Name: Attorneys Present Dueling Closing Remarks to Jury in Trump Trial
Uploaded: 2024-05-29T19:17:08.000Z
Description: Former President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is nearing an end. On May 28, the prosecution and defense will sum up their cases, allowing jurors to deliberate on their verdict.

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Former President Donald Trump’s trial in New York is nearing an end. On May 28, the prosecution and defense will sum up their cases, allowing jurors to deliberate on their verdict.

<em>Follow here for the live updates: </em>
<h2>Judge to Give Instructions Wednesday</h2>
Justice Merchan said court will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow and end at 4:30 p.m. as usual.

The judge will give the jury instructions before they start deliberating. He estimated the instructions will take an hour.
<h2>Steinglass Wraps Up 5-Hour Summation</h2>
Mr. Steinglass ended the prosecution's summation by arguing that President Trump's intent to defraud "could not be any clearer," and that the alleged scheme was "cloaked in lies."

“The name of the game was concealment and all roads lead inescapably to the man who benefited the most: the defendant, former President Donald Trump,” Mr. Steinglass said.

He added, “Donald Trump can’t shoot someone on Fifth Avenue at rush hour and get away with it,” prompting an objection.
<h2>Prosecutors Recap Timeline as Court Sets 8 p.m. Cutoff</h2>
Mr. Steinglass briskly recapped the timeline of events in the case, starting with the August 2015 meeting prosecutors claim was the beginning of a conspiracy.

Mr. Steinglass covered the several calls Mr. Cohen made to Mr. Trump in October 2016, parallel to the Access Hollywood tape release and the Stormy Daniels deal.

Mr. Steinglass said there was "just no way, no way!" Mr. Cohen would not have kept his boss updated on the deal with these calls.

"Just think of the timing of these phone calls, this is absolutely critical," Mr. Steinglass said. He said the calls Mr. Cohen made late October was clearly Mr. Cohen "seeking the final go-ahead" from Mr. Trump before closing the deal.
<h2>Prosecutors Accuse Trump of Witness Intimidation</h2>
After the break, Mr. Steinglass showed jurors social media posts from President Trump's account, including ones where he blasted Mr. Cohen.

Mr. Steinglass claimed this sent a message to potential witnesses: "Cooperate and you will face the wrath of Donald Trump."

He said the lawsuits President Trump has filed against Ms. Clifford and Mr. Cohen were additional examples of defamation. Ms. Clifford owes President Trump $600,000 in legal fees and President Trump had filed a claim after failure to pay for over a year, and he had filed a countersuit against Mr. Cohen.

Mr. Steinglass claimed that President Trump "wanted everyone to see the cost of taking him on."

Mr. Steinglass pointed out that Ms. Clifford faced a barrage of threats and harassment after going public with her story, prompting Mr. Blanche to object.

Mr. Steinglass responded that he wasn't saying President Trump was behind the threats. The judge told him to move his argument along.
<h2>Steinglass Says It Would Be 'Crazy' to Think Trump Not Involved in Cohen Payment</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that President Trump was detail oriented and frugal and that it would have been "crazy" to think that Mr. Weisselberg and Mr. Cohen devised the payment plan on their own, and that President Trump had no questions about the $35,000 checks he signed to pay Mr. Cohen throughout 2017.

"He just signs it. Every month. And he never once picks up that phone. He never once makes further inquiry,” Mr. Steinglass said.

“Don’t buy this bogus narrative that the defense is selling—that the defendant was too busy to know what he was signing,” Mr. Steinglass said. “The defendant’s entire business philosophy was and is to be involved in everything, down to negotiating the price of the light bulbs.”

Mr. Steinglass went through each of Mr. Cohen's checks, and joked that Mr. Cohen had made "way more money than any government job would ever pay ... and don't I know that," drawing some laughs from jurors.

At around 6:30, Mr. Steinglass asked if he should pause for the day. After conferring with jurors, the judge said they would stay late to finish closing arguments. The court is taking one last break and will have a hard stop at 8 p.m.
<h2>Prosecutors Highlights Trump 'Reimbursement' Tweet</h2>
Mr. Steinglass pointed to a social media <a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump/status/991992302267785216">post</a> President Trump made in 2018 that called payments to Mr. Cohen a reimbursement: “Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.”

