Trump trial: Biden calls Trump's remarks 'dangerous'

Prosecutor Josh Steinglass argued that Michael Cohen's payment to Stormy Daniels constituted a campaign contribution that grossly exceeded the legal maximum.

"As the judge will explain, paying a candidate's expenses counts as a contribution to that candidate," Steinglass said.

He said there is "no rational argument" that the payment to Daniels "would've been made if not for the election." He pushed back against the defense's claim that the payment was made in service of "protecting Trump's marriage or family from embarrassment."

"The defendant wanted to squash the story for the same reason he wanted to squash the McDougal story, and the Sajudin story -- to avoid the harm these stories might cause to his election prospects," Steinglass said.

Describing his own closing as "summation that never ends," prosecutor Josh Steinglass told the jury that in order to convict, they will have to find the defendant "has to have had the intent to defraud," but didn't need to actually make the records himself.

"Point is, Trump doesn't have to do each of these acts himself -- he can act in concert with others," Steinglass said. "He set in motion a chain of events that led to the creation of the false business records,.

The defense objected to that statement.

"I'll explain the law," Judge Merchan said.

Steinglass said the underlying crime they are alleging as part of the falsifying records charge is that Trump violated New York state election law.

Trump committed "election fraud, by any means necessary -- lawful and unlawful," Steinglass said, telling jurors there is a "mountain of evidence" to prove it.

Judge Merchan sustained another objection from the defense regarding Steinglass' effort to explain the law of the case.

Addressing the question regarding whether Trump was reimbursing Michael Cohen or paying Cohen for legal work, prosecutor Josh Steinglass said of Trump, "It's just inconceivable that he would be so involved in buying these women's silence and then stick his head in the sand when it comes to Cohen's reimbursement."

Steinglass showed the jury a 2018 tweet in which Trump called the payments a reimbursement.

"Mr. Cohen, an attorney, received a monthly retainer, not from the campaign and having nothing to do with the campaign, from which he entered into, through reimbursement, a private contract between two parties, known as a non-disclosure agreement, or NDA," the tweet said.

Prosecutor Josh Steinglass argued that Michael Cohen kept Trump in the loop because he sought Trump's credit.

"If Cohen accomplished something for Mr. Trump, he wanted Mr. Trump to know immediately," Steinglass said.

Steinglass highlighted testimony from former Trump aide Hope Hicks to highlight Cohen's credit-seeking nature.

"I didn't know Michael to be an especially charitable person, um, or selfless person. He's the kind of person who seeks credit," Hicks testified.

"Why would the defendant be kept in the dark about the Daniels' NDA?" Steinglass asked the jury, referring to the nondisclosure agreement. "It defies common sense."