The first day of jury deliberations in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 criminal hush money trial concluded after the panel sent their first two notes to the judge Wednesday afternoon, just a few hours after .
They requested to rehear jury instructions, as well as rehear testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker about the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting where he agreed to identify negative stories for Trump, a phone call he says he had with Trump about the Karen McDougal deal, and his decision not to sell the rights to McDougalB次元官网网址檚 story to Trump.
The jury also asked to hear Michael CohenB次元官网网址檚 testimony about the same Trump Tower meeting.
Judge Juan M. Merchan said it would take some time to gather the requested testimony and about a half hour to re-read it to the jury. Deliberations will resume Thursday morning.
The historic deliberations followed TuesdayB次元官网网址檚 , which stretched into the evening as prosecutor Joshua Steinglass accused Trump of intentionally deceiving voters by allegedly participating in a B次元官网网址渃atch-and-killB次元官网网址� scheme to bury stories that might obliterate his 2016 presidential bid.
The defense approached its summation much in the same way it approached cross-examination: by targeting the credibility of star witness Michael Cohen.
Trump faces of falsifying business records, charges which are punishable by up to four years in prison. He has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
At are reimbursements paid to Cohen for a $130,000 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels in exchange for not going public with her claim about a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump.
Prosecutors say the reimbursements were falsely logged as B次元官网网址渓egal expensesB次元官网网址� to hide the true nature of the transactions.
The case is the first of to reach trial and is the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president.
Currently:
B次元官网网址� CohenB次元官网网址檚 credibility, campaigning at court and other highlights
B次元官网网址� Rallies and debates used to define campaigns. Now
B次元官网网址� BidenB次元官网网址檚 campaign shows up outside TrumpB次元官网网址檚 trial with
B次元官网网址� Another big name will be at the courthouse in Manhattan on Wednesday:
B次元官网网址� Trump hush money case: A timeline of
HereB次元官网网址檚 the latest:
THE JUDGE CHECKS IN
Judge Juan M. Merchan has returned to the bench in the Manhattan courtroom where Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money trial is being held.
Trump is also back in the courtroom.
B次元官网网址淥K, where do we stand?B次元官网网址� Merchan asked the lawyers, who have been sifting through trial transcripts to isolate portions requested by the jury.
After going through areas of agreement about how to respond to some of the juryB次元官网网址檚 requests, the two sides are now asking the judge to settle disagreements about exactly which lines of David PeckerB次元官网网址檚 testimony about the Trump Tower meeting will be read to the jurors.
WHY DOES GATHERING REQUESTED TESTIMONY TAKE SO LONG?
One reason why the process of gathering requested testimony for the jury is somewhat painstaking is that witnesses arenB次元官网网址檛 always asked about events in one fell swoop.
Sometimes lawyers will return to a topic at different points in their questioning, and the same events can be covered again and again on direct examination and cross-examination. One of the goals of sifting through the transcripts is to ensure that no relevant testimony is left out.
The lawyers also want to make sure that testimony they feel isnB次元官网网址檛 relevant to the juryB次元官网网址檚 request is left out of whatever is read back to the panel. Opposing sides often debate what is and isnB次元官网网址檛 pertinent.
LAWYERS WORK TO ISOLATE PORTIONS OF TRIAL TRANSCRIPTS
With Donald Trump gone from the courtroom, a pair of prosecutors and a pair of defense lawyers in his hush money case huddled Wednesday afternoon around the defense table poring over hard copies of the transcripts.
Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass leaned over a thick, bound transcript, reading through lines as his colleague Susan Hoffinger jotted notes on a notepad. Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove stood at their spots at the defense table, reading through yet more transcripts and conferring with their opposite numbers. At one point, Steinglass looked up from his volume and flashed a broad smile at Blanche, who reacted in kind B次元官网网址� a moment of collegiality among courtroom rivals.
JUDGE GRANTS DEFENSE REQUEST
Judge Juan M. Merchan granted a defense request Wednesday afternoon to allow Donald Trump to return to his waiting area in the courtroom across the hall while the lawyers continue to work on the transcript issue.
However, Trump canB次元官网网址檛 leave yet B次元官网网址� Merchan said he wants him close by in case any issues arise that require his presence.