Mr. Steinglass argued that though the payment did not come out of a campaign fund, "the payment has everything to do with the campaign."

“And yet they still try to argue that the payments to Cohen in 2017 were for legal services rendered—because to say anything else is to admit that the business records were false, and they can’t do that,” he argued.

Mr. Steinglass then argued that Mr. Cohen was not paid for legal work he did do in 2018, undermining the defense's arguments that he was paid $420,000 in 2017 for legal work.

"Does anyone believe that?" he asked jurors.
<h2>Prosecution Argues Trump Wouldn't Pay $420,000 for Little Legal Work</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that Mr. Cohen "spent more time being cross-examined at this trial than he did doing legal work for Donald Trump in 2017."

"Do you think there's any chance Donald Trump would pay $42,000 an hour for legal work by Michael Cohen?" Mr. Steinglass asked the jury.

Mr. Cohen had testified that when he worked at Trump Organization, he was making $525,000 annually after his bonus.
<h2>Prosecutor Says Weisselberg Notes a 'Smoking Gun'</h2>
After the break, Mr. Steinglass continued prosecution summations, arguing that the alleged crime occurred after the election .

“Even after Mr. Trump got elected, he still had to make sure that no one found out about the conspiracy,” Mr. Steinglass said.

Mr. Steinglass argued that the handwritten figures by Mr. Weisselberg and Mr. McConney are the "smoking guns" of the case.

Mr. Weisselberg had purportedly been the one to come up with the idea to "gross up" the $130,000 payment to Mr. Cohen to $420,000. Mr. McConney took notes about this on a copy of Mr. Cohen's bank statement, during a meeting he had with Mr. Weisselberg.

Mr. Steinglass argued this was clear evidence that this was not payment for legal work.
<h2>Prosecution: Cohen, Clifford Communications Show 'Mountain' of Evidence</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that the detailed phone records, text messages, and other communications were evidence of a "mountain" of corroboration for the allegations in the case.

He said that Mr. Trump may not have signed the contract with Ms. Clifford himself, but that was "kind of the whole point," and showed intention to conceal.

Mr. Steinglass argued the timing of the deal showed that "the defendant's primary concern was not his family but the election."

The court took a break.
<h2>Steinglass Says It Would Be ‘Crazy’ to Think Trump Not Involved in Cohen Payment</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that President Trump was detail oriented and frugal and that it would have been “crazy” to think that Mr. Weisselberg and Mr. Cohen devised the payment plan on their own, and that President Trump had no questions about the $35,000 checks he signed to pay Mr. Cohen throughout 2017.

“He just signs it. Every month. And he never once picks up that phone. He never once makes further inquiry,” Mr. Steinglass said.

Mr. Steinglass went through each of Mr. Cohen’s checks, and joked that Mr. Cohen had made “way more money than any government job would ever pay … and don’t I know that,” drawing some laughs from jurors.
<h2>Prosecutors Highlights Trump ‘Reimbursement’ Tweet</h2>
Mr. Steinglass pointed to a social media post President Trump made in 2018 that called payments to Mr. Cohen a reimbursement: “Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA.”

Mr. Steinglass argued that though the payment did not come out of a campaign fund, “the payment has everything to do with the campaign.”

Mr. Steinglass then argued that Mr. Cohen was not paid for legal work he did do in 2018, undermining the defense’s arguments that he was paid $420,000 in 2017 for legal work.

“Does anyone believe that?” he asked jurors.
<h2>Prosecution Argues Trump Wouldn’t Pay $420,000 for Little Legal Work</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that Mr. Cohen “spent more time being cross-examined at this trial than he did doing legal work for Donald Trump in 2017.”

“Do you think there’s any chance Donald Trump would pay $42,000 an hour for legal work by Michael Cohen?” Mr. Steinglass asked the jury.

Mr. Cohen had testified that when he worked at Trump Organization, he was making $525,000 annually after his bonus.
<h2>Prosecutor Says Weisselberg Notes a ‘Smoking Gun’</h2>
After the break, Mr. Steinglass continued prosecution summations, arguing that the alleged crime occurred after the election .

