Historic Verdict: Manhattan Jury Finds Donald Trump Guilty on All 34 Charges
In a groundbreaking decision, a Manhattan jury has convicted Donald Trump of all 34 charges of falsifying business records. This verdict marks Trump as the first former president in U.S. history to be found guilty of a felony.
Not only is Trump the first former president to face a felony conviction, but he is also the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime while campaigning for the White House. If he wins against President Joe Biden in November, he will become the first sitting president with a felony conviction.
The jury deliberated for nearly 12 hours over two days before announcing the verdict in the hush money trial.
While legally the guilty verdict does not prevent Trump from being elected president again, the significance of this decision lies in the hands of the voters in November.
Trump, upon leaving the courtroom, denounced the trial as rigged and disgraceful. He maintained his innocence and vowed to continue fighting against the charges.
Historic Case: Manhattan District Attorney Brings Charges Against Trump
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a Democrat, filed charges against Trump last year, leading to the first indictment of a former president. The charges accused Trump of falsifying records to cover up a payment to Stormy Daniels made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen.
The trial lasted seven weeks, during which the prosecution presented 20 witnesses to demonstrate a pattern of payoffs to keep negative stories about Trump hidden before the 2016 election.
Cohen, a key witness for the prosecution, detailed how Trump directed the payment to Daniels and approved the scheme to repay him in installments in 2017.
Reaction and Future Steps
Following the guilty verdict, Trump’s attorney vowed to fight vigorously in post-trial motions and potentially appeal the decision after sentencing.
President Biden emphasized the importance of defeating Trump at the ballot box in the upcoming election, stressing that no one is above the law.
Both campaigns quickly reacted to the verdict, with Trump’s team framing the case as a political witch hunt and Biden’s campaign highlighting the threats Trump poses to democracy.
House Speaker Mike Johnson condemned the verdict as a political exercise, sparking further debate and division in the aftermath of the trial.
