Former U.S. President Donald Trump was found guilty by a New York jury on Thursday for unlawfully attempting to manipulate the 2016 election that led to his presidency. The jury unanimously convicted him on all 34 felony charges he was accused of.
The verdict against Trump, 77, was reached by the 12-member jury after two days of deliberation. This trial marks the first time an American president has faced criminal charges.
Trump is expected to be the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election, running against President Joe Biden. However, there is a chance that Trump could be put on probation or sent to prison for a maximum of four years.
Trump's sentencing was scheduled for July 11, during his campaign for the White House and shortly before the Republican National Convention on July 15, where he would be officially nominated as the party's 2024 presidential candidate.
Todd Blanche, Trump's defense lawyer, requested for the verdict to be overturned, but Justice Juan Merchan of the New York Supreme Court promptly denied the request.
Trump remained stoic in the courtroom, but outside, his jaw clenched as he expressed his outrage to reporters.
He promised with a serious look, “This is far from finished.”
Trump expressed on his Truth Social platform that his civil rights were completely violated due to a highly political, unconstitutional, and election interfering witch hunt. He also mentioned that our nation, which is facing difficulties, is being mocked globally.
Right after the decision was made, the Trump campaign quickly sent a fundraising email where the former president declared, once more in all capital letters, “I am a political prisoner!”
Since the trial began in mid-April, Trump showed disrespect for the case, insulting potential witnesses against him even though Merchan's order forbade him from doing so. Merchan held Trump in contempt of court 10 times and imposed a $10,000 fine, which the judge admitted was a small amount for someone as wealthy as Trump.
Merchan had left himself and prosecutor Alvin Bragg out of his gag order. Consequently, Trump criticized them daily during the trial, focusing on the judge, who he called “corrupt” and “conflicted” for donating $35 to Biden and Democrats in 2020.
Biden stayed silent on the guilty verdict, however, his campaign urged voters to defeat Trump in the upcoming national election on November 5th.
The Biden campaign stated that Donald Trump wrongly thought he could get away with breaking the law for his own benefit. Despite today's ruling, the truth remains that the only way to prevent Trump from becoming president is by voting. Whether he's a criminal or not, Trump will still be the Republican candidate for president.
Trump will definitely appeal his conviction and can still run for president. The U.S. constitution does not forbid a convicted felon from becoming president.
If Trump wins the November election, as president, he would have the authority to grant pardons to federal defendants who have been convicted. However, he would not be able to pardon himself in a state case, such as the New York trial where he was found guilty.
Trump is currently dealing with three other legal cases, with two of them alleging that he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 election. However, all three cases are stuck in legal disputes between his legal team and the prosecutors. This means that the New York case might be the only one resolved before the November election.
Trump faced conviction following testimony from Michael Cohen, his former political fixer who had become a harsh critic. Cohen revealed that Trump instructed him to pay $130,000 in hush money to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, just days before the 2016 election. This payment was intended to silence Daniels' allegation of a one-night sexual encounter with Trump, which had occurred a decade earlier.
Trump denied having any involvement with Daniels, but he chose not to testify in his defense.
Trump was found guilty of all charges in the 34-count indictment for manipulating business records at his Trump Organization. This was done to conceal the reimbursement of hush money paid to Cohen in 2017. Trump argued that the payment was for legal services rendered by Cohen. Although a hush money deal is not against the law, Trump's actions led to his conviction.
Cohen submitted 11 invoices to Trump company officials for reimbursement, along with 12 entries in the company's records and 11 checks sent to Cohen. Notably, nine of these checks were signed by Trump.
The defense team for Trump stated that Cohen sent the hush money to Daniels' lawyer on his own, without Trump knowing.
The ex-president refused to accept any part of the charges brought against him.