Mr. Steinglass argued that the handwritten figures by Mr. Weisselberg and Mr. McConney are the “smoking guns” of the case.

Mr. Weisselberg had purportedly been the one to come up with the idea to “gross up” the $130,000 payment to Mr. Cohen to $420,000. Mr. McConney took notes about this on a copy of Mr. Cohen’s bank statement, during a meeting he had with Mr. Weisselberg.

Mr. Steinglass argued this was clear evidence that this was not payment for legal work.
<h2>Prosecution: Cohen, Clifford Communications Show ‘Mountain’ of Evidence</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that the detailed phone records, text messages, and other communications were evidence of a “mountain” of corroboration for the allegations in the case.

He said that Mr. Trump may not have signed the contract with Ms. Clifford himself, but that was “kind of the whole point,” and showed intention to conceal.

Mr. Steinglass argued the timing of the deal showed that “the defendant’s primary concern was not his family but the election.”

The court took a break.
<h2>Prosecutors: Access Hollywood Tape a ‘Category 5’ Hurricane</h2>
Defense attorneys had argued the tape release was far from a disaster, but prosecutors argued evidence showed this was not the case.

Trump Campaign communications director Hope Hicks had said on the witness stand that a Category 4 hurricane was set to touch land when the Access Hollywood tape was released, and no one remembers the hurricane.

Prosecutors said the tape was a “Category 5″ hurricane on the eve of the election.
<h2>Secret Cohen Record Crucial Evidence, Say Prosecutors</h2>
After a break, Mr. Steinglass focused on the secret record Mr. Cohen made of a conversation he had with Mr. Trump.

He argued the defense had gone to “laughable lengths” to try to discredit the recording, arguing that Mr. Trump was talking about materials Mr. Pecker had retained about Mr. Trump over the years.

He said the recording “shows the defendant’s cavalier willingness to hide this payoff.”

“This shows the defendant suggesting paying in cash,” Mr. Steinglass said. “He’s trying to do it in a way that leaves no paper trail, that’s the whole point.”

He argued this crucial piece of evidence showed the intent required to prove the case and that’s why the defense tried so hard to discredit it.

“This tape unequivocally shows a presidential candidate actively engaging in a scheme to influence the election by reimbursing AMI for the McDougal story,” Mr. Steinglass said.
<h2>Prosecution Argues Trump ‘Looming’ Behind Other’s Actions</h2>
Mr. Steinglass said that the joking texts exchanged between Keith Davidson, attorney to Ms. Clifford and Karen McDougal, and AMI chief content officer Dylan Howard showed they knew they were doing this at the behest of the defendant.

Mr. Davidson had written: “Throw in an ambassaforship for me. I’m thinking Isle of Mann.”

Mr. Howard wrote back: “I’m going to Make Australia Great Again.”

“It’s a palpable recognition of what they’re doing. They’re helping Trump get elected,” Mr. Steinglass said. “Trump is looming behind everything that they’re doing.”
<h2>Steinglass Says Claims Alleged Conspiracy ‘Got President Trump Elected’</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that the National Enquirer played a pivotal role in President Trump’s first campaign, crediting the tabloid’s role as “one of the most valuable contributions that anyone ever made to the Trump campaign.”

“This scheme, cooked up by these three men, could very well be what got President Trump elected,” he said.

Mr. Steinglass addressed two deals Mr. Pecker testified on, which weren’t connected to the charges. Defense attorneys cast these in the context of Mr. Pecker’s “checkbook journalism” practice where they only ever published half the stories they published, but Mr. Steinglass argued these showed that these alleged co-conspirators had a consistent motive to be “in service to the defendant’s campaign.”
<h2>Steinglass Accuses Trump of ‘Subversion of Democracy’</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that the alleged scheme was a “subversion of democracy” meant to “manipulate and defraud the voters, to pull the wool over their eyes in a coordinated fashion.”
<h2>Steinglass Says Defense Focus on Cohen a 'Deflection'</h2>
Mr. Steinglass argued that the defense’s emphasis on the character and credibility of Mr. Cohen was only a “deflection.”

He told jurors that beyond Mr. Cohen there was “a mountain of evidence, of corroborating testimony, that tends to connect the defendant to his crime.”

