Jury finds Trump guilty on 34 counts; first president convicted of felony
Jurors found former President Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony.
The jurors reached a verdict late afternoon in the hush money criminal case.
The 12 New Yorkers on Trump’s jury have indicated they reached a unanimous decision on his fate, eliminating the possibility of a hung jury in the first-ever criminal trial of a former president.
Trump faced 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment his ex-fixer, Michael Cohen, made to porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election to keep secret her alleged affair with Trump a decade prior until after votes were cast. Trump denies the affair and has pleaded not guilty.
Where things stand in the hush money trial
- Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with a hush money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels near the end of the 2016 presidential campaign.
- The verdict came in the 12-person jury’s second day of deliberations.
- Sentencing has been scheduled for July 11.
Trump says after leaving courtroom: ‘I’m a very innocent man’
Trump briefly spoke to cameras outside the courtroom and repeated many of the same comments he’s made in the same spot for the last several weeks.
“This was a disgrace,” he said. “This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt … This was a rigged, disgraceful trial.”
Trump said the “real verdict will be Nov. 5 by the people.”
“I’m a very innocent man,” he said. “It’s OK. I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution.”
Trump said the country has “gone to hell” and “we’re a divided mess.” He said millions of people are pouring into the U.S. from prisons and mental institutions and some are terrorists.
He repeated this was a “rigged decision right from Day One.”
“This is far from over,” he said, before walking away.
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