Hush money payments
Closing arguments expected in Trump trial
Closing arguments are expected on Tuesday in the trial against former US President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress. The prosecution and defense are to present their arguments to the twelve jurors before they retire to reach a verdict.
Trump is accused of 34 counts of falsifying documents. If convicted, the renewed presidential candidate faces a prison sentence of several years, which could also be suspended, or a fine. He has pleaded not guilty.
First criminal trial against a former president
This is the first criminal trial against a former US president in American history. More than 20 witnesses have been heard since mid-April. The prosecution accuses Trump of trying to improve his chances of winning the 2016 presidential election by paying 130,000 dollars (around 119.93 million euros) to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Although the payment itself - which has not been disputed by either side - was not illegal, the now 77-year-old is said to have manipulated documents when reimbursing the amount to his then personal lawyer Michael Cohen in order to conceal the true reason for the transaction. This made the payments illegal campaign financing.
Who will benefit?
The ruling is also likely to have an impact on the current election campaign in the United States - the only question is how much and to whose advantage. Trump is staging himself as the victim of a politically motivated justice system in order to mobilize his supporters. So far, incumbent Joe Biden does not appear to be benefiting noticeably.
Trial could still collapse
After the closing arguments, which are expected to end on Tuesday or Wednesday, the twelve jurors will retire to deliberate and must reach a unanimous verdict. Officially, there is no time limit for this, but juries usually deliberate for a few hours to a few days. In the event of a conviction, Judge Juan Merchan will determine the sentence on a separate date. If the jurors are still unable to reach an agreement after a lengthy deliberation, the trial is over. In this case, the public prosecutor's office would have the opportunity to reopen the proceedings with a new jury.
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