Pinned
Businessman and “Shark Tank” TV star Kevin O’Leary said “the smart move” for President Joe Biden would be to pardon his political opponent, former President Donald Trump, via the governor of New York.
Doing so “would lift Biden out of the morass that half the country feels it's politically motivated,” Mr. O’Leary said on Fox News’ “Gutfeld!” Presidents cannot pardon people for state offenses, only federal ones; President Trump was convicted under a New York state law, thus a pardon would require the governor’s involvement.
Mr. O’Leary added that “there are some incredibly complex situations because the whole system has never contemplated an ex-president being a felon or even facing jail time.”
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of former President Donald Trump and co-chair of the RNC, said his conviction is hurting “the very fabric of our country” and tarnishing the world’s view of America.
In a Fox News interview, she wondered aloud: “How is the rest of the world looking at America right now?”
“They see the same polling that we all see; they see that, by every metric, and in every poll, Donald Trump is beating Joe Biden. They know why this is happening,” Ms. Trump said. “Yet we are supposed to be the pillar of freedom and democracy for the rest of the world to look up to—and look at us tonight. It is shameful to see this.”
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), says a congressional committee exploring the “weaponization” of the federal government, which he also chairs, is determined to continue its work.
“Everything is on the table,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, “because, as many of your guests have said, we cannot allow this to continue in our great country.”
He thinks many Americans believe it’s true when President Trump says “They’re coming after my freedom because I'm fighting for yours,” Mr. Jordan said, “And I think the country sees that even more clear today, and that’s why I think he’s going to win.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who is reportedly on former President Donald Trump’s shortlist for Vice President, spoke with CNN host Abby Phillip after jurors announced their guilty conviction in the Manhattan criminal trial.
The senator called the case a “hoax,” “sham,” and an example of the “weaponization of the justice system against their political opponents.”
“This was devastating for the average American watching,” he added.
Attorney Alina Habba, legal spokeswoman for former President Donald Trump, decried the conviction.
Ms. Habba told Fox News “It’s not about Trump.” She is concerned about the deterioration of the American justice system, one that would issue gag orders that prevent her and her client from speaking the truth.
“That’s called censorship. That is not our country. We don't do that. Let Americans vote for who they want,” she said. “And you know what they don't want. They don't want what is going on right now, I assure you.”
Clark Brewster, attorney for former adult film actress Stormy Daniels, discussed the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial on “The Source with Kaitlan Collins.”
The lawyer said Ms. Daniels was “really, really emotional” after she heard that President Trump was guilty on all 34 counts.
“I told her how proud I was that she was able to see this through and come up here and sit two days under examination in a state courthouse that was so obviously watched by the world,” Mr. Brewster added.
The verdict against former President Donald Trump “changes nothing” for Americans who are struggling to pay for groceries, gasoline, rent, and electricity, said North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.
Mr. Burgum, a possible running mate for President Trump, told Fox News that those people “know they were better off under President Trump.” Yet “liberals can't figure out why would people keep supporting Donald Trump even if he's convicted?”
“The common sense of the working people of America is rising up right now because this is going to be the last straw for some of them,” Mr. Burgum said.
Former President Donald Trump’s defense attorney, Todd Blanche, appeared on the CNN show “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” after jurors handed over the guilty verdict.
Mr. Blanche said, “it remains true that if the word of Michael Cohen was not accepted at all, then you could not have convicted President Trump.”
He told Ms. Collins that the defense team prepared for and “expected” a guilty verdict in the case.
MANHATTAN—Kim Sabot, 60, drove in from Long Island, New York, and even booked a hotel room because she wanted to be present when the Manhattan Criminal Court case against President Trump was adjudicated.
“It’s history in the making,” Ms. Sabot told The Epoch Times.
Wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) baseball hat and waving a MAGA flag, Ms. Sabot was one of a group of supporters who were on hand today in lower Manhattan to protest against Mr. Trump’s conviction.
Former Democrat presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, considered a possible running mate for former President Donald Trump, said the consequences of President Trump’s conviction “extend far beyond this case.”
Ms. Gabbard said she is concerned that the Democrats who are currently in power are heading toward destroying American democracy.
