The defence team in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money trial has rested its case without calling the former US president to testify.
In fact, Trump's lawyers called just two witnesses to speak on Trump's behalf and closing arguments are now scheduled to be heard next Tuesday May 28.
The jury is then likely to begin its deliberations the following day.
On Monday Trump's lawyers urged Justice Juan Merchan to dismiss the case, arguing it relies on the testimony of just one witness, disgruntled former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, who has admitted lying on multiple occasions.
Donald Trump was not called to testify
Reuters
A straight dismissal though looks unlikely.
Merchan indicated that he was inclined to let jurors assess Cohen's credibility for themselves.
The former president is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment to buy the silence of porn star Stormy Daniels, who was peddling claims of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election.
He has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide his reimbursement to Cohen, who initially paid for the transaction.
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Before the trial started in April, Trump had said he would take the witness stand, but since then he has refused to comment when reporters asked when he planned to testify
Reuters
He also says he never had sex with Daniels and claims the trial is politically motivated.
Cohen testified that he spoke repeatedly about the payment with Trump who was worried that Daniels would hurt his appeal to women voters.
However, one witness summoned by Trump's defence, attorney Robert Costello, stated in his testimony that Cohen once told him he lacked any information that may implicate him.
Before the trial started in April, Trump had said he would take the witness stand, but since then he has refused to comment when reporters asked when he planned to testify.
Most experts had not expected him to speak in his own defence as it would open him up to cross-examination
Reuters
Most experts had not expected him to speak in his own defence as it would open him up to cross-examination.
He also would have been at risk of perjury if he lied under oath.
If Justice Juan Merchan now allows the case to go to the jury their decision will need to be unanimous for a guilty verdict.
If just one juror believes they have reasonable doubt he would be forced to call a mistrial.
