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

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.


Trump guilty on all 34 counts


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Prosecutor stresses Cohen kept Trump in the loop

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."


'Michael Cohen is not some rogue actor,' state says

More than four hours into his summation, Prosecutor Josh Steinglass returned to the timelines of the Karen McDougal and Stormy Daniels payoffs.

Steinglass argued that Cohen attempted to delay the Stormy Daniels payment until after the 2016 election at the direction of Trump.

"You think Cohen would have the audacity to take that chance without the defendant saying so?" Steinglass said. "Cohen did that -- that strategy of delay -- because that's what the defendant told him to."

"There is just no way -- no way -- that Cohen wouldn't have told Mr. Trump about Daniels during that phone call. Why wouldn't he have?" Steingless said.

"Is this timing just all a coincidence, every single one of these things? Mr. Trump was being kept abreast of every development."

"Michael Cohen is not some rogue actor here," Steinglass said. "He is acting at the direction of the defendant."


Judge tells state to wrap it by the top of the hour

After the parties returned to the courtroom following the final break, Judge Merchan told prosecutor Josh Steinglass he needs to wrap up his summation by 8 p.m.

"You've been going for four hours now, and the jury has been clear they need to go by 8 o'clock," the judge said.

"Thanks for sticking with me," Steinglass told the jury before diving back into his closing argument.


Trump's tweets were a message not to cooperate, state says

After Michael Cohen implicated Trump in the hush money scheme in August 2018, Trump was "furious," prosecutor Josh Steinglass told the jury.

"His fixer had done the unthinkable, and Trump immediately went on the attack -- an attack that continues to this day," he said.

Steinglass showed a tweet Trump posted the following day: "If anyone is looking for a good lawyer, I would strongly suggest that you don't retain the services of Michael Cohen!"

"This is the day after he pled guilty," Steinglass said.

Steinglass argued that Trump's tweets after Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 were warning messages to other potential witnesses who could cooperate against him.

"These tweets were not only designed to punish Cohen," Steinglass said. "Cooperate or you will face the wrath of Donald Trump," was the message they conveyed.

Steinglass described a "vexatious and punitive lawsuit" Trump filed against Michael Cohen and a defamation suit against Stormy Daniels as evidence of his punitive means against people who epoks out against him.

After a series of sustained objections regarding Trump's tweets and their alleged impact on Cohen's safety, Judge Merchan smiled and told the jury, "This might be a good time to take our last recess of the day."


Court reporters read out Pecker testimony about 2015 meeting

The court reporters read out the first portion of the testimony about David Pecker's recollection of the August 2015 Trump Tower meeting.

His testimony is as follows:

At that meeting, Donald Trump and Michael, they asked me what can I do and what my magazines could do to help the campaign. So thinking about it, as I did previously, I said what I would do is I would run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponents. And I said that I would also be the eyes and ears of your – I said I would be your eyes and ears because I know that the Trump Organization had a very small staff. And then I said that anything that I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself or if I hear anything about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen, as I did over the last several years, I would notify Michael Cohen and then he would be able to have them kill in another magazine or have them not be published or somebody would have to purchase them.