Ms. Gabbard said she hopes that Americans see the situation as “a very serious wake-up call.” As a result of the verdict, every American now must “think twice before challenging or opposing or criticizing the political party that's in power,” she said.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk lamented the historic conviction of former President Donald Trump, calling it “troubling.”
“The American people as a whole should decide who is president,” he posted on X, which he owns.
Minutes after the jury returned a guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in New York, an influx of donations to his presidential campaign as an apparent show of support caused his donation page to temporarily become unavailable.
A jury found the former president guilty on May 30 in a case in which President Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal non-disclosure payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of an attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election in which he was a candidate.
Within minutes of the jury returning the verdict, President Trump’s donation page displayed a 500 error stating “something went wrong,” leading to widespread speculation of a tidal wave of donations underway, possibly out of a combination of support for the former president and outrage at the guilty verdict.
A mix of cheers and boos erupted outside a Manhattan courthouse on May 30 as news broke of former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsification of business records with the intent to conceal another crime.
And the ensuing reactions from legal analysts were just as mixed. While some expressed agreement with the verdict, other reactions ranged from disgust to dismay.
“It’s a sad day,” Harvey Kushner, chair of the Criminal Justice Studies department at Long Island University, told The Epoch Times.
A Manhattan jury took fewer than 12 hours to return a verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial, finding him guilty of 34 counts of falsification of business records with the intent to conceal another crime.
The former president’s conviction makes him the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
Short of a successful appeal, he could now be facing such penalties as jail time, probation, or fines.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) celebrated the historic and unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump. He said that “no one is above the law” and was found guilty by a jury of his peers.
“Today’s verdict is another reminder that Donald Trump is unfit for public service. Now, it is up to the American people to decide if he is worthy of the seat behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office,” he posted on X, previously Twitter.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has yet to speak out about the verdict that occurred in his home state.
Michael Cohen, a once attorney for former President Donald Trump and the prosecution’s “star witness” in the Manhattan criminal trial, spoke to NBC’s Rachel Maddow about his reaction to the guilty verdict.
Mr. Cohen said he was not surprised and that he had said “all along that the facts speak for themselves. The documents speak for themselves.”
Mr. Cohen alleged that many “pundits” and TV hosts “couldn’t be further from the truth” regarding their interpretations of the case.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) says he has never heard his constituents “so frustrated and so angry at what they’ve seen” as he has after the conviction of former President Donald Trump. They don’t know what to do because Ohio is far away from New York, Mr. Vance, a potential vice presidential pick for President Trump, told Fox News.
He said that although the Manhattan prosecutor and other enemies of President Trump may “have a spring in their step today,” he thinks they will soon see “what they have done has backfired terribly.”
Mr. Vance characterized leftists as power-hungry and said “the only way for us to fight back successfully is to elect Donald Trump in November.”
After hours of silence, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) finally spoke out regarding the historic and unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump with whom he has had a frosty relationship despite endorsing his 2024 candidacy.
“These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, spoke about his boss’s guilty verdict on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” saying it should not happen in “any jurisdiction in this country.”
“The district attorney says that this type of case is bread and butter, that they do these cases all the time. That is not true. It's just not true,” he said, taking issue with the conduct being in 2017.
Mr. Blanche said the case was “not fair” and that this is not something the United States “should be doing to its political leaders, past and present.”
Senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller blasted the guilty verdict of former President Donald Trump on 34 counts of falsifying documents related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Jesse Watters Primetime,” Mr. Miller called the decision reflective of America under President Joe Biden being like a “third-world country” in that elections should happen without locking up opponents.
Mr. Miller touted increased fundraising and polling for President Trump amid his legal cases. He said that the Trump campaign “broke the Internet” with campaign contributions pouring in from grassroots and wealthy supporters.
- Jurors returned a guilty verdict on all 34 counts at the end of the second day of deliberations. Trial began with jury selection on April 15 and jurors heard five weeks of testimony from 22 witnesses.
- Sentencing is set for July 11, days before the Republican National Convention where Trump will be nominated as GOP candidate for president.
