Key witness lied on stand, Trump lawyer tells jurors during closing arguments in hush money trial

Trump's defence team discredits hush money case, calling star witness a liar, in historic trial.

Donald Trump's defence team attacked the hush money case against him on Tuesday by calling the star witness a liar, seeking to discredit weeks of testimony that prosecutors say prove the former president interfered in the 2016 election through a scheme to suppress stories seen as harmful to his campaign.

The closing arguments, which were expected to last the entire day, gave attorneys one last chance to address the Manhattan jury and to score final points with the panel before it starts deliberating the fate of the first former American President charged with felony crimes.

“President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof, period," said defence attorney Todd Blanche, who said the evidence in the case should “leave you wanting." In an hourslong address to the jury, Mr. Blanche attacked the foundation of the case, which charges Mr. Trump with conspiring to conceal hush money payments prosecutors say were made on his behalf during the 2016 presidential campaign to stifle a porn actor's claim that she had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump a decade earlier.

With sweeping denials mirroring his client's “deny everything" approach, Mr. Blanche countered the prosecution's portrayal of Trump as a detail-oriented manager who paid dutiful attention to the checks he signed; disputed the contention that Mr. Trump and the porn actor, Stormy Daniels, had sex; and rejected the idea that the alleged hush money scheme amounted to illegal interference in the election.

“Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy to promote a candidate, a group of people who are working together to help somebody win,” Mr. Blanche said.

After more than four weeks of testimony, the summations tee up a momentous and historically unprecedented task for the jury as it decides whether to convict the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in connection with the payments.

Because prosecutors have the burden of proof, they will deliver their arguments last.