Donald Trump’s hush money trial: Closing arguments to begin

NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Closing arguments will begin Tuesday in the criminal trial against former President Donald Trump.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, faces 34 criminal charges alleging he falsified business records during the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors allege the records were falsified to hide $310,000 in payments tied to a porn star’s allegations that she had a sexual relationship with Trump.

Silent payments themselves are not necessarily illegal, but they may become illegal if they are made in connection with another crime or as blackmail. In this case, the payments are being considered by prosecutors as illegal campaign contributions, which makes them a violation of campaign finance law.

Trump has maintained his innocence since being charged and claimed to be the victim of a political witch hunt.

Anticipating jury deliberations

Although 18 jurors have been chosen, 12 will decide Trump’s fate (the other six are alternates). Once the closing arguments are complete, the jury will be sent to deliberate on the verdict.

The panel of jurors must consider each of the 34 charges against Trump and reach the same decision for the judge in the case to move forward. If the jury is unable to reach the same decision, the judge may declare a mistrial.

The 34 charges Trump faces include 11 counts of falsified invoices, 12 counts of falsified ledger entries and 11 counts of false recording of hush money payments.

Maximum sentence of 20 years

The maximum sentence Trump could face if convicted is 20 years in prison. Although each felony charge carries up to four years in prison, for a total of 136 years, New York law limits the sentence for this type of crime to a maximum of 20 years.

If Trump goes to prison, he will not go alone, as the Secret Service will have to accompany him to continue his protection.

However, not all first-time offenders go to prison, and Judge Juan Merchan could impose a lesser sentence, which could include fines and/or some combination of probation or community service. The fine for falsifying business records as a felony charge is $5,000, although it is not entirely clear whether this would be per count, which would total a maximum of $170,000.

It’s also possible the jury could find Trump guilty of a lesser offense, which comes with the possibility of fines, probation or up to a year in prison per charge.

The jury could also return a mixed verdict, finding Trump guilty on some charges but not others, which would also impact the potential sentence.

Witness testimony

During the trial, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called 20 witnesses as he presented his case, and Trump’s legal team called two witnesses to testify.

Key witnesses included former Trump fixer Michael Cohen — who has already pleaded guilty to federal charges of campaign finance violations — as well as former Trump adviser Hope Hicks and former American Media CEO, Inc., David Pecker.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who received one of the payments, also spoke out with lewd statements about her alleged sexual interaction with Trump.

Prosecutors spent 15 days presenting their case and the defense team took just two to present arguments.

Bragg’s team alleged that Trump was aware that records were being falsified to cover up the nature of secret payments made in an effort to deceive voters before the 2016 election. The defense, however, disputed the testimony of Daniels and Cohen and tried to distance Trump from the payments.

Remaining cases against Trump

Regardless of what happens in New York, Trump still faces two federal criminal cases and one criminal case in Georgia. However, it appears increasingly unlikely that these will be judged before the November elections.

Trump’s election interference case in Georgia is on hold pending Trump’s appeal of a judge’s decision to allow Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case despite her romantic involvement with the former. attorney Nathan Wade. Trump’s defense team in that case argued that the relationship presented a conflict of interest, and a judge ruled that either Wade or Willis should resign from the case, which Wade did.

The federal election interference case against Trump, brought by special counsel Jack Smith, is also delayed while the Supreme Court weighs Trump’s claims that presidents should have absolute immunity from prosecution.

The court has not yet ruled, but one possible outcome is the case being sent to lower courts, which would mean further delays.

Trump also faces charges of illegally retaining and improperly storing classified documents after leaving office. That case, also brought by Smith, was suspended indefinitely by Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by Trump.

Cannon cited arguments about how confidential evidence should be treated as her reason, but others blamed incompetence or accused her of making the decision to help Trump delay his cases until after the election.

2024 presidential elections

Even if Trump is found guilty in one or more of these cases, he could still run for president. He is also eligible to run and serve even if he is in prison, although it is not entirely clear how that would work.

Escaping behind bars is not entirely unprecedented. In 1920, socialist Eugene Debs ran for president from a federal prison while serving time for sedition, after urging people to resist the military draft.

The multiple criminal cases against Trump have not diminished support among Republican voters, but there is research that indicates a conviction could sway moderate and undecided voters when it comes to the polls.

NewsNation’s Jeff Arnold contributed to this report.