The Latest | Jury in Donald Trump’s criminal trial are set to enter a second day of deliberations

By The Associated Press on May 30, 2024.

NEW YORK (AP) – Jury deliberations in Donald Trump ‘s criminal hush money trial entered their second day on Thursday after the panel began the weighty task a day before.

Deliberations concluded Wednesday with the panel asking Judge Juan M. Merchan to rehear portions of crucial testimony from two key witnesses: former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer. Jurors also requested to rehear jury instructions.

The jury deliberated for about 4 1/2 hours.

Deliberations in the hush money case will go on for as long as the jury needs. While the standard court day runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with a break for lunch, Merchan told the panel it could work as late as 6 p.m. if it wished.

At the heart of the charges 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 “legal expenses” to hide the true nature of the transactions.

Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, charges which are punishable by up to four years in prison. He has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

The case is the first of Trump’s four indictments to reach trial and is the first-ever criminal case against a former U.S. president.

Currently:

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– Highlights from the first day of jury deliberations

– Rallies and debates used to define campaigns. Now they’re about juries and trials

– Trump hush money case: A timeline of key events

Here’s the latest:

JURORS ARE SENT TO RESUME DELIBERATIONS

Jurors have been sent to resume deliberations in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial after rehearing testimony from key witnesses.

The 12 jurors reheard portions of testimony given by former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker as well as Michael Cohen.

The jury deliberated for about 4 1/2 hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict. Before day’s end, they asked to rehear testimony from the tabloid publisher, and Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer. On Thursday morning, the judge responded to a jury request by rereading 30 pages of jury instructions related to how inferences may be drawn from evidence.

Trump faces 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

A guilty verdict would deliver a stunning legal reckoning for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee as Trump seeks to reclaim the White House.

JURY REHEARS PORTIONS OF TESTIMONY FROM NATIONAL ENQUIRER PUBLISHER

After roughly a half hour of rehearing some of the judge’s legal instructions, jurors in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial listened to something else they requested: portions of testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.

Court stenographers reread both witnesses’ testimony about an August 2015 Trump Tower meeting at which Pecker agreed to publish articles that favored then-candidate Trump and assailed his opponents and to serve as the campaign’s “eyes and ears” for potentially damaging stories and rumors so they could be suppressed.

The jury also asked to rehear Pecker’s testimony about a phone call he says he had with Trump about a hush money deal that the National Enquirer’s parent company made with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, and about Pecker’s his decision not to sell the rights to McDougal’s story to Trump.

She claimed she had an affair with Trump, which he denies.

Trump faces 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

JURORS REHEAR INSTRUCTIONS RELATING TO MICHAEL COHEN’S TESTIMONY

The 12 jurors who are weighing the evidence in Donald Trump’s “˜hush-money’ trial have reheard instructions relating to Michael Cohen’s testimony.

It was one of many instructions jurors asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to reread on Thursday, the second day of jury deliberations.

Trump fixer-turned-foe Michael Cohen is crucial to the prosecution’s case against Trump, jurors were reminded that they can’t convict the former president on Cohen’s word alone.

“Under our law, Michael Cohen is an accomplice,” and a defendant can’t be convicted of any crime based only on the testimony of an accomplice unless it is supported by corroborative evidence,” Merchan said.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records.

LARA TRUMP: TRUMP WILL TRY TO CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENCY EVEN IF HE’S CONVICTED

It appears that – if he is convicted – a guilty verdict won’t stop presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump from trying to reclaim the White House.

That is according to Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump.

Lara Trump serves as co-chair of the Republican National Committee. She told Fox News Channel on Thursday that Trump would still try to campaign for the presidency if he’s convicted. Trump faces 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

Lara Trump said if Trump is convicted and given a sentence of home confinement, “We will have him doing virtual rallies and campaign events if that is the case. And we’ll have to play the hand that we’re dealt,” according to a transcript of the interview.

The 34 counts against Trump are all the same charge, a low-level felony punishable by up to four years in prison, though it’s not clear that the judge would opt to put Trump behind bars if the jury convicts him.

Other punishments could include a fine or probation.

JUDGE REREADS INSTRUCTIONS TO JURORS IN TRUMP’S “˜HUSH-MONEY’ TRIAL

The 12 jurors weighing the fate of Donald Trump in his ‘hush-money’ trial listened intently as Judge Juan M. Merchan reread a portion of his instructions.

The jurors, who asked for instructions to be reread, began their second day of deliberations Thursday.

