Donald Trump’s legal team has rested its case in his hush money trial after calling just two witnesses and opting not to have the former president take the stand in his own defense.
This week’s Insider Deals are so good you’ll want all of them Donald Trump , far left, watches as defense attorney Emil Bove questions Robert Costello, right, with Judge Juan Merchan presiding in Manhattan criminal court, Monday, May 20, 2024, in New York. Tuesday in his hush money trial after calling just two witnesses and opting not to have the former president take the stand in his own defense.
Trump has been charged with falsifying records at his company in order to disguise the true nature of payments made in 2017 to one of his lawyers, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say the money was for Cohen's work suppressing negative stories about his boss during the 2016 presidential campaign, including one about an alleged sexual encounter with a porn actor, Stormy Daniels. Trump, who denies Daniels' account, has said the company properly classified them as legal expenses.
“There was no guarantee that if Trump testified that he would stay on point and not go completely off script in ways that would be, at best, not helpful to the defense and, at worst, harmful to them,” said Richard Serafini, a criminal defense attorney in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and former prosecutor with the U.S. Justice Department.
“I’m not sure that Costello moved the needle in favor of Trump,” said Mark Bederow, a New York criminal defense lawyer and former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office. But he and other legal experts said Trump’s lawyers rightly zeroed in on Cohen's credibility.that Trump knew all about the scheme to pay off Daniels. But under cross-examination, he also admitted stealing thousands of dollars from Trump's company and lying during congressional testimony.
Washington News Politics Donald Trump Stephanie Clifford U.S. News
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump to help with Donald Trump's presidential transition teamFormer President Donald Trump's two eldest sons are set to play key roles in a second Trump administration if their father wins the White House in November.
Read more »
Donald Trump Prosecution Appears Fatally Flawed—Legal ExpertsBoston University legal professor Jed Handelsman Shugerman has said Alvin Bragg made a 'historic mistake' in taking the case.
Read more »
Donald Trump's Defense is Struggling: Legal ExpertsThe testimony of Michael Cohen is holding up under intense cross-examination, legal experts believe.
Read more »
Mary Trump Roasts Donald Trump Over Canceled RallyThe former president's North Carolina rally was canceled on Saturday due to bad weather.
Read more »
Donald Trump set to receive $1.25 billion worth of Trump Media stock in DJT earnout bonusFormer President Donald Trump is already the majority shareholder in Trump Media, which trades under the ticker DJT.
Read more »
Donald Trump set to receive $1.25 billion worth of Trump Media stock in DJT earnout bonusFormer President Donald Trump is already the majority shareholder in Trump Media, which trades under the ticker DJT.
Read more »