JURY EXCUSED FOR THE DAY
Judge Juan M. Merchan has excused jurors in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money trial, ending the first day of deliberations.
Merchan said the jury can decide on its own if it wants to hear all of the instructions again, or just some, and then send him another note reflecting that decision.
He estimated that the rereading aloud of the requested testimony from former National Enquirer Publisher and TrumpB次元官网网址檚 former lawyer Michael Cohen would take about a half hour, but he added that the relevant transcript pages were still being gathered.
Prosecutors estimated to Merchan that the sections of testimony that jurors have asked to rehear are about 30 pages and will take about 30 minutes to be reread.
The jurors deliberated for 4 1/2 hours Wednesday.
Before excusing jurors for the day, Merchan told them that going forward they can work until 6 p.m. each day B次元官网网址� but the decision is up to them on how long they want to go after the normal end of the court day at 4:30 p.m.
Jurors will resume deliberating on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. He said they will be summoned to the courtroom once the transcript pages are ready to be reread aloud for them.
JURY SENDS ANOTHER NOTE
Jurors in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money trial have sent another note to Judge Juan M. Merchan B次元官网网址� this time requesting to rehear jury instructions. Merchan said he will bring the jury back into the courtroom to see if it wants to hear a portion or all of the instructions.
WHY IS THE JURY SENDING A NOTE WITH REQUESTS?
The jury in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 criminal trial does not have a transcript of witness testimony from the case. All they have with them is a verdict sheet and a laptop loaded with documents and other exhibits presented in the case.
The panel canB次元官网网址檛 have any of the transcripts of testimony in the case while deliberating, nor can they be given a written copy of the instructions that were read to them Wednesday morning.
Instead, the panel must send a note to the judge each time it wants to have a snippet of testimony read out or get a refresher on the instructions it must follow.
JURY REQUESTS PECKERB次元官网网址橲 TESTIMONY AND MORE
The jury in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money trial has made four requests in a note to the judge.
It wants to hear former National Enquirer publisher David PeckerB次元官网网址檚 testimony regarding the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting where he agreed to identify negative stories for Trump, a phone call he says he had with Trump about the Karen McDougal deal, and his decision not to sell the rights to McDougalB次元官网网址檚 story to Trump.
The jury also wants to hear Michael CohenB次元官网网址檚 testimony about the same Trump Tower meeting.
Judge Juan M. Merchan said it would take some time to gather the requested testimony. Then heB次元官网网址檒l bring jurors into the courtroom and have it read to them.
JURY SENDS FIRST NOTE TO JUDGE
The jury in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 criminal trial has sent its first note to the judge. The noteB次元官网网址檚 contents have not yet been made public but will be read in court soon. The jury, which is deliberating in secret in a side room, indicated it had a note by ringing a courtroom bell at 2:56 p.m., about 3 1/2 hours into deliberations.
While deliberating, juries can only communicate with the judge by note. They may involve questions such as requests to hear portions of testimony or rehear certain instructions.
STUCK WAITING AT THE COURTHOUSE, TRUMP RANTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 complaints on social media about the hush money case persisted Wednesday as the jury deliberated.
B次元官网网址淚T IS RIDICULOUS, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND UNAMERICAN that the highly Conflicted, Radical Left Judge is not requiring a unanimous decision on the fake charges against me brought by Soros backed D.A. Alvin Bragg,B次元官网网址� he wrote. B次元官网网址淎 THIRD WORLD ELECTION INTERFERENCE HOAX!B次元官网网址�
Despite his declaration, : guilty or not guilty.
If the jurors disagree, they keep deliberating. If they get to a point where they are hopelessly deadlocked, then the judge can declare a mistrial.
If they convict, they must agree that Trump created a false entry in his companyB次元官网网址檚 records or caused someone else to do so, and that he did so with the intent of committing or concealing another crime B次元官网网址� in this case, violating a state election law.
What the jurors do not have to agree on, however, is which way that election law was violated.
HOW LONG WILL THE JURY DELIBERATE?
Jurors in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 criminal trial will deliberate as long as they need to.
The standard court day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a break for lunch. But judges sometimes extend the hours if jurors wish. In this case, Judge Juan M. Merchan already has decided that deliberations will proceed on Wednesday, which is normally a day off from the trial.
