Prosecution concludes its case in trial involving hush money payments by Donald Trump | Global News

Former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial has reached a critical juncture as the prosecution’s star witness, Michael Cohen, returned to the stand on Monday. In his testimony last week, Cohen implicated Trump in an alleged scheme to silence negative stories that could damage his White House bid. Cohen revealed that Trump promised to reimburse him for the hush money paid to women who claimed to have had sexual encounters with the former president.

Defense attorneys have been aggressively cross-examining Cohen about his business dealings and income sources leading up to the payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels. They have also questioned Cohen about his earnings from criticizing Trump since leaving office.

Prosecutors are expected to rest their case once Cohen’s testimony concludes, but they may call rebuttal witnesses. The defense has indicated that they will call at least one witness, but it remains uncertain whether Trump himself will testify.

Closing arguments are anticipated to take place the Tuesday after Memorial Day, according to Merchan, the presiding judge. The trial, now in its 19th day, has garnered significant attention as it marks the first-ever criminal trial of a former US president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury.

Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, and the outcome of this trial could have far-reaching implications for the former president. Stay tuned for further updates on this high-profile case.