Will Scharf, an attorney for former President Donald Trump, accused District Attorney Alvin Bragg of being dishonest in his description of how President Trump’s case was handled.
Mr. Bragg, in a news conference, declared that the court system handled President Trump’s case “in the same manner as every other case that comes to the courtroom doors.”
Afterward, Mr. Scharf told Fox News: “I think Alvin Bragg just lied to the American people. He insisted repeatedly that this is a normal case brought in the normal course of business for the DA’s office, when that couldn't be further from the truth.”
Can Trump still run for president? Would he be able to serve as president from behind bars? Yes and yes.
The only thing the conviction affects is his right to vote. He is a resident of Florida, where felons are not allowed to vote until they serve their sentence and pay their financial obligations set by the court.
If Trump is elected, there remains the question of whether he can self-pardon. The president has clemency power only for federal cases and therefore will not be able to pardon himself in the New York case. The only one who would have the power to do so is Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is critical of him and therefore is unlikely to make that move.
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded to former President Donald Trump’s guilty verdict in a post on the social platform X, calling the decision to put him on trial “profoundly undemocratic.”
“The Democratic Party's strategy is to beat President Trump in the courtroom rather than the ballot box. This will backfire in November. Even worse, it is profoundly undemocratic,” he said.
Mr. Kennedy explained that the country deserves a president who can win over voters at the polls “without compromising our government’s separation of powers or weaponizing the courts.”
After jurors found former President Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts in his Manhattan criminal trial, President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign sent out a fundraising text message.
“Despite a jury finding Donald Trump guilty today, there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,” the text read.
President Trump’s campaign website linked to a donation page after the verdict that simply said “political prisoner” on it. Within minutes, the page had crashed from online traffic but was back up shortly after.
President Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, who served as a key witness for the prosecution, reportedly responded by suggesting the verdict important for accountability and the rule of law.
“Today is an important day for accountability and the rule of law,” he said in a text message shared by Politico’s Ben Feuerherd on X. “While it has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters. I want to thank my attorneys Danya Perry and Joshua Kolb for their invaluable guidance and support throughout this process.”
Shaun Maguire, a partner at the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he has made a $300,000 donation to the Trump campaign following the former president’s conviction.
“The timing isn't a coincidence,” he posted.
This is notable given Mr. Maguire’s history of donating to Democrats.
Mr. Bragg did not answer whether he would be requesting a prison sentence for President Trump. He declined to answer other questions about sentencing as well.
"I did my job. Our job is to follow the facts without fear or favor," Mr. Bragg said in response to another question. "What I feel is gratitude to be able to work alongside phenomenal public servants who do that each and every day."
President Trump will hold a press conference at Trump Tower at 11 a.m. on Friday.
"First and foremost I want to thank the jury for its service," Mr. Bragg said. "Their service is literally the cornerstone of our judicial system. We should all be thankful for the careful attention that this jury paid to the evidence and the law and their time an commitment over these past several weeks."
"Twelve everyday New Yorkers, and of course our alternates, heard testimony from 22 witnesses including former and current employees of the defendant, media executives, book publishers, custodians of records, and others," he said. He recapped the records entered into evidence.
Republican Larry Hogan, who served as Maryland’s Governor from 2015 to 2023, told Americans to “respect” the verdict in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial in a post on the social platform X.
“Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process. At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship,” the former governor said.
“We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”
After the verdict, President Trump posted to TruthSocial: “VICTORY ON NOVEMBER 5TH. SAVE AMERICA!!!”
He also posted a video showing him walking down a hall with tense music playing. A voiceover from him predicted he and his supporters would “demolish the deep state, we will expel the war mongerers from our government, we will drive out the globalists, we will cast out the communists, marxists, and fascists.”
Within minutes of his New York criminal conviction being announced, former President Donald Trump issued a campaign-fundraising appeal portraying himself as a “political prisoner.”
In a post to his Truth Social platform, the silhouetted image of Trump with a fist pumping in the air appeared under that headline, with the message: “Support Trump” at the bottom.
When users clicked on the link, however, an error message showed up, indicating that the fundraising site had apparently crashed because of so much traffic.
The White House broke its silence and commented on the Trump verdict with a brief statement.
