After six weeks and more than 20 witnesses, lawyers in Donald Trump’s criminal trial are giving their closing arguments Tuesday.
A prosecutor for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is expected to tell the jury that Trump signed off on a scheme to illegally falsify records, with the goal of covering up a “hush money” payment made by Trump’s ex-lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels. The scheme was designed to subvert election law and keep the payment secret, prosecutors say.
Trump’s defense is expected to say the prosecution failed to prove its case. They spent long hours attacking the credibility of Cohen and Daniels, who were key witnesses in the trial.
Prosecutors say Trump falsely portrayed reimbursements for the $130,000 payment as monthly checks for ongoing legal services, paid during the first year of his presidency. Defense attorneys say the checks and associated records were accurate.
The defense team is presenting their closing arguments first, and Trump’s lawyers said they would need about two hours to make their case. Prosecutors will go second and said they anticipated needing about four hours.
After the jury hears the two sides’ summations, the judge will give them instructions and deliberations will begin. That can happen as early as Tuesday, but may be Wednesday.
Merchan to jury: “You and you alone are the judges of the facts”
Before Trump’s lawyers began their closing arguments, Justice Juan Merchan called the jury in and told them how the day would unfold. He said the defense will go first, as required under New York law. Prosecutors will follow with their closing arguments.
Merchan said the lawyers’ recollection of testimony may differ from the jury’s memory. He reminded the jurors that they are the “finders of fact” when it comes to rendering a verdict.
“You and you alone are the judges of the facts on this case,” Merchan said, adding that he will explain to the jurors how they should apply the law.
Trump’s entourage features several family members
Trump’s criminal trial is now in its seventh week, and for the first time, one of his daughters is in attendance. Tiffany Trump is sitting alongside her husband Michael Boulos and two of her adult brothers, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and Eric’s wife Lara Trump. Â
The courtroom gallery has occasionally included either of the brothers, though rarely both.
He has not had five members of his family in attendance at any of his recent trials, including two federal civil trials in which he was found liable for sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll and his civil fraud trial, in which he and the sons were found liable for hundreds of millions in fraud.
After closing arguments, the jury will weigh whether to add to that list a first for any former president in U.S. history: criminal conviction.
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
