Trump has become the first former US president to be found guilty in a criminal trial

Former US President Donald Trump was found guilty this Thursday on all 34 charges he faced in a landmark trial in New York for concealing payments in exchange for silence from former porn star Stormy Daniels.

After two days of deliberations, the 12-member jury returned a unanimous verdict in a Manhattan court presided over by Judge Juan Manuel Merchan.

The decision makes Trump, who is the virtual Republican nominee for this year’s November elections, First former US president in history to be convicted in a criminal trial.

former President remain emotionless as he heard the jury’s guilty verdicts one by one.

Trump was accused of falsifying documents to hide alleged payments to porn actress Stephanie Cliffords ‘Stormy Daniels’, To secure his silence about their alleged affair and thus protect his 2016 re-election campaign, which he denies.

focused on testing Trump paid his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen $130,000who in turn claimed to have bought Daniels’ silence with that money. To New York prosecutors, it was an attempt to “illegally influence” the 2016 election.

The sentence will be announced on July 11. As established by the Court.

The former president faces a prison sentence of between one year and four months and four years for each charge.

However, due to his age and lack of criminal history, he may receive a reduced sentence or be released.

After leaving the court, Trump announced to the media that the process was ongoing “Shameful” and “a rigged trial”,

He alleged that he was treated unfairly and assured that “He will keep fighting until the end.”

“This is not over yet,” he said, before walking away without answering questions.

The former president’s lawyers are expected to appeal the ruling, which could delay a final resolution of the case for months or years.

Although it is technically possible that Trump could be sent to jail, it is unlikely,

Firstly, because he could remain free on bail during the appeals process.

Second, because the judge could potentially opt for a sentence that would avoid prison time due to additional circumstances such as his advanced age, the fact that he has no criminal record and that the crimes he was convicted of were not violent.

At a press conference, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg recognized the work done by his team. He said that although the trial had a defendant like no other (former president) in US history, he and his colleagues had treated the case like any other: “following the facts and the law and doing so without fear or favor,” he said.

After receiving the verdict, the former president also published Truth Social on his social networks a fundraising request for your campaign.

In his publication he claimed he had “done nothing wrong”, declared himself “a political prisoner” the victim of a “witch hunt” and asked his followers for support to return to the White House.

For his part, in a written statement released after the verdict was announced, lawyer Michael Cohen said: “Today is an important day for transparency and the rule of law. While this has been a difficult journey for me and my family, the truth always matters.”

The Biden campaign responded to Trump’s guilty verdict in a statement, saying, “Today in New York we saw this No one is above the law,

“Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never have to face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain,” Biden-Harris campaign press officer Michael Tyler said in a statement.

And he added that “there’s only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: at the polls.”

The result of this test is A devastating blow to the former presidentAccording to BBC North America correspondent Gary O’Donoghue.

“It’s one thing to be controversial and provocative; it’s another to be a convicted criminal,” he says.

However, O’Donoghue believes the guilty verdict is against Trump will excite and anger his followers even more,

He explains that this will help him raise funds not only for his mounting legal expenses but also for his presidential campaign.

On the other hand, O’Donoghue believes the biggest loss for Trump is in some of the undecided states, where the election results are expected to be very close. Many voters will be reluctant Supporting a candidate with a criminal record.

However, legally, This punishment will not stop Trump from remaining in the race to return to the White House.

In the United States, the Constitution establishes certain requirements for presidential candidates: they must be over 35 years old, be a US citizen by birth and have lived in the country for at least 14 years.

“There are no rules that bar candidates with a criminal record,” says BBC correspondent Caitlin Wilson in the United States. “Someone can run for president even while in prison.”

Politically, however, this conviction could influence the decision that American voters will have to make in the presidential elections next November.

Earlier this year, a Bloomberg and Morning Consult survey found that 53% of voters in key states would refuse to vote for a Republican if a Republican was convicted,

Another poll this month by Quinnipiac University showed that a guilty verdict would make 6% of Trump voters less likely to support him in November. That’s a significant statistic in such a close race.

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