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.
Top headlines:
Trump guilty on all 34 counts
Jury sends note with 4 requests for testimony
"Good afternoon. We have received a note," Judge Merchan said after taking the bench.
The jury has made four requests for testimony:
- Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about the phone conversation with Donald Trump
- Pecker's testimony about the decision regarding the assignment of Playboy model Karen McDougal's life rights
- Pecker's testimony about the 2015 Trump Tower meeting
- Michael Cohen's testimony about the 2015 Trump Tower meeting
Parties return to the courtroom
The prosecution team has returned to the courtroom, with about seven members of the DA's office in the gallery.
Trump has returned to the courtroom as well.
He entered alongside his lawyer Todd Blanche, with his other lawyers and staff following behind.
Trump says he doesn't 'even know what the charges are'
As the jury continues its deliberations, Donald Trump posted on his social media platform in all caps that "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE CHARGES ARE IN THIS RIGGED CASE."
"I AM ENTITLED TO SPECIFICITY JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE," he wrote.
The post comes after Trump watched Judge Merchan spend over an hour instructing the jury on the law and specific charges in the case, including each of the 34 counts that the former president faces for falsifying business records in order to hide a hush money payment to boost his prospects in the 2016 election.
Trump says 'Mother Teresa could not beat these charges'
"Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," former President Trump told reporters as he exited the courtroom following Judge Merchan's jury instructions.
"We'll see how we do," Trump said as the jury began its deliberations. "It's a very disgraceful situation."
Trump reiterated his grievances with the judge and case's limited gag order, before complaining that he should be on the campaign trail.
"This is five weeks and five weeks of really, essentially, not campaigning," Trump said.
He exited the hallway without answering any questions from reporters.
-Kelsey Walsh
Jury rehears exchange about gaps in Pecker's memory
The jury heard an exchange between David Pecker and defense attorney Emil Bove where Bove highlighted that Pecker originally thought the Trump Tower meeting took place in the first week of August 2015. Pecker testified that the meeting actually happened in the middle of August.
Bove used the moment as an opportunity to highlight "gaps" in Pecker's memory and emphasize how long ago the meeting took place.
Q: And you changed your testimony here; right?
A: Yes, when I discovered that it was in the middle -- that it was the middle of August.
Q: And when you say that you "discovered," what you mean is that somebody told you that, notwithstanding what you testified about in the Grand Jury, President Trump was actually not in New York City during the first week of August; correct?
A: I -- I don't recall anyone telling me about that, that Mr. Trump was away in the first week of August.
Q: And then you changed your testimony, this week, on that issue; right?
A: Yes, that's correct.
Q: Why did you change your testimony?
A: I thought that -- I didn't know the exact date. I thought -- I know it was in the first half of August, so I thought it was the middle of August, that's what I recollected. That's why I corrected my -- the dates, yes.
A: I didn't believe that the exact date was --
Q: I understand. And I don't mean to put you on the spot. What I'm getting at, though, is that these things happened a long time ago; right?
A: Yes.
Q: And even when you're doing your best, and I'm sure you are right now, it's hard to remember exactly what happened when; right?
A: Yes.
Q: And when you are remembering about conversations that you had, it's hard to remember what people said almost ten years ago; correct?
A: You -- Ahhhh, yes.
Q: And so there are some instances where your mind sort of fills in gaps; right?
A: To the best of my knowledge.
Q: And you do your best to explain what happened in a way that makes sense; correct?
A: To what I remember.
Q: Yeah, to what you remember. And you fill in some details to keep things in sequence; right, and to make them sound logical?
A: I try to make them -- to what I remember. And to be truthful.
Q: I understand. But there are some gaps; correct?
A: Yes.