34 felony crimes tied to falsifying business records

Jury needed just nine-plus hours to return with verdict Sentencing set for July 11, but appeal most likely 

 NEW YORK — Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actress who said the two had sex.

Trump sat stone-faced while the verdict was read as cheering from the street below could be heard in the hallway on the courthouse’s 15th floor where the decision was revealed after more than nine hours of deliberations.

Judge Juan Merchan set sentencing for July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where GOP leaders, who remained resolute in their support in the aftermath of the verdict, are expected to formally make Trump their nominee.

The verdict exposes Trump to potential prison time in the city where the tabloid press helped catapult him from a real estate tycoon to reality television star and ultimately president. Trump is expected to appeal the verdict as he returns to the campaign trail tagged with felony convictions.

There are no campaign rallies on the calendar for now, though he’s expected to appear Friday at Trump Tower and to hold fundraisers next week.

The falsifying business records charges carry up to four years behind bars, though Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg would not say Thursday if prosecutors 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 White House pursuit. Trump faces three other felony indictments, but the New York case may be the only one to reach a conclusion before the November election.

Political consequences unknown

Though the legal and historical implications of the verdict are readily apparent, the political consequences are less so given its potential to reinforce rather than reshape already hardened opinions about Trump.

The case’s general allegations have also been known to voters for years and, while tawdry, are widely seen as less grievous than the allegations he faces in three other cases that charge him with subverting American democracy and mishandling national security secrets. Ahead of the verdict, Trump’s campaign had argued that, no matter the jury’s decision, the outcome was unlikely to sway voters and that the election would be decided by issues such as inflation.

Even so, the verdict is likely to give President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats space to sharpen arguments that Trump is unfit for office, though for now the White House offered only a muted statement that it respected the rule of law.

Trump maintained throughout the trial that he had done nothing wrong and that the case should never have been brought, railing against the proceedings from inside the courthouse — where he was joined by a parade of high-profile Republican allies — and racking up fines for violating a gag order with inflammatory, out-of-court comments about witnesses.

Republicans showed no sign of loosening their embrace of the party leader, with House Speaker Mike Johnson lamenting what he called “a shameful day in American history.” He called the case “a purely political exercise, not a legal one.”

Falsified business records

The trial involved charges that Trump falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels, the porn actor who said she had sex with the married Trump in 2006.

The $130,000 payment came from Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer Michael Cohen to buy Daniels’ silence during the final weeks of the 2016 race in what prosecutors allege was an effort to interfere in the election.

When Cohen was reimbursed, the payments were recorded as legal expenses, which prosecutors said was an unlawful attempt to mask the true purpose of the transaction.

Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for legal services. He denied the sexual encounter, and his lawyers argued at trial that his celebrity status made him an extortion target.

Defense lawyers also said hush money deals to bury negative stories about Trump were motivated by personal considerations such as the impact on his family and brand as a businessman, not political ones.

They also sought to undermine the credibility of Cohen, the star prosecution witness who pleaded guilty in 2018 to federal charges related to the payments, by suggesting he was driven by personal animus toward Trump as well as fame and money.

The case, though criticized by some legal experts who called it the weakest of the prosecutions against Trump, took on added importance not only because it proceeded to trial first but also because it could be the only only one to reach a jury before the election.

The other three — local and federal cases in Atlanta and Washington alleging that he conspired to undo the 2020 election, as well as a federal indictment in Florida charging him with illegally hoarding top-secret records — have been subject to delays or appeals.

ʻThis was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people. They know what happened, and everyone knows what happened here.’

Former President Donald Trump

ʻWhile this defendant may be unlike any other in American history, we arrived at this trial and ultimately today in this verdict in the same manner as every other case that comes through the courtroom doors, by following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor.’

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg

ʻIn New York today, we saw that no one is above the law. But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box.’

President Joe Biden campaign statement

ʻDemocrats cheered as they convicted the leader of the opposing party on ridiculous charges, predicated on the testimony of a disbarred, convicted felon. This was a purely political exercise, not a legal one.’

House Speaker Mike Johnson

ʻI respect the work of the jury but believe that this has been a political witch-hunt in a hostile courtroom. The rule of law should always be applied fairly and without prejudice. President Trump will have an opportunity to appeal and I expect an unbiased process will vindicate President Trump.’

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo

ʻFirst, a court found Donald Trump to be a sexual abuser. He was then found to be a fraudulent business owner. Now Donald J. Trump is a convicted felon. All are an affirmation of the rule of law. And Trump’s unfitness for office.’

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.