As the criminal trial of Donald J. Trump entered its seventh week, the prosecution and defense delivered their final statements to jurors, sending the historic case into deliberation Wednesday.
Attorney Todd Blanche grilled Michael D. Cohen, the prosecution's key witness, for three hours on Tuesday and accused him of perjury, among other things. He attacked Stormy Daniels, the porn star whose account of a 2006 tryst with Trump set in motion the charges the former president faces.
The prosecutor responded with an even longer, more detailed summary, which continued into the evening. A prosecutor, Joshua Steinglass, walked the jurors through the piles of evidence they presented and presented, including testimony, emails, text messages and recordings.
Mr. Trump, 77, is accused of falsifying 34 corporate documents to conceal Mr. Cohen's reimbursement for a $130,000 hush money payment he made to Ms. Daniels. Mr Trump has denied the allegations and the sexual encounter.
Once deliberations begin on Wednesday, no one knows how long they will last. If convicted, Mr Trump – the presumptive Republican presidential nominee – could face prison or probation.
Here are five lessons from Trump's closing arguments and day 21 of his sentencing hearing.
“Michael Cohen is a liar” was one refrain. It may be the best choice for the defense.
“The human embodiment of reasonable doubt.”
“An MVP of Liars”
“The biggest liar of all time.”
Those were the words Mr. Blanche used to describe Mr. Cohen, saying Mr. Trump's former fixer and lawyer had “an ax to grind” after being passed over for a White House job and guilty pleaded guilty to federal charges related to the payment of hush money. .
Mr. Blanche's calculation was simple: Mr. Cohen had linked Mr. Trump to Ms. Daniels' payment and said the former president had told him to “just do it.”
“What Mr. Trump knew in 2016, you only know from one source,” he said. “And that's Michael Cohen.”
If jurors don't believe Mr. Cohen, it may be difficult to find Mr. Trump guilty.
The defense has portrayed the payment as an everyday transaction.
Mr Blanche tried to portray the conduct in the case as largely “business as usual” and not a crime, including the use of a non-disclosure agreement to silence Ms Daniels.
Mr Blanche also suggested there was no hard evidence of any untoward attempt to influence the election.
“It doesn't matter whether there was a conspiracy to win an election,” Mr Blanche said. “Every campaign in this country is a conspiracy,” he added, to get a candidate elected.
He even suggested that Mr. Trump was the victim of behavior equivalent to extortion, including by Ms. Daniels. He said the payout “financially ended very well for Ms. Daniels.”
Stagecraft impressed.
Mr Blanche came forward on October 24, 2016 during a telephone conversation that lasted approximately one and a half minutes. In it, Mr. Cohen said he had discussed the payout with Mr. Trump. Mr. Blanche suggested that Mr. Cohen had committed perjury, and suggested that the call was actually to Mr. Trump's bodyguard about pranks a teenager had played on him.
Mr. Steinglass, the accuser, responded dramatically: Mr. Steinglass pretended to be Mr. Cohen and feigned a conversation in which he could both tell the bodyguard about the prank and keep Mr. Trump informed. It took less time than the actual phone call.
It was a sharp rebuttal to what had been a highlight for the defense.
Mr. Steinglass directly addressed the defense's focus on Mr. Cohen's shortcomings, calling him an “ultimate insider” who had “useful, reliable information.”
“They want to make this case about Michael Cohen: They don't,” Mr. Steinglass said. “It's about Donald Trump.”
Prosecutors presented a unified narrative.
In Mr. Steinglass's closing argument, he focused on telling a sweeping story about American voter fraud.
He argued that a deal Trump made with The National Enquirer to buy and bury unflattering stories was an “undermining of democracy” perpetuated by a “secret arm” of the 2016 Trump campaign. He added added that the fraud misled voters “in a coordinated manner,” leaving the American people unable to decide for themselves whether they cared about Trump sleeping with a porn star or not.
His arguments, aimed at refuting Mr Blanche's minimization of election fraud claims, could prove crucial. Prosecutors must prove that company records were falsified to conceal a conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.
Now we wait.
The jury will receive its instructions Wednesday morning from the judge in the case, Juan M. Merchan.
Mr. Trump will remain in the courtroom, or thereabouts, just like the enormous press corps that has descended on the Criminal Courts Building in Manhattan. The jury retires to discuss the case, perhaps sending notes for the judge's assistance or asking to review evidence.
Then — barring a hung jury — there will be a verdict, which will be a celebration for Mr. Trump or for the Manhattan prosecutors. In any case, the first criminal trial of an American president will be completed.