Five months ahead of the presidential election, a New York jury has convicted Donald Trump on all charges related to his hush money case. The former US president was found guilty on each of the 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a payment intended to silence porn star Stormy Daniels.
The conviction marks the first criminal trial of a former US president. Trump, 77, was released without bail and is expected to appeal the decision. Initially, he sat still in the drab Manhattan courtroom with his shoulders dipping. However, moments later, he addressed reporters outside, branding the verdict a “disgrace” and “rigged,” and vowed that the “real verdict” would come from voters in the upcoming November 5 presidential election.
This conviction thrusts the United States into unprecedented political territory, although it does not bar Trump from continuing his White House campaign. Even in the unlikely event that Judge Juan Merchan sentences him to prison, Trump can still pursue his bid for the presidency.
Sentencing is set for July 11, just before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is expected to receive the party’s formal nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the election.
In response to the verdict, Biden’s campaign issued a statement asserting that the trial demonstrated that “no one is above the law” and warned that “the threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater.”
The 12-member jury deliberated for more than 11 hours over two days before reaching a unanimous decision. Judge Merchan thanked the jurors for their service, acknowledging the “difficult and stressful task” they completed. Throughout the proceedings, the jurors’ identities were kept secret, a rare practice typically reserved for cases involving the mafia or other violent defendants.