ThereB次元官网网址檚 no limit on how many days deliberations can continue.
WHITE HOUSE: BIDENB次元官网网址橲 ATTENTION ISNB次元官网网址橳 FOCUSED ON TRUMPB次元官网网址橲 TRIAL
As jury deliberations get underway in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money trial, the White House says President Joe BidenB次元官网网址檚 attention is focused elsewhere.
B次元官网网址淭he presidentB次元官网网址檚 focused on the American people, delivering for the American people,B次元官网网址� press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling with Biden to Philadelphia, where he has campaign events scheduled Wednesday. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 his focus.B次元官网网址�
FACT CHECK: YES, THE JURY MUST COME TO A UNANIMOUS VERDICT
As the jury begins its deliberations in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money case, claims are spreading across social media that Judge Juan M. Merchan told the panel they donB次元官网网址檛 need a unanimous verdict to convict Trump.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 false.
To convict Trump, Merchan told the jury they will have to find unanimously B次元官网网址� that is, all 12 jurors must agree B次元官网网址� that the former president created a fraudulent entry in his companyB次元官网网址檚 records or caused someone else to do so, and that he did so with the intent of committing or concealing another crime.
WhatB次元官网网址檚 being distorted by some online is the judgeB次元官网网址檚 instruction about how to reach a verdict about that second element.
Prosecutors say the crime Trump committed or hid is a violation of a New York election law making it illegal for two or more conspirators B次元官网网址渢o promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means.B次元官网网址�
Merchan gave the jurors : falsifying other business records, breaking the Federal Election Campaign Act or submitting false information on a tax return.
For a conviction, each juror would have to find that at least one of those three things happened, but they donB次元官网网址檛 have to agree unanimously which it was.
THE JURY HAS BEEN SENT TO DELIBERATE. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?
Jury , in a room reserved specifically for jurors and through an intentionally opaque process.
Jurors can communicate with the court through notes that ask the judge, for instance, for legal guidance or to have particular excerpts of testimony read back to them. But without knowing what jurors are saying to each other, itB次元官网网址檚 hard to read too much into the meaning of any note.
ItB次元官网网址檚 anyoneB次元官网网址檚 guess how long the jury in Donald TrumpB次元官网网址檚 hush money case will deliberate for and thereB次元官网网址檚 no time limit either. The jury must evaluate 34 counts of falsifying business records and that could take some time. A verdict might not come by the end of the week.
To reach a verdict on any given count, either guilty or not guilty, all 12 jurors must agree with the decision for the judge to accept it.
Things will get trickier if the jury canB次元官网网址檛 reach a consensus after several days of deliberations. Though defense lawyers might seek an immediate mistrial, Judge Juan M. Merchan is likely to call the jurors in and instruct them to keep trying for a verdict and to be willing to reconsider their positions without abandoning their conscience or judgment just to go along with others.
If, after that instruction, the jury still canB次元官网网址檛 reach a verdict, the judge would have the option to deem the panel hopelessly deadlocked and declare a mistrial.
TRUMP: B次元官网网址楳OTHER TERESA COULD NOT BEAT THESE CHARGESB次元官网网址�
Former President Donald Trump told reporters after jurors began deliberating in his criminal hush money trial that the charges were rigged and again accused the judge of being conflicted. He further said that B次元官网网址淢other Teresa could not beat these charges.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淲hat is happening here is weaponization at a level that nobodyB次元官网网址檚 seen before ever and it shouldnB次元官网网址檛 be allowed to happen,B次元官网网址� Trump said.
Trump repeated accusations that the criminal charges were brought by President Joe BidenB次元官网网址檚 administration to hit him, as the presidentB次元官网网址檚 main election opponent.
TRUMP MUST STAY IN THE COURTHOUSE
After jurors left the courtroom to begin deliberations, Judge Juan M. Merchan told Donald Trump and his lawyers that they were required to remain in the courthouse.
B次元官网网址淵ou cannot leave the building. We need you to be able to get here quickly if we do receive a note,B次元官网网址� Merchan said.
After Merchan left the bench, Trump turned and walked to chat with his son, Donald Trump Jr. and lawyer Alina Habba.