“We respect the rule of law, and have no additional comment," White House Counsel's Office spokesperson Ian Sams said on social media platform X.
George Washington University Law Professor Jonathan Turley said on X that he thought the verdict would be reversed.
“I obviously disagree with this verdict as do many others. I believe that the case will be reversed eventually either in the state or federal systems,” he said.
“However, this was the worst expectation for a trial in Manhattan. I am saddened by the result more for the New York legal system than the former president. I had hoped that the jurors might redeem the integrity of a system that has been used for political purposes.”
Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz criticized the Trump defense for not raising issues he said it should have during the trial. “This was not a well-tried case by the defense,” he said on Rumble.
He described the verdict day as “sad” for the country. “We’re not China and we’re not Iraq, but we’re close to some of the countries in South America.” He suggested that the legal system would be used corruptly to punish political opponents.
Mr. Dershowitz, who said he voted for President Biden, said President Trump was convicted of non-crimes.
A man wearing a Trump 2024 hat in the park across from the courthouse was completely surrounded as he yelled defensively, and the crowd is taunting him.
Signs of all sorts were raised in the park.
Tucker Carlson, a former Fox News host, said in a post on the social platform X that the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial won’t hurt his election chances “if he’s not killed first.”
“Import the Third World, become the Third World. That’s what we just saw,” Mr. Carlson said.
“This won’t stop Trump. He’ll win the election if he’s not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world. Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family,” the anchor added.
CANTON, Mich.—Krishna Gogi, 23, and Rishi Pammi, 21, of Canton, Mich., both university students, were only vaguely aware that President Donald Trump was standing trial and had no reaction to the verdict. "I've lost confidence in both parties," Mr Gogi told The Epoch Times, "especially with everything that's happened in Palestine."
Both men said they will vote for neither major candidate in November. "I'd rather have my voting power go to something I believe in," Mr. Pammi said.
On hearing the news of President Trump's conviction, Hazel Gomez of Detroit wanted to read more details before giving a reaction. "This feels like an odd election year," she told The Epoch Times. "We're not being engaged by either party. I pray the presidency will be taken seriously."
Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the verdict, describing the trial as a “sham.”
“This is a dark day for America,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on X. “This entire trial has been a sham, and it is nothing more than political persecution. This disgraceful decision is legally baseless and should be overturned promptly on appeal. Any judge with a modicum of integrity would recognize that this entire trial has been utterly fraudulent.”
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) both described the case as dangerous. “This ‘trial’ has been from beginning to end a complete and total sham, a mockery of the criminal justice system, and one of the most dangerous abuses of our political process in American history,” Mr. Hawley said.
The Biden campaign issued a statement following today’s verdict.
“In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law,” Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director Michael Tyler said in the statement.
“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box. Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will hold a press conference on the case at 6:30 p.m.
Prosecutors alleged that former President Donald Trump committed election interference in the actions that led to his Manhattan criminal trial. But after jurors handed a guilty verdict for all 34 counts, Sen. J.D. Vance called the case itself “election interference” in a post on the social platform X.
“This decision is a disgrace to the rule of law and our Constitution,” the senator said.
“Dems invented a felony to ‘get Trump,’ with the help of a Soros-funded prosecutor and a Biden donor Judge, who rigged the entire case to get this outcome.”
Supporters and bitter foes of President Trump milled about in the park outside 100 Centre St. under a heavy police and court officer presence.
The mood is animated but people are calm and mostly talking in normal voices. The police have taken no chances since this historic trial began, turning out in overwhelming force in and around the court building.
Democrats took a victory lap over the unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump on May 29.
After more than 11 hours of deliberation, 12 jurors reached the unanimous verdict in the case at Manhattan Criminal Court, convicting the presumptive GOP presidential nominee on 34 first-degree counts of falsifying business records related to a payment he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election.
While GOP lawmakers expressed anger over the verdict, posting on X, formerly Twitter, Democrat members celebrated President Trump becoming a felon.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was not happy about the verdict in former President Donald Trump’s Manhattan Criminal trial, calling it a “sad day for America” minutes after finding out the former commander-in-chief was found guilty of all 34 counts.
