Donald Trump found guilty in hush money trial

Former US president Donald Trump has been convicted of all 34 counts in his New York hush money trial.

Donald Trump has become the first former US president to be convicted of felony crimes as a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to an adult film actress who said the two had sex.

Jurors convicted Trump on all 34 counts after deliberating for nine-and-a-half hours.

Trump sat stone-faced as the verdict was being read, while cheering from the street below – where supporters and detractors of the former president were gathered – could be heard in the hallway on the 15th floor of the courthouse.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after leaving the courtroom.

“The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people.

“They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.”

Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson releasing a statement lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history”.

He called the case “a purely political exercise, not a legal one”.

The verdict is a stunning legal reckoning for Trump and exposes him to potential prison time in the city where his manipulations of the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president.

As he seeks a return to the White House in this year’s election, the judgment presents voters with another test of their willingness to accept Trump’s boundary-breaking behaviour.

Trump is expected to quickly appeal against the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he seeks to return to the campaign trail as a convicted felon.

There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he is expected to hold fundraisers next week.

Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though prosecutors have not said whether they intend to seek imprisonment, and it is not clear whether the judge – who earlier in the trial warned of jail time for gag order violations – would impose that punishment even if asked.

The conviction, and even imprisonment, will not bar Trump from continuing his pursuit of the White House.

Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election, adding to the significance of the outcome.

Published: 30/05/2024 by Radio NewsHub