New York jury hearing closing arguments as Trump hush-money trial nears end
Al Jazeera
Prosecutors and defence lawyers making final pitch to jury before deliberations begin in ex-president’s historic trial.
Prosecutors and defence lawyers in former United States President Donald Trump’s hush-money trial are making their final pitches to the jury, as closing arguments have begun in a New York City courtroom.
Trump’s defence team on Tuesday morning made its last attempt to convince jurors that the ex-president did not cover up evidence of a hush-money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 US elections.
“President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crimes, and the district attorney has not met their burden of proof. Period,” Trump lawyer Todd Blanche said.
Prosecutors will seek to sum up their claim that Trump illegally falsified business documents to cover up the payment, which they say aimed to ensure Daniels would not go public with her claim she had a sexual encounter with the former president.
The closing arguments, which are set to last most of the day, come after nearly two dozen witnesses took the stand since late April in the historic case, the first criminal trial against a former president in US history.
