Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom at Manhattan Criminal Court with his attorney Todd Blanche (L) on May 20, 2024 in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago | Getty Images
The end of the criminal hush money trial of Donald Trump in New York will not come until next week — at the earliest.
Judge Juan Merchan told prosecutors and the former president’s attorneys on Monday morning that closing arguments in the case will be held on May 28, the day after Memorial Day.
“It has become apparent that we are not going to sum up tomorrow,” Merchan said in Manhattan Supreme Court as Trump looked on.
The judge last week had told both sides to be ready to give their summations Tuesday.
But Merchan on Monday said he wanted to avoid a multi-day lag between closing arguments and the start of deliberations. The trial is off this Wednesday and Friday, and would have a half-day on Thursday due to a juror’s scheduling conflict.
Before entering the courtroom Monday, Trump told reporters, “It looks like we’re gonna have a very big gap between days.”
Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen is set to resume being cross-examined on Monday by defense attorney Todd Blanche.
Cohen is a key witness against Trump, and prosecutors have already said he will be their last witness in the trial.
Trump’s lawyers are expected to wrap up his cross-examination Monday. It is not clear if they will call Trump to the witness stand.
Defense attorneys hedged last week when Merchan asked if they would call any defense witnesses at all to testify.
Trump told a reporter last month, “I would testify, absolutely.”
But doing so would carry major risks for Trump, including the danger of being angered and rattled by cross-examination by prosecutors, and giving an answer that supports their case.
Trump is charged with falsifying business records related to his and his company’s reimbursement to Cohen for paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 before the 2016 election to buy her silence about an alleged sexual tryst with Trump.
The former president denies having sex with Daniels, who testified earlier in the trial.
Merchan had. told attorneys to be ready for closing arguments on Tuesday.
Trump, who is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is the first former president to face a criminal trial.
This is developing news. Check back for updates.
