Donald Trump hush money case: In a history first, former US president Donald Trump on Thursday (May 30) was convicted by a New York jury on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex. With this, Trump became the first former US president to be convicted of felony crimes. The court verdict came after the jurors deliberated for 9.5 hours over two days before reading out the decision. Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read.
What did the prosecutors allege?
The prosecutors alleged that Trump was involved in an illegal conspiracy which was aimed at undermining the integrity of the 2016 election and suppressing negative information. The concealment of a hush money payment to an adult film star was central to the case.
Trump dubs trial “rigged, disgraceful”
Reacting to the verdict, Trump denounced the trial and labelled it as “rigged and disgraceful”.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial…We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man,” 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,” he added.
He also criticised the Manhattan District Attorney and the Biden administration and claimed their influence over the case.
“Our whole country is being rigged right now…This was done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent, a political opponent,” he said.
Trump vowed to “keep fighting till the end”.
“We’ll keep fighting, we’ll fight till the end, and we’ll win because our country’s gone to hell. We don’t have the same country anymore, we have a divided mess,” he said. “We will fight for our Constitution. This is long over,” Trump added.
Trump is expected to quickly appeal the verdict and will face an awkward dynamic as he returns to the campaign trail as a convicted felon. There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to hold fundraisers next week.
In a separate statement, the former US president’s legal team vowed to challenge the verdict, however, Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s motion for an acquittal and scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 11.
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.
What is the hush money case?
The trial centred on allegations surrounding a hush money scheme involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The jury found Trump guilty of falsifying business records in connection with this scheme, encompassing 34 felony counts.
The trial centered on accusations that Trump falsified business records to conceal hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, a porn actor who claimed she had a sexual encounter with the married Trump in 2006.
Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer, paid Daniels USD 130,000 to secure her silence in the final weeks of the 2016 election. Prosecutors allege this was an attempt to interfere with the election. When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors argue was an illegal attempt to disguise the true purpose of the transaction. Trump’s lawyers maintain that the payments were legitimate fees for legal services.
Trump has denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued that his celebrity status made him a target for extortion, especially during the 2016 campaign. They claim the hush money deals were motivated by personal reasons, such as protecting his family and business reputation, rather than political motives.
The trial included over four weeks of testimony, revisiting a well-documented period from Trump’s past. This was when his 2016 campaign was jeopardized by the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump spoke about grabbing women sexually without their consent, and the potential emergence of other damaging stories about Trump and sex.
(With inputs from agencies)
ALSO READ | Trump’ lawyer casts him as a victim of blackmail in hush money trial, says key witness lied on stand