Closing summary
Judge Juan Merchan and lawyers for the prosecution and defense are meeting to work on jury instructions, after Donald Trump’s defense rested its case earlier this morning. The jury has been sent home and instructed to return next Tuesday.
Here’s a recap of today’s developments:
Trump declined to testify at his own criminal trial after the defense rested its case after calling just two witnesses. Trump had previously railed about being silenced and falsely claimed he was not allowed to testify, but ultimately elected of his own volition not to take the stand in his own defense.
Trump was joined by a huge entourage of supporters, including his sons Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump, former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker, former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, actor Joe Piscopo and Republican members of Congress.
The trial resumed earlier this morning with continued cross-examination of Robert Costello, whom the defense has used to try to discredit the former president’s one-time fixer, Michael Cohen. Costello was a defense lawyer with whom Cohen met after federal authorities raided his hotel room and apartment. Cohen told jurors that he was leery of Costello, who had described a close relationship with Trump ally Rudy Giuliani. Cohen said he didn’t trust Costello, concerned that anything he said would get to Giuliani and thus, Trump.
Here are the key takeaways from the trial on Monday. Cohen, the prosecution’s most important witness, saw his testimony end on Monday and Costello’s behavior on the stand almost spun the courtroom into chaos, and prompted a rebuke from the judge.
Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed emails Costello sent to Cohen in which he repeatedly dangled his close ties to Giuliani in the aftermath of the FBI raid. In one email, Costello told Cohen: “Sleep well tonight, you have friends in high places,” and relayed that there were “some very positive comments about you from the White House”.
Judge Merchan told jurors to return on Tuesday 28 May for closing arguments. Merchan said he would also announce his instructions to jurors the next day and expected that they would then start deliberating.
Donald Trump Jr defended his father’s decision not to testify. “There’d be absolutely no reason, no justification to do that whatsoever. Everyone sees it for the sham that it is,” he said at a news conference alongside other Trump allies near the courthouse.
Updated
While Donald Trump floated the possibility of legal drama earlier in the hall – suggesting he might break the gag order – the likelihood of any eyebrow-raising courtroom antics remains practically nil this afternoon.
Trump and his team, and prosecutors, returned to court this afternoon for a conference where they and the judge, Juan Merchan, discussed proposed instructions to the jury. This conference is ongoing.
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