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Trump trial live updates: Jury deliberations set to begin
Former President Donald Trump appears at Manhattan criminal court before closing arguments in his criminal hush money trial in New York, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Andrew Kelly/Pool Photo via AP)
By
MICHAEL R. SISAK and JENNIFER PELTZ
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
Jurors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are expected to begin deliberations today after receiving instructions from the judge on the law and the factors they may consider as they strive to reach a verdict in the first criminal case against a former American president.
Court is scheduled to resume at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Here’s what to know:
- What was said in closing arguments?: A Manhattan prosecutor accused Trump of trying to “hoodwink” voters in the 2016 presidential election by participating in a hush money scheme meant to stifle embarrassing stories he feared would torpedo his campaign.
- When will we see a verdict?: The jury must evaluate 34 counts of falsifying business records. A verdict might not come by the end of the week.
- What is this case about?: Prosecutors say that Trump and his allies conspired to stifle potentially embarrassing stories during the 2016 presidential campaign through hush money payments, including to porn actor Stormy Daniels.
How will the jury deliberations work?
The judge is expected to deliver jury instructions this morning. The deliberations will proceed in secret, in a room reserved specifically for jurors and in a process that’s intentionally opaque.
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, it’s hard to read too much into the meaning of any note.
Jury in Trump’s hush money case to begin deliberations after hearing instructions from judge
Former President Donald Trump returns back to the courtroom after a break during closing arguments in his hush money trial at Manhattan criminal court in New York, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Pool Photo via AP)
Jurors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are expected to begin deliberations Wednesday after receiving instructions from the judge on the law and the factors they may consider as they strive to reach a verdict in the first criminal case against a former American president.
The deliberations follow a marathon day of closing arguments in which a Manhattan prosecutor accused Trump of trying to “hoodwink” voters in the 2016 presidential election by participating in a hush money scheme meant to stifle embarrassing stories he feared would torpedo his campaign.
“This case, at its core, is about a conspiracy and a cover-up,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass told jurors during summations that stretched from early afternoon into the evening.
Trump’s lawyer, by contrast, branded the star prosecution witness as the “greatest liar of all time” as he proclaimed his client innocent of all charges and pressed the panel for an across-the-board acquittal.
The lawyers’ dueling accounts, wildly divergent in their assessments of witness credibility, Trump’s culpability and the strength of evidence, offered both sides one final chance to score points with the jury as it prepares to embark upon the momentous and historically unprecedented task of deciding whether to convict the presumptive Republican presidential nominee ahead of the November election.