The Trump criminal trial jury is now deliberating: four things to watch while we’re waiting
The jury in Donald Trump’s criminal trial is now deliberating. The verdict could come back at any time. While we’re waiting, here are five things to watch for about how things might be going:
1) Trump clearly expects to be convicted. Outside the courtroom he appeared physically dejected and said “Mother Teresa could not beat the charges,” adding that the whole thing is “rigged.” If Trump thought there were any realistic chance of avoiding conviction, he wouldn’t be talking like this.
2) If the jury comes back within hours, it almost certainly means a guilty verdict. If the jury comes back by the end of today, it also very likely means a guilty verdict. If this is still going on by, say, Friday, then it’ll mean that at least one juror is hesitant to convict.
3) The jury might send specific questions to the judge while it’s deliberating. These questions can provide insight into what the jury is thinking, though some legal experts warn that such interpretations can be deceiving. Sometimes a jury simply wants to confirm that a certain witness’ testimony isn’t faulty in the way the defense claimed.
4) If the jury does convict Trump, keep in mind that it will be a unanimous verdict. Fox News and others are trying to falsely spin this as a non-unanimous verdict, due to the jury instructions about the underlying crimes. But any guilty verdict will mean that all twelve jurors unanimously agree that Trump cooked his books in the commission of a crime.
