frick Locations: Washington, New York, Trump, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, York, tatters

☆ Trump’s Case Heads to the Jury: 5 Takeaways From Closing Arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump began its seventh week, the prosecution and the defense made their final pitches to jurors, sending the landmark case into deliberations on Wednesday. A defense lawyer, Todd Blanche, spent three hours Tuesday hammering Michael D. Cohen, the prosecution’s star witness, including accusing him of perjury. He attacked Stormy Daniels, the porn star whose account of a tryst with Mr. Trump in 2006 set in motion the charges the former president faces. Mr. Trump, 77, is charged with falsifying 34 business records to hide Mr. Cohen’s reimbursement for a $130,000 hush-money payment he made to Ms. Daniels. Mr. Trump has denied the charges and the sexual encounter.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Todd Blanche, Michael D, Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Joshua Steinglass, Daniels

☆ Trump’s family members have visited court during the hush money trial. Notably missing: Melania and Ivanka Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Steve Contorno | Kristen Holmes | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

With a jury verdict potentially days away, Melania Trump and Ivanka Trump have yet to join the former president as he defends himself against 34 charges. Melania Trump, though, has not appeared alongside her husband at a single Trump rally and rarely joins him in public. A spokesperson for the Trump campaign did not respond when asked if she intends to accompany him for any of the final days of his trial. Ivanka Trump’s absence from the Manhattan trial is not surprising to many close to the former president after she and Kushner’s public distancing from Trump’s latest presidential campaign. “When [Ivanka Trump] was at the White House, her kids were still at the age where they might not know exactly what was going on,” the source said.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner, Ivanka’s, Trump, hasn’t, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Eric’s, Lara, Trump’s, Tiffany, Michael Boulos, Michael Cohen, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Robert De Niro, Joe Biden’s, De Niro, it’s, ”, Lara Trump, Ronna McDaniel, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Barron, Ivanka, “, Charles, Seryl Kushner, Howard Lutnick, Charles Kushner, Daniels, CNN’s Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, Manhattan, Attorney, Trump, Trump Jr, Biden, White, Republican National Committee, House, New, Federal, Commission, Republican Locations: Manhattan, Washington, New York, Florida, Trump

☆ 10 Smoking Guns in Trump Hush-Money Trial That Speak for Themselves
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Manhattan district attorney's office/BIWhy is this evidence — our third smoking gun — so important? AdvertisementEvidence People's 35 in the Trump hush-money trial. Robert Costello, a key defense witness in the Donald Trump hush-money trial in New York. Manhattan district attorney's office/BI"Rudy was thrilled and said this could not be a better situation for the President or you. From People's 374 Manhattan district attorney's office/BICohen testified that immediately after these calls with Trump, he took the elevator down from his Trump Organization offices at Trump Tower.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, David Pecker, Stormy Daniels, Trump, Michael Cohen Alex Brandon, Eduardo Munoz, " Cohen, Cohen, Karen McDougal's, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Daniels, Trump's, Allen Weisselberg, Jonathan Ernst, Jon Elswick, MARK PETERSON, Todd Blanche, Mamaroneck , New York —, Madeleine Westerhout, Westerhout, Cohen —, Weisselberg, Robert Costello, Jane Rosenberg, Rudy Giuliani, Costello, Bob Costello, Rudy, Jay Sekelow, Giuliani, It's Trump, Timothy A, Clary, Donald, he's, — Trump, reimbursing Cohen, Pecker —, Pecker, — that's, Cohen's, Melissa Duran, Duran, Susan Hoffinger Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, Trump, Prosecutors, National Enquirer, Trump Org, Manhattan Criminal, Getty, Defense, White House, —, Read, Wall Street Journal, FBI, Giuliani, CQ, Cohen's, AMI, Department of Justice, Federal, First Republic Bank, Trump Organization Locations: Manhattan, Trump, New York City, Mamaroneck , New York, Republic, New York, United States

