Months before an election that may see him win back the White House, a New York jury found former US President Donald Trump guilty of all counts in his hush-money case, making him the first former US president to be found guilty of a crime.
The 34 charges of manipulating company documents to conceal a payment intended to silence porn star Stormy Daniels were all found guilty by the jury. Although a four-year prison term for each crime is a possibility, probation is more likely.
Released without posting bond, the 77-year-old Republican is now a felon, a historic and shocking first in a nation where presidents are sometimes referred to as the most powerful man in the world.
Even in the improbable event that he is sent to prison, Trump is free to carry on with his campaign to remove President Joe Biden in November. And he gave voice to an instant resistance.
Telling reporters, 'I'm a very innocent man,' Trump promised that the 'real verdict' would come from the people. The trial, in his words, was 'rigged' and a 'disgrace.'
In a statement, Biden's campaign stated that the trial demonstrated that 'no one is above the law.' It further stated that 'the threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater.'
Four days before Trump is scheduled to accept the party's official nomination in Milwaukee at the Republican National Convention, Judge Juan Merchan scheduled the sentence for July 11.
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The 12-person jury debated for over 11 hours over two days, and in a couple of minutes, the foreman announced the unanimous verdict.
The jury was commended by Merchan for finishing the 'difficult and stressful task.'
Their names had remained a secret during the whole legal process, an uncommon approach that is often observed in situations involving dangerous offenders or members of the mafia.
In addition, Trump is accused by both federal and state authorities of planning to rig the 2020 election in favour of Biden and of retaining classified material after leaving the White House.
Those cases are unlikely to begin before the presidential election—they are centred around far more serious accusations.
On the eve of the 2016 election, Trump was found guilty of forging business papers to reimburse his attorney, Michael Cohen, for paying Daniels $130,000. Daniels' allegation that they had sex might have been catastrophic for Trump's campaign against Hillary Clinton.
The adult actress, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, gave extensive testimony throughout the trial, graphically describing to the judge what she claims was a 2006 sexual encounter between her and the married Trump.
The prosecution effectively presented evidence that the hush money payments and the unlawful concealment of the payments were components of a larger scheme to keep voters ignorant of Trump's actions.
A disreputable former staffer who had betrayed his former employer, Cohen was the main witness in the case and referred to the decision as 'an important day for accountability and the rule of law.'
Despite not testifying in his defence, Trump has denied having a sexual relationship with Stormy Daniels. According to his solicitors, any payments paid to the performer were perfectly lawful.
The trial has diverted Trump's attention from his efforts to remove Biden. But all along, he capitalised on the attention from the media. Trump's campaign released a fundraising appeal headed 'I am a political prisoner!' shortly after the decision was rendered. He also said that he will publicly address the media early on Friday.
The political ramifications of the horrific events are yet unknown, according to Texas Christian University professor and political analyst Keith Gaddie.
'It probably doesn't change many votes, but it may have an impact on the margins in some states with certain swing votes. Thus, it has the potential to swing things back in either direction in especially close contests,' added the speaker.
Because he is a first-time offender, the Republican, who rose to prominence as a brazen real estate billionaire before making a surprise run for the presidency in the 2016 election, is expected to be placed on probation.
Although almost guaranteed, an appeal might take many months to process. If he were to become president, he would not be able to pardon himself since the state of New York, not the federal government, filed the case, and only the governor could clean his record.
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