Former President Donald Trump’s defense rested its case at his “hush money” trial on Tuesday, opening the final chapter of proceedings before the jury begins deliberations next week.
The former president had hinted for weeks that he might take the stand, and has railed against the judge’s gag order limiting what he can say outside the courtroom about the witnesses who testified against him.
Ultimately, however, Trump looked on from the defense table as his attorneys called just two witnesses: a legal analyst and an attorney named Robert Costello, who got a harsh dressing down from Justice Juan Merchan on Monday.
Costello’s testimony was aimed at discrediting the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen.
Costello told jurors that Cohen told him in 2018 that Trump “knew nothing” about the $130,000 payment that Cohen made to the adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Cohen put up the money himself, and testified that Trump knew of a plan to cover up the payments reimbursing him. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsification of business records stemming from the reimbursements.
For his part, Cohen said he never trusted Costello, and lied to him to protect himself.
After Trump’s team rested its case, the judge heard arguments from both sides over the instructions he will give the jury before they begin deliberations. The court won’t meet for a week, with closing arguments set to begin next Tuesday. The jury is expected to get the case the next day.
Here’s how Tuesday unfolded in court: