Jury deliberation resumes in Trump hush money trial after jurors re-hear instructions, testimony

Jury deliberations resumed shortly before noon Thursday in the former President Trump's hush money trial after the presiding judge honored two juror requests – that he re-read portions of his instructions to them and to have parts of witness David Pecker's testimony read again to them.

"Under our law, Michael Cohen is an accomplice because there is evidence that he participated in a crime based upon conduct involved in the allegations here against the defendant," Judge Juan Merchan said in re-reading his reported 55-pages of instructions, which he gave to jurors Wednesday, after closing arguments.

Trump faces 34 felony counts for allegedly trying to falsify business records to conceal a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for an alleged sexual encounter in 2005 – to keep the matter from being made public during his 2016 presidential bid.

"Our law is especially concerned about the testimony of an accomplice who implicates another in the commission of a crime, particularly when the accomplice has received, expects or hopes for a benefit in return for his testimony," Merchan also told jurors in the Manhattan courtroom.

Merchan also told jurors that "even if you find the testimony of Michael Cohen to be believable, you may not convict the defendant solely upon that testimony unless you also find that it was corroborated by other evidence tending to connect the defendant with the commission of the crime."

Later Thursday morning, court reporters re-read former testimony from Pecker, the National Enquirer publisher, about a meeting at Trump Tower in 2015, according to CNN.

The first part of that testimony included Pecker recalling the timing of the meeting, which he said was held in August 2015, and that Trump, his former attorney Michael Cohen and longtime aide Hope Hicks were present, the news outlet also reports.