Donald Trump’s historic hush money trial came to a close on Tuesday as the prosecution and defense made their closing arguments to the court.
In his final argument for the defense, Trump’s top lawyer attacked Michael Cohen – his former fixer and the prosecution’s star witness – as “the biggest liar ever.”
Prosecutors then launched into a lengthy rebuttal, portraying Cohen as a flawed “tour guide” who took him through the “mountain” of evidence against Trump.
Twelve jurors will soon be asked to decide whether the former president and presumptive Republican nominee in November’s election is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of falsifying business records.
Trump, 77, has testified on consecutive days over the past six weeks about hush money payments he made to former adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election in exchange for her silence about alleged sexual encounters.
Prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office claimed that Trump falsified business records on 34 counts when he repaid Cohen $130,000 (£102,000) and recorded it as legal fees.
They further claimed his motive was to illegally influence the 2016 game.
For several hours on Tuesday, Trump attorney Todd Branch argued passionately that Trump had no intention of falsifying business records or interfering in the election.
He attacked Cohen’s credibility, calling him “the human embodiment of reasonable doubt.”
Mr Branch reminded jurors that Cohen was in prison for lying under oath, admitted stealing from a former employer and now had “malice” against Mr Trump.
“He’s like the MVP of Hustlers,” he said.
Trump spun around in his chair and watched his lawyers excoriate the case, occasionally closing his eyes, as he was often seen doing.
But the burden of proof in this case lies with the prosecutors, who must convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump is guilty to ensure a conviction.
The prosecution’s lead lawyer, Joshua Steinglass, spent nearly four hours completing his closing argument, which finally ended at around 20:00 local time at the request of Judge Juan Merchan. .
At its core, he said, the case against Trump is “a conspiracy and a cover-up.”
For five weeks, prosecutors called numerous witnesses to corroborate dozens of documents and recordings about hush-money payments to Ms. Daniels and reimbursements to Mr. Cohen.
Mr Stanglass acknowledged problems with some witnesses, including Ms Daniels’ “embarrassing” testimony and a lot of “baggage” from their star witness.
“The defendant chose Michael Cohen. As his go-between!” he noted. “We didn’t go to the witness store to pick him up.”
Steinglass said the jury must consider “not whether you like Cohen, or whether you want to do business with him,” but rather treat him as a “tour guide” to prove his actions “helped only one person and one person.” .
He added that if jurors “ignore these sideshows,” they would find Trump guilty.
Some legal experts say it won’t be easy to convince jurors of the broader theory: that Trump falsified business records to cover up another crime and illegally influenced the 2016 election.
Others said prosecutors may have taken too long to reach a final conclusion.
“Lawyers like to talk, but in a case like this, less is more,” former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani told the BBC.
A panel of 12 New York jurors will weigh Trump’s legal fate and must unanimously convict or acquit him. If they cannot agree on a verdict, the case will enter a mistrial phase.
