Closing arguments: The judge chastises Trump’s defense for inappropriate remarks
Posted on 05/30/24 at 14:06
- Closing arguments in the Trump trial are over.
- The defense asks the jury not to send Trump to prison.
- Why was the judge outraged by this?
BAD NEWS FOR TRUMP? Judge Juan M. Merchan ordered the jury to ignore part of the defense’s final arguments.
Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, asked the jury not to send the former president to prison, prompting the judge to issue a stern rebuke.
Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records and, if found guilty, could receive anything from probation to four years in prison.
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Closing arguments in the Trump trial spark rebuke from Judge Merchan
Photo: ShutterstockThe judge in charge of the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump ordered the jury this Tuesday to ignore part of the defense’s final arguments.
The defense asked the jury not to send him to prison.
“For someone who has been a prosecutor as long as you have, and a defense attorney as long as you have, you know that making a comment like that is highly inappropriate,” Marchan stated.
“In your deliberations you may not discuss, consider or even speculate on issues relating to sentencing or punishment,” Judge Juan M. Merchan added.
What did the defense ask for?
Photo: APDuring his final arguments, Blanche, criticized the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and right-hand man, the prosecution’s star witness in this criminal trial.
“(Cohen) came here, raised his right hand and lied to each of you repeatedly,” he noted.
“You can’t send someone to prison, you can’t convict someone based on Cohen’s words,” he told the jury.
This occurred during his closing arguments.
What punishment could Trump face?
Photo: APTrump, who is the first former United States president to face a criminal trial, is charged with 34 counts, including falsifying business records.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to probation or up to four years in prison.
Once the jury left the Manhattan Criminal Courtroom for lunch, Merchan called Blanche’s comment “outrageous.”
“You know that making a comment like that is highly inappropriate. It’s simply not allowed. Period. It is difficult for me to imagine that it was accidental,” said the judge.
What’s next in the Trump trial?
Judge Juan M. Merchan, for instance, fined Trump $10,000 for violating a gag order barring incendiary out-of-court comments and threatened to jail him if it continued.https://t.co/ocJ7kMXG0c
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After three hours of closing arguments from Trump’s team, it is now up to the prosecution to convince the jury that Trump is guilty.
Final arguments that could last about four and a half hours.
After closing arguments, the jury must unanimously agree on the verdict.
If the jurors are not able to reach a consensus, the judge could be forced to declare a mistrial, EFE indicated.