Donald Trump to appeal guilty verdict after criminal hush money trial
Insiders say the crowds at Donald Trump’s Florida home got “gloomier and gloomier” ahead of the verdict, as family members rally around the former US President. See the latest.
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Donald Trump vowed to appeal his criminal conviction as he tried to position himself as a political martyr, saying he was “honoured” to fight back against a case he derided as a hoax.
The morning after the stunning verdict in the former president’s hush money trial, he acknowledged the charges against him sounded “so bad”, but maintained he never slept with porn star Stormy Daniels and there was nothing illegal about paying her to keep quiet.
Mr Trump – who will be sentenced on July 11, days before he is confirmed as the Republican candidate for this year’s election – declared he was “going to fight”.
“It’s my honour to be doing this, it really is,” he said in a 35-minute speech to reporters before he refused to take questions.
“It’s a very unpleasant thing, to be honest, but it’s a great, great honour.”
The Republican is the first US president in history to be tried and convicted of a crime.
He was found guilty of falsifying 34 business records to cover up the $US130,000 he paid to Ms Daniels to silence her claim of a brief affair in the days before the 2016 US election.
US President Joe Biden – Mr Trump’s opponent in November’s extraordinary election rematch – said the verdict reaffirmed “the American principle that no one is above the law”.
“It’s reckless, it’s dangerous and it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” he said.
Speaking at Trump Tower on Friday, Mr Trump unleashed on Judge Juan Merchan – who oversaw the trial in the Manhattan Criminal Court – as a crooked and corrupt tyrant.
He also appeared to breach a gag order that remains in place after the verdict by attacking Michael Cohen, the star witness in the case against him, as a “sleazebag”. Mr Cohen was Mr Trump’s lawyer in 2016 who arranged the payment to Ms Daniels.
Mr Trump did not testify during the trial, despite having publicly vowed to give evidence, and yet he argued after the verdict that he “would have liked to have testified”.
“The theory is you never testify… don’t testify, because they’ll get you on something you said slightly wrong and then they sue you for perjury,” the 77-year-old said.
“But I didn’t care about that – I wanted to.”
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‘LIKE A FUNERAL AT MAR-A-LAGO’
Trump supporters say it’s ‘like a funeral at Mar-a-Lago’, the convicted criminal and former US President’s Florida home, reports the New York Post.
“Everyone says Melania and the entire family are rallying around the former president. But the mood is nonetheless gloomy and gloomier right now. It’s definitely viewed as a downer at Mar-a-Lago,” an insider told the newspaper.
Some are devastated, some are angry, but many are hanging on to hope.
“The real verdict will take place in November when the people vote,” one said.
TRUMP FAMILY CONVENES IN NYC
Former first lady Melania Trump and the couple’s 18-year-old son, Barron, joined the 45th president in New York City on Thursday local time, meeting him after the verdict.
“Everyone but Ivanka has gathered around Trump at Trump Tower,” a source told the New York Post. “Melania and Barron [were] smuggled in through the side entrance. People who saw Trump go into the elevator in the building said he’s ‘looking older and tired.’”
Trump spoke to all his children in the aftermath of the ruling
TRUMP OUTLINES LEGAL PLANS
In confirming his plans to appeal the conviction, Mr Trump outlined his legal team’s plan to quash the jury’s verdict, indicating a court battle that will unfold after sentencing.
He vented about Judge Merchan blocking one of his witnesses from giving evidence, and said another defence witness was “literally crucified by this man who looks like an angel but he’s really a devil”.
Mr Trump complained that the case was not moved out of Manhattan – his former hometown – to another venue “where we could get a fair trial”.
And he argued that his actions were not illegal, as he said of Ms Daniels’s salacious claims of a brief fling in 2006: “Nothing ever happened. There was no anything.”
“It’s not hush money – it’s called a nondisclosure agreement,” he said.
“It’s a disgrace … Totally legal, totally common, everyone has it.”
“I paid a lawyer a legal expense, and a bookkeeper without any knowledge from me correctly marked it down in the books … It’s a legal expense – this is what the falsification of business records were.”
“Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”
“This can’t be allowed to happen to other presidents … This is bigger than Trump, this is bigger than me, this is bigger than my presidency.”
BIDEN DEFENDS JURY’S VERDICT
Mr Biden, speaking from the White House in his first comments on the trial since it began, said his political opponent was given “every opportunity to defend himself”
“After careful deliberation, the jury reached a unanimous verdict. They found Donald Trump guilty on all 34 felony counts,” he said.
“Now he will be given the opportunity, as he should, to appeal that decision.”
“That’s how the American system of justice works … The justice system should be respected and we should never allow anyone to tear it down”
Mr Trump again claimed without evidence that the case against him was “all done by Biden and his people”. The President jokingly replied: “I didn’t know I was that powerful.”
Speaking of the election, Mr Trump declared: “November 5th is going to be the most important day in the history of our country.”
Mr Biden’s campaign spokesman Michael Tyler hit back at the “confused, desperate and defeated Donald Trump”.
“Unhinged by his 2020 election loss and spiralling from his criminal convictions, Trump is consumed by his own thirst for revenge and retribution. He thinks this election is about him. But it’s not,” he said.
“Donald Trump is sowing chaos, attacking the rule of law, and fighting for the only thing in the world he gives a damn about: Donald Trump.”
The President’s national campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu added that the verdict was “nothing for anybody to have a lot of joy about”.
“It’s a very sober moment for the country and a very sad moment for the country,” he said.
“But yesterday, you saw democracy work … Everybody in the United States is subject to the rule of law.”
Mr Landrieu said it was “an uncomfortable fact for all of us in America that Donald Trump is a convicted felon”.
“The only thing that can stop him from getting to the White House is the American people. They will be the final jury … And the choice is really, really clear,” he said.
TRUMP SMASHES DONATION RECORD
Mr Trump’s campaign team bragged that they raised $US34.8m ($A52.3m) in the hours after the verdict – nearly double their previous daily record.
The Republican’s online fundraising platform briefly crashed during the surge of donations as he fired off emails and text messages to supporters calling for their assistance.
His senior campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said 29.7 per cent of donors who contributed did so for the first time.
“So far, I guess it’s backfiring,” the former president said.
“But I’d rather win this thing legitimately, not because they were stupid and did things they shouldn’t be doing.”
NEW YORKERS CONDEMN GUILTY TRUMP
As the convicted felon spoke inside his Manhattan residence, scores of New Yorkers gathered on the street to vent their feelings about the verdict.
They carried signs which said “guilty”, “justice matters” and “Trump is the biggest loser”.
It came as a snap poll after the verdict, conducted by YouGov, found 51 per cent of Americans agreed with the decision.
Another 30 per cent disagreed and 19 per cent were not sure.
The YouGov survey also showed 47 per cent of Americans thought Mr Trump received a fair trial, compared to 37 per cent who believed his repeated claims that the trial was unfair and rigged.
WATCH: TRUMP’S VERDICT EXPLAINED
US Correspondent Tom Minear breaks down the guilty verdict and what it means.
THE OTHER CHARGES TRUMP FACES
Originally published as Donald Trump to appeal guilty verdict after criminal hush money trial
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