On May 20, 2024, former US President Donald Trump sat in the courtroom of Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City with his lawyer Todd Branch (left).
Michael M. Santiago | Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images
Donald Trump’s hush money criminal trial in New York won’t end until next week at the earliest.
Judge Juan Merchan told prosecutors and the former president’s lawyers Monday morning that closing arguments in the case will be held on May 28, the day after Memorial Day.
“Obviously, we’re not going to wrap up tomorrow,” Trump said at Manhattan Supreme Court.
The judge last week told both sides to be ready to give summaries on Tuesday.
But Murchin said Monday he wanted to avoid a multi-day delay between closing arguments and the start of deliberations. The trial will be adjourned Wednesday and Friday, with a half-day on Thursday due to juror scheduling conflicts.
“It looks like there’s going to be a big gap between our days,” Trump told reporters before entering court on Monday.
Trump’s former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen resumed cross-examination by defense attorney Todd Branch late Monday morning.
Cohen is a key witness for Trump, and prosecutors have said he will be the last witness in the trial.
Branch is expected to wrap up his cross-examination on Monday. It’s unclear whether they will call Trump to testify.
Defense attorneys recused themselves last week when Merchin asked if they would call any defense witnesses to testify.
“I will absolutely testify,” Trump told reporters last month.
But doing so would pose significant risks for Trump, including the danger of becoming angry and upset by prosecutors’ questioning and giving answers that bolster his case.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records related to his and his company’s reimbursements to Cohen, who paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election in exchange for her confession about alleged sex with Trump The silence of relationships.
The former president has denied having sex with Daniels, who testified earlier in the trial.
Businessmen have. Tell the attorneys to prepare for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Trump is the Republican presidential candidate and the first former president to face a criminal trial.
This is developing news. Please check back for updates.
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