by Misty Severi
The jury in former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial was dismissed for the day on Wednesday afternoon, and will continue deliberations on Thursday morning.
The dismissal comes after the jury requested to hear Judge Juan Merchan’s instructions again, as well as testimony from David Pecker and Michael Cohen. The attorneys have been instructed to stay behind to discuss the transcript that will be read to the jury, according to CNN.
The jury will be required to come up with a unanimous verdict on whether Trump violated federal election law and falsified business records on 34 counts. If the jury does not agree unanimously then the jury would be hung, and Trump’s case would result in a mistrial. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Prosecutors have claimed that Trump partook in a “conspiracy and cover up” plot to hide embarrassing stories that could have hurt his election in 2016. But defense lawyers claimed that Trump has not committed any crimes, and painted the prosecution’s star witness Michael Cohen as “the greatest liar of all time,” according to the Associated Press. The defense also claimed that prosecutors have failed to meet the “burden of proof” as required by law.
The jury deliberated for just four hours on Wednesday, and deliberations will resume on Thursday at 9:30 a.m.
– – –
Misty Severi is a reporter for Just the News.