“How long can our Republic survive once partisans have taken over the judicial process?” the senator asked in a post on the social platform X.
“This verdict will tragically undermine Americans' confidence in impartial justice. A sad day for America.”
In a statement on X, previously Twitter, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), lamented and railed against the unprecedented conviction of former President Donald Trump.
“Today is a shameful day in American history. Democrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.
“The weaponization of our justice system has been a hallmark of the Biden administration, and the decision today is further evidence that Democrats will stop at nothing to silence dissent and crush their political opponents.
Right after the jury reached a guilty verdict, finding former President Donald Trump guilty of all 34 counts, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called the decision a “travesty of justice” in a post on the social platform X.
“The Manhattan kangaroo court shows what happens when our justice system is weaponized by partisan prosecutors in front of a biased judge with an unfair process, designed to keep President Trump off the campaign trail and avoid bringing attention to President Biden’s failing radical policies,” Mr. Jordan said.
A crowd has descended on the courthouse where President Trump was on trial.
Pro-Trump and anti-Trump demonstrations are underway.
"This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt," President Trump said outside the courtroom.
"This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people and they know what happened here and everyone knows what happened here," he said.
"We didn't do a thing wrong," he said. "I'm a very innocent man."
"We will sentence July 11," Justice Merchan said.
"Your motion is denied," Justice Merchan told the defense.
Lawyers are now conferring with the judge.
"We're moving for judgement," Mr. Blanche said. "There's no basis and there's no way this jury could have reached a verdict without accepting the testimony of Mr Cohen."
"There is no reason that the court should allow a verdict knowing that a witness necessarily who to be party to a crime and offense should be used to convict President Trump. There is no evidence that had any connection to the charged offense and President Trump, and the only connection is Michael Cohen."
Mr. Steinglass urged the judge to deny the motion.
President Trump is sitting still, looking stoic.
He and his lawyers stood up, and the judge said they could remain seated, but it appears the attorneys are making a motion.
The jurors are now being polled individually to affirm that this is their verdict and it is unanimous.
The judge thanked the jurors, saying he has observed them throughout the trial and they have worked hard and spent a lot of time away from their families.
The jury foreman is reading the jury's decision for each of the 34 counts.
"Guilty," he said, responding to a court officer, count by count, for all 34 counts.
"All rise," Justice Merchan said before rereading the note from earlier.
President Trump was in discussion with defense attorney Emil Bove before the judge returned to the courtroom.
Defense attorney Todd Blanche whispered to President Trump, who sits still, looking stoic.
Now President Trump is saying something to his attorney.
Justice Merchan announced jurors have a verdict, and requested more time so as to deliver it today, going over 4:30 p.m.
"We the jury have a verdict. We would like an extra 30 minutes to fill out the forms. Would that be possible?" the jury foreperson wrote in a 4:20 p.m. note read by the judge.
The judge announced a break.
A reporter asked President Trump "are you nervous about a verdict?" as he returned to the courtroom.
"I want to campaign," he said to the press.
As the jury deliberates, President Trump is still required to appear in court rather than go on the campaign trail. Meanwhile, he has been posting to his Truth Social account throughout the day.
"Very unfair that I am not being allowed to Campaign. Crooked Joe Biden Witch Hunt. Third World Country!!!" reads one post. In another, he criticized the jury instructions as "misleading" and "confusing" for jurors as they have already requested a readback.
Trump legal spokesperson Alina Habba answered reporters' questions outside the courthouse as deliberations continued.
"Does he hate being here? I don't think anybody likes being held up in court. Is he nervous? No, President Trump is used to this," said Ms. Habba, who is not representing President Trump as legal counsel in this case. "This is unfortunately not something anybody can handle, but he can. And I think that's why he was president. I think he's not easily intimidated, and frankly we need more of that in this country."
"I don't think anybody wants to be convicted of anything, but he's positive, he's resilient, and he's really just focused on the campaign and what he's going to do when he gets out of here in this mess that they've held us up into," she said.
"Jurors, I believes that completes the readback. Does that respond to your notes?" Justice Merchan asked. "OK, I'll excuse you to continue your deliberations."
