First time a U.S. president has been convicted of a felony
In a stunning moment in American history, the jury in the Manhattan case against former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential election, found the former president guilty Thursday on all 34 felony charges stemming from a scheme in which he's accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
The porn star in question, Stormy Daniels, release a statement through her legal team after the verdict was rendered: "No man is above the law."
This is the first time a U.S. president, past or sitting, has been convicted of a felony, and the first time an ex-president has ever been convicted . It came after the jury deliberated for nearly hours on Wednesday into Thursday -- Judge Juan Merchan was about to dismiss the jury for the day when the group announced it had a verdict. Trump showed no facial emotion when the verdict was read.
At 5:42 p.m., on his way back to Trump Tower, he posted to Truth Social: "THIS WAS A DISGRACE—A RIGGED TRIAL BY A CONFLICTED JUDGE WHO IS CORRUPT. WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR CONSTITUTION—THIS IS LONG FROM OVER!"
Sentencing has been set for July 11 -- the Republican National Convention, where Trump is expected to be nominated to take on President Joe Biden in an attempt to reclaim his seat in the Oval Office, is set for July 15–18.
"The real verdict going to be Nov. 5 by the people," he said leaving the courtroom, referring to the presidential election.
Legal analysts predict Trump and his legal team will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. These are the same legal analysts who, while the charges of falsifying business records carry up to four years in prison, hypothesize Trump will not serve time behind bars.
As a felon, Trump can still run for president -- and can still even vote if he's not in jail. He is a resident of and votes in Florida, where law says it defers back to the state where the conviction occurred, and in New York only felons actually serving time for a felony are precluded from voting.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg addressed the media Thursday night, saying the jury rendered a verdict based on the evidence it heard and saw.
"I want to thank the jury for their service, their the cornerstone of the judicial system," he said. "This type of white-collar prosecution is core to what we do."
Republican Party response was swift and negative about the verdict.
"From a corrupt District Attorney to a rigged judge making a mockery of our judicial system, President Trump's guilty verdict comes as no surprise," said Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power.
From Florida's Senate representation:
"This was a sham trial and the clearest example we’ve ever seen of election interference," Sen. Rick Scott said on X/Twitter. "I am furious and no American is safe from Democrat political persecution."
"The verdict in New York is a complete travesty that makes a mockery of our system of justice," Sen. Marco Rubio posted on X.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has been raising money for Trump’s presidential campaign after unsuccessfully seeking the Republican nomination, issued a statement that called the charges against Trump “alleged misdemeanor business records violations from nearly a decade ago.”
DeSantis said the case wouldn’t have moved forward if Trump wasn’t the defendant.
But the Florida Democratic Party quickly sent out a fundraising request under the title “34-0.”
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said the verdict shows “our justice system at work!”
“No one is above the law, including the four-time indicted, twice impeached, insurrection inciter and now convicted felon, former President Donald Trump,” Wilson said in a statement.
Reporting from News Service of Florida used in this report.
