‘The jury has spoken’: Trump convicted of all 34 charges

New York: Donald Trump has been found guilty of falsifying business records to cover up an affair that could have derailed his chances of winning the White House, making him the first former US president in history to be criminally convicted.

With less than six months before his election rematch against President Joe Biden, Trump now faces the prospect of jail, probation, or other restrictions set by the judge after a jury of 12 New Yorkers found he was part of a hush money scheme to influence the 2016 election.

Former president Donald Trump after being found guilty of 34 counts.Credit: AP

The 77-year-old Republican watched with a frowned expression as he was found guilty on all 34 counts, in a decision that will reshape the 2024 race and further fracture an already divided nation.

His supporters flooded pro-Trump websites, including the ex-president’s own Truth Social platform, Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit with calls for riots, revolution and violent retribution. Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, or outright civil war and armed insurrection.

Trump’s sentence is set for July 11, days before the Republican National Convention where he is to be formally announced as his party’s presidential nominee.

Falsifying business documents is normally a misdemeanour in New York, but prosecutors in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office elevated it to a felony on the grounds that Trump was concealing an illegal campaign contribution.

They had the burden of proving Trump guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt”, the standard under US law.

“We did our job. [There are] many voices out there. The only voice that matters is the voice of the jury, and the jury has spoken,” Bragg told a press conference.

Trump didn’t react to the verdict in the courtroom but spoke to reporters outside.

“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial. The real verdict is going to be November 5th – by the people,” he told reporters after the verdict, referring to the day of the election.

“They know what happened here.”

On Truth Social, he later called Judge Juan Merchan “HIGHLY CONFLICTED” and criticised his jury instructions as unfair. One commentator responded by posting a picture of a hangman’s platform and a noose with the caption: “TREASONOUS MOBSTER OF THE JUSTICES SYSTEM!!”

Trump has already foreshadowed a lengthy appeal in the courts, and will continue to use the case to fundraise and fire up his base as he campaigns to return to power.

As Biden campaigns across the country, Trump has lamented spending the past six weeks on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Court, listening to 22 witnesses testify about what prosecutors said was a criminal conspiracy to “catch and kill” damning stories that could have derailed his chances of becoming president.

The seeds of that conspiracy were sown in August 2015 during a Trump Tower meeting with his then fixer and lawyer Michael Cohen and tabloid king David Pecker, the then publisher of the National Enquirer, who had promised to be Trump’s “eyes and ears” while he ran for office.

Numerous stories were buried on Trump’s behalf, including that of an affair with former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, which Pecker’s company paid $US150,000 to kill, and an unverified story from a hotel doorman about a love child, which cost $US30,000.

According to Cohen’s evidence this month, Trump had said at that meeting: “The two of you should work together and anything that comes, you let Michael know and we’ll handle it.”

The 34 charges against Trump specifically relate to a $US130,000 hush money payment Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump in 2006 when he was newly married to his current wife, Melania.

This crossed a legal line, prosecutors say, because Trump reimbursed Cohen and falsified records to cover the whole thing up, thereby breaching electoral laws.

However, Trump’s defence lawyer Todd Blanche insisted the payments to Cohen were legitimate fees for his legal services and “there was absolutely no intent to defraud” and “no conspiracy to influence the 2016 election”.

After their first four hours of deliberation on day one, the jurors began on Friday (AEST) wanting to review portions of testimony from Pecker and Cohen, as well as Merchan’s instructions on the law.

But that evidence is likely to be taken up on appeal by Trump and his legal team, who have long argued the case is politically motivated, pointing to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Merchan both being Democrats.

Such an appeal could take months in the courts, with any sentence effectively being shelved until it is finalised.

A supporter of Donald Trump reacts to the guilty verdict announced against the former president outside Manhattan Criminal Court.Credit: AP

Falsifying business records generally comes with a maximum sentence of four years jail in New York; however, the judge has the discretion to impose a lesser sentence or probation given the non-violent nature of the crime and Trump’s lack of criminal history.

Outside, Trump supporters lined the streets as his motorcade left the court, many with Trump flags and MAGA caps showing their support. Opponents, meanwhile, held up banners with slogans such as “lies have consequences” and “justice matters”.

“This is a good day for democracy, a good day for justice and a good day for the people in the state of New York,” said Dave Masterson, who was standing near the court with a group chanting: “Count 1: Guilty! Count 2: Guilty! Count 3: Guilty...”

Others, however, felt Trump had been “politically persecuted”.

“This isn’t fair; I don’t believe he’s guilty,” said Moni Mohan, a Manhattan resident who has been one of the hundreds of people lining up for hours every morning hoping to get one of the few seats inside the court.

“This country is divided – and it’s going to be even more divided if this judge puts him in jail.”

Richard Atkins agreed, but did not believe a criminal conviction would stop Trump from winning the election.

“He’s been on trial for weeks and he kept gaining support,” he said. “He’ll still beat Biden.”

However, Biden-Harris communications director Michael Tyler said the verdict showed “no one is above the law”.

“But today’s verdict does not change the fact that the American people face a simple reality. There is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the ballot box,” he said.

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