The jury deliberated for about 4 1/2 hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict. Before day’s end, they asked to rehear testimony from a tabloid publisher and Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, and on Thursday morning, the judge responded to a jury request by rereading 30 pages of jury instructions related to how inferences may be drawn from evidence.

Trump faces 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

A guilty verdict would deliver a stunning legal reckoning for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee as Trump seeks to reclaim the White House.

At the heart of the charges are reimbursements paid to Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael 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.

JURY SET TO BEGIN SECOND DAY OF DELIBERATIONS

The jury that is set to determine guilt or innocence in Donald Trump’s “˜hush-money’ trial in Manhattan has asked for headphones that can plug into a laptop computer provided to jurors so they can listen to the recordings that were put into evidence.

Presiding Judge Juan M. Merchan has also suggested that a speaker could be provided so that jurors can listen to the audio together.

Merchan asked jury members to decide which option they preferred on Thursday morning, at the start of the second day of their deliberations. Deliberations began Wednesday in the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president. The seven-man, five-woman panel is tasked with deciding whether Trump is guilty of any of 34 felony counts of falsifying his company’s records.

Prosecutors say Trump falsified the records to veil reimbursements to his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, who had paid porn actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign not to air her claim that she and Trump had sex a decade earlier.

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee has pleaded not guilty.

DONALD TRUMP ARRIVES AT COURTHOUSE IN MANHATTAN

Donald Trump has arrived at the courthouse in Manhattan where jury deliberations in his “˜hush-money’ trial are getting underway.

“Here we go again,” the former president said outside the courtroom, adding that he can’t talk about the case as much as he wants to.

“There was no fraud, there was no conspiracy,” he said.

Minutes later, Trump walked into the courtroom clutching a sheet of paper as he surveyed the gallery of reporters and public observers. His son Eric Trump is among the entourage of lawyers and aides that followed him in.

DONALD TRUMP HEADS TO COURT IN MANHATTAN

Former President Donald Trump has left Trump Tower. His motorcade headed to the courthouse in Manhattan, where he will await a verdict in his “˜hush-money’ case.

Jury deliberations begin Thursday for a second day.

A LOOK BACK AT MEMORABLE APPEARANCES DURING TRUMP’S DAYS IN COURT

Earlier this week, President Joe Biden’s campaign showed up outside of Donald Trump’s trial with actor Robert De Niro and a pair of former police officers.

Even as Trump and his aides denounce the trial as politically motivated, he has been working to turn the proceedings into an offshoot of his presidential campaign. He’s used his time in front of the cameras outside the courtroom to criticize Biden and showcase a parade of his own political supporters.

Some notable appearances at Trump’s trial include House Speaker Mike Johnson, former GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

WHAT A VERDICT COULD MEAN FOR TRUMP

A guilty verdict would deliver a stunning legal reckoning for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee as Donald Trump seeks to reclaim the White House.

An acquittal would represent a major win for Trump and embolden him on the campaign trail.

Since verdicts must be unanimous, it’s also possible the case ends in a mistrial if the jury can’t reach a consensus after days of deliberations.

Trump struck a pessimistic tone after leaving the courtroom following the reading of jury instructions, repeating his assertions of a “very unfair trial” and saying: “Mother Teresa could not beat those charges, but we’ll see. We’ll see how we do.”

WHO IS ON THE JURY?

The jury in Donald Trump’s hush money trial is comprised of 18 Manhattan residents.

The main jury includes seven men and five women. There are also six alternate jurors who’ve listened to the testimony, but won’t join in the deliberations unless one of the main jurors needs to drop out or is removed.

The jury represents a diverse cross-section of the borough and come from various professional backgrounds, including a sales professional, a software engineer, a security engineer, a teacher, a speech therapist, multiple lawyers, an investment banker and a retired wealth manager.

Jurors’ names are being kept from the public.

WHAT MUST BE PROVED FOR A CONVICTION?

Jurors in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are expected to begin deliberations on Wednesday after receiving instructions from the judge on the law that governs the case and what they can consider as they strive toward a verdict in the first criminal case against a former U.S. president.

The panel has a weighty task ahead of them – deciding whether to convict or acquit Trump of some, all or none of the 34 felony counts he’s charged with.

But what had to be proved for a conviction?

To convict Trump of felony falsifying business records, prosecutors had to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that he not only falsified or caused business records to be entered falsely but also did so with intent to commit or conceal another crime. Any verdict must be unanimous.

THE JURY HAS BEEN SENT TO DELIBERATE. WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN?

Jury deliberations proceed in secret, 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, it’s hard to read too much into the meaning of any note.

It’s anyone’s guess how long the jury in Donald Trump’s hush money case will deliberate for and there’s 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.

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