These notes.
I think what
was positive, though, about these notes
is that it really shows
the jury is actually doing their job
and deliberating,
unlike what Donald Trump kind of
was saying.
That concerned me
was he was delegitimizing
the jury system by saying,
I can't get a fair trial in New York.
People are going to be biased against me.
If that were the case,
they would just have a knee jerk reaction
and potentially just convict him.
And if this really shows
they're listening,
they're thinking
they're looking at the evidence
they want to read back,
they want the law read back to them.
They want certain parts of the testimony
so they can analyze it.
And whatever the verdict is,
we have to respect it.
And I think the
the legitimacy of the jury system
out of the criminal justice
system is important,
whatever the verdict is.
But I think this is a very positive sign
because it shows
they're taking their job very seriously
and they're being thoughtful.
So Judge Mershon
said deliberations
are going to start again at 9:30 a.m.
Eastern tomorrow,
and he has dismissed the jury for the day
the jury is leaving.
The reason he's doing that
is because it is going to now
take the court reporter
and the parties hours,
literally hours, to agree to identify
in the
transcript exactly
which portions of the transcript
are responsive to these notes,
because it's not like they said,
we want all of the read
back of David Parker's testimony.
They want a certain specific
part of David Parker's testimony
and that could be in
multiple places, right?
There could be a question on direct
or a series of questions on the direct.
There could be more questions
later on in the direct
and then parts of cross
and what's going to happen
is, is the court reporter
going to have to identify each
and every place
that is responsive to that note
in both direct and cross?
Then the parties
are going to have to agree
that that's
the only place in the
in the transcripts that it exists
and then it'll be read back to them.
The court reporter is the one
who does the read back.
Both of the judge's instruction
and of the testimony in New York.
So you'll have the court reporter
who will be speaking
for a long time tomorrow.
But I bet even at 930,
we might not get started because
the jury will come
in, the judge will send them back
to continue to deliberate.
They can continue to deliberate
even while the parties are
are answering the notes
and looking for things.
It's not like things
stop at that time,
but it's going to take some time to
to get the answers
to these questions
to the point where it can then
be read back to the jury.
So time to
is the reason
that he dismissed them for the day,
just because it's four of seven,
almost 430,
which is when he would dismiss them
anyway,
I might as well
just let them have the 20 minutes.
That's probably
what was going through his mind.
I mean, it is interesting,
given that the jury,
they deliberated late last night,
you can at least see
maybe the jury would be interested
in continuing to deliberate.
But I can also see them wanting a break.
I mean, they certainly
had a very long day yesterday.
They finally got the case today.
And now they're just
going to be sitting there
awaiting this information
that they have indicated
is very important
to their decision making process.
But the thing that interests me, Jake, by
this is about the significance
is that
these requests came,
relatively speaking, early
on in the deliberative process,
which tells me this is also a jury
that kind of got down to business.
In other words,
they didn't spend hours and hours
kind of,
you know,
venting or,
you know, unburdening themselves
of their feelings in the case.
They immediately plunged into the record
and within a reasonable
amount of time decided
these are the specific pieces
of information we want to hear back.
We want to get more
because we've already identified
these bits of testimony as critical
to our deliberations
and they're moving quickly.
And as Karen assessed,
Judge Mershon told the attorneys
that they cannot leave the courtroom.
The jurors have left,
but the attorneys
cannot leave the courtroom
until they agree on the transcript
That will be read back tomorrow.
Tim Pawlenty,
are we going to find out
we in the public going to find out
what for specific requests
from the testimony
three from Parker, one from Cohen
that they requested?
Is that something
that we will learn or No,
this is all just private
jury information. Oh, no.
So the judge has read
the note aloud into the record.
So everybody who's in
the courtroom
knows what specific questions
they've asked.
And so now both sides are
trying to compile
what is responsive to that.
And, you know, there will be some,
you know, back and forth about, you know,
sometimes once they'll try and add
an extra page that they think
is advantageous to them.
And the other side will say
that's not really response, Right.
Sneaking into some something.
And so the cook it
you know,
this part of the process
is is interesting because
I agree with you that a lot
of these things
would be a whole lot easier
if we just give them the instructions,
you know, giving them the transcript.
There's a little bit more complicated
because you have to remember
these transcripts are not certified yet.
They do contain errors.
You know, sometimes
when you get the draft transcript,
you see that
you know, the report
actually I
that no and the answer was yes. Right.
Things like that.
And so you can't give them the
the transcript
but this gives a great opportunity
for the attorneys to see kind of
where is the jury going.
And, you know, for the
for the client
to be able to lose their mind
just a little bit more
and trying to figure out
what they're doing. Yeah.
And you know, what I always find
interesting is
not just the questions asked,
but during the read back,
I watch the jury
and I see what are they doing.
And sometimes you'll see
facial expressions.
Sometimes I've seen it
even where, you know,
when it comes to that key
line in the testimony,
all of a sudden one
juror will look down at the other side.
