Guilty. After three weeks of testimony and less than 12 hours of deliberation, a Manhattan jury has found former President Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony charges of attempting to influence the 2016 presidential election by falsifying business records to cover up a hush money payment. Sentencing has been scheduled for July 11, just four days ahead of the Republican National Convention.
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, is the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a felony. The maximum penalty per count is four years in prison, or no more than a total of 20 years, though Judge Juan Merchan could decline to send Trump to prison and instead impose a fine, probation or supervision. Trump is expected to appeal. He spoke to reporters outside the Manhattan courtroom after the verdict was announced.
Donald Trump: “This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who is corrupt. It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace. They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5% or 6% in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here. You have a Soros-backed DA. And the whole thing, we didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man.”
We’ll have more on the historic conviction of Donald Trump after headlines.