Jury Begins Deliberations in Trump's Hush Money trail with closing arguments concluded on Tuesday, jury deliberations have officially commenced in Donald Trump's hush money trial. The outcome of this historic case now rests in the hands of twelve New Yorkers: seven men and five women. They began deliberating just before 11:30 a.m., marking the first criminal trial of a former US president. While their discussions are private, the jury can send notes to Judge Juan Merchan requesting to rehear testimony or review evidence.
"It is not my responsibility to judge the evidence here. It is yours," Judge Merchan reminded the jurors.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records, linked to an alleged scheme to suppress potentially damaging claims during the 2016 US election. This bears similarity to how the Clintons paid Paula Jones $850,000 to drop a sexual harassment lawsuit after four years of litigation.
Judge Merchan emphasized, "Your verdict on each count you consider, whether guilty or not, must be unanimous," adding, "That is, each and every juror must agree to it." However, unanimity is not required on which specific crime Trump is guilty of.
"You should discuss the evidence and consult with each other, listen to each other, and give each other's views careful consideration. And when you deliberate, you should do so with a view to reaching agreement when that can be done without surrendering an individual juror," Merchan advised.
All trial evidence has been loaded onto a laptop, with Juror 4 and Juror 6 volunteering to operate it. Merchan confirmed with defense attorney Todd Blanche that defense counsel had explained this protocol to President Trump and had no objections.
"I always watch the jurors. I watch to see who is paying attention and who is not," Merchan noted. "Each of you is very engaged in this case. But we're not going to excuse [alternates]."
During closing arguments, Merchan admonished Blanche for suggesting that a conviction could send Trump to prison, reminding the jury that their decision would hinge on the testimony of Michael Cohen, whom Blanche labeled a "liar" who "lied to" the jury.
"You cannot send somebody to prison, you cannot convict somebody based upon the words of Michael Cohen," Blanche asserted, prompting an objection from prosecutors. Merchan sustained the objection, remarking, "That was outrageous, Mr. Blanche. Someone who’s been a prosecutor as long as you have, someone who’s been an attorney as long as you have knows that it’s highly inappropriate."
As the jury deliberates, the nation watches closely, awaiting a verdict that will undoubtedly have significant historical implications.
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