An angered Donald Trump vows to fight back after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 counts, related to falsifying documents to hide hush money payments to a porn star. Trump delivers his statements in front of a bank of cameras at the Trump Towers, listing off adversaries and grievances, and making exasperated remarks.
He calls the presiding judge of the trial, Justice Juan Merchan, “crooked” and a “devil”. He also described Joe Biden, the current president and his former rival in the Nov. 5 election “the “the worst president in the history of our country”. He also expressed his dissent towards Congress members that voted for his impeachment, and the witnesses that testified against him. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign calls on supporters to continue donating to his campaign, with $34.8 million raised on Thursday alone, from those who perceive the New York verdict as a miscarriage of justice.
Charges against Donald Trump
The conviction faced by Donald Trump followed after a case brought up by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, revealing a $130,000 “hush money” payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his attorney Michael Cohen. Prosecutors state that the payments were made in order to cover-up Danield’ allegation of her sexual involvements with Trump years earlier, which he denies. However, the charges faced by Trump dealt with comparatively insignificant paperwork that was generated for the reimbursement of Cohen. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsification of business records in the first degree, a felony in New York and chargeable for up to 4 years imprisonment.
The case was brought about by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is uncovers Trump’s dark history, and, as prosecutors say, scrambled to stifle stories that would jeopardize his political career and torpedo his campaign. “This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election — to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures to silence people who had something bad to say about his behavior, using doctored corporate records and bank forms to conceal those payments along the way,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo said. “It was election fraud, pure and simple.” However, Trump’s defense lawyers say otherwise. “President Trump is innocent. President Trump did not commit any crimes. The Manhattan district attorney’s office should never have brought this case,” attorney Todd Blanche said.
The Hush Money Trials
The Hush Money trial is the first criminal trial of a former American president, and the first of four persecutions of Trump to reach a jury. Prosecutors attempted to center the trial around the election interference, causing the elevation of the gravity of the case. “At Trump’s direction, Cohen negotiated a deal to buy Ms. Daniels’ story in order to prevent American voters from learning that information before Election Day,” Colangelo told the 12-jury court. Trump’s line of defense however, insisted that the payments made to Cohen were for his work as Trump’s attorney. Moreover, they also focused on discrediting Cohen’s testimony by underplaying his values and morals, portraying him as someone who could not be “trusted”. They claim that Trump had done nothing illegal by recording the checks made to Cohen as legal expenses.
Differing Reactions
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of Felony Crimes on Thursday, as the 12-jury court in New York found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to interfere with the 2016 elections. The verdict faces voters with another dilemma that tests their willingness to elect him into office in the upcoming elections. However, republican organizations and officers stand with Trump, parroting the idea that the trial was flawed and the judgment was biased.
As Trump is set to call for an appeal of the decision, his campaign has already moved forward quickly at raising money off the verdict, issuing a pitch that portrayed him as a “political prisoner”. The former president’s allies also reacted harshly against anyone that suggested Trump had committed a crime, and heavily criticized the Justice System.
Meanwhile, the verdict has allowed the Joe Biden campaign to sharpen their stance on Trump, and how he is not fit to serve office. Michael Tyler, the Biden campaign’s communications director says, “America just witnessed a confused, desperate and defeated Donald Trump ramble about his own personal grievances and lie about the American justice system, leaving anyone watching with one obvious conclusion: This man cannot be president of the United States.”
This New York case, however, stands as a significant testament to the fate of the upcoming elections, as it is going to be the only one of the four cases that have been issued against Trump to reach trial. Appeals and legal wrangling have caused the other cases to be delayed.
