Jurors began deliberations Wednesday afternoon in Manhattan to determine the outcome of former President Donald Trump’s business records trial.
Deliberations began shortly after Judge Juan Marchan instructed jurors on how they should consider the charges against the former president and current Republican presidential candidate.
A ruling could be made as early as Friday.
Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records but has pleaded not guilty.
Reports have varied as to whether Marchand told jurors they needed to agree on each charge in order to convict Trump.
CNN reported that jurors “must be unanimous in finding Trump guilty of each charge, whether he committed the crimes personally, conspired with others, or both.”
But according to Fox News’ John Roberts, Marchan told jurors they didn’t need unanimity to reach a guilty verdict.
Attorney Bradley Moss said jurors would have to be unanimous that Trump falsified business records and agree that he did so with the intent to commit another crime, but they wouldn’t have to be unanimous on what that other crime was.
People keep repeating this story but don’t understand the context: We all agree that Trump did so with the intent to falsify the record and commit new crimes.
There is no need to be unanimous as to what the other crime was. That is the rule of New York law. https://t.co/jLdLU7a0g2
— Bradley P. Moss (@BradMossEsq) May 29, 2024
This is a developing report.