This included Mr. Cohen’s secret recording, and President Trump’s tweets about Mr. Cohen, he argued.

“It’s not about whether you like Michael Cohen. It’s not about whether you want to go into business with Michael Cohen. It’s whether he has useful, reliable information to give you about what went down in this case, and the truth is that he was in the best position to know,” Mr. Steinglass said.

“This case is not about Michael Cohen. It’s about Donald Trump.”
<h2>Steinglass Acts Out Call Between Cohen and Trump</h2>
Mr. Steinglass acted out a call that took place on Oct. 24, 2016, which prosecutors allege was when Mr. Cohen updated Mr. Trump about the Stormy Daniels deal before closing it with his approval.

The 96-second call was preceded by texts between Mr. Cohen and Mr. Schiller, whose phone received the call meant for Mr. Trump, in which Mr. Cohen wanted a prank caller investigated.

Mr. Steinglass argued it was possible for Mr. Cohen to have spoken to Mr. Schiller and still updated Mr. Trump on that short call, acting out a hypothetical scenario that lasted 49 seconds.

He argued the defense had seized on this phone call as “the big lie,” but he had refuted it.

He then made fun of his own acting skills, drawing a smile from a juror.
<h2>Steinglass: 'Not Asking You to Feel Bad for Michael Cohen'</h2>
Mr. Steinglass told jurors that Mr. Cohen had little choice but to capitalize off his history with President Trump after he was convicted and disbarred, but that he was “not asking you to feel bad for Michael Cohen.”

“He made his bed. But you can hardly blame him for making money from the one thing he has left, which is his knowledge of the inner workings of the Trump Organizatinon,” Mr. Steinglass argued.

He said they didn’t “choose” Mr. Cohen to be their key witness.

“The defendant chose Michael Cohen to be his fixer because he was willing to lie and cheat on the defendant’s behalf,” Mr. Steinglass said.
<h2>Steinglass: Stormy Daniels ‘Cringeworthy’ Testimony ‘Kind of the Point’</h2>
Mr. Steinglass said Ms. Clifford’s testimony was “cringeworthy” and “messy.”

“It makes people uncomfortable to hear. It probably makes some of you uncomfortable to hear. But that’s kind of the point,” Mr. Steinglass said. “In the simplest terms, Stormy Daniels is the motive.”

He argued that the details Ms. Clifford shared about the hotel suit “kind of ring true,” but whether or not a sexual encounter actually occurred, her story showed there was an “incentive to buy her silence.”
<h2>Prosecution Says Cohen Has Already ‘Paid the Price’ for Conspiracy</h2>
Mr. Steinglass acknowledged Mr. Cohen’s record of lying under oath and said the jury has to take his dishonesty into account, because “how could you not?”

He argued that Mr. Cohen is the only member of the alleged conspiracy who has “paid the price for his role.”

Mr. Steinglass claimed that Mr. Cohen did President Trump’s bidding for years before he was thrown under the bus and that his anger and desire to see President Trump punished was understandable.

“Anyone in Cohen’s shoes would want the defendant to be held accountable,” Mr. Steinglass said.
<h2>Prosecutors Begin Closing Statement</h2>
Mr. Steinglass began closing arguments, saying the case “at its core, is about a conspiracy and cover-up.”

He argued that prosecutors have presented “powerful evidence of the defendant’s guilt” during the six-week trial.

Mr. Steinglass sought to refute claims the defense made about Ms. Clifford’s testimony. He argued that Ms. Clifford had believed that going public with her story was the best way to protect herself and her family, and it was not attempt to “extort” President Trump.

He also argued that extortion would not negate election fraud.

“You don’t get to commit election fraud or falsify business records because you believe you’ve been victimized,” he said.
<h2>Judge Tells Jurors to Disregard ‘Prison’ Comment</h2>
After warning Mr. Blanche, Justice Merchan told jurors they must disregard the comment by the defense about sending President Trump to “prison” on the word of Michael Cohen.

The judge told the jury it “was improper and you must disregard it.”