☆ Opinion | ‘Accordion Hands’ and ‘Caterpillar Eyebrows’: Trump Meets the Female Gaze
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Jessica Bennett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When Donald Trump is relaxed — or as relaxed as someone can be while on trial for 34 felony counts of falsifying business records — you can see his socks. She takes it all in, and all of it, in turn, informs her work, which has been appearing in New York magazine. But rather than capturing key moments, or producing realistic renderings of the day’s events, Ms. Brourman’s expressive images cut across space and time. She uses watercolors, colored pencils, graphite, glitter pens; sometimes she tweezes for texture, or scrawls words in corners. In her portraits of Mr. Trump, he is both frenetic and hulking; her Stormy Daniels, shaded with blues and purples, looks emotionally bruised.

Persons: Donald Trump, Isabelle Brourman, Trump’s, Ms, Brourman, Mr, Trump, Stormy Daniels, ” Locations: New York

☆ Opinion: Here’s how I, as an attorney, would try to persuade the Trump jury in closing arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-27 | by ( Opinion Joey Jackson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

If the jury agrees, Trump would become a convicted felon, and could face up to four years in prison. But Trump’s defense attorneys will have much to say Tuesday about the evidence presented by prosecutors in an attempt to avoid that outcome. As to ledgers and invoices keeping track of these checks, Trump is the owner of the organization, not the bookkeeper or finance person. Cohen claims Trump was with the bodyguard at the time, and that he handed Trump the phone. The evidence shows that in order for checks to be issued to Cohen, Trump would have had to give his approval.

Persons: Joey Jackson, Donald, Joey Jackson Jeremy Freeman, Trump, District Attorney Alvin L, Bragg, ledgers, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, he’d, Cohen, It’s, Daniels, reimbursing Cohen, Hope Hicks, Karen McDougal, McDougal, Keith Davidson, Davidson, I’ll, Cohen wasn’t, ” Organizations: CNN, Manhattan Supreme, District Attorney, Prosecutors, Trump, Department of Justice, Trump Organization, Playboy, White, FedEx, Twitter, Facebook Locations: United States

☆ When the crowd leaves Trump's hush-money trial, the judge spends his day in a very different kind of court
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

AdvertisementGetting accepted is just the startThe Manhattan mental health court is one path available to those who plead guilty to felonies. Related storiesMerchan is the sole judge of the mental health court in all of Manhattan, and has presided over it since its founding in 2011. If the office allows it, a mental health court treatment plan can become part of their plea agreement, which includes different consequences for failures. "It's really hard, a huge burden to even get so far as to be accepted into mental health court," said Orlins. If you fail the mental health court program in such a dramatic fashion, the next step can be a sentencing hearing.

Persons: —, Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Juan Merchan, Merchan, Donald Trump, Curtis Means, Trump, I'm, Eliza Orlins, Justice Juan M, Seth Wenig, Juan Merchan's, ANGELA WEISS, Orlins, Jane Rosenberg, Iris Organizations: Service, Republican, Business, New, Trump, Justice, AP, Manhattan, Attorney's, Getty, Associated Press Locations: United States, Washington, Manhattan, New York City

☆ Closing arguments for Trump’s hush money trial begin Tuesday. Here’s what to know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Devan Cole | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But prosecutors will have an extra degree of difficulty with a long break ahead of closing arguments, as jurors will have been away from the case since Tuesday. “This, more than even your typical case, is going to be a closing case,” he added. The star witness in this case are the documents, and the documents speak for themselves.”Trump’s attorneys will present their closing arguments first on Tuesday, followed by the arguments from prosecutors. They will say this is a documents case,” he explained, going on to describe the various accounting documents presented during the trial. Still, the closing arguments from each side will be carefully crafted to win not only a verdict in their favor, but also to mark each attorneys’ place in the historic trial, Villalona mused.

