Former President Donald Trump will not testify in his own defense during an ongoing criminal trial in New York. Instead, the case will move toward closing statements next Tuesday, May 28.
“We’ll be resting pretty quickly — resting meaning resting the case. I won’t be resting,” Trump told reporters.
“I don’t rest. I’d like to rest sometimes, but I don’t get to rest.”
Trump’s latest legal battle dates back nearly a decade. In 2016, Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, allegedly falsified business records in order to pay former adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her rumored affair with the presumptive GOP nominee. As a result, Trump has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to the alleged payment.
Despite the charges levied against him, Trump has plead not guilty. He claims he “did absolutely nothing wrong” and said the matter is the result of a “political Witch-Hunt.”
If convicted, Trump faces up to 20 years in prison. However, many legal experts expect his sentence to lie anywhere between probation and four years if he is found guilty.
“The maximum Trump faces is probably four years, and his actual sentence, for several reasons, would likely be substantially less. It might even be a term of probation, although, considering Trump’s complete lack of remorse, some sort of custodial sentence is likely,” appellate attorney Chris Truax wrote for The Hill.
