Trump Defense Rests Case in New York v. Trump Trial, Judge Merchan Dismisses Jury Until After Memorial Day

Defense attorneys in New York v. Trump rested their case Tuesday morning without calling former President Trump to the stand to testify. Judge Juan Merchan dismissed the jury until after Memorial Day rather than have potential days-long gaps between closing arguments and jury deliberations.

Defense attorneys in the New York v. Trump trial rested their case Tuesday morning without calling former President Trump to the stand to testify. The prosecution rested its case Monday, and Trump defense attorneys called two witnesses — paralegal Daniel Sitko and a former legal adviser to Michael Cohen, Robert Costello — before resting its case.

Rather than have potential days-long gaps between closing arguments and jury deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan dismissed the jury until after Memorial Day.

Former President Trump said his defense team has already "won the case by any standard" in the NY v. Trump trial as he called on presiding Judge Juan Merchan to dismiss this case. And when he exited court Tuesday evening, Trump pushed the boundaries of the gag order that has already cost him $10,000 in fines.

"Look at the person. Why don't you look at the person that argued their case for almost the entire case? Look at the person. Where did he come from? Unbelievable. He came from Biden," he added.

Trump did not name the person he was speaking about. However, the lead prosecutor for the case, Mathew Colangelo, is a former Department of Justice official who took a job with the DA's office just months before the indictment of the former president.

Judge Merchan imposed a gag order on the attorneys in the case, barring them from speaking to the media about the trial. However, Trump has repeatedly violated the order, most recently on Tuesday when he commented on the case outside of court.

The former president's comments could further complicate the case for his defense team, which has already been weakened by the prosecution's presentation of a strong case against Trump. The prosecution has presented evidence that Trump's company, the Trump Organization, engaged in a years-long scheme to defraud the government by undervaluing its assets to reduce its tax liability.

Trump's defense team has argued that the former president was not involved in the scheme and that he was unaware of the alleged wrongdoing. However, the prosecution has presented evidence that Trump was aware of the scheme and that he personally benefited from it.

The jury is expected to begin deliberations after Memorial Day. If convicted, Trump could face up to 15 years in prison.

In addition to the New York case, Trump is also facing a criminal investigation by the Fulton County District Attorney in Georgia over his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state. He is also facing a civil lawsuit by the New York Attorney General's office alleging that he and his family engaged in a pattern of fraud and misrepresentation in the operation of the Trump Foundation.

The former president has denied any wrongdoing in all of the cases against him.