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5 months ago
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Will a former president be convicted by a jury of his 'peers' for the first time in history?
It's only a matter of days until a verdict is reached in Donald Trump's historic criminal hush money trial.
Closing arguments will kick off Tuesday morning as the case comes to a close nearly six grueling weeks later.
Prosecutors have a high bar to reach in order to convince the 12-person New York jury that Trump conspired to help his 2016 election campaign by paying pornstar Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounters.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team will wrap up all the evidence and witness testimony they claim is sufficient enough to nail Trump on 34 felony counts of 'falsifying business records.'
It's only a matter of days until a verdict is reached in in Donald Trump 's historic criminal hush money trial
The jury has heard bombshell testimony from Trump's former 'fixer' turned foe Michael Cohen, National Enquirer publisher David Pecker and pornstar Stormy Daniels herself who graphically detailed her sexual experiences with the ex-president.
After testimony by 22 witnesses, some salacious and some dull, and pages of documents and evidence - it all comes down to whether the prosecution or defense has better laid out their case.
DailyMail.com breaks down what to expect this week as the case comes to a close:
Trump's defense will make its case first
The defense will deliver its closing arguments first on Tuesday - in the opposite order from the trial.
Trump's attorney team is expected to lay out a strong defense of the former president, distancing him from Cohen's payments to Stormy Daniels.
They will also reiterate several of their strongest points, that hush money payments are not illegal and Trump solely wanted to spare his family humiliation from Stormy's alleged affair claims.
Perhaps the strongest strategy that will be employed by Trump's team is attacking the credibility of the prosecution's 'star witness' Michael Cohen.
The defense only needs to convince one juror out of the 12 total that there isn't sufficient evidence 'beyond a reasonable doubt' to prove Trump is guilty to hand the ex-president a victory in the case.
After over five weeks of jury selection, testimony by 22 witnesses and pages of documents and evidence, it all comes down to who has better laid out their case
If there is at least one holdout on convicting Trump, a 'hung jury' would be declared by the judge sparking a mistrial.
'He's cloaked in innocence,' Trump attorney Todd Blanche previously insisted about the ex-president during opening statements.
'And that cloak of innocence does not leave President Trump today. It doesn't leave him at any day during this trial. And it won't leave him when you all deliberate. You will find that he is not guilty.'
The prosecution will run through evidence and testimony again
The prosecution will follow the defense during arguments, which are expected to go on for several hours.
Bragg's team is expected to run through all the evidence they presented during the 19 days they made their case.
That includes 11 checks, 11 invoices and 12 vouches that prosecutors say are proof of how Trump 'falsified' records to reimburse Cohen for the Stormy Daniels payments.
They will also have to push back on the defense's argument that Cohen is a 'liar' who cannot be trusted.
Last week, Judge Juan Merchan warned that closing arguments could bleed into a second day.
Trump's team will attack the credibility of the prosecution's 'star witness' Michael Cohen
'In a case like this, which is a rather long case, summations will not be quick,' he stated.
The court is usually off on Wednesdays, but the judge has indicated that proceedings will continue then so as not to further drag out deliberations.
Jury will be instructed by the judge on how to deliberate
Once the closing arguments are complete, the jury will be instructed by Merchan for about an hour on how to deliberate behind closed doors.
Last week, Merchan considered the instructions that will be read to the 12 jury members who will decide Trump's fate during a 'charging conference.'
In a win for Trump, the judge said that he would tell the panel to treat Trump fairly during their deliberations.
Donald Trump shook his head in disapproval as the hush money trial judge ripped his lawyer for being 'disingenuous' during a crucial session on instructions that will be given to the jury
The instruction was outside of the normal language used to charge the jury in a concession to the defense.
The wording plays a key part in how the jury deliberate and experts believe it can win or lose a case.
Over more than an hour, Trump's lawyers and attorneys from the Manhattan District Attorney's office sparred over the minutiae of the text, in some cases down to single words.
Jury deliberations kick off and a verdict will be reached
Once jurors are dismissed by the judge to work on coming to an agreement in the case, which is expected Wednesday, they could be huddled for days.
If they have questions, they could come back and ask the judge for an explanation or to read back certain points of the testimony.
Trump ripped into the trial and the judge on Tuesday as the jury was sent home for a week
Judicial experts say that the longer the jury deliberates, the better it is for Trump.
The outcome of the case could be resolved in one of three manners: an acquittal, a conviction or a mistrial.
If Trump is convicted, his team will likely start the appeals process, which could take years.
It is unlikely that Trump, if found guilty, would be sentenced before the 2024 election in November.
English (US)