President Donald Trump has been the first former United States President to face a criminal trial. Now he has made another history being the first to be convicted. He was convicted on Thursday by a New York court where he has been standing trial for hush money allegations.
The conviction of the 77-year-old former president comes just six months to presidential election with incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden in November. The landmark judgment by a New York jury found him guilty of falsifying business records and attempting to influence United States election in 2016.
All 34 charges against him were unanimously upheld by the jury. Trump will now be sentenced on July 11, just days before the start of the GOP convention on July 15.
The Charges Against Trump
The case centered on a scheme to cover up “hush money” payments he made to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Daniels alleged a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. David Pecker, former publisher of the National Enquirer, operated a “catch and kill” scheme to suppress negative stories about Trump. Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen testified that Trump directed him to pay Daniels $130,000 to bury her story, with Trump later reimbursing Cohen $420,000, falsely recorded as legal expenses.
The crime was falsifying business records to conceal the payment’s true purpose and in the process attempting to influence the 2016 election. The prosecution described it as “a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election.“
Mr Cohen, Trump’s former fixer and key witness for the prosecution, called the day “important for accountability and the rule of law.” He had fallen out with Trump along the way. On social media he celebrated the verdict.
Alvin Bragg, the New York District Attorney who prosecuted the case, said he was satisfied with his team’s performance. He said they “followed the facts and the law without fear or favor,” thanking the NYPD, court staff, and the attentive jury. Bragg noted that despite Trump’s unique status, the trial and verdict followed the same procedures as any other case.
Trump Denounce Verdict
Speaking outside the court, Trump called his conviction a “disgrace,” claiming he is “a very innocent man” and that the trial was “rigged.” He said the judge was “conflicted” and “should never have been allowed to try this case.” Trump asserted, “This is long from over“, a clear indication he is heading for appeal. After the judgment, he traveled in a convoy of black jeeps to dinner in New York City restaurant.
Trump is currently NRC’s presumptive presidential nominee and is expected to be present at the GOP convention on July 15. He faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison, though others convicted of similar crimes often receive shorter sentences, fines, or probation.
Impact On Election
The guilty verdict have serious ramifications beyond Trump, potentially reshaping his presidential campaign. Joe Biden’s spokesperson gleefully declared, “No one is above the law.”
The Biden-Harris campaign‘s communications director, Michael Tyler said Trump threatens democracy. He described Trump’s campaign as increasingly “unhinged” and focused on revenge and retribution. He predicted that if Trump ever got a second term in office it would be “chaos” and would “foment political violence”.
Even Trump himself once said if he loses the next election, there could be a “bloodbath” in the United States. He did not clarify.
Conspiracy Theory
The renowned conspiracy theorist and ardent Trump supporter, Alex Jones, reacting to the Thursday event, dismissed the charges against Trump as a “kangaroo”.
Jones suggests that Trump will appeal the Thursday verdict and will get it overturned. “They just wanted the headline that Trump is a convicted felon, hoping it will backfire on him during the campaign.”
Jones predicts that “all these fake indictments and convictions will ultimately backfire on the deep state and globalists.“
He warned of another stage in the the playbook of those he calls “globalists,” which is to carry out “false flag terror attacks” on U.S. soil and then blame it on “Trump supporters angry at the verdict.“
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Awwwwh, what a shame to ghe American people! They have made sure that he will not be in the race for the white house! In my opinion, I prefer to all the other presidents of America. It is well!