Persons: CNN —, Donald Trump, Trump, Attorney Alvin Bragg’s, “, ”, Elie Honig, Bernarda Villalona, Juan Merchan, David Pecker, Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Robert Costello, Cohen, Daniels, Merchan, Honig, ‘ Michael Cohen’s, Allen Weisselberg, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, “ Trump, …, Pecker, ’, Agnifilo, Villalona, CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle Organizations: CNN, Attorney, Former New York, Trump Organization, Trump, Trump Org ., Attorney’s Locations: York, Manhattan, New York

☆ Trump trial: CNN’s in-the-courtroom reporters describe key moments
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

A judge found Trump liable for fraud for inflating his net worth to get friendly loans, and juries found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defaming Carroll. DEL VALLE: This is actually my fourth Trump trial. Here, it’s almost been interesting how at moments it just felt like a regular trial. Reporters in the courtroom sat behind Trump – with a view often blocked by the many officers in the aisles of the gallery. The response prompted one of the biggest laughs in the courtroom in the entire trial – even several jurors were laughing.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, CNN’s Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, Jeremy Herb, Jean Carroll, Trump, defaming Carroll, del, he’s, it’s, That’s, I’ve, Kara, Lauren, Daniels, It’s, Susan Hoffinger, Christine Cornell, Michael Cohen’s, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Cohen, Keith Schiller, Cohen …, flailing, Kaitlan Collins, Robert Costello, Emil Bove’s, Costello, Judge Juan Merchan, ” Merchan, –, admonish, David Pecker, Trump’s, Pecker, Jane Rosenberg Hope Hicks, Hope Hicks, CNN Madeleine Westerhout, Madeleine Westerhout, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Boris Epshteyn, “, Joshua Steinglass, Emil Bove, Jaden Jarmel, Schneider, Bove, ”, ” Jarmel, ” Bove Organizations: CNN, Trump, New, DEL VALLE, Midway, National Enquirer, Trump … DEL VALLE, White House, VALLE, White, Attorney, Republican Locations: York, New York, del Valle, Manhattan

☆ The jury in the Trump trial faces a task unique in American history
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

“The judge hates Donald Trump, just take a look, take a look at him, take a look at where he comes from. The intricate task that awaits jurorsIt’s impossible to know how jurors are interpreting the daily drama of the courtroom in any trial. Trump has denied the alleged affair with Daniels, and hush money payments are not illegal in themselves. When Cohen finally took the stand, he directly implicated Trump in the alleged scheme to buy Daniels’ silence. But he may have ended up creating a hole in the Trump defense, according to several legal experts.

Persons: there’ll, Donald Trump’s, He’s, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Donald Trump, Trump, It’s, he’s, —, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, “, Matthew Colangelo, they’ve, Michael Cohen, ”, Todd Blanche, Cohen, David Pecker, Pecker, Hope Hicks, Hicks, ” Hicks, ’, ” Trump, ‘, ’ ” Cohen, Trump’s, he’d, beseeched, Cohen’s, ” Blanche, Merchan, — Robert Costello, Costello Organizations: CNN, Trump, Attorney, Democrat, Republican, GOP, New York, Prosecutors, American Media Inc, National Enquirer, White House Locations: New York, Manhattan, Lake Tahoe

☆ Opinion: Trump’s defense ends on one disastrous witness
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Part of the reason for those modest hopes was the fact that the defense case would not include testimony by the defendant. Later, the charging conference to agree on jury instructions showed how daunting the law is that Trump faces. All of that is bad news not just for Costello, whose clash with Merchan won Trump’s praise outside the courtroom Monday, but also for the defense. Because Costello was one of Trump’s only witnesses, there is also the risk that he — and the jury’s reaction to his poor attitude — will taint the defense case overall. There was little the defense could do about the law in the charging conference beyond their usual able argument.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Robert Costello, Costello, Michael Cohen, Susan Hoffinger, ” Cohen, Rudy Giuliani, Cohen, —, Trump, Norm Eisen, Stormy Daniels, ”, parrying, Merchan, it’s, Matthew Colangelo, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump —, FBI, Prosecutors, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Manhattan, , New York

☆ Latest Trump hush-money battle: how to instruct jurors on the coverup of a coverup and crimes within crimes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Read previewLawyers in the Donald Trump hush-money trial spent Tuesday afternoon in a spirited battle over this question: what will the judge tell jurors right before they begin their deliberations next week? The jury charge is so important, so sacrosanct, that Merchan will order the doors to his courtroom sealed for its duration, with no one in the well or audience allowed to enter or leave. AdvertisementThe jury charge for this single felony should be easy, right? But it's not the only law jurors must understand and weigh when they begin deliberations as early as Wednesday. Or can some jurors find that Trump conspired to violate tax law, while other jurors see the falsification of National Enquirer business records as the central offense?

