Jury Reaches Verdict In Historic Trump Hush Money Trial
This just in…
On Thursday, the Manhattan jury found Donald J. Trump, the 45th president of the United States, guilty on all charges.
Before the jury began deliberations, Judge Juan Merchan instructed its members that they did not need to have a unanimous verdict in order to convict the former president.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as part of a hush-money scheme to prevent porn star Stormy Daniels from speaking out about her alleged extramarital affair before the 2016 presidential election.
Before Trump, no sitting or former president ever faced criminal charges. This is the lowest level felony in New York, any potential sentence will more than likely be served after the 2024 election.
Trump has yet to respond to the verdict.
Trump, a slight favorite to win the White House, might face diminished support from some voters who aren’t keen on backing a candidate with a criminal record. On the flip side, it could galvanize his base and swing voters, who view the trial as a politically motivated attack while the economy languishes.
The political significance of the trial was on display Tuesday, as the Biden and Trump campaigns held dueling events outside the courthouse.
The Biden campaign featured actor Robert De Niro and retired law enforcement officers who were at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, for a press conference to bash Trump as dangerous.
It was the first time the Biden campaign held an event around the trial. Communications director Michael Tyler explained why it chose to do so, saying to the media, “Because you all are here.”
“We want to remind the American people … of the unique, persistent and growing threat that Donald Trump poses to the American people and to our democracy,” he said.
Trump’s team brushed off the Biden event as a sign of desperation.
“Why is Joe Biden now making this a campaign event after months of weaponizing the legal system against President Trump? Because Joe Biden’s numbers are in the tank,” senior Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.