In New York in the court concluded hearings in the historic criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump, who is accused of falsifying financial statements to conceal a payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election, writes UNN with reference to the BBC.
Details
The hearings lasted almost a month and a half. To find out all the details of the case, key witnesses (including Daniels herself) were summoned to the court, who were questioned in turn by both prosecutors and lawyers of the former US president. Trump was also in the hall the whole time.
The court heard closing arguments from the parties on Tuesday. The hearing usually concluded around 4:30 p.m., but on the final day, it was said to have dragged on until 8 p.m.
Trump's attorney Todd Blanch spoke for a total of about three hours, while a representative from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Joshua Steinglass, spoke for more than five.
The head of Trump's legal team, Todd Blanch, said his client was the victim of blackmail by a porn actress who tried to extort money from him by threatening to publicize a story she allegedly made up.
Blanch said Trump is innocent and prosecutors have not been able to prove anything. “This case is about documents,” he said. - The business records were accurate, there was no intent to defraud anyone and there was no conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.
Prosecutors said the prosecution proved that Trump had the intent to commit, aid or conceal a violation of the law.
Judge Juan Merchan promised to give jurors final instructions Wednesday, after which they are expected to go to deliberate on the verdict. Their job is to answer the central question: whether prosecutors were able to prove Trump guilty of falsifying business records before the election. A guilty or acquittal verdict requires a unanimous verdict from the entire jury panel.
Supplement
Donald Trump is accused of falsifying business records that were the basis for a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. [Daniels claimed that she and Trump had sex in 2006 and that the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen paid her to keep quiet about it.
The prosecution alleges that Trump falsified documentation when he reimbursed Cohen for the money he spent, framing it as legal fees.
Trump has not pleaded guilty to any of the 34 counts and has also denied having sex with Daniels.
Some legal experts say prosecutors will have a hard time convincing a jury that Trump falsified business records to cover up another crime - illegally influencing the 2016 election.