NEW YORK – Donald Trump became the first former president of US ever convicted of a crime after a jury found him guilty on all charges in a criminal hush money trial.
The New York jury held deliberations for two days before convicting him on all 34 counts related to falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal that posed threat to derail his presidential campaign in 2016.
The Jury will announce the sentence in the case on July 11. However, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan allowed Trump to remain free as there is no need to get bail.
As Trump closed in on victory in the 2016 presidential election, adult film star Stormy Daniels was paid $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged 2006 sexual tryst with Trump.
The payments, made by Trump’s lawyer at the time, Michael Cohen, were revealed by The Wall Street Journal in Jan 2018.
The trial continued for over six weeks against Trump, who is presumptive Republican presidential nominee. The conviction would serve a blow to his 2024 presidential election.
On Wednesday, Trump, while talking to the media, said, “Mother Teresa could not beat these charges. These charges are rigged. The whole country’s a mess between the borders and fake elections and you have a trial like this where the judge is so conflicted he can’t breathe.”
The 77-year-old politician said: “It’s a disgrace. And I mean that. Mother Teresa could not beat those charges. But we’ll see. We’ll see how we do.”
