The Attorney General for Manhattan, Alvin Bragg, from the Democratic party, brought criminal charges against Trump in the past year for 34 offenses, accusing him of trying to “to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.”
The panel of jurors spent two days in discussion before announcing their decision at 4:59pm on Thursday: found guilty on every charge, marking the first time in history that a US president has been found guilty of a serious crime.
“This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” Trump told reporters after the verdict was announced. “The real verdict will be on November 5, by the people. And we will keep fighting, and we’ll fight till the end and we’ll win.”
The 34 entries pertain to a total of 11 bills, 12 receipts, and 11 checks related to Trump’s regular payments to his former attorney, covering the $130,000 he paid to Daniels. Bragg stated that this totaled to “falsifying business records.”
The lawsuit stemmed from statements made by Michael Cohen, the former attorney for Donald Trump, who alleged that Trump had ordered him to provide $130,000 to a sex industry professional in exchange for her silence concerning a supposed romantic encounter involving the presidential nominee. Trump has refuted any connection to the porn actress. In 2018, Cohen entered a guilty plea to allegations of illegally using campaign funds, as well as for tax evasion and fraudulent banking activities. Consequently, he was incarcerated for two and a half years. Additionally, he forfeited his license to practice law in New York.
Many Republicans have criticized the trial as a joke, claiming that Merchan broke the state’s constitution by pursuing the case despite his daughter’s affiliation with the Democratic party.
