With the jury sent to deliberations, former President Donald Trump came out firing against the "rigged" trial and "conflicted" Judge Juan Merchan that delivered the instructions to the jury.
"Mother Teresa could not beat these charges," Trump told reporters, leaving the courtroom while the lawyers are told to stand by with the jury in deliberations.
The former president faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, charges which are punishable by up to four years in prison. He has denied all wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
"These charges are rigged," he said. "The whole thing is rigged. The whole country's a mess – between the borders and fake elections and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can't breathe.
"It's a disgrace. And I mean that. Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we'll see. We'll see how we do. It's a very disgraceful situation."
Judge Juan Merchan said Trump must remain at the courthouse throughout the deliberations.
"So I'll stay around here," Trump said. "This is five weeks and five weeks of really essentially not campaigning, although I took a big lead in the polls over the last few weeks – something is going on, because I think the people of this country see that this is a rigged deal."
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in November's general election, again criticized President Joe Biden for weaponizing the legal system against his opponent. The former president also lambasted the Biden administration's southern border policies, and actor Robert De Niro, whom he said "got MAGA-ed" after making anti-Trump statements outside the courthouse Tuesday.
"We're going to bring back our nation Nov. 5," Trump said. "Remember, most important day in the history of our country. In the meantime, this trial is rigged. Thank you."
Jury deliberations proceed in secret in a room reserved specifically for jurors and in a process that is intentionally opaque.
Jurors can communicate with the court through notes that ask the judge, for instance, for legal guidance or to have particular excerpts of testimony read back to them.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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