Months before an election that might see him win back the White House, a New York jury found former US President Donald Trump guilty of all charges in his hush money case, making him the first former US president to be found guilty of a crime.
The 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment intended to silence porn star Stormy Daniels were all found guilty by the jury. Although a four-year prison sentence for each count is a possibility, probation is more likely.
Released without posting bail, the 77-year-old Republican is now a felon, a historic and shocking first in a nation where presidents are often 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 unseat President Joe Biden in November. And he gave voice to an instant defiance.
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 sentencing for July 11.