Donald Trump has been found guilty of conspiring to buy the silence of a porn actor days before the 2016 election and covering his tracks in business records, becoming the first former US president to be convicted of a crime as he seeks a second term in office.
The historic conviction is a vindication for Manhattan’s Democratic district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case last year after it had been abandoned by his predecessor and federal prosecutors. Over the course of five weeks, jurors had sat rapt as they heard from one-time prominent figures in Trump’s orbit, who outlined a “catch and kill” scheme to suppress a story of an alleged extramarital encounter with Stormy Daniels, after she threatened to go public with her tale.
The unanimous verdict in the Manhattan “hush money” case came at just after 5pm local time on Thursday, after almost two days of deliberation by the seven men and five women of the jury.
The historic conviction is a vindication for Manhattan’s Democratic district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case last year after it had been abandoned by his predecessor and federal prosecutors.
Over the course of five weeks, jurors had sat rapt as they heard from one-time prominent figures in Trump’s orbit, who outlined a “catch and kill” scheme to suppress a story of an alleged extramarital encounter with Stormy Daniels, after she threatened to go public with her tale.
Trump, who had been forced off the campaign trail four days a week to attend the trial in person, sat with his eyes closed while the verdict was read out by the jury foreman, an Irish-born salesman from Harlem, to a hushed courtroom.
Proceedings ended abruptly moments later, at which point Trump shook hands with his son Eric, who patted his father on the back. Outside the courtroom, Trump denounced the “rigged, disgraceful trial”.
“I’m a very innocent man,” he said. “I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution . . . I think it’s just a disgrace. And we’ll keep fighting, we’ll fight till the end and we’ll win because our country has gone to hell.”
He added: “The real verdict is going to be [on] November 5 by the American people.” Trump is set to be sentenced on July 11, four days before the start of the Republican convention, where he will be crowned the party’s nominee.
Speaking after the verdict, Bragg said: “A jury of 12 everyday New Yorkers was presented with overwhelming evidence — including invoices, cheques, bank statements, audio recordings, phone logs, text messages and direct testimony from 22 witnesses.” The evidence proved Trump “went to illegal lengths to lie repeatedly in order to protect himself and his campaign”, he added.
The 34 counts on which Trump was convicted carry a maximum prison sentence of four years, but as a first-time offender, he is unlikely to be incarcerated. Bragg declined to say whether he would seek a prison sentence.