Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial in New York enters its second day of jury deliberations Thursday, with panelists weighing whether a payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels was part of a plot to influence the 2016 election.
Jurors deliberated for about four and a half hours Wednesday after beginning their arguments around 11:30 a.m.
Related: ‘It’s nonsense’: Voters on what Trump’s hush money case means to them
Outside the courtroom on Wednesday, Trump railed about the proceedings and compared himself to a saint, claiming in the hallway: “Mother Teresa couldn’t beat these accusations. The charges are falsified. The whole thing has been manipulated.”
Earlier in the day, the jury sent two notes to the court in the afternoon. One missive was a request to hear testimony from two key witnesses. The second message was a request to rehear Judge Juan Merchan’s instructions to them.
After receiving more information from jurors about what instructions they wanted to reread, Merchan went over the requested guidelines: They wanted guidance on how to interpret evidence and draw inferences from facts.
The judges seemed attentive while rereading Merchan. Some scribbled on notepads. Others watched Merchan intently as he read through the instructions. Sometimes you handled a pen in a way that seemingly harkened back to the purpose of a fidget spinner; using the writing utensil as passive physical activity while paying attention to merchandise and taking notes.
Merchan instructed the jurors for about an hour before they began deliberating. His instructions on the law were intended to inform jurors how to view the 34 case falsifications facing Trump.
Trump – the first US president, current or former, to face a criminal trial – is accused of falsifying corporate records after his former fixer Michael Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 shortly before the election. Prosecutors allege Cohen did this at Trump’s behest to cover up her story about an alleged extramarital sexual affair to protect his chances in the race.
They allege that Trump, Cohen and gossip mogul David Pecker met at Trump Tower in the summer of 2015, where they formed a plot to keep unfavorable information secret. Daniels’ payout, which came later, was in line with that plan.
The trial’s requested testimony included Pecker’s testimony about a phone call with Trump, his comments about his handling of the life rights of a woman who alleged an affair with Trump, testimony about the Trump Tower meeting and Cohen’s testimony about that being together.
In addition to this trial, Trump also faces three criminal charges: one for attempting to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, another for his conduct surrounding the January 6 Capitol riot, and a third related to his treatment of sensitive documents after he left the White House. These other three cases have been postponed and are unlikely to be completed before the November elections.