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Juan Merchan, Trump, There's, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Michael Cohen, Cohen, — Cohen, Stormy Daniels, Getty, Daniels, it's, Prosecutors, he's, It's, reimbursements, Emil Bove, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Merchan, I'm, Yuki Iwamura, Bove, he'll Organizations: Service, York, Business, Trump Organization, Prosecutors, Attorney, Trump, Manhattan, Federal, National Enquirer Locations: New York, York, Manhattan

AdvertisementThe first-ever criminal trial of a former American president is now nearing its end after several weeks of witness testimony. Related storiesIn some of those hallway appearances earlier in the trial, Trump has told reporters that he planned to testify. He told jurors that Cohen told him that Trump didn't know anything about the payments. "If you don't like my ruling, you don't give me side-eye, and you don't roll your eyes," Merchan told Costello before he cleared the room. Trump " wasn't thinking about Melania — this was all about the campaign," Cohen told jurors.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Juan Merchan, Trump, Robert Costello, Costello, Emil Bove, muttered, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Susan Hoffinger, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Cohen —, Trump —, Daniels, didn't, Rudy Giuliani, audibly, Judge Juan Merchan, castigates, Elizabeth Williams, Daniel Sitko, Brad Smith, Smith's, Smith, reimbursing Cohen Organizations: Service, GOP, Business, New, Trump, Republican, Manhattan, Attorney's Office, Attorney's, Prosecutors, FBI, AP, Federal, Washington Examiner Locations: New York, American, Manhattan, Trump

☆ Bob Menendez: Trump circus overshadows senator’s corruption trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

So it goes for Menendez, who is likely pleased to have his legal drama playing out in relative obscurity. More recently, Fetterman mocked the senator’s defense, which relies in part on pointing the finger of blame on Nadine Menendez, his wife. Republicans in Washington, as they’ve done during these first two weeks of the Menendez trial in New York, have been consistently deferential to the New Jersey Democrat. Rep. Andy Kim, a popular Democrat from South Jersey, is expected to win the nomination to succeed Menendez. Andrew Giuliani, pressed for a thought on the senator’s trial or the allegations against him, shrugged.

Persons: New York CNN — Andrew Giuliani, Donald, ”, Rudy Giuliani squinted, “, ” He’s, Sen, Bob Menendez’s, –, Michael Cohen, Daniels, Menendez, Trump, Donald Trump Jr, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Ronny Jackson, Bob Costello, Pam Bondi, Missouri Sen, Eric Schmitt, Matt Whitaker, Sebastian Gorka, Gov, Dan Patrick, Jackson, María Elvira Salazar, Troy Nehls, Dale Strong, Daniel Webster of, Vladimir Putin’s, Cory Booker, Chuck Schumer, John Fetterman, George Santos, Fetterman, Nadine Menendez, ” Fetterman, Jake Tapper, Mitch McConnell, ” North Dakota Sen, Kevin Cramer, he’s, Andy Kim, Andrew Giuliani, haven’t, ” CNN’s Sabrina Souza Organizations: New, New York CNN, New York, Manhattan Criminal, Court, Republican, Democrat, The New, The New Jersey Democrat, Foreign Relations, Trump, Democratic, Manhattan, Attorney, Texas, Dale Strong of, Pennsylvania Democrat, New York Rep, “, Union, ”, Republicans, New Jersey Democrat, Democrats, GOP, ” North, Politico Locations: New York, Lower Manhattan, Manhattan, The, The New Jersey, Menendez’s, Florida, Sebastian Gorka , Texas, María Elvira Salazar of Florida, Texas, Dale Strong of Alabama, Daniel Webster of Florida, North Korea, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, Egypt, ”, “ State, Israel, ” North Dakota, South Jersey, New York City

