Jury begins deliberations in Trump hush money trial

The jury in the Trump hush money trial began deliberating Wednesday shortly before noon, after being given instructions by presiding Judge Juan Merchan.

The former president is charged with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, in an alleged attempt to conceal from the public, during his 2016 presidential bid, a sexual encounter years earlier with porn star Stormy Daniels.

The jury, 12 Manhattan residents, must find Trump guilty by unanimous verdict. He could also be acquitted or be found not guilty as a result of a hung jury, which would be one of  the 12 jurors voting not guilty.

Before deliberations get underway in the New York courtroom, Merchan, laid out to the jurors the legal issues they must consider and the conclusions they must reach if they intend to find Trump guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to CBS News.