A New York jury has found former President Donald Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, the first time an American president has become a felon.
The verdict may impact Trump’s chances of reclaiming the White House in the upcoming election.
The charges stem from an investigation into hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors alleged that Trump directed his longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make the payments to conceal an affair with Daniels.
One of the charges read, “The defendant, in the County of New York and elsewhere, on or about February 14, 2017, with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise, to wit, an invoice from Michael Cohen dated February 14, 2017, marked as a record of the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, and kept and maintained by the Trump Organization.”
Another charge stated, “The defendant, in the County of New York and elsewhere, on or about February 14, 2017, with intent to defraud and intent to commit another crime and aid and conceal the commission thereof, made and caused a false entry in the business records of an enterprise, to wit, an entry in the Detail General Ledger for the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust, bearing voucher number 842457, and kept and maintained by the Trump Organization.”
Trump’s legal team is expected to argue that their client would not have been able to get a fair trial in Manhattan. They have been raising objections and constitutional questions that could be used in an appeal.
In his response, Trump described the trial as a “disgrace” and proclaimed his innocence. He stated, “We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man.” Trump also expressed confidence in the upcoming election, saying, “The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people… They know what happened here and everybody knows what happened here.”
The verdict comes as Trump is seeking to take on incumbent President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. The impact of the conviction on his campaign remains to be seen, but it marks a significant legal setback for the former president.