☆ A Swift Defense and a Decision Ahead: 5 Takeaways From Trump’s Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Jesse Mckinley | Kate Christobek | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And, despite dangling the possibility, Mr. Trump did not testify. Testimony started April 22 with a tabloid publisher called by the prosecution, David Pecker, and ended with a lawyer called by the defense, Robert Costello. Mr. Trump, 77, has denied the charges and the encounter. Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 20th day on trial. Mr. Costello, once Mr. Cohen’s informal adviser, continued on the stand on Tuesday, after a reprimand Monday from Justice Juan M. Merchan, who said he had been “contemptuous.”

Persons: Donald J, Trump, David Pecker, Robert Costello, Stormy Daniels, Trump’s, Michael D, Cohen, Hope Hicks, Daniels, . Costello, Justice Juan M, Merchan, ” Organizations: Memorial, Mr, Justice

☆ Opinion: Trump’s defense got one last shot at Michael Cohen. Did they make their case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Opinion Norman Eisen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —The biggest drama in the trial of former President Donald Trump on Monday came not, as expected, in the cross-examination of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. His testimony wrapped without any moments approaching the significance of last week’s defense hits on the star witness. Cohen had already admitted that he lied to Costello, and indeed lied more broadly to protect Trump before cooperating with the government. But Cohen has already testified that he lied about Trump’s knowledge of the payment to Daniels before cooperating with prosecutors. It culminated before the lunch break with a bit of razzle- dazzle to bolster Cohen’s testimony about what happened on that phone call with Schiller and Trump.

Persons: Norman Eisen, “, Donald Trump, Trump, Michael Cohen, — Robert Costello, Cohen —, audibly, Juan Merchan, Costello, ” Merchan, cautioning, ’, …, ” Costello, Merchan, Norm Eisen, Cohen, chastising Costello, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Todd Blanche, Blanche, Keith Schiller, Schiller, —, Trump’s, ”, Susan Hoffinger, Perry Mason Organizations: CNN, Monday, Trump, Trump Organization, SPAN, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Trump’s Manhattan, Tampa , Florida

☆ Trump trial resumes with defense witness Robert Costello after judge scorches him for disrespectful conduct
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The man who might be the most significant defense witness for former President Donald Trump — and the last witness in his New York criminal hush money trial — resumes testimony Tuesday, a day after a judge ripped him for disrespectful conduct on the witness stand. The witness, criminal defense lawyer Robert Costello, was sharply warned Monday afternoon by Judge Juan Merchan for glaring at the judge and muttering in disdain when Merchan upheld objections from prosecutors. "I'm putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous now," Merchan told Costello, after clearing the courtroom of most of the public and press when he had had enough of the former federal prosecutor's antics. "If you stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand," Merchan warned, according to a transcript of the verbal beatdown. Cohen has said he paid Daniels to keep her quiet about a one-off sexual tryst with Trump in 2006 to keep her from damaging his chances in the 2016 presidential election.

Persons: Robert Costello, Juan Merchan, Donald Trump's, Stormy Daniels, Donald Trump —, Judge Juan Merchan, Merchan, Costello, Trump's, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Daniels, Trump Organizations: FBI Locations: Manhattan, New York City, U.S, New York

