As he pursues a second term in office, Donald Trump has become the first former US president to be found guilty of a crime after it was determined that he had colluded to purchase the silence of a porn actress days before the 2016 election and had concealed his activities in business records.
Following nearly two days of discussion by the seven men and five women on the jury, the unanimous decision in the Manhattan “hush money” case was reached just after 5 p.m. local time on Thursday.
Alvin Bragg, the Democratic district attorney for Manhattan, was vindicated by the landmark conviction. He had taken up the case last year after his predecessor and federal prosecutors had given up on it.
Jurors had listened in awe for five weeks to former high-profile Trump associates describe a “catch and kill” plan to bury a report of an alleged extramarital affair after Stormy Daniels had threatened to go public with her claim.
With his eyes closed, Trump sat in a quiet courtroom as the jury foreman—a Harlem-based salesperson of Irish descent—read out the verdict. Trump has been forced to miss four days of the campaign trail in order to attend the trial in person.
Shortly afterward, the proceedings came to an abrupt stop, and Trump shook hands with his son Eric, who gave him a thump on the back. Outside the court, Trump blasted the “disgraceful, rigged trial.”
He declared, “I’m a very innocent man.” “I am defending my nation.” I am defending our Constitution.It’s just a disgrace, in my opinion. And because our country has gone to hell, we will not give up; we will fight until the very end and prevail.”
“The American people will render the true verdict [on November 5],” he continued. On July 11, four days before the Republican convention opens and Trump is slated to be named the party’s nominee, he is scheduled to be sentenced.
“A jury of 12 everyday New Yorkers was presented with overwhelming evidence — including invoices, checks, bank statements, audio recordings, phone logs, text messages, and direct testimony from 22 witnesses,” Bragg said in remarks following the verdict. He continued by saying that the information demonstrated that Trump “went to illegal lengths to lie repeatedly in order to protect himself and his campaign.”
The maximum prison term for each of the 34 counts on which Trump was found guilty is four years, but since this is his first offense, it is doubtful that he will go to jail.Bragg refrained from stating if he would pursue a jail term.
Trump is also expected to file an appeal with New York’s higher courts against the verdict, but that procedure would take several months and would not stop him from being the first person to be elected president of the United States who has been convicted of misconduct.
The United States Constitution does not forbid a convicted misconduct from holding public office. In the event that Trump is reelected, the governor of New York will have the authority to pardon anyone who is charged by state prosecutors rather than federal ones.
Notwithstanding weeks of constant coverage of the Manhattan trial, Trump is leading President Joe Biden in important swing states and polling well in the presidential contest. He has also been successful in delaying the three other criminal cases against him that stem from alleged attempts to manipulate the 2020 election results and the retention of private documents after he left office. None are likely to go to trial before November’s election.
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