Former President Donald Trump‘s New York criminal trial enters week six on Monday with the president's former lawyer Michael Cohen back on the stand.
Cohen could be one of the last witnesses that testify in the case, which leads to the important question of whether Trump himself will take the stand.
What Happened: A criminal case against Trump alleges the former president falsified business records related to hush money payments made to adult actress Stormy Daniels.
The multiweek trial, which began on April 15, has featured Daniels and Cohen as key witnesses for the prosecution along with media moguls, phone experts and former Trump aides.
With the prosecution done calling witnesses in the case, all eyes turn to Trump's defense team and the question many wondered about from the start: Will Donald Trump testify in the case?
Political experts say Trump would be best served by declining to testify.
"He's somebody who's not controlled, who is going to be all over the place," Legal analyst Renato Mariotti said, according to Politico.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), who is a Trump ally and attended the trial last week, said it's tough because Trump wants to respond to everything from the trial.
"Quite frankly, there are times where you look at it and say, ‘there is no benefit to a client testifying,'" Biggs said.
U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) said there may not be a reason for Trump to testify after his lawyer's "hit a home run" with cross-examination of Cohen last week.
"I don't think he really needs to at this point. I think it's kind of over," Malliotakis said. "We just need a fair jury. We should be able to get one person on that jury."
Related Link: Michael Cohen Says He Never Asked For A Pardon From Trump, Stormy Daniels NDA Never Signed In Third Day Of His Testimony
Why It's Important: There is concern from Trump allies and legal experts given a gag order against Trump and his violations of it that he could get himself in more trouble. Trump has been fined 10 times and fined $10,000 for violating the gag order. The former president has also been threatened with jail time for further violations.
Ahead of the trial’s start, Trump said he was willing to testify.
"All I can do is tell the truth, and the truth is that there's no case," Trump previously said.
The counter argument for Trump testifying could be his ability to answer questions related to what was said by Daniels and Cohen. Under a gag order, Trump is limited in being able to respond to their testimony.
Trump on the stand could also serve as a rally cry for his supporters and potential voters in the 2024 election.
Trump has taken the stand in several recent trials.
In January, Trump took the stand in a federal defamation trial involving writer E. Jean Carroll. During his time on the stand, which lasted several minutes, Trump answered several questions and was relatively calm.
A November civil fraud trial against Trump and The Trump Organization saw the former president on the stand for four hours. During his time on the stand, Trump attacked the judge and lost his temper.
If Trump takes the stand during the hush money criminal trial, the prosecution would be able to cross-examine him and could also include more comments about him in their closing arguments.
"They have no case and they have no crime," Trump said outside the courtroom Monday morning.
The trial is expected to last into next week, with the Memorial Day holiday weekend impacting the trial's timeline.
Photo via Shutterstock.
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