Jury Makes 4 Huge Requests to Judge Merchan, Wants to Review Testimony in Trump's Trial
CORRECTION, May 30, 2024: The jurors asked the court for an opportunity to review witnesses’ testimony in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York. An earlier headline for this article mischaracterized what they were seeking.
Jurors who are currently deliberating the outcome of former President Donald’s criminal trial in New York City made a number of requests late Wednesday afternoon, according to the judge presiding over the case.
Judge Juan Merchan announced that after about three and a half hours of deliberations, jurors had made four requests from the court as they mulled whether to find Trump guilty or not guilty of alleged business crimes in his “hush money” trial in Manhattan, CNN reported.
Merchan was handed a note and commented, “The note contains four requests.”
Merchan said jurors wanted to again view testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Per the judge, the jurors requested Pecker’s testimony “regarding a phone conversation with Donald Trump while Pecker was” in an investor meeting where Pecker and Michael Cohen discussed a claim from former Playboy model Karen McDougal that she had an affair with Trump years ago.
Jurors also asked for testimony from Pecker about his “decision not to finalize and fund the assignment of Karen McDougal’s life rights” when he owned the tabloid.
Merchan also announced jurors wanted Pecker’s comments in court about a meeting at Trump Tower and testimony from Cohen about the same meeting.
According to CNN, the Trump Tower meeting in question took place in August 2015, shortly after Trump launched his first presidential bid.
Trump, Cohen and Pecker were all said to have been present at the meeting.
As CBS News noted, Pecker testified extensively in the trial that he worked to “catch and kill” stories for Trump from people who sought to damage his reputation. Pecker said he did so for years before and during Trump’s time as president and that the two were friends.
The 12 New Yorkers will decide the outcome of the first-ever criminal trial of a former president.
Trump stands accused of 34 counts of falsifying business records.
If convicted, he could face jail time.
He has denied any wrongdoing and has denied claims from both McDougal and former adult film actress Stormy Daniels that they had affairs with him years ago.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has alleged that Cohen paid Daniels $130,000 to make her claims of an affair go away and that Trump doctored records when he reimbursed him.
Cohen admitted during testimony last week that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from Trump’s company in one instance.
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