A New York jury has found Donald Trump guilty of all 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime.
After more than nine hours of deliberation, the jury reached the verdict, which was read in the Manhattan courtroom where Donald Trump has been on trial since April 15. This historic controversy is particularly significant as Trump could be the Republican candidate for president.
Throughout the trial, Trump declared himself innocent of the 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a payment made by his former lawyer Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election.
BREAKING: Donald Trump found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business documents in New York pic.twitter.com/Yq8LWihvRx
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) May 30, 2024
Donald Trump insists on his innocence
The prosecutor handling the case, Joshua Steinglass, told the jury in his closing arguments earlier this week that “the law is the law and it applies to everyone equally. There is no special standard for this defendant.” “You, the jury, have the power to hold the defendant accountable,” Steinglass said.
Meanwhile, Trump had maintained that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, led by Alvin Bragg, had no case and that no crime had been committed.
“President Trump is innocent. He did not commit any crime,” said his lead attorney, Todd Blanche, in his closing statement, arguing that the payments to Cohen were legitimate.
Although Trump was not charged with conspiracy, prosecutors argued that he caused the falsification of records because he was trying to cover up a violation of state election law, and falsifying business records with the intent to cover up another crime elevates the offense from a misdemeanor to a felony.
Read also: ‘All Eyes On Rafah’, The IA Image That Is Taking Over The Internet
This verdict comes after weeks of a highly publicized trial that included testimony from several witnesses, including former White House employees. Now we must wait to see what sentence former President Donald Trump will have to serve, which has been set for July 11.
With information from NBC News / Cover photo: taken from the internet (CNN)