Mr. Cohen had testified that Mr. Pecker was told, "Anything negative that comes, you let Michael know and we'll handle it." He affirmed that AMI showed him some of the articles they planned to run as well.
Clerks concluded reading back the requested testimony.
Mr. Pecker said it had been his understanding that he would notify Mr. Cohen about negative stories when he found they were up for sale.
"I said to Michael Cohen that after paying for the doorman story and the Karen McDougal story that I wasn't going to buy anything further and I wasn't a bank," Mr. Pecker said. "I told Dylan Howard that there is no possible way I would buy the story for $120,000 and I didn't want to have anything to do with a porn star."
"Based on our mutual agreement back in August 2015, any stories concerning Mr. Trump that would be very embarrassing, I would want to communicate them to Michael Cohen right away. If he heard about them some other way, he would go ballistic," Mr. Pecker said.
Mr. Pecker was also cross-examined by defense attorney Emil Bove about the meeting, and affirmed that he initially told prosecutors the meeting was during the first week of August, and made a mistake because Mr. Trump would have been at a debate.
"I thought that, I didn't know the exact date, I knew it was the first half of August," Mr. Pecker said.
"I don't mean to put you on the spot. these things happened a long time ago, right? And even when you're doing your best, and I'm sure you are now, it's hard to remember what happened when, right?" Mr. Bove asked.
Attorneys also read back Mr. Pecker's testimony concerning a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower where Mr. Pecker, Mr. Cohen, and Mr. Trump were present.
Hope Hicks, and aide who would later be communications director for the Trump Campaign, was in and out of that meeting, Mr. Pecker said.
Clerks read back the cross-examination of Mr. Pecker from later in his testimony.
Mr. Pecker testified that the first week of October 2016 he called Mr. Cohen to break off a deal wherein Mr. Cohen would, through an LLC, purchase the life rights to Ms. McDougal's story.
"It was a bad idea and I want you to rip up the agreement," Mr. Pecker said he told Mr. Cohen. "He was very upset, screaming at me. Michael Cohen said, the boss is going to be very angry at you. I said I'm sorry, I'm not going forward, the deal is off. He said I don't understand, I'm a lawyer, I'm your friend, I don't understand why you are so concerned."
Court clerks read back testimony by Mr. Pecker under questioning by prosecuting attorney Susan Hoffinger.
"Did you ever come to believe that Michael Cohen had spoken with Mr. Trump about Ms. McDougal's claims?" he was asked.
"Yes I did," Mr. Pecker testified. "He said he told me about Karen, and he said what do you think?"
Justice Merchan read back portions of his instructions from yesterday.
He explained that the Wall Street Journal articles were introduced to provide context, not as proof of the defendant's guilt or innocence, and other evidence introduced was hearsay. He said the National Enquirer headlines and certain invoices were entered into evidence "for the limited purpose" of establishing that the articles were published and the documents were created.
He repeated instructions on the presumption of innocence, burden of proof, requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and the fact that jurors cannot read into President Trump not testifying.
Justice Merchan said there were disputed portions of the transcript but not very many, and approved them to be read back to jurors.
The jury had yesterday afternoon requested to review portions of National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's testimony about a phone call with Mr. Trump and about his decision not to fund the life rights agreement for Karen McDougal's story, as well as testimony by Mr. Pecker and Mr. Cohen about the 2015 Trump Tower meeting.
"Here we go again. Five weeks I've been here, I'm gagged, I'd like to answer all of your questions but I'm gagged so I can't talk as much as I would like to," President Trump told the press before heading into the courtroom. Reporters shouted several questions about the jury, and the gag order bars him from making public statements about jurors.
He read from new op-eds published about his case, and claimed the Clinton campaign did worse things during the 2016 election.
He also made a passing comment about his civil fraud case appeal, saying the judge who ruled against him would be overturned on appeal.
Jurors are entering the second day of deliberations today in the trial of former President Donald Trump.
Yesterday, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan gave procedural and legal instructions to the jury lasting more than an hour. Hours later, jurors made a request to re-hear the instructions, as well as for a readback of some witness testimony.
The jury has no set timeline to deliver their verdict, but any decision they make will need to be unanimous.