Donald Trump opts not to testify as defense rests in hush-money trial

NEW DELHI: The defense rested their case in Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Tuesday, without calling the former president to testify.
Despite Trump’s earlier complaints about being silenced and his false claims that he was not permitted to testify, he ultimately chose not to take the stand in his own defense.
Trump’s decision to refrain from testifying came without fanfare.While not surprising, as defendants in criminal cases often opt not to testify to avoid potentially harming their defense during cross-examination, it followed several instances of Trump claiming he was prohibited from doing so.
Judge Juan Merchan addressed Trump's claims directly, emphasizing, “I want to stress, Mr Trump, that you have an absolute right to testify at trial.” He also clarified that the gag order preventing Trump from verbally attacking witnesses did not impact his right to take the stand.
After the defense rested, Judge Merchan instructed jurors to return on Tuesday, May 28, for closing arguments. He also mentioned that he would provide instructions to the jurors the following day and anticipated that deliberations would commence thereafter.
The trial resumed on Monday with the continued cross-examination of Robert Costello, who the defense has relied on to challenge the credibility of Michael Cohen, the former president’s one-time fixer.
Trump arrived in the courtroom just before 9:30 am. The former president, widely expected to be the Republican presidential nominee, faces charges of falsifying business records concerning the payment of $130,000 to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep silent about an alleged sexual encounter.
Manhattan prosecutors assert that in the summer of 2015, Trump collaborated with his then-consigliere Michael Cohen and former tabloid executive David Pecker to conceal any damaging information, aiming to safeguard his candidacy in the 2016 election.
Cohen informed jurors that he coordinated the payment to Daniels weeks before Election Day and personally covered the cost. He testified that the campaign was deeply worried that Daniels's story could severely damage Trump's chances in the presidential race, especially following the emergence of a highly embarrassing hot mic recording where Trump boasted about non-consensual groping.
During his four-day testimony, Cohen recounted a moment when a furious Trump directed him to silence Daniels's story, instructing him to "just take care of it."
“This was a disaster, a fucking disaster,” Cohen recalled Trump saying. “Women will hate me.”
Cohen also revealed to the jury that he had worked to keep Daniels's story under wraps back in 2011, collaborating with her then-lawyer to remove a piece about their alleged encounter from a gossip website.
During cross-examination, Trump's legal team struggled to land significant blows. The closest they came was when Blanche managed to get Cohen to effectively admit to over-billing the Trump Organization for reimbursement for a payment made to a tech company called Red Finch, aimed at skewing a poll about famous business figures in favor of Donald Trump.
Cohen acknowledged paying the tech company $50,000 but revealed the actual payment was $20,000. Blanche questioned whether Cohen had pocketed the $30,000 difference. “So you stole from the Trump Organization?” Blanche asked. “Yes, sir,” Cohen replied.
On Monday, the prosecution concluded its case, and Trump’s defense began theirs. The day concluded with testimony from Costello, a lawyer Cohen had mentioned during his four days on the stand. Cohen stated that he met with Costello after law enforcement raided his hotel room and home in April 2018 but was hesitant about retaining him as legal representation due to his association with Rudy Giuliani.