STORY: The defense in Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial rested its case on Tuesday, without calling the former U.S. president to testify.
JOURNALIST ON APRIL 12: "Is it risky for you to testify?"
TRUMP: "I'm testifying. I tell the truth."
For weeks, Trump had stoked speculation about whether he would take the stand, telling reporters in April that he "absolutely" would.
JOURNALIST ON APRIL 12: "Do you plan to testify in your trial in New York?"
TRUMP: "Yeah, I would testify, absolutely. It's a scam."
But Trump ultimately opted not to take the stand in his own defense.
Criminal defendants typically do not testify in their own trials as it exposes them to probing questions from prosecutors.
Trump's legal team called two witnesses on his behalf, including lawyer Robert Costello.
He testified that Trump's former fixer Michael Cohen - the prosecution's star witness - told him he did not have any incriminating information on Trump.
Cohen's testimony wrapped up on Monday.
The defense attempted to get the case dismissed, arguing that the trial rested on the testimony of a person with a well-documented history of lying.
But the judge indicated that he was inclined to let jurors assess Cohen's credibility for themselves.
Trump, the first former president to face a criminal trial, is charged with falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says they had 10 years earlier.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies ever having sex with her.
The judge said jurors would return next Tuesday, following the three-day Memorial Day weekend, to hear closing arguments, with deliberations likely beginning the following day.
