Jury ponders, Trump remains at the courthouse.
During the hush money trial for the 2016 US election, the jurors fiercely debate Donald Trump's guilt in relation to the charges. The former president must be physically present in the courtroom throughout this process. There have been instances where the jury sends notes, creating a sense of drama.
"ELECTION INTERFERENCE!" was the aggressive statement made by Donald Trump on Truth Social on a Thursday morning, accompanied by a video from a "Fox News" breakfast television show featuring his daughter-in-law Lara Trump ranting uncontrollably. This illicit trial is taking place in New York City, with a "left-wing hero" presiding over the case against the Republican Party's endorsed presidential candidate. Other media companies are losing popularity, with particular focus on an MSNBC lawyer who claimed to be 'obsessed' with Judge Juan Merchan.
After five weeks of legal proceedings involving Trump and the porn star Stormy Daniels, the jurors are now sequestered in a room where they will be deliberating. They have been exposed to all the evidence and testimonies, now left to make a verdict. If Trump is unanimously found guilty of concealing illegal campaign contributions, penalties will be decided at a later date by the judge.
In the meanwhile, Trump, like any other defendant in a criminal trial, remains present in the courthouse throughout deliberations. He enters the courtroom in the morning, sometimes speaking to the press beforehand. He then sits in the courtroom, ready to address the judge if any questions from the jury arise. They submit their inquiries through notes left in their deliberation room, which is only filled with a large table. No external guidance or witness testimonies are allowed.
On the first day of deliberations, the jury requested to hear the statements about the meeting that took place in Trump Tower between Trump, his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, and the publisher David Pecker. The meeting allegedly took place in 2016, where the three men conspired to hide stories about Trump's sexual encounters that could have potentially swayed the outcome of the election.
The court staff act out a small play, assuming the roles of attorneys and witnesses to re-read the relevant transcript passages to the jurors. "The scheme developed by these men would have potentially led to Donald Trump becoming president," stated prosecutor Joshua Steinglass in the closing argument of the indictment.
The jurors also wanted to receive directions on drawing their own conclusions, initially leading the judge to reprimand the instructions once more. This happened on the following morning: "Let's imagine you're asleep one night when it's not raining. The next morning, you look out the window and don't see any rain, but you witness people wearing raincoats and umbrellas. Under these circumstances, you can reasonably deduce that it rained during the night." Trump, seated at the defense table, had his eyes closed for most of the proceedings, occasionally tilting his head back "as if he were sunbathing," according to the New York Times.
In previous weeks, Trump never left the courtroom for lunch, instead, remaining in a room connected to the court with his legal team. Food is often provided to him, including burgers, sandwiches, and even pizza boxes. Trump has critically labeled the trial as a charade in his social media posts, potentially prolonging his stay for days.
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In the pending US presidential election 2024, Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, has expressed his intentions to potentially testify against Trump, bringing up his involvement in the Stormy Daniels case during the 2016 election processes. This revisitation of events could significantly impact Trump's campaign, given the ongoing trial and potential consequences if Trump is found guilty of concealing illegal campaign contributions.
As the jury continues to deliberate in the hush money trial involving Donald Trump and Stormy Daniels, attorneys have been preparing for the possibility of Michael Cohen's testimony in the upcoming US presidential election, should he choose to provide insights into Trump's past actions.
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