And and that's
when you sit there and the client's like,
is that a good thing? Right?
That's funny,
because Read Back is in open court.
Yeah, we will all we're all going to know
what they what they read
and Jamie Lynn go right now
you talk about clients going crazy
and it again for any defendant
this is not fun
and Donald Trump is a defendant
so it's not fun for him right now.
And Todd Blanchard's defense attorney
ask the judge, can
my client, the former president,
Donald Trump, go across the hall
while the lawyers are working,
finalizing the transcript,
which could take hours?
Judge
Mershon said that's okay,
but Trump cannot leave the building,
and Trump
is apparently leaning back in his chair
with his arm up on the chair back,
gesturing as he talks
to Blanch and Beauvais,
two of his attorneys Blanches, laughing.
TRUMP We saw him walk out.
Trump is up from his seat,
leaving with don jr.
Total deliberate time today, 4 hours,
37 minutes.
And jamie gangel,
the guys running for president
and i'm not saying
whether it's right or wrong,
but this is got to be frustrating.
He's stuck in this courthouse.
Well,
let's put aside running for president
because there were a lot of days
during these six weeks
where he could have gone out
and campaigned
and he chose to campaign
from the courthouse, steps
through the courthouse hallway.
I will say I think the it's look,
Donald Trump doesn't
like anyone
telling him what to do or where to be.
Look. Tim Pawlenty, not so.
He doesn't like the fact that he has
to stick around the courthouse
and someone I know
who was in that holding room
with me, with him tells me it is not
not a very pleasant place
like the rest of the building.
It is old, it is dirty.
I gather there's an old air
conditioning unit in the window.
Not not Donald Trump's style.
Yeah, that courthouse is a dump.
But I don't think the one thing
about being in the holding room.
Yeah,
we're not watching his face in the court.
Right?
So he doesn't have to
worry about his privacy.
Anybody commenting
because he closed his eyes for 5 seconds?
Everyone, stick around.
The jury has stopped deliberating
for the day after 4 hours,
37 minutes of deliberation.
So we just want to note
that we have stopped. Where is it?
We have stopped our clock right here.
Let's bring in CNN's Kaitlan
Collins, who's outside the court.
And Caitlyn,
what do you make of the jury's notes
late this afternoon
and this rather early
dismissal for the jury?
Well, Jake, obviously this is
a question that the Trump team
is going to be trying to dissect,
just like we are in the sense
of what this means for them.
At first glance, I mean, obviously,
if they're trying to read David
Petraeus testimony,
which the prosecution
framed in their closing arguments
late into the evening last night,
I was in there inside the courtroom
as they did that.
I mean, the prosecution framed
it is damning for Donald Trump
and saying that what David Pecker,
someone who had no ax to grind
against Donald Trump, had to say
by putting Trump in the room
and talking about
how he was aware of this plot
to to pay for stories
that could potentially
be damaging to his chances
at winning the election.
That was how they framed it.
So it's notable
that the jury wants to see that.
But they're also asking to see testimony
from Michael Cohen,
who Todd Blanch Plame
framed as this complete liar
as part of his closing arguments
to the jury as well.
So obviously,
it's a lot to interpret there.
Everyone's going to be trying
to read it, including Trump's attorneys,
who you saw Trump
leave the room along with his entourage
a few moments ago.
But Todd Blanch in available venues
and Nicholas are still inside that room
at the defense table
as they are going to be trying to sort
through exactly
which parts of this transcript
are going to be read
back to the jury tomorrow.
I think the other thing
that is still to be
determined is on the jury instructions
and what is being read
to what is going to be read back to them,
whether or not it's
all of the jury instructions,
which took about an hour today,
or if it's certain parts of the law
or certain parts about reasonable
doubt, witness credibility,
all of that is going to be key aspects
that people will be looking for
when the judge does return
with the jury tomorrow morning at nine
9:30 a.m.
to see what is it
that they have questions about.
It's this fascinating process
where they can only communicate via
the foreperson for the jury.
That is juror number one.
He is just automatically
the foreperson here
sending these notes
and clarifying what it is to the judge.
They can't have these
lengthy conversations with him.
Or if they do have conversations,
it's where the judge has brought
the entire jury into the courtroom
to make sure that they all hear
what his instructions are.
And it's not just any kind of private
discussion between the judge
and one juror.
The importance here is
that they are all 12
on the same page here.
And so obviously the Trump team
will be trying
to figure this out as well.
I should note, Trump
left the courtroom, Jake.
He can't actually leave
the courthouse, though.
He has to wait until all of this is done.
He's obviously been here
since early this morning.
Caitlin Collins, thanks so much.
Appreciated.
The Trump trial
jury has just been dismissed for the day.
This after
they sent the judge
two notes, one to hear, one to rehear
four different parts of testimony,
three from David Pecker,
one from Michael Cohen,
another to hear parts
of the judge's instructions to them.
Again.