NEW YORK (AP) — Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial could enter its final day on Tuesday with the defense expected to rest its case after calling just a handful of witnesses. Should the defense rest its case, Judge Juan M. Merchan has said he will send the jury home until closing arguments the day after Memorial Day.
— Witness testimony in Donald Trump’s hush money trial could enter its final day on Tuesday with the defense expected to rest its case after calling just a handful of witnesses. Should the defense rest its case, Judge Juan M. Merchan has said he will send the jury home until closing arguments the day after Memorial Day.
Prosecutors rested their case Monday after star witness Michael Cohen concluded his testimony. Cohen spent nearly four full days on the witness stand, placing the former president directly at the center of the alleged scheme to stifle negative stories to fend off damage to his White House bid. Among other things, Cohen told jurors that Trump promised to reimburse him for the money he fronted and was regularly updated about efforts to silence women who alleged sexual encounters with him. Trump denies the women’s claims.
The defense’s calling of attorney Robert Costello to the stand was a source of discord for lawyers on both sides, with the prosecution arguing that he shouldn’t be allowed to testify at all. The judge ultimately permitted the defense to question him about two allegedly inconsistent statements in Cohen’s testimony and to “offer some rebuttal” to his testimony.
A ruling on the defense’s motion to dismiss the case might also come on Tuesday.
It remains unclear if Trump will testify.
