Trump trial jury continues deliberations in New York hush-money case

Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money case in New York enters its second day of jury deliberations on Thursday with panelists weighing whether a payment to the adult film star Stormy Daniels was part of a plot to sway the 2016 election.

The jurors deliberated for approximately four and a half hours on Wednesday after beginning their discussions at about 11.30am.

Outside of the courtroom on Wednesday, Trump ranted about the proceedings and likened himself to a saint, claiming in the hallway: “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. The charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged.”

Earlier in the day, the jury sent two notes to the court in the afternoon. One missive was a request to hear some trial testimony from two key witnesses. The second message was a request to re-hear judge Juan Merchan’s instructions to them. Merchan might offer clarification before deliberations begin on Thursday.

Merchan instructed jurors for about an hour before they started to deliberate. His instructions on the law were were meant to inform jurors about how they are supposed to consider the 34 business falsification counts Trump faces.

Trump – the first US president, present or former, to face a criminal trial – is charged with falsifying business records over his former fixer Michael Cohen paying Daniels $130,000 shortly before the election. Prosecutors contend that Cohen did so at Trump’s behest to cover up her account of an alleged extramarital sexual affair, to protect his chances in the race.

They claim that Trump, Cohen and the tabloid mogul David Pecker convened at Trump Tower in summer 2015, where they formed a plot to keep unfavorable information under wraps. The Daniels payoff, which came later, was in keeping with that plan.

The trial testimony jurors requested included Pecker’s testimony about a phone call with Trump, his comments on his handling of the life rights of one woman who alleged an affair with Trump, testimony regarding the Trump Tower meeting and Cohen’s testimony on said get-together.

In addition to this trial, Trump also faces three more criminal cases: one proceeding for trying to sway the 2020 election in Georgia, another for his behavior around the January 6 Capitol insurrection, and a third one related to his treatment of sensitive documents after he left the White House. These other three cases have been delayed and they are unlikely to wrap before November’s election.