元大統領の刑事裁判に関する英語新聞記事（サンフランシスコ地元紙）の書き起こし＜その4＞

さてさて、これを書いている5月28日はまさに該当裁判の”closing argument（最終弁論）”の日でして、政治系メディアを筆頭にさまざまな方面で大注目されています。さて判決はどうなる事やら。ちなみに、全16段落あるうちの今回は第10段落から一気に最終の第16段落までご紹介します。

【第10段落】
”So they would not get published?" asked prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.

【第11段落】
”So they would not get published," Pecker replied.

【第12段落】
Pecker painted Cohen as a shadow editor of the National Enquirer's pro-Trump coverage, directing the tabloid to go after whichever Republican candidate was gaining momentum.

【第13段落】
Cohen pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to his role in the hush money payments. He was once a confident of Trump's . Cohen is expected to be a star government witness, and he routinely posts profane broadsides against Trump on sosial media.

【第14段落】
Trump's lawyers are expected to make attacks on Cohen's credibility a foundation of their defence, but in opening with Pecker, prosecutors hoped to focus atention on a witness with a less volatile backstory. Besides maintaining that Trump is innocent, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told jurors that Cohen cannot be trusted and has "an obsession with getting Trump."

【第15段落】
Pecker's testimony Tuesday followed a hearing earlier in the day in which prosecutors urged judge Juan M. Merchan to hold Trump in contempt and fine him $1,000 for each of 10 social media posts that they say violted an earlier gag oeder, Merchan did not immediately rule, but he seemed skeptical of defense arguments that Trump was merely responding in his posts to others' attacks.

【第16段落】
Trump's 34 felony counts arise from reimbursements that prosecutors say Trump's company made to Cohen for hush money payments and that were falsely recorded as legal expenses.