Defense indicates they may rest their case today (2024)

Defense attorney Todd Blanche is indicating that both prosecutors and defense may rest their cases today.

"We have a few witnesses here. There is a likelihood that we will rest today," Blanche said.

"So here we are on Monday and they’re about to rest, and they're asking I guess to see if this witness can come back," Blanche says regarding the prosecution's request to call back an earlier witness. "We very much object."

Judge Juan Merchan said he wants to know why the defense's witness wasn't sorted out sooner.

"It doesn’t seem like Mr Blanche is contesting the fact that they were together so I don’t understand why they’re jumping through all these hoops. They have the right to put us through the burden," Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said.

"They don’t have to stipulate that Mr. Schiller was with Mr. Trump at that day and time, though it does not sound like they’re contesting that," Steinglass added.

Merchan asked what is the prejudice to the defense? Blanche said its "patently unfair."

Judge Juan Merchan is not allowing the district attorney's office to bring in the photos as it is seeking to through a paralegal.

"I don’t see how the people can get past the heresay objection," he says.

Donald Trump points to something in front of his attorney Todd Blanche and the two share a quick laugh as the judge explains his decision on the C-SPAN evidence.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said the prosecution may recall the C-SPAN archivist to testify. Merchan asks for a timeline.

Remember:Before the break, prosecutors argued that one of the photos they want to introduce as evidence of Trump and his former bodyguard Keith Schiller is pulled from the C-SPAN archives of a rally from October 24, 2016.

Judge Juan Merchan said that he reviewed the testimony of the C-SPAN archivist during the lunch break.

Merchan is re-reading the archivist's testimony, including how C-SPAN verifies video is accurate and saves videos to the C-SPAN archives.

Trump is leaning back with his eyes closed as Merchan continues to read the transcript.

Remember: Before the break, prosecutors argued that one of the photos they want to introduce as evidence of Trump and his former bodyguard Keith Schiller is pulled from the C-SPAN archives of a rally from October 24, 2016.

Natalie Harp, the former OAN anchor turned assistant, just walked out of the courtroom to grab a sheet of paper, returned and walked directly to former President Donald Trump to hand it to him.

This is the aide who carries around a printer (and cartridges) so she can print out his articles for him.

While looking at the sheet, Trump raised his arm and gave a thumbs-up without turning around after she handed it to him.

Former President Donald Trump has entered the courtroom.

Attorney Alan Dershowitzis also back.

Judge Juan Merchan is on the bench.

Prosecutors are back in the courtroom ahead of the resumption of the trial this afternoon.

Former President Donald Trump is on trial in Manhattan for his alleged role in ahush money schemeto silence his alleged mistresses before the 2016 election.He faces 34 counts related to “falsifying New York business records in order to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”

Prosecutors allege adult film actressStormy Danielswas paid $130,000 – the “hush money” payment – to keep her from going public before the 2016 election about her claim that she had an affair with Trump in 2006. The alleged reimbursem*nt payment Trump made to Cohen is at the heart of the charges against the former president.

Trump’s attorneys have tried to attack the credibility of Cohen and Daniels during cross-examination, and paint them as liars who are motivated by grudges and money.

Michael Cohen answered the prosecution’s questions on redirect on Monday morning for just under an hour before breaking for lunch. Here are the key points.

There was no retainer agreement: Cohen testified the $420,000 he received was a reimbursem*nt and that he never actually sent a legal retainer agreement to ex-Trump Org. CFO Allen Weisselberg, contrary to what Trump’s signed checks stated. “There was no legal work that I was to be paid for,��� he said. “There was no representation agreement within which to send.”

"Despite cheating," Trump felt he didn't get his money's worth for the work, Cohen said. CNBC ended up not moving forward with the poll, "and so (Trump) didn’t feel he had gotten the benefit" for the services they had provided.

Cohen explains stealing from Trump Org.: Under cross-examination, Cohen testified he was reimbursed $50,000 for payments to Red Finch but only paid them back $20,000, effectively stealing from the Trump Organization. On redirect, explained that he did so because he was upset about getting a surprisingly low annual bonus.

He admitted it was wrong to do so.

Cohen says Trump approved false statements: Cohen confirmed that parts of a letter he sent to the Federal Election Commission and a public statement about the Stormy Daniels hush money payment were false and intended to be misleading.

"Did Mr. Trump approve the substance of these false statements by you?" Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Cohen said.

Prosecutors and the defense have been zeroing in on the hush money payment at the center of the case, with Donald Trump's lawyers trying to poke holes at Michael Cohen's testimony.

According to prosecutors, on October 27, 2016, Cohenpaid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to her attorneythrough a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she allegedly had with Trump in 2006.

Trump has publicly denied having an affair with Daniels and denied making the payments.

Prosecutors say Daniels first brought her story to American Media Inc., whose executives brought the story to Cohen on Trump’s behalf.

According to prosecutors, Trump directed Cohen to delay making the payment as long as possible, telling him if they delayed paying until after the election they could avoid paying it at all.

The former president has been accused of taking part in an illegal conspiracy to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and an unlawful plan to suppress negative information, which included the payment to Daniels.

Prosecutors allege that Trump allegedly disguised the transaction as a legal payment and falsified business records numerous times to “promote his candidacy.”

Read a full timelineof the hush money case.