He added that jurors do not consider sentences, and that decision is solely the judge’s.
<h2>‘You Are Gangsters!’: Trump Posts Video of De Niro Arguing With Trump Supporters</h2>
The Biden Campaign had invited actor Robert De Niro to host a press conference near the courthouse as the defense gave its closing arguments.

After the conference, the actor appeared to get into an argument with a Trump supporter, the two yelling obscenities at each other.

“You are gangsters!” Mr. De Niro yelled. Another man yelled insults in return, including “your movies suck!”

Nearly a dozen cameras followed the exiting actor and protestors, captured on a video that President Trump shared on his own social media page.

Earlier, Mr. De Niro had claimed at the press conference that President Trump was a “tyrant” who would “destroy” the city, country, and world.
<h2>Trumps Come Out in Support</h2>
Outside the courthouse, Donald Trump Jr. told reporters the case was “political persecution” underscored by the fact that the Biden campaign announced a press conference at the courthouse to coincide with closing arguments.

“This is a sham. This is insane. It needs to stop,” he said.

Eric Trump said he was “sorry to the jury that’s in there” because “this has been the greatest colossal waste of time.”

He said his father is the “toughest man I’ve ever seen” and “he endures this nonsense every single day.”

His wife Lara Trump, RNC co-chair, also argued the case was political, criticizing the district attorney for not prosecuting violent crime in the city.
<h2>Judge Warns Defense Over ‘Outrageous’ Comment</h2>
Mr. Steinglass asked the judge to intervene over Mr. Blanche’s “ridiculous” request to jurors not to send President Trump to prison based on the words of Mr. Cohen. Justice Merchan agreed.

“I think that saying is outrageous,” Justice Merchan told Mr. Blanche. “Someone who’s been a prosecutor as long as you have and a defense attorney as long as you have, you know that making a comment like that is highly inappropriate. It’s simply not allowed. Period.”

The prosecutors have not disclosed whether they are seeking jail time should President Trump be convicted.
<h2>Verdict Not a Vote, Blanche Says</h2>
Mr. Blanche finished closing arguments by telling jurors that their verdict is not about their views of President Trump.

“This is not a referendum on the ballot box—who you voted for in 2016 or 2020, who you plan on voting for in 2024. That is not what this is about,” he said. “The verdict you have to reach has to do with the evidence you heard in this courtroom.”

The court took a break for lunch.
<h2>Blanche Raises Key Points of Reasonable Doubt</h2>
Mr. Blanche is summing up his closing argument by listing key points he believes should give jurors reasonable doubt.

Mr. Cohen created the invoices that formed the basis of the charges and there was no proof shown that President Trump knew anything about how they were processed, and there was no evidence presented that showed an intent to defraud, or a conspiracy to influence the 2016 presidential election, Mr. Blanche argued.

“The bottom line is, there is no falsification of business records,” he said.
<h2>Blanche Calls Cohen 'MVP of Liars'</h2>
Mr. Blanche raised his voice as he reiterated the claim that Mr. Cohen lied to the jurors.

He said Mr. Cohen’s claim that he spoke to then-candidate Trump about the Stormy Daniels deal “was a lie,” as the defense showed the call to bodyguard Keith Schiller was preceded by texts concerning a prank caller Mr. Cohen wanted dealt with, and the call only lasted 90 seconds.

“It was a lie,” Mr. Blanche said. “That was a lie and he got caught red-handed.”

He called Mr. Cohen the “MVP of liars.”

“He lied to Congress. He lied to prosecutors. He lied to his family and business associates,” he said.

Mr. Blanche also reminded jurors that Mr. Cohen admitted to an obsession with Donald Trump, and presented quotes and clips of Mr. Cohen praising the indictment against his former boss.

Mr. Blanche argued that the prosecutors built their case around testimony by “a witness that outright hates the defendant, wants him in jail, is actively making money off that hatred.”

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Catherine Yang is a reporter for The Epoch Times based in New York.

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Michael Washburn is a New York-based reporter who covers U.S. and China-related topics for The Epoch Times. He has a background in legal and financial journalism, and also writes about arts and culture. Additionally, he is the host of the weekly podcast Reading the Globe. His books include “The Uprooted and Other Stories,” “When We're Grownups,” and “Stranger, Stranger.”