Former President Donald Trump is making a final effort to dismiss the criminal charges against him as his New York trial approaches jury deliberations. Trump, who did not testify in his defense during the hush money trial, defended his actions on social media, asserting that the payments to his lawyer, Michael Cohen, were legitimate legal expenses and not part of a criminal scheme. He urged that the case be ended and all charges thrown out.
Prosecutors, however, allege that Trump used Cohen to pay $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels to prevent her from publicizing an alleged sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. They claim Trump falsified business records to conceal the payments, logging checks to Cohen as other expenses. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, which are felony charges due to the alleged intent to hide a secondary crime, such as violating election or tax laws.
