Donald Trump is found guilty of falsifying business records

A New York jury convicted Donald Trump on all charges in his hush-money case on Thursday in a seismic development barely five months ahead of the election where he seeks to recapture the White House. The verdict makes Trump the first criminally convicted former US president but does not prevent him from campaigning for another term. The first criminal trial of a former US president ended with the 77-year-old Trump found guilty on each of the 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide a payment meant to silence Stormy Daniels. Trump – who was released without bail and is all but certain to appeal – initially sat still in the drab Manhattan courtroom, shoulders dipping.

Addressing reporters outside minutes later, though, he branded the result a “disgrace” and “rigged,” vowing that the “real verdict” would come from voters in the November 5 presidential election. The conviction thrusts the United States into uncharted political territory. However, it does not bar Trump from continuing his White House run, even in the unlikely event that Judge Juan Merchan sentences him to prison.

Sentencing was set for July 11 – right before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is due to receive the party’s formal nomination to face Democratic President Joe Biden in the election. Biden’s campaign issued a statement saying that the trial showed “no one is above the law.” It added 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 announcing the unanimous conclusion within a matter of minutes. Merchan thanked the jurors for completing the “difficult and stressful task.” Their identities had been kept secret throughout proceedings, a rare practice more often seen in cases involving mafia or other violent defendants.