Trump hush money trial: Trump found guilty on all counts in historic case
Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts in his hush money trial.
Former President Donald Trump has been found guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. It marks the first time in history that a former U.S. president has been convicted on criminal charges.
Trump last April pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.
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Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Michael Cohen lied for Trump, prosecutors say
Steinglass attacked defense attorneys for attempting to undermine Cohen's testimony using his past statements defending Trump.
"Cohen continued to deny wrongdoing. For several months, he continued to lie for the defendant," Steinglass said about Cohen's statements in 2018. "Using them now to undermine Cohen -- to undermine his credibility -- takes chutzpah."
Steinglass called it "disingenuous" for the defense to use Cohen's lies against him, when the lies in this case were allegedly "told at the defendant's direction."
Prosecutor slights Robert Costello's testimony
"You guys good to keep going?" prosecutor Josh Steinglass asked the jury after a brief sidebar. They nodded and some smiled.
"All right!" he exclaimed, and launched back into his closing, turning to Trump's alleged efforts to get Cohen not to "flip."
"Whatever else you think about Michael Cohen, it's clear that he was the defendant's fixer. And like all fixers, Cohen knew where the bodies were buried, and it was essential to keep him loyal," Steinglass said.
Steinglass touched on Cohen's communications with his onetime legal adviser Robert Costello -- the only substantive defense witness -- to emphasize that Cohen did not trust Costello and lied to him.
Costello testified that Cohen told him that Trump was not involved in the Daniels' hush money payment before he almost got kicked off the witness stand for irking the judge.
"Cohen never really trusted Costello and can you really blame him?" Steinglass asked. "You saw Costello testify."
"He displayed nothing but disdain for this court and proper decorum and his demeanor on the stand is something you can take into account … when assessing his credibility," Steinglass said.
Hope Hicks' testimony was 'nail' in Trump's coffin, says prosecutor
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass again showed the jury the summary chart the DA's office prepared, which outlines each of the allegedly falsified business records.
Steinglass suggested the jury could bring the chart into deliberations if they request it.
He harped on the testimony of former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks, who testified that Trump preferred the Stormy Daniels story come out after the election.
"I think Mr. Trump's opinion was it was better to be dealing with it now, and that it would have been bad to have that story come out before the election," Hicks testified before breaking down on the witness stand.
"She basically burst into tears ... because she realized how much this testimony puts the nail into the defendant's coffin," Steinglass told the jury.
Steinglass pressed his argument that the Stormy Daniels payments were in service of the election, rather than Trump's marriage. Any desire to protect his wife was "far less significant to him" than how a negative story about him might affect the 2016 election," Steinglass said.
"The payment was for Trump's campaign," Steinglass stressed.
"It was a campaign contribution, and Cohen knows that better than anyone else -- because he went to prison for it," he said.
Prosecutor again stresses Trump's frugality
Prosecutor Josh Steinglass read back some of the quotes from Trump's books to highlight Trump's frugality and micromanaging.
Steinglass mocked the defense argument that Trump didn't have control over the words in the books he wrote.
Steinglass compared it to a Yogi Berra quote: "I really didn't say everything I said," which drew laughs from the jury.
"He doesn't like spending money, and he's proud of it," Steinglass said of Trump, reminding jurors that David Pecker testified to this as well. He's a "micromanager" who "insists on being involved in the details" of his business, Steinglass said.
Steinglass quoted from Trump's book, "Think Like A Billionaire," which urged readers to "pay attention to the small numbers in your finances" and called frugality the "most important money management skill a person can use."
"That has been his philosophy from the beginning," Steinglass said. "The cardinal sin for Mr. Trump is overpaying for anything."
Steinglass read one quote where Trump emphasized to always check invoices, including from decorators.
"If Donald Trump is checking the invoices from his decorator, you can bet he is checking his invoices from Michael Cohen," Steinglass said.
Before break, judge slams defense for 'prison' remark
Before Judge Merchan recessed court for the lunch break, prosecutors took issue with defense attorney Todd Blanche saying "You cannot send someone to prison based upon the words of Michael Cohen."
Prosecutors called Blanche's reference to prison "ridiculous" and an effort to gain sympathy for their client.
"I think that saying that was outrageous, Mr. Blanche," Merchan told Blanche. "It is simply not allowed, period."
The judge said he would give the jury curative instructions.
"Its hard for me to imagine how that was accidental in any way," Merchan said.
The parties then left the courtroom for the break. Blanche left the courtroom smiling as another member of the legal team gave him a big pat on the back.