@bloombergpolitics: Donald #Trump once vowed to take the witness stand in his hush money criminal #trial in Manhattan, but his defense case wrapped up Tuesday morning without jurors hearing from the former president. Trump’s decision spared him from a grueling cross-examination that would have put him at risk of undermining his own case by lashing out at prosecutors or even the judge, as the former president has done in other recent trials. Testifying also could have shifted the burden onto Trump instead of the prosecution, which must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. #US #news #politics