CNN —The defense rested its case in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial on Tuesday after roughly 90 minutes of testimony – and without the former president taking the stand. Here are takeaways from the final day of testimony in the Trump hush money trial:Trump doesn’t take the standOver the last several months, Trump repeatedly teased that he would take the stand in his own defense. “That was a lie,” Blanche alleged of Cohen’s testimony he spoke to Trump about moving forward with the hush money deal. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger also tried to remind jurors that it was Trump – not Cohen – who was on trial in this case. In their first meeting, Costello said Cohen was “absolutely manic” and suicidal after the FBI raid on his properties.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Robert Costello, Michael Cohen, Trump, Cohen, ” Trump, Todd Blanche, Costello, Sandoval, –, Jean Carroll, Donald J, Stormy Daniels, Karen McDougal, Cohen –, Trump’s, Blanche, Keith Schiller, Schiller, Daniels, ” Blanche, Keith, ” Cohen, Prosecutors, Susan Hoffinger, Trump –, ” Hoffinger, “, Juan Merchan, ” Merchan, Merchan, ” Costello, Emil Bove, Bob, Donald Trump, ”, scold Costello, Hoffinger, Rudy Giuliani, Mercahn Organizations: CNN, FBI, Publicly, Trump, New, Mr, Giuliani Locations: Wisconsin, New York, Florida

☆ Trump’s trial reaches crescendo as tempers fray in the courtroom
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The presumptive Republican nominee’s lawyers made a long-shot bid for the dismissal of his first criminal trial before the jury has even been asked to deliberate. And he implored Merchan not to hand jurors a case so reliant on testimony from Cohen, a confessed liar. Key developmentsMonday’s court action at times threatened to spin out of control — in a way that only a Trump trial can. “I know it may feel like you’re on trial here after cross-examination, but are you actually on trial?” she asked Cohen. Courtroom chaosVeteran lawyers and court reporters said they’d never seen anything like the scene precipitated by defense witness Robert Costello.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Juan Merchan, Michael Cohen, sensationally, ’, Todd Blanche, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Merchan, Cohen, ” Blanche, ”, “, Blanche, he’d, ” Trump, Daniels, won’t, —, Matthew Colangelo, Colangelo, Keith Schiller, Susan Hoffinger, LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, Jake Tapper, they’d, Robert Costello, Costello, there’s, ” Merchan, ” Cordell, Tapper, Bob Costello, I’ve, Terri Austin, CNN’s Erin Burnett, we’ll Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Republican Party, Trump Organization, “ Locations: Merchan, Trump, Manhattan

☆ Live Updates: Trump’s Lawyers Are Expected to Rest Case in Criminal Trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Matthew Haag | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Here are five takeaways from Mr. Trump’s 19th day on trial. Last week, Todd Blanche, Mr. Trump’s lead lawyer, confronted Mr. Cohen about a phone call on Oct. 24, 2016. After cross-examination, prosecutors sought to introduce a photo showing Mr. Trump with Mr. Schiller that was taken about the same time as the call. He tried to raise questions about other calls that Mr. Cohen said he placed to Mr. Trump around the time of the hush-money payment. Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trump’s combustible former lawyer and fixer, never lost his temper, despite admitting all manner of bad behavior.

Persons: Michael D, Cohen, Donald J, Trump, sully, Juan M, Merchan, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Trump’s, Robert Costello, Costello, “, ”, Justice Merchan, Mr, . Costello, ” Prosecutors, Todd Blanche, —, Keith Schiller —, Schiller, Cohen’s, Blanche, Susan Hoffinger, ” Cohen, Dave Sanders Organizations: Mr, Defense, Trump Organization, The New York Times Locations: Manhattan, Lake Tahoe, Nev

☆ Opinion | A Trump Conviction Doesn’t Hang on Michael Cohen
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jeffrey Toobin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

But the verdict is likely to turn on the other half — whether Mr. Trump caused the false information to appear on the invoices and vouchers. According to the prosecution, on the eve of the 2016 election, Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s onetime lawyer and fixer, paid $130,000 to Stormy Daniels, the porn star, to guarantee her silence about a tryst she and Mr. Trump allegedly had a decade earlier. Mr. Trump then reimbursed Mr. Cohen for his outlay, plus a bonus and additional funds for taxes. Several witnesses support the government’s claim that Mr. Trump’s payments to the lawyer were not legal fees. Mr. Trump himself tweeted in 2018 that Mr. Cohen received a “reimbursement” and said as much in a White House financial disclosure form.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, Trump, Michael Cohen, Trump’s, Stormy Daniels, Cohen, Daniels, ” Organizations: White Locations: Manhattan

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