A Manhattan jury began deliberations Thursday in the corruption retrial of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Silver is accused of steering $500,000 in state grants to Dr. Robert Taub, a cancer researcher at Columbia University Medical Center.

Allegedly, Taub would then refer asbestos claims to Silver's law firm.

Silver's initial conviction was tossed out last June after the Supreme Court redefined the standard for public corruption cases.

The defense says Silver acted "honorably" within